Page 104 of Cursed Heirs

“Quite the considerate show to actually pass through the gates normally instead of just teleporting in here with a painful display of your power, Abigail. You must want something from me.”

I heard Abigail then.“We’re all looking to play nice, especially considering the circumstances.”

“To what end?”

“To Constantine’s, of course.”

“I meant, to what extent do you intend me to be involved in that?”

“You are deeply distrustful, Saryan.”

“You delivered a harsh lesson to me three years ago, Fallen. Why would you expect anything less?”

“Circumstances being what they are, I’m not here as a Fallen, nor as a leader ofExemplar. I’m here as a mother terrified for her daughter.”

There was a long pause, and the three of us exchanged a loaded look.

Talk about unexpected.

Abigail Rose was all about business, all about following the letter of the law.

“Well, then. That I can work with.”

“Good, because we’ll need to work together on this.”

“Give me a concrete reason to put my trust in you, Abi. You owe me that at the very least.”

“I know that Constantine has your son’s blood for the Orb of Vorlav.”

A growl sounded from Saryan, the threat in it clear.

“That’s the opposite of giving me a reason. In fact, it sounds like a clear threat.”

“You’re misconstruing my intent. I’ve known he’s had the blood since it happened and I haven’t reported it toExemplar.”

“Why the omission?”

“Because I know what you’re doing for my daughter.”

“Xavier reported it to El, I assume?”

The guys stared at me, raising their eyebrows.

“You know how much I tell my dad. It was hard enough keeping the fact that your father knew about thatHellbornfrom him and was acting alone. I wasn’t gonna withhold again like that. Plus, the damage he sustained in the fallout of that was fucking brutal, I can’t stand—”

“It’s all right,” Ore told me.

“Yeah, chill, X,” Tal added.

I frowned, especially at Ore. “Just like that?”

“We’ve all had our secrets.”

Did that mean he still had his secrets, despite us all supposed to be in this together now?

“Get back to it then!” Tal pushed.

I blinked, then focused back on the meeting taking place.

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