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“Don’t,” I told her, hand raised. “Nik confirmed they never got… that far. He is not the father of her illegitimate love child.”

“Well, thank the Mother for that. I thought we were about to be on a seriously messed up episode of Jerry Springer, thehidden realm edition. I mean… we still could be if the father was Zachariah, and Nikolai has a brother out there… ”

I fell back against the throne, letting out an exasperated sigh. I shook my head at her before meeting her gaze once more. “I’m not sure how I am supposed to find him when I know nothing about him… including his age.”

Tess let out a laugh, but there was only a little humor in it. “It never ends, does it?”

A smiled at that. “What, the responsibility of being a queen?”

“No,” she huffed, “thedrama.”

That had us both reeling with laughter.

I stood from the throne, giving Tess a playful slap as she slumped into the chair. After a moment, she followed me down the steps of the dais and out of the throne room, into the foyer.

I wasn’t sure about any of the details pertaining to Donika’s child, but I knew that I did need to find him, one way or another. I didn’t think I owed it to her. That wasn’t quite the right way to put it. But something in me stirred at the thought of a nephew of mine out there in Istmere right now.

Did he even know who he was?

I was scared of the repercussions of her blood magic and dark spells. How might that have affected a child? Was there another dark Shade out there that we had no idea about?

Donika Kotova had a son.

I had a nephew.

And I wasn’t sure how that was going to affect the realm, for better or for worse. There was only one thing Iwascertain of.

I was going to find him.