Page 142 of Wicked Heirs

He grimaced, not liking that one bit.

That was a good sign.

I was aware from some things Xavier and Talon had let slip once in a while that Saryan Hart possessed major influence over Orpheus.

They’d had a close relationship all his life until theCataclysm.

While I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t let that lead to him doing something awful like his dad had wanted him to do to me, it was still a possibility, and I’d be a lovesick fool not to consider it.

I might be enamored with the guys, but I still had a sense of self-preservation, and I still had my wits about me.

“He was made aware that you’re important to me.”

“Shit, and he just accepted that?” Tal asked.

“He already knew. But he also recognizes that Alena isn’t her mother.”

“Or, maybe he was just telling you what you needed to hear so he could use your closeness with Alena to mind-rape her like he wants.” Xavier pointed out.

“That’s also a possibility.” He reached out and cupped my face. “I won’t do that. You have my word. It’s not happening.”

“Damn fucking straight it’s not,” Xavier seethed.

“Even if it did happen, I don’t know anything about the location of thisVitalium.”

“For the record, neither do I,” Xavier told us. “So if either of our parents has it, it’s so covert, only the two of them know about it.”

“Yeah, your dad tells you a shitload, wanting you to be a part of everything and fully immersed in his world,” Talon pointed out. “Well, until you pulled away after you were turned.”

“It’s not just about searching your memories, even repressed ones, which it’s likely are there given the traumatic nature of what happened around the time when theVitaliumwas created,” Orpheus spoke. “There’s alsoinfluencingyou to investigate.”

“What?” How?” I asked.

“Having you tell your mother that there’s been a lot of talk here at Electi Academy about Constantine Vale and that it’s triggered you and made your trauma when it comes to him all too fresh. You’d express your need to her to have closure, to see for yourself the thing that’s keeping him imprisoned inSpiritus.And that’s when we’d get the location for my father to move on.”

“Ore, that’s extremely detailed for a random example,” Xavier said, his eyes lit with a whole lot of suspicion.

Orpheus held up his hands as we all gave him the same look.

“It was my father’s plan, that’s why it’s detailed. I already told you I’m not following through with it.” He looked at me. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Entering your dream was bad enough, and I apologize for that.”

“Whoa,” Talon exclaimed. “Apologizing? That’s major for you.”

“So long as you mean it,” Xavier added.

“Fuck, you really need that from me? For me to prove myself?”

“When it comes to this, absolutely. It’s Saryan we’re talking about. He has power over you. Hell, he’s the only being alive who does, who ever has.”

“Wrong.” Glaring at Xavier for questioning him and calling his integrity and promises into question, he gestured at me. “Now there’s also her.”

“What?” I choked. I really had that much of an impact on him, to that incredible extent?

He didn’t address it, busy facing off with Xavier as they stood glaring at each other in front of me and Talon, the latter who was at my left side and gently rubbing my arm in a soothing way. I could see his urge to intervene, but something stopped him, and he left the two of them to it. He was clearly torn between moving to defend Orpheus as had been their way for years, and protecting me.

I grimaced, not liking him being put in that position.

“You want proof, baby vamp? I’ll give you proof. But it won’t be pretty.”

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