“Tell me,” I urged him, but he just shook his head.

“Some other time.”

“Whatever.” I snorted. “As long as I don’t get any weird powers.”

“You’re a Legacy. You’re definitely going to develop a gift.”

Thanks, Miles.Thanks for the hope. Not that something like that wasn’t cool, but it would definitely just get me into more trouble.

I laughed sarcastically. “I’m going to kill myself first.”

“Good luck with that.”

I forgot that I was pretty much immortal. Not only did I not age, I couldn’t even be killed. I could have used that ability in Sacramento. Several times. Especially the part about the fast-healing injuries.

“There must be a way…”

“Special wooden stakes from hunters.” I looked confusedly at my brother. “Better described as magic-infused wooden stakes.” The wholemagicthing confused me the most. “But no one knows anything about this magic needed for it because it vanished off the face of the earth.” Miles looked at me smugly, as if it had beenhisdoing. “Fortunately for us.”

“So, that’s why this Nicolaj is still alive?” I snorted, even if it meant reminding myself that I was about to meet the clan head.

“You really should behave yourself when he’s around. He hates to be interrupted, and he’s very scary to little girls like you.”

I ignored Miles’ teasing and the fact that he was holding a throwing knife in his hand again, tossing it up and down and catching it again and again as he led me through the estate.

“Scary? I thought we were immortal. There’s still such a thing as fear for you guys?”

“He can make you suffer, believe me, you don’t want to experience that first hand.”

My shallow breath hitched, and I looked to him as we crossed the hallways with increasing speed. “It sounds like he did something to you.”

“Tous,Larissa,” Miles corrected me quickly.

The thought was shocking.

“Your clan leader is hurting you?” I asked.

The urge to stay in my apartment until Nicolaj was back in California was growing rapidly.

“Not anymore... Unless we allow ourselves a major misstep.”

“You were raised with violence?”

“Ruisangor children tend to be wild.”

I thought back to my childhood. And I didn’t know whethertheyor I had been more difficult. All the teachers who had called methe troublemaker,so many children I had encouraged to do stupid things – what you did when you were a child. It had felt normal. But it seemed to be running in my blood.

“You must have suffered the most,” I thought out loud.

Miles looked at me in surprise as we took one of the grand staircases leading downstairs. “Why?”

“Because you’re the most rebellious.”

He eyed me for a moment, only to laugh again. “That may be true, but you’re very wrong. I was under Camille’s care.”

This time I looked at him in surprise.

“Adrian suffered the most.”