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“What does that have to do with anything?”

“In order to do the spell that allowed me to mask both my scent and my witchcraft, she had to willingly give me her blood. That is the price for the spell.”

“Are you telling me you struck a deal with her to take her place?” He twisted his head, a frown forming across his features.

“Yes, that is correct.”

He stomped his foot forward with a soft growl. “Then she betrayed King Bradwick! She assisted a Witch in entering the palace.”

She waved her hand forward.

“Is King Bradwick not alive? I never had any intention of harming him, and I told them this. I told them something was taken from me and all I wanted was it back. It gave me the ability to go there, and she will now be able to marry her darling soldier lover. Sometimes, we must take risks for the things we care for.”

I definitely have over the past two weeks,she thought with a grumble.

He gave a huff of irritation, the lips of his snout puffing. “You truly believe your Dragon parent is Faerydae?”

“Yes. It was what I was taught from an early age, and much ancient magic has been passed down to me, long forgotten spells. I have no reason not to believe it.”

“It seems as though you admire him.”

“Not just him, but all Dragons.” She met his eyes directly as she spoke, folding her arms. “Believe whatever you want from this conversation, but my family and coven respect your kind and think highly of you.” She let her eyes move over his body in a sweep. “Even now, I feel honoured to be able to meet one, speak to one, see one for my own eyes, since my family has not done so in five hundred years because of Strolguil’s actions. As I always imagined, it is quite a magnificent sight to behold.”

The scales around his face became exceedingly brighter for a moment, almost like he blushed at her compliment. She just took it as a trick of the light.

“You tried to teach your sister to embrace her magic so that it will not turn into something evil, but you have done just that. You have corrupted yourself.”

Valerie turned to stare at the fire rather than at him.

“I did what I needed to save her. I needed a dark spell to see who took her so I could bring her back. By that point, it was too late, and when I saw where I needed to go, I knew it would be dangerous. White magic would not have been enough to help me.” She gave a snort, a single laugh without humour. “Your kind of hunting is not uncommon, Geryon. Although I never knew what you were until the night of the ball, when I was making my way to the palace, I knew I could find myself against a Dragon or another Witch. If I had not known, I would have tried to do this without the use of dark spells. But I did, and therefore, I prepared myself for any possibility.”

He nodded his snout towards Kaeylyn, still asleep on the ground. Even from the short distance, Valerie could hear her snoring.

“What did she mean by ‘continuing our line’?”

“It is complicated,” she answered, turning her head up dismissively. “It is not something you will understand.”

A low, grumbling growl sounded. “I have agreed to let you release this child when it is against my usual conduct. The least you can do is humour me with truthful answers to my questions.”

She wished she had the capabilities to growl in return.Fine!

“Our family has only ever given birth to one child, a daughter, every generation. It is believed there is some form of a curse or a spell Faerydae placed upon our bloodline. All boys are stillborn.” Valerie picked a leaf off the ground and began to slowly break the leaf-blades off its stems as she spoke, giving herself something to fiddle with. “After I was born and my mother discovered how I was, she decided I was not fit to be a mother. She told me I am not allowed to continue the family line. So, even though she was only meant to have one child, she gave birth to Carwyn.”

Valerie looked towards her hands. “She is unable to hold a child. She has additional powers, and those powers often come with a sacrifice. That is hers. So, then came along Aldora, who was then brutalised, raped, and stabbed by men. You can see why she would be unfit, since she has sworn herself to celibacy.”

“This child is your last hope?” He frowned in her direction, and she knew he couldn’t understand the ways of her family.

“No, I could still have been the one to do it.” His head snapped to her, and she didn’t understand why he gave her a wide-eyed expression. “But that was before. I have now made sure I cannot by allowing darkness into my heart. I am the first in my family line to do so, and now I cannot continue it. It is up to Kaeylyn.”

“You must understand, I find this all hard to believe. You speak as though your family is pure, but I have never met any other Witches who are this way.”

“That is why I said I do not care if you believe me. You are welcome to take from this what you will, but I will not sit here and attempt to convince you. I am merely answering your questions.”

“Fine,” he bit, turning his head away from her with a huff. As if he couldn’t stop himself, he turned back to look at her. “Why were you given the title ‘the Heartless’?”

“If you think it is because of my personality, you would be very wrong.” He gave a scowl, and she knew that was what he’d been thinking. “My mother gave me that name after I stabbed a dark Witch in the heart when he tried to take me from her. I was twelve at the time. It was only after she told me I killed my own father, and I did not care, that she told me I was truly a monster who lacked compassion.”

She watched his snout crinkle. “You did not know who your own father was?”