She wanted to see the shock on his face when she delivered the truth. “Yoursister.”
Urian blinked twice as that news sank in. He’d only had one sister. There was no way he could have another and not know it. “How?”
“Stryker married my mother, then divorced her to marry yours. She was pregnant with me at the time and he never knew.”
His jaw went slack. Why hadn’t Davyn told him about this? Davyn had told him about Stryker’s first wife returning, but a sister …
A living, real sister. Why would Davyn have keptthatsecret?
Ah, shit! Suddenly he remembered Acheron telling him.…I wouldn’t have forgotten something like that. Ever!Yet he had.Yeah, I did.
After the fight when Ash had gone around tampering with memories … The bastard must have removed that one, too. Why would Ash have done that? Had it been intentional or a mistake? When it came to things like that with emotions and brains, Ash didn’t always have the best control with his powers, so until he talked to him, he’d give him the benefit of the doubt.
But if he’d done this on purpose …
He could kick his ass.
And with that thought came a really bad feeling.
“What are you doing here?”
“Sightseeing.”
He knew better, especially with someone sired by his father. “You’re spying for Stryker.”
She jerked her arm out of his hold. “Don’t take that tone with me, little boy. You served him too and for many more centuries.”
The thought made him ill. “And I paid the ultimate price for that blind stupidity. Trust me.”
She scanned his body. “I don’t know. You look pretty healthy and happy to me.”
Those looks were definitely deceiving! “Yeah, right. Let me tell you something,little girl—I was his favorite. His pride and joy above all others. Forthousandsof years I served at his side, doing everything he asked me to.Everything.Without question or hesitation. And in the blink of an eye, because I dared to marry without his permission, he cut my throat. Literally.”
“He cut your throat because you married his enemy.”
Yeah, right. It had nothing to do with whom he’d married and everything to do with his father’s ego. Stryker couldn’t stand the thought of anyone questioning his authority. Not even his own son.
“I married a kind, gentle woman who never hurt a soul a day in her life. She wasn’t a warrior. She was an innocent bystander whose only mistake was falling in love with a monster.” And making him human. Making him care for someone other than himself, and he would sell his soul if he could have one more moment with her. “Don’t delude yourself for one minute. Stryker will turn on you, just as he turned on me.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
“For your sake, sister, I hope to the gods that I am.” But the bad thing was, he knew better. It was just a matter of time before their father went after her, too.
God help her, then.
And with the gallu on the loose … they were all about to get screwed.
January 16, 2011
“This … seriously sucks.”
Styxx laughed as he and his giant brown dog came out of their tent to greet Urian in the middle of a godforsaken desert. “Depends on your vantage point, little brother.”
Arms akimbo, Urian turned in a circle as he surveyed Styxx’s small black tent and the vast desert that surrounded them as far as the eye could see in all directions. “From mine … you found hell, buddy, except I doubt hell is this hot.”
Still laughing, Styxx closed the distance between them. “It’s not hot. This is winter. Come back in July or August.”
“Yeah, no thanks.” Urian hugged him, then stood back with a severe frown. “Damn, you’ve gone native. But for the blue eyes, I’d have no idea it was you.”
