“That's why you're immortal,” he concluded.
“Partially.” I looked away. “My uncle wanted to take the elixir himself and give it to those he thought worthy.”
Braxis snorted derisively.
“Exactly,” I said. “My father disagreed. He knew what a mistake it would be to make his people immortal. They argued but Jovan was the King—he'd get his way. So, my father destroyed the elixir and his research and fled. I think my uncle intended to let him go but word of the elixir had gotten out. A group of Triari tracked him to Earth. By that time, he had met my mother, a Danutian. They had me but mortal blood doesn't mix well with immortal. My body was at odds with itself, trying to find an impossible balance. So, my father made a single dose of the elixir and administered it to me to balance my blood. It worked, it made me fully immortal, but it also altered my Danutian magic into something unusual. Most changelings—children who are half Danutian—die because of the imbalance. My father saved my life.”
“He made you immortal like your mother.”
“More than my mother; I heal even faster than a Danutian,” I whispered and looked away. “Anyway, the aforementioned group of Triari found my father and demanded the elixir. He refused so they killed him and my mother.”
“Where were you when these murders occurred?”
“My mother hid me in a cabinet and told me not to come out,” I said with as little emotion as I could. “Even when they set the house on fire, I stayed put.”
“Is that how you discovered that you're immune to fire?” he asked softly, his hand gently rubbing my back.
I closed my eyes and decided to tell him the truth. It was probably better that he knew. I didn't want him thinking he could toss me into another tehom and I'd survive. “I'm not immune to fire,” I admitted. “I only survived the tehom because I was wearing Sairana's Ember.”
“Sairana's Ember?”
“It was that big red stone I was wearing around my neck.”
“That Danutian charm you offered me?” He scowled.
I nodded. “The jewel was formed by the Danutian Goddess of Fire. But there's a thief stealing Danu's magic and I had to toss the Ember into the Heart of Fire to strengthen it.”
“The Heart of Fire?” Braxis whispered. “A magical power source?”
“Yes. Since the Ember was condensed Fire magic, casting it into the heart helped to protect the power source. It's gone now, destroyed. So, don't go throwing me into a bonfire or anything. I might live but it will take awhile for me to heal.”
“You'renotimmune to fire?” He asked as if he were processing it.
“No. It's actually one of my greatest fears.” I knew it was a risk, telling him what I feared, but I also knew that it was integral for him to trust me and he wouldn't trust me if I didn't seem to trust him first. “I've been burned horribly before. Once when I was a child and once when Gregory gave the Ember to a human who tried to kill me with it.”
“The Ember gave the power of fire to a human?”
“No, the human already had some fire ability. The Ember enhanced fire magic and protected the wearer from fire,” I explained. “But it was meant for Danutians and when the human wore it, it made her insane.”
“And you sacrificed this treasure?” Braxis shook his head as if he couldn't believe I'd be so foolish.
“Of course, I did. I did it to strengthen the Heart of Fire and protect Danu,” I said sternly. “Besides, it wasn't truly mine. It belonged to the goddess and she asked me to give it back. I could hardly refuse.”
“You were telling the truth about Danu being in jeopardy,” Braxis murmured in a shocked tone.
“I have never lied to you, Braxis. Not once. I've had no reason to. You, on the other hand, have lied to me many times.” Honestly, I have no idea if I've ever lied to him but it sounded good.
“That was necessary,” he said gruffly.
“I'm just saying that it's likely the reason you distrust everything I say. You lied to me so you expect me to lie to you.”
Braxis grunted but then suddenly pushed back his chair. It made a shrieking sound that caught the entire dining area's attention. Braxis didn't notice, he was too focused on me. He grabbed the arms of my chair and turned it so that I faced him. The men around us stared, doubtless thinking they were about to witness one of my punishments. Boy were they going to be disappointed.
“You stayed in that cabinet?” Braxis demanded.
“What are you talking about? Oh.” I frowned. “You mean when my parents were murdered?”
“And your house set aflame.” He nodded. “You stayed in the cabinet even though you weren't immune to the fire?”
