Page 349 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

Vasily shakes his head. ‘That is not a plan.’

Quietly, Lachlan says, ‘He wanted to be captured and brought here.’

‘I knew you would see it, Lock. You always had such a tactical mind. I’m surprised you even allowed me to be brought here, but love, as my father said, puts you on the losing side.’ Roman chuckles indulgently. ‘When dealing with the Greater Alchemy, one must be patient.’

‘You sound just like him.’

‘Mikhail?’

‘Alistair.’

‘That must hurt you, to see him inside me.’ Roman smiles wider, bright white teeth gleaming in the dull light. ‘Do you see him inside yourself?’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means you hear Master Penhalyx through me, but I smell him in you. Deep inside, subtle and patient. Long before Resonyx, there was blood and words and the Greater Alchemy.’ Roman laughs, a soft giggle of pure enjoyment. ‘You have been his rusty spyglass for many years now.’

Blaire gives a desolate sigh. ‘I so hoped I was wrong.’

‘You see? The clever ones are tricky.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Vasily says, looking between Blaire and his brother.

‘No, of course you don’t. You always were a little slow.’

‘I had begun to suspect, in the final weeks of our time in the Estate, that something serious was wrong with you,’ Blaire tells Lachlan. ‘Then Danya came to me with an identical concern, and we knew we were not wrong.’

‘About what?’

‘The things he did to you. The punishments, the blood, the dagger. Even your contract had a passage in it that no one else’s ever had.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Oh, loyalty through enforced stupidity, how sweet!’ Roman moans, his head falling back. ‘Such beauty all around me. How will I ever go back to living a normal life? I simply cannot.’ He lifts his head and looks squarely at Lachlan. ‘You were his spy. He saw through your mind in your dreams.’

‘That’s why you were losing time, and why Danya and I believed your cognition was degrading. You were subconsciously trying to lock him out and protect us.’

Roman tsks. ‘Beautiful. So, so beautiful.’

Kade has to stop himself from taking Lachlan’s hand in his own, from reassuring him, from offering comfort. This is not the place for it, he knows.

But Lachlan is distressed and failing to hide it.

‘I would have known.’

‘You were disconnecting,’ Blaire tells him, ‘to protect all of us.’

‘No, I… I was…’ He stares blindly at the walls.

Roman gives a luxuriant sigh.

‘It takes such a long time when you care more about feelings than facts. Here are the facts, Lock. You were his blood slave, his dream spy. His little toy soldier. That is why Julian went to Danya for help escaping and not you. That is why they never told you and why, despite loving you, they could never trust you. They knew the moment you laid your troubled head upon the pillow, all secrets slipped out like water.’

‘I will explain everything to you later,’ Blaire says, trying to touch his arm, but he pulls away.

‘Don’t touch me.’

‘I am sorry I could not tell you.’