Page 25

Chapter Twenty-One

The vision burned in Jade’s veins, searing through her like lightning devouring an aged tree. She hadn’t moved a muscle, but her limbs shook with adrenaline as the effects of the violent imagery dissipated.

No.

No.

No.

Jade refused to believe what her gift had shown her. There had to be an explanation for what she’d seen. A reason why Julian would kill an innocent.

Her truth-seeking ability was activated during powerful Hindsight episodes, which meant she was able to perceive the truth of a situation , not just a vision of the events. Julian’s victim had been without blame.

Unable to resist, she glanced around at the rest of his collection. A weather-beaten sword, a golden goblet, a flower, and a pair of steel handcuffs. What stories would those objects tell if she were to touch them?

Her rational mind had difficulty correlating what she’d observed with the verdict her gifts put forth. Julian wasn’t the villain, no matter how hard Niko pressed the issue; he was incapable of committing a crime.

Her snow leopard hissed angrily. The animal understood the truth in what she’d seen and was vehemently opposing Jade’s adamant faith in her prime.

Cat versus human. Instinct versus reason. It was like being ripped in half.

Her beast suddenly became quiet, going predator-still. It was a warning that Julian was returning, and Jade needed to shake off the effects of her vision.

Saving the inner struggle for later, she turned and gently rested her hips against the desk, folding her arms across her chest to keep her trembling fingers from view.

Julian rounded the door frame and gave her a genial smile. “Jade. Lovely to see you again.”

His slow, sauntering gait belied his strength and self-confidence. He closed the distance between them and opened his arms to pull Jade in for an embrace that was both familiar and slightly disconcerting.

“Tell me about the takeover.”

He gestured to the leather sofas instead of opting for the formality of his desk. Eager to put the vision behind her and get down to business, Jade adopted a sincere smile.

“It’s going well. Our counterparts at DNB are competent and well-meaning, and we have yet to experience any losses we didn’t account for.

” Tapping a finger along the sofa’s arm seam, she continued, “At their core, both businesses’ foundations are solid, and the transition won’t put any undue stress on the employees I’m leaving behind. Niko—”

“Niko?” Julian perked, his chin resting on his tented hands.

“DNB’s CEO and owner,” she explained, attempting to save face. Julian wasn’t aware that Niko was the same man he knew as the nation’s Sentinel and didn’t merely share a name. “He’s my counterpart at the negotiating table and we’ve worked closely together since day one.”

Nodding, he motioned for her to continue.

As she launched into a variety of topics ranging from the date she planned to leave her apartment to when they’d sign on the dotted line, Julian gave her his full attention. Being in her prime’s presence after all these years was soothing.

The stretch and strain of the distance had left their legion bond thin for these past years. Niko had been right—she’d been courting exile with how little she’d interacted with her prime.

But Julian had never seemed to mind, and now, she was coming home.

“Good, I’m glad we’ve made progress and happy you’ll be completing your work in Chicago. How has your animal been while you’ve lived away?”

Jade gave thought to his question, remembering how easy it’d been in Niko’s presence. “The cat still works against me in fundamental ways. Fortunately, it’s been easy to keep her contained.”

A thoughtful expression. “Good. I can’t afford to lose you.”

Truth.

“Julian,” she stepped out on a limb, “would you be able to coerce my leopard into submission?”

Something dark passed behind Julian’s eyes. “No, Jade. As much as I’d love to help you, I cannot coerce your cat. The mind of an animal is primitive; coercion cannot touch the sensibilities of something lesser.”

Despondency swarmed her, but she maintained her composure. She wouldn’t fall apart in front of the prime who was counting on her.

As he stood, Jade hesitated.

The leopard that was the other half of her soul was tearing her up inside, slinking through her mind with sharpened claws. She needed to settle her heart against Niko’s slandering accusation—and clear Julian of any wrongdoing.

“Was there something else?”

“Yes, if you have a moment. There’s something that I’ve become aware of that I need your help with.”

Intrigue sparked behind Julian’s eyes. “Go on.”

“I’ve recently heard a rumor of an alarming nature, and I needed to hear your thoughts on the matter first,” she broached. “The report indicts you as coercing Yelena to kill her mate, Ivan, the former prime of the Second Legion.”

Outrage took the place of curiosity.

“Coerce Yelena?” Julian’s indignant scoff was forceful. “The very thought of it is upsetting!”

Jade breathed a sigh of relief when her abilities whispered truth.

“Prime, I only needed to hear it denied from your lips.” She shook her head, outraged on his behalf. “I’d never believe such deceptions about you—I have not.”

“I’d hope not!” He looked her dead in the eyes. “What happened to the Tserkovs was tragic. If I could do that night over, it would be one of the many things I’d change.”

Truth.

Calm flooded her as Julian’s innocence removed a substantial weight from her shoulders. “Prime, I’m sorry to have brought this up. I can see that it upsets you. Forgive me.”

He sighed, then sat next to her on the couch and patted her leg platonically. “Misinformation is dangerous, Jade. I need to know who is spreading this information and put a stop to it.” A pause as though he was collecting his thoughts. “We mustn’t denigrate the memories of those who’ve passed.”

Truth.

But even as Niko’s name came to rest upon her tongue, her leopard roared a frantic warning, the need to protect her mate all-consuming.

In the end, she controlled her tongue, not the animal. “Nikolas Church, DNB’s CEO. Sentinel to the crown and Roman’s second in command.”

For a moment, Julian didn’t move. Those earthy brown eyes searched hers for honesty, and in finding it, he only straightened where he sat, exhaling long and low.

“I see.”

“He’s taken the word of the boy, Yelena’s son,” Jade backpedaled, trying to get Niko off the hook. “It’s not his fault that he’s been made to believe these lies.”

A trace of confusion touched Julian’s features.

“Jade, Yelena’s son died of magical trauma following the incident with his parents.

Even if I wanted to believe the word of the boy, he’d clearly been disturbed.

Moreover, I wouldn’t stake any truth on a child of less than ten years, one who had so recently been hunted by the very woman whose duty it was to protect him. ”

Jade’s gifts were screaming truth , but a disquiet began to bloom in her soul. She urged him to continue with her silence.

“The information you’ve encountered is designed to strike at the head and the heart. Its aim is to topple the stability I’ve created for our nation.”

Truth.

Pushing again, she asked, “But what of Roman’s mother, prime? When Niko said you had her, it registered to my gifts as truth.”

Only grim honesty emanated from Julian’s features, and she realized that what Niko said was correct. Shifting on the couch, her prime’s gaze grew shadowed. “I did take Roman’s mother, Jade. That is the truth.”

“But why?” Her heart leapt into her throat. “And why hold her for centuries?”

“What Niko failed to tell you was that Roman’s mother, Ivy, was also gifted with the ability to coerce minds.” His words didn’t hold any deception. “I kept her imprisoned because she not only had access to Yelena the night of their murders, but also had a motive.”

“What motive?”

“The betterment of her son. Who better to take Ivan’s place than his second? Who better to look the hero than her own son? That night, when the very fabric of our society was tearing apart after the murders of our monarchs, coercion stole the lives of Yelena and her mate—I’m certain of it.”

Truth.

Jade’s eyes closed as she processed the news. The ability to coerce, a psychic manipulation, was a gift of issuing commands or plant ideas few could resist. Only those who’d built exceptionally strong mental shielding could refrain from giving in.

It was rare, and the most powerful Sagani gifted with the talent rarely let themselves be studied. That meant that much of their abilities were left to the imagination.

Julian gently rested his hand on her knee as he drew her attention back to himself. “Ivy has been kept under lock and key because Roman refuses to believe his mother was capable of such a thing.”

Having seen through the veil, Jade collapsed back on the couch. The heavy toll of the truth seemed to sap the energy from her bones, and exhaustion was setting in.

“I’m sorry to bring up such painful memories, but I needed to ask.”

“I understand. I thank you for telling me these rumors, and I look forward to putting an end to them.”

Truth.

Almost flippant, Julian dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Swallowing with a suddenly parched throat, Jade climbed to her feet and swept out of his office soundlessly. Her limbs felt like jelly, but she resisted the urge to find a chair and collapse into it.

Though the need to reach out to Niko in warning became suffocating, she battled back the impulse. He didn’t need her protection.

Walking down the halls toward the foyer, she allowed her thoughts to wander. Her leopard was positively irate, doing her best to wrestle for control. The cat wanted to leave legion territory at once. And to see Niko.