Page 31 of A Kingdom of Monsters

My brother closed his eyes and sat back down in the chair across from me. I held my breath and waited, half hoping he’d laugh and deny it, or suggest that it was only Lonnie’s Source powers that was affecting him the same way it affected every other creature born from magic. That it wasn’t the same for him as it was for me.

But I should have known better than to hope.

“I don’t remember when I first had the suspicion,” he said, slightly defeated. “A few years ago, perhaps.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How is that possible when you can’t see her future?”

He looked up, startled. “I never said I couldn’t see her future.”

“I’m not a fucking idiot,” I muttered. Admittedly it had taken me far longer than I would have liked to work it out, but now that I had it seemed entirely too obvious. “Lonnie must be immune to you too, which would make it difficult to see much of anything while living in such close proximity.”

Ambrose scowled. “I never said you were an idiot. And you’re right, but it’s not so black and white. For years, I could alwayssee mundane glimpses of her in other people’s futures. Nothing of consequence, but I liked seeing flashes of her.”

“I used to meditate on her sister’s future just to catch a glimpse of Lonnie. It was addictive. Her reactions were always interesting, and she was beautiful–far too beautiful for me to not realize that was part of the appeal. Except, then I noticed that her sister held no interest for me. They were completely identical, but I could always tell the difference. It occurred to me that there might be a reason for that. I guessed she might be…something. If not my mate, then it could be part of her power.”

“It could be,” I said, almost hopefully. “She draws everyone to her without even realizing it. I noticed long before I ever knew what her magic was. One time, I took her to a brothel in Inbetwixt–”

Ambrose looked up. “Youwhat? Why?”

“Looking for you, actually. It doesn’t matter. The point is, I nearly lost my mind trying to keep anyone from touching her. She didn’t even realize she was doing it, but her presence alone drove people wild.”

He nodded. “I know. You should have seen how the crew watched her on the ship.”

“I did,” I laughed. “I nearly killed at least three of your men.”

He laughed, and I found myself smiling back for the briefest moment before the smile slid off my face. For the first time, possibly ever, we were having a real conversation.

I cleared my throat, sitting up straighter. “So, you’re sure that’s not all this is? She’s not affecting you the same way she affects everyone.”

His smile slid away, and he shook his head. “No. Maybe once I thought that, but not anymore. I knew for sure when I felt her in the cell beside me in the dungeons. It was?—”

“Like being bewitched,” I finished almost bitterly.

“Yes.”

I sighed, nodding. I’d already known what he’d say, but my thoughts were still in disarray.

In an ideal world, his admission that we shared a mate would have made me forget the last several decades and forgive him on the spot, but this was far from such a utopia. The kindest thing I could say about my brother was that I didn’t much care if he lived or died. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see him everyday, or have to pretend to get along for Lonnie’s sake.

“Does she know?” I asked.

“I don’t think so.” He smiled weakly. “She’s very good at living in denial, even when the obvious is staring her right in the face.”

Truer words had never been spoken–not that I could claim to be any better.

“Well, when are you going to tell her?” I demanded.

“I don’t know. I may never tell her, or at least wait until after this is all over.”

I frowned, not liking the uncertainty of that answer. More importantly, I didn’t think he was being honest with himself. He’d tell her eventually, or she’d find out. I was living proof that it was only possible to live in denial for so long before everything came to a head.

I stood up, and Ambrose looked startled. He stood as well.

“You’re not going to tell her yourself?” he stated. Half a question, half a demand.

I shook my head. “No, but you should.”

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. “Are you being magnanimous? That’s not like you.”

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