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She visibly gulped before glancing away, tucking an errant red lock behind her ear. “Did they help advise you after your mother left?”

“They did. The second the crown touched my head, she vanished without a word.”

I tried to conceal my bitterness in remembering the moment, but it leaked into my voice. I had turned my head, hoping to see something other than the cool detachment in her eyes. My foolish heart had hoped for something like pride from her. But found nothing but empty space where she had stood.

Phoebe grimaced at that, tracing a finger over my cheek. “I’m sorry, Lucien. That must have been hard.”

It was. Harder than I’d realized. I hadn’t thought of it in ages, foolishly believing I could move on without it affecting me, that the abandonment of my mother hadn’t left lasting scars.

I coughed to cover the way my throat clogged, thick with emotions. “I… I didn’t understand why she’d left so suddenly. The only reason I even knew she’d gone to Ethereal was that one of the Elders told me.”

Phoebe pressed more firmly against me, as if she could physically ease my pain. “When I first found my parents, I remember closing my eyes repeatedly, praying that eventually, I’d open them and the scene before me would vanish. It never did.” I stroked a lock of her hair, kissing her head. “It’s the silence I still remember, the emptiness of my childhood home. In a single moment, the house turned from my haven into my darkest nightmares.”

“The Council could not figure out who did it?”

She shook her head, her eyes far away and haunted. “They couldn’t find a reason for anyone to want to harm them. The killer, or killers, could still be out there.”

“I can help you figure out what happened,” I carefully suggested.

“Really? You would do that?” Her eyes gleamed. My chest ached at how beautiful she was at that moment, with hope shining from her.

“Anything for you,regina mea.” She blushed at that statement and glanced away. A shot of despair went through me as I realized she was still trying to throw up walls between us. “What would you have wanted if your parents had lived?”

She bit her lip at the sudden redirection, making my body stir. “I wanted what my parents had. A husband who loved me and kids to spoil.”

Little girls with her eyes and powers, boys with my strength and speed.The image already played behind my lids, and a dream of our future together formed. I cleared my throat and asked, “What was it you wanted to know about my past?”

She raised an eyebrow at my segue. “Fine, tell me about your favorite historical figure you’ve ever met.”

I tapped my chin in thought. “Alexander the Great.”

Her mouth gaped, “You met Alexander the Great?!”

“Met in the loosest sense of the term. I was there when he faced the Gordian Knot.”

“What makes him your favorite if you didn’t talk to him?”

I laughed, remembering. “The Gordian had stood for centuries, intimidating all other conquerors with its supposed magic. A fiction invented by powerless people, but it had deterred conquerors in the past.Whoever can undo this knot will rule all of Asia, the keeper of the knot announced when Alexander approached. Alexander looked at the knot, then back at the keeper, who was sure that the legendary general would turn his back on it and return to Macedonia. Then Alexander saw me and raised an eyebrow, nodding in respect. I was shocked because he knew what I was. He returned his gaze to the keeper of the knot, and without looking away, slid his sword from his waist. With a single slice, he cut the knot in half.” I chuckled again, remembering the astonished looks on the faces of the people present. “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life, especially as he made sure that his entire army walked through the posts and remains of the knot before ruling all of Asia.”

“Wow,” she breathed, clearly fascinated by my story. “You didn’t take offense that he was so arrogant?”

I laughed. “Not at all. I had immense respect for him and was saddened to hear of his death. I had considered turning him into a vampire before deciding against it. He deserved his place in mortal history. I didn’t want to take him from those books by making him immortal.”

Terrible things happened to immortals who risked exposure. The powers that be would wipe the slate clean, and an immortal would vanish, or worse.

“Who else have you met?” Her eyes sparkled in fascination. I loved her curiosity. The word sent a bolt of shock through me. Shit, I was falling in love with her. Every moment I spent with her, I was falling ever deeper for my beautiful queen. I coughed to cover my revelation. “Trust me,vrajitoare.I have met many fools throughout the years. I have stories to keep you interested for a century, at least.”

She looked at my lips and said, “I look forward to making new memories of our own.” She glanced away immediately after the statement, and my heart froze in my chest. It was the first time she’d given weight to the possibility of staying, speaking the words into existence.

Please stay, Phoebe. Please, I silently begged. I didn’t give voice to the plea, hoping she would stay because she felt the same, but maybe that was a foolish dream.

XXVIII

The Realm of Mortals.

Întuneric Castel, Romania.

I’m the only survivor without a shield. My eyes trace over the survivors, and the reason I was summoned before the Council roared through my head.