Page 76 of The Vampire King's Victory

“Caemorn actually said that your father and I have a natural affinity for it since we’ve gone over and come back,” his mother said with a shrug.

“You guys are talking to Caemorn? I thought maybe…” Julian broke off.

“That we would stay way clear of the man who took our first lives?” His father gave him a crooked smile.

“But he gave us our second,” his mother pointed out.

“And he’s in your debt enough to give you a third and not demand anything in return,” Julian said with an understanding nod.

“I… I feel connected to him. I don’t know.” His mother scrubbed her face with both hands. “I truly don’t know.”

“Do you, Dad?” Julian asked curiously.

“Yeah, in a way. I don’t know either. It feels complicated,” his father admitted. “But… I just don’t know.”

“You do not need to make the decision now,” Daemon said. “There is plenty of time.”

“I wish we could turn you ourselves,” Julian said.

“We know, kiddo,” his mother said fondly. She reached over and touched his knee. “But we need to be grateful for what we do have together, which is eternity. It’s an amazing thing.”

Itwasan amazing thing.

Again, Julian felt a sense of unreality go through him as he spoke to them now, “So, you know that Caemorn was able to track down all of the slices of himself this week?”

“Right, and he tagged them somehow?” his mother clarified.

“Yeah, don’t ask me how he did that. Christian understands as they did that together somehow. It’s the equivalent of spraying someone’s soul with neon paint that also glows in the dark. Anyways, they’ve found where they all are,” Julian explained.

“And then Fiona and her gang are going to phase to those locations?” his father asked.

“Right,” Julian said with a nod. “Daemon will open all the Ever Dark gates then Fiona and the other Wyvern will phase in, grab each Kaly slice, and phase here to this room.”

“What about the slice that inhabited Roan Tithe?” his mother asked. His parents had already gotten all the information they hadn’t been privy to as prisoners of Artemis-Kaly from their talks with Caemorn, evidently. “Where is that part of Kaly?”

Julian knew that this had worried Balthazar a lot. “It returned to one of the others and was reincorporated. He was the last one that Caemorn located. Because two of them had combined, he was more powerful and harder to find than the others.”

“I see.” His mother’s expression hardened. “Artemis-Kaly was powerful enough on his own.”

“And insane.” His father’s jaw was set. “This Roan Tithe tortured Balthazar and everyone else in his House, I heard from Christian. I can’t believe he won’t go down without a fight”

“Yeah, it was pretty bad and I’m sure you’re right,” Julian agreed.

“How will Balthazar be able to handleallof them at once?” his mother asked.

“In a way, he will not be,” Daemon answered. “Caemorn is Kaly’s core. The others are like shadows of him. Eyros was always Kaly’s equal when Kaly was whole. Without being whole, Eyros will be able to handle the slices.”

“But he had trouble with Artemis-Kaly and the other slice,” Julian pointed out slowly.

Daemon squeezed his hand. “Only because he has not quite yet accepted who he is.”

“Really?” His father cracked a smile. “Balthazar seems quite comfortable with his palace and his people--”

“Yes, yes,” Daemon acquiesced with a smile. “He does love his luxuries. But Roan…Kalyhas made him doubt himself.”

“Taking in Balthazar’s pacing, I fear that is still the case.” His mother frowned.

“It will work,” Seeyr’s voice rose up, answering Balthazar’s repeated question, bringing him back to the present moment.

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