So many women died in childbirth, so Delphi had accepted that explanation from him as fact and moved on.
Had Narcisse lied to her about that as well?
He never told her that Cassia had worked with him, assisting him in his alchemy, either. He had always gotten Delphi's help when he needed the extra boost of magic. He didn't have a drop of it, so it must have passed to Delphi through her mother.
Had he used her magic for his own gain too?
Sometimes, Delphi had liked to imagine that he had once been less of a bastard, and that the grief for his lost wife had turned him into the selfish father he was.
Delphi could have been handed over to an orphanage or some nuns to raise instead, but he had kept her alive long enough until she could do it for herself.
He had made a point of keeping her by his side, even when she had reached a marriageable age. Not two days ago, he had stolen her money and spent it, just so there was no way she could have escaped him.
Delphi stopped scrubbing and tried to steady her breathing to calm her anger. She might be a prisoner now, but at least she wasn'thisprisoner.
Tenebrys had fucked with Narcisse's plans by taking her, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased by that.
A polite tap on the door had her lifting her head. A tall figure came into the kitchen, and Delphi tried not to gape at him. Where Tenebrys was mostly lion, this male was like a wolf.
"You have been busy this morning," he said, looking about with pale blue eyes. He placed a sack on the table. "I thought I would bring you something to eat, seeing how the king is too busy brooding to remember you need feeding. I'm Felix, by the way."
"Delphi," she said and peeked into the bag. Inside was a haunch of venison. It was more meat than she had been given in a long time. She smiled at him. "Thank you, Felix. This is very kind of you."
He cocked his head, his pointed gray wolf ears twitching. "You aren't afraid of me. Aren't I monstrous to you, little one?"
Delphi stared him in the eye. "Strange, perhaps, but not monstrous."
Delphi's mind flashed back to the witch burning. She would never forget the eager and blood thirsty faces of the crowd and judges. Their hatred would be imprinted on her mind forever.
"I have seen real monsters, and they don't bring strangers food," she added.
"I see. You are more polite than I expected of a child of Narcisse," Felix said, studying her carefully. "You look a little like your mother. Otherwise, I would never pick you to be his offspring."
Delphi ran a hand over the back of her neck. "I don't know if Tenebrys will listen to me, but I really had no idea my parents were ever at this place. He probably wants to kill me and get it over with, but I would like to try and help undo whatever Narcisse did."
"You're not lying. I would be able to smell it if you were," Felix said, eyes widening in surprise.
Delphi crossed her arms, her frustration finally bubbling over. "I have no reason to lie to you! Narcisse has always been a bastard, but I had no idea he was capable of magic. Selling ineffectual erection tonics is more his style, not this kind of transmutation."
She dared to step closer to look at the bone plating on Felix's biceps. "These are arcane symbols. I haveneverseen him use anything like them in his alchemy work."
"That's because they were Cassia's forte," Felix replied. "Your mother was a witch of considerable power and learning. I could never figure out how Narcisse managed to win such a woman as his wife."
"He never told me anything about her. I have one of her books that contains natural remedies and recipes. No arcana. Narcisse never said anything about her magic."
Felix's wolf tail flicked in irritation. "That doesn't surprise me. He was always jealous of her abilities, and I have no doubt he would be jealous of yours too."
Delphi snorted. "My abilities. Right. I can help heat things, light a fire, and warm some water. Everything else I do is science. It's using the right amount of herbs to create a decent medicine. That's about it."
Felix shook his head. "I doubt that's all you can do. We shifters are magical creatures, and we can all smell power on you. Just because you don't know how to use it doesn't mean it's not there. I would start by looking through your parents' old things. Ten has kept the lab locked up since they fled, and they left a lot behind."
"Can you tell me what happened? Why did they run? Why didn't they stay to keep helping you all?" she asked, pushing her hands through her snarled curls. "None of this makes sense."
"Talk to Ten. It's not my place to tell you anything," Felix said, turning to leave. He paused by the door. "Be patient with him. He's a grumpy bastard, but you would be dead already if he didn't like you."
Somehow, Delphi highly doubted that. It didn't matter how his touch had made her burn in the dreams he had sent her. None of that had been real.
He had whispered sexy words to her and used her to get to her father. That was all. She should have been scared by the thought that such a creature's hands had made her feel that way. Instead, she was hurt that he had taken advantage of her loneliness.
