Page 53

I told them almost everything; the nightmares and how they differed in theme and feeling from one to the next, and how I saw Viggo's dead mother in the Healing Center and how it was because of her warning that we were alive, and that I truly believed all of the bad stuff that has happened most recently was solely because of me.

Harper still didn't agree on that one and is hell-bent that everything bad that has happened since Viggo arrived in Vancouver is Prince de Babineaux's fault in some form or another.

I agree to disagree.

The only details I left out were the Viggo-specific stuff that was of a personal nature.

It took more than two hours to tell them everything, starting with the nightmares and when they began.

To everyone's surprise, Zane had much the same to confess.

"I've seen weird shit, it comes and goes," he said. "The drunker I am, the easier it is to ignore and make them go away. It started a few months before our birthday-"

"Which one?" I interrupted.

"Fourteenth," he confirmed what I thought it'd be.

That's when my nightmares started.

"They got crazier with each birthday we celebrated," he continued. "Everything I see is really weird and not normal, or it's completely normal and mundane in every sense of the meaning, but it's never the same. It's different every time."

Slevin gave him a look. "Care to elaborate?" he asked.

Zane shrugged. "One time I was walking to the dining hall when this beautiful blonde suddenly appeared in front of me. Being the personable person that I am, I hit on her."

Of course, he did.

"The female smirked and batted her lashes, slid her hands over her huge tits, and continued down her stomach before she suddenly erupted into a ball of flames and started screaming as if I was the one that lit her ass up. Like a little bitch, I screamed and staggered back away from the Human Torch, scrambling to get away from her as she stalked toward me."

I gasped. "She was chasing you?"

He shrugged. "It felt like it. She followed each of my movements, a ball of flames that was screaming at the top of her lungs, but she was mirroring my movements I later deduced it to be. No one else saw her, and they were looking at me as if I was crazy... Everyone but Viggo. When we were roommates, he always ran interference for me with the staff and other students when they started nosing around and asking questions. He even got me a lovely supply of French vodka that pretty much knocked me on my ass nightly. I'm surprised I still have a liver!"

I wrapped my hand around his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You need to be a bit more grateful towards the person who tolerated you when no one else would," I scolded, then something occurred to me. "Especially considering you ran around your shared dorm in only your underwear, or usually swinging-in-the-breeze I heard, and uniform cape saying I'm Batman!"

Slevin and Harper laughed.

"I'm going stake that asshole myself if he has video of that," Zane complained. "But still, as long as he wants to bone my baby sister, he is the enemy in my eyes," he informed me, and I groaned; I hated him sometimes. "Sis, boning a Prince and seeing dead stuff is just the tip of the iceberg of really weird stuff that I haven't even broached yet. But one thing at a time."

Now I'm worried.

"Would you stop saying bone or referring to sex like that, it's gross," I said.

Zane smiled. "Bone. Bone. Bone. Bone," he taunted.

I punched him in the arm, knocking him off the bed with a shriek and groan when he landed on the floor. "Say bone one more time," I warned.

Zane chuckled. "Fair enough, for now. Let's grab some lunch," he said, hopping up next to me on the bed, and putting a cigarette between his lips.

"You are not smoking that in my room," I warned.

"I'd never," he promised. "I know how much you hate it."

Harper rolled off the bed. "You need to talk to your parents first, Love," he said, grabbing the phone.

Slevin snorted. "Phone? Please, their father is a Wizard," he said, waving his hand in front of him, and the decorative silver bowl from my dresser floated up into the air and then dumped the contents out on the dresser before it flew across the room to his waiting hand. "All we need is a little water and we're good to go!" he beamed, dumping a bottle of water into the silver bowl from the nightstand before tossing the empty bottle over his shoulder.

Zane gave him a look. "Uh, is this cheaper than international calling?" he asked.

"Yes, but more of a mess," I complained, picking up the mess Slevin was making. "You keep waving your wizardry cock around lately like you have something to prove all of a sudden. And here I thought you were an underachiever."

"Lazy, sexy cock-candy," Slevin reminded me, swirling his finger in the water, and his eyes started to glow.

Zane looked suspicious all of a sudden; something I said registered with him when it didn't with me. "Why is that? You teleported me and three of the Imperial Guard as if it was nothing back at the Blood Brothel. I've never seen a Wizard do that before, and you didn't land us in the pool like the damn Professor of Wizardry did with Ari, Harper, and Prince Wants-to-Bone-my-Sister."

I hurled a pillow at Zane, smacking him in the back of the head with it, causing his face to hit the mattress and it broke his cigarette.

"Ow," he complained.

Slevin gave us a smile and batted his lashes. "I'm better at some things than I am at others, and teleportation is one of my specialties. It's how I get your sister's weird shopping lists of snacks and treats, not to mention takeout orders, as quickly as I do. You aren't going to tattle on me, are you, Zannie? I do recall helping you out with a few bottles of high-end alcohol that isn't allowed in this country," he reminded him.

Zane shook his head. "That's fair," he said. "Do what you are waiting to do."

Slevin snorted. "You aren't nearly as adorable as your sister is, so stop flirting with me. And your parents have been waiting for your call, and this is quicker. Plus, you need to tell your parents about the ghost thing, but not seeing Viggo's mother though. Leave that part out. Leave Viggo out of it in general, Beautiful."

I looked at him, suspicious, but I wasn't planning on mentioning Viggo at all.

The bowl started glowing pink the faster Slevin swirled the water inside the silver dish before bright white light exploded from the surface of the water and it was followed by the smiling face of our father appearing in the swirling water before it turned smooth and mirror-like.

Father's lapis lazuli-colored eyes were the same shade of blue that Zane and I had, but the gold flecks in our eyes matched Mother's pale gold eyes making the heterochromia we have to stand out.

Father's eyes were swimming with tears of happiness.

"Ari, Zane," Father beamed. "I was so worried. You are looking so much better, Daughter... You better not be smoking, Young Man."

Zane smiled, tucking the unlit cigarette he had just pulled from the pack to replace the other behind his ear. "Never, Dad. I'm a good boy," he reminded him with a wink, sliding his pendant back and forth on its chain.

Like me, Zane fiddled with stuff when idle.

"Uh huh," Father said, giving him a look. "I wanted to see you kids so badly, but there was so much risk, and the risk of me taking you home against your wishes was great. Azrael warned that you would be very much against that."

That was putting it mildly.

"Uncle I owe much to," I agreed. "A debt I must repay. His heart needs to be full once more, and the Imperial Court is no place for his heart."

Father nodded his agreement. "I know," he agreed. "It will be done."

Zane wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "So, we need to talk, Dad. We already told Ari's cock candies she shares a suite with," he explained.

Father looked between the four of us who were sitting together, huddled around the bowl. "Okay, what's going on?" he asked, concerned.

I patted Zane on the back. "Well, tell him," I prompted.

"You suck," he grumbled. "Dad, I'm seeing ghosts. It isn't because of the drinking, that's the only thing that really helps to make it tolerable."

Instead of Father appearing surprised, he nodded his understanding.

"Kaya," he called out. "It is time to tell the children. Harper, Slevin, give us the room please."

Zane and I looked at each other. "This can't be good," we said in unison. "Are we adopted?!" we asked in a panic.

Father chuckled, shaking his head.

Slevin smirked, taking the scrying bowl then threw the contents into the air, but instead of the water falling to the floor, it solidified into a floating sheet of glass that showed a full-size image of our father in his home office.

Harper offered a smile before heading from the room, and Slevin followed, closing the door behind them.

That was never a good sign.