His face hardened. “I never lied about loving you.”
The words hit her like a physical blow. She’d expected denial, deflection, perhaps even more lies. But this admission, this small concession wrapped in justification, somehow made it worse.
“What else?” she whispered, her throat tight. “What else is false? Is anything you’ve ever told me true?”
Her father regarded her for a long moment as something shifted in his expression. “I suppose it’s time,” he finally said. His voice held a new and unfamiliar tone, as if he’d decided to stop pretending. “I see now that I’ve allowed you to remain a child too long. It’s time you grew up and faced reality. Of course the portals exist. They’ve always existed, scattered throughout every world like doorways to every time that has been, or ever will be. They come and go. They open and close as unexpectedlyas they appear and disappear. But I learned to find them, to use them while they’re available. Everything you see here—the artifacts, the wealth, the books—I collected. Brought them back from dozens of different times, hundreds of different places.”
He pierced her with a steely gaze. “But the power is in controlling the use of them. Hence, the need for secrecy. I have not revealed their existence to you because I didn’t feel you were ready. Are you telling me now, that you are?”
Skye’s breath caught. Hearing him admit it so casually, so matter-of-factly, made the betrayal somehow bigger, more real.
“But you haven’t kept it a secret from everyone. You obviously haven’tgatheredall the oddities in the Citadel on your own.”
At his smirk, the pieces fell into place. How had she not seen it? “Austin! The Others. Is that why they come here so frequently?”
“Tools,” he stated. “Useful for managing the more delicate aspects of the operation. Austin has connections I need, access to resources in a future time that are otherwise difficult for me to obtain. Since he comes from the future, he can move around there virtually unnoticed. He’s proven himself useful time and time again.”
“And The Others?”
He shrugged. “Purely labor. They provide the strong backs necessary to move large quantities of merchandise in a timely manner. Austin provides them, controls them, and sees that they are compensated in ways meaningful only to them. Some of the more trusted have become his guards. The arrangement suits both of us, quite well.”
The Keeper moved to the window, his hands clasped behind his back. “He’s also proven himself loyal in ways others haven’t. Which is why I’ve agreed that you will marry him.”
The room tilted. “Wh—what?”
He turned slightly, giving her just enough of his profile to see the firm set of his jaw. “In the very near future, actually. Austin has been patient long enough, and the alliance will strengthen everything I’ve built here. You’ll continue my work, expand it. Together, you’ll build an empire that spans all of time itself.”
She couldn’t have heard him right. But his tone, his stance, told her otherwise. “No.” The word came out strangled. She’d never defied him before, and she trembled under the impact, but she couldn’t give in. Not to this. “No! I can’t. I won’t.”
Very slowly, he shifted to face her fully, and the coldness in his eyes made her stomach clench. “It’s time you grew up, Skye, and became an active part of what we’re building here. I’ve indulged your immaturity far too long. You’re not a child anymore.”
“I will not marry Austin.” She forced strength into her voice even as panic clawed at her chest. “I don’t love him. I don’t evenlikehim.”
“Love?” Her father’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “Love is a luxury, my dear. Power, legacy, control—those are the things that matter. The things that will endure.”
“But…” he couldn’t mean it. Not entirely. “What of…my mother? Didn’t you love her?”
His laugh was so brittle, so cold she couldn’t suppress a shiver. “How could I? I didn’t even know her.”
What did he mean? “But how…?”
“I wanted a child. An heir.” His shrug was icily indifferent. “I intended to acquire a son. But when I saw you, I knew instantly you were the one. So I took what I wanted, what I needed to secure the future of my empire.” He almost managed a smile. “It was as simple as that.”
She couldn’t swallow. It was difficult to even draw air into her lungs. “Youtook mefrom…where? From whom?” Had shebeen living within traveling distance of her mother her whole life?
“I rescued you from a nameless woman in a time centuries from this one. You should be grateful. She couldn’t possibly have offered you what I’ve given you. What I offer you now.”
Skye felt something shred inside her, a fundamental loss of something she’d believed unshakeable. Somewhere in some distant time, she’d had a mother and a father. Arealfather. “I’m afraid you made a huge mistake. I won’t be part of this.Anyof this.”
His expression darkened. “You will do exactly as you’re told. Exactly what I’ve groomed you for.”
“No.” She stood straighter, even as her insides trembled. “Not anymore.”
He came within a foot of her, and for a moment she thought he might strike her. His jaw tightened, and his hands flexed at his sides. Then, with visible effort, he seemed to master himself.
“Your defiance is noted. Although pointless.” He moved back to his desk, his movements precise and controlled. “You’ll come to see reason in time. You always do.”
“I won’t.” Skye’s voice cracked. “I can’t stay here. Not after this. You’re not the man I thought you were. You’re a stranger. How could I have been so blind all these years?”
