Page 116 of Veil of Night & Flames

Then, very slowly, Tia’s mouth drops. “Oh my god. You. Your bloodline.”

“What?” I say.

She smacks her own forehead. “I’m an idiot. He told us. He actually told us.”

I look between her and Riley, then focus on Chase. “Am I crazy? Or is Tia losing it?”

“The meeting. At the party. Remember? Vance specifically said that some bloodlines have the power to shore up the barriers.”

I turn toward Chase. “She’s right.”

“He didn’t say the Imperial bloodline specifically,” Tia points out. “Maybe there’s some other stop-the-apocalypse bloodline out there.”

I just shake my head. “No. This is it. It’s why the Oneiroi want me on their team.”

“And it all fits,” Riley says. “It explains why so little was written about it. Because it didn’t need to be. The power was there in the line.” Her gaze sweeps over all of us, and she looks as excited as a kid at Christmas. “That actually fits the gaps. Why nothing’s written. If the answer is a person instead of a procedure, nobody needs an instruction manual. There’d be nothing to write.”

Tia looks straight at me. “Tag,” she says. “You’re it.”

Chapter

Thirty-Five

Whitehall in daylight is something else entirely.

Before, with the paper lanterns lit and the music pouring out, and students filling every corner, the house had read like something out of an Eighties movie. Now, in the Florida sunshine, it looks like it could have been the house in Rebecca, only before the crazy lady burned it down.

Mostly, it looks classy and moneyed. And that, of course, makes it look intimidating.

“You okay?” Tia asks as she rings the bell.

“Ask me in an hour.”

“I’m asking you now.”

I shrug. The walk over had been quiet. Chase walked us as far as the coffee place, then let us go, his hand brushing mine once before he turned back. But not without reminding me that he doesn’t trust the Oneiroi, who he basically considers doom preppers on overdrive.

But this isn’t about the Oneiroi as much as it is about me. And since I’m kinda sorta sure that Sebastian Vance is at least a relative—if not my dad—I figure he’ll dive in to help me.

As to whether he is or isn’t, I still want to know—or, at least, I think I do. But that’s not on today’s agenda. Not with the world falling apart and me needing to keep myself together.

Today, we’re standing on the Oneiroi’s doorstep to get answers, and if Vance being my dad means he’ll help me, then great. But right now, the rest of it needs to stay firmly locked.

That, at least, is my plan.

I turn to Tia. “Maybe I should back out. I can text him that it’s just you meeting with him. I think if I ask, he’ll help you out.”

She cocks her head and gives me an evil eye stare. “Daddy issues are not on the agenda, remember? Today is about getting answers that can save the world. Family bonding comes after you know he’s not going to freak and bail on you without sharing intel.”

“Right,” I say. “You’re right.” Honestly, I’m glad she’s right. I’m not in the best headspace for confirming paternity.

She leans over and bumps my shoulder with hers. “Atta girl,” she says, then lifts the brass knocker and lets it fall.

The woman who answers is maybe sixty, with her hair pinned back and reading glasses on a chain.

“Miss Lyte and Miss Mendez?”

She takes a step back before either of us can answer. “Please come in. He’s expecting you both.”