I try to cover it up, but hearing Talon’s name out of nowhere feels like a slash against my heart. It’s like I forget that Talon was a lamia or the fact that he is from the same nest until it’s shoved in my face. Then as soon as I remember, his confession in the back of that SUV cuts me open all over again.
“He only told me what he was when he was dying,” I admit, and Siah looks at me surprised.
“What about what you were?” he queries.
“He never told me that. I found out at my reading after Talon arranged for me to be found by my uncle.”
Siah’s eyes narrow, and he shakes his head with obvious repugnance. It’s funny because the reality of what Talon kept from me pisses me off, but seeing someone else judging him for it makes me feel defensive of Talon and the decisions he made.
“I guess I’ll start with lamia 101, then,” Siah grumbles. “I’m sure you’ve heard our race being compared to that of mythological vampires. We are where that legend finds roots, and there are some truths to the lore, but there are also extreme exaggerations.”
I nod in understanding and quickly run through every stereotypical vampire ability I can think of.
“We feed off other creatures, but probably not in the way that you think. We feed on their magic. We need it to survive and replenish our stores when they get low. If we lose too much magic, we can die; if too much magic is forced into us at one time, we can die. And then there’s the good ol’ tried and true decapitation.”
I think back to the way I killed my first handful of lamia. I must have overloaded them with magic, and that’s what saved me. I didn’t know at the time how it all worked, but it makes sense.
“Blood is the quickest way for us to access another being’s magic, hence the fangs.” Siah gives me a cold smile, and I can just make out the hint of sharp canines amongst his straight, white teeth. “We’re one of the few supernatural creatures that are made, not born.”
“How does that work?” I ask, curiosity winning out over not wanting to be rude.
“We’re drained of all of our natural magic, and then fed the magic of our sire. Their magic either kills us outright or changes us.”
“They can do this to anyone?” I ask, alarm in my tone.
“I suppose in theory it’s possible, but it’s technically very complicated. Humans have the highest success rates when it comes to being blooded. All creatures have some form of magic in them, and humans are really no exception. For the most part, their magic is so dormant and diluted, many of them are barely worth the feeding, but some have more than others. Sires are typically older lamia, ones who have built up greater magic stores within themselves over time. When they make another lamia, they need to pull all the magic from the being they’re draining but not overload themselves so that it will kill them. They then need to force their magic into the drained but not deplete their stores so much that it results in death too.”
Siah looks over at me, and I can tell he’s trying to gauge if I understand what he’s explaining. I give him a nod as my eyes tell him tokeep going.
“It’s a complicated process, and successful sires have it down to almost an exact science. Creatures outside of the non classification are harder to drain and change. It’s not impossible, but it’s incredibly risky and therefore not attempted often.”
I look out the window into the shadows that flash past us as we drive, and mull over everything he’s just said.
“As I was saying, Sorik and I were blooded not far apart from each other. We were both new to this world and leaned on each other in an effort to survive it. Our sire, Payter, was a trusted member of Adriel’s commanders. Because of that, we were trusted with tasks and responsibilities that were sensitive and important to Adriel. Which is how Sorik and I met Grier, your mother.”
My breath hitches when he speaks my mother’s name, but he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care about the reaction I have to hearing him talk about her.
“We were part of a group of guards that Grier always had assigned to her. The rest I think you know, based on what Sorik explained the last time you both saw one another.”
I nod, putting the pieces together. They were with my mother all of the time. It makes sense that Sorik, just like Talon, grew attached to her.
“But Sorik didn’t tell you that he and my mother…” I trail off.
“I knew they were close. I watched out for Sorik many times so that he and Grier could have time together, but I didn’t know until he asked for help with you about how deep the connection between Grier and Sorik was.”
“You never noticed the runes or questioned the random injuries to his hands?” I probe.
“The scars on his fingers showed up after we were attacked by another nest. It’s not unheard of for lamia to get injured and scarred in a battle. Most supes know what shifter saliva does to us. They’ll coat weapons in it or carry vials of it to use against us in a fight. His injuries weren’t unexplainable. There was never a reason for me to see him with his clothes off, so I had no way of knowing.”
“Do you know why Adriel is so obsessed with Sentinels?” I ask, hoping he has this confusing missing piece that helps explain why all of this happened in the first place.
“We were trusted with assignments, but we were never in Adriel’s circle of confidants. I’m not sure of his exact reasons or how he even knew what Sentinels were, but it fits with what I do know about him. He’s power-hungry and insatiable. He’s obsessed with being the biggest, baddest being on the planet, and I’m not just talking when it comes to lamia. He wants to rule every supe and non alike. The scary thing about him is that he can convince you that you want the same thing. When he talks to the nest, pumps us up, we walk away feeling like gods, like we own the world and rightfully so. It’s taken me a long time to see the manipulations for what they are. He’s a being that gets what he wants, one way or another.”
“Not always,” I counter. “My mother held out against him.”
“True, as did the two other Sentinel females he captured before her. But every time he fails, he still learns something new about your kind, and he gets that much closer to getting what he wants from the next one he catches.”
My eyes widen in surprise at that admission. “He has other Sentinels?” I ask, my heart pounding harder and faster in my chest.
