Page 60 of Fate Unchained

Brooke nodded slowly. “One he never claimed as his heir, most likely because he hoped a sorcerer child would come along.” She whisked a finger along the empty space under Herskala’s name, the place where his children would normally sit on the family tree.

Kyril ran his hand over his head and turned, taking a few steps, then whirling back. “We know Morana had some of Herskala’s bowls and his grimoire. It could be possible.”

Brooke whirled to face him. “What? Herskala’s grimoire has been found? This is huge news—”

Kyril cursed loudly. “You don’t say a word. Don’t make me cage you in a cave.”

Lilah crossed her arms. “We can trust her.”

Kyril growled. “No, we can’t. She’s a reporter, and a human.”

Brooke’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you really?”

Lilah raised a brow as if daring him to answer. He didn’t need yet another person knowing about what they were doing—and seeing he could take human form—but on the other hand, she’d be afraid of him if she knew he was a vulk. That might get her to stay silent. He wasn’t in vulk form, but he still bared his teeth. “A vulk. One who will not hesitate to move you out of my way if I need to.”

Her eyes widened, and she bounced onto her toes. “Whoa. A real live vulk? Right in front of me? Why aren’t you in vulk form? I need to interview you! There are all sorts of rumors about the vulk fighting up in Ryba, and I need to—”

He snarled. This was not the response he was going for. “None of that.” Not a chance. No human reporter was coming near him or the pack.

Lilah put her hand on his arm, and his annoyance drained away. “We’re in the middle of something really important. We could use your help, but …” She glanced up at him. “The vulk are private, and the things we’re working on, they need to stay secret. We can’t tell you much.”

“What can you tell me?”

Lilah paused. “Kyril and I need a minute.” She turned to him. “Let’s go to my office.” She reached down and grabbed the large genealogy book. “I’m taking this to read later.”

Kyril plucked it from her. “I’ll carry this for you.” He placed it on the corner of her desk when they reached her office.

“We should fill Brooke in. She might know where Morana is and what she does every day. She may also know about the Dark Cabal.”

He studied the journalist sprawled out in a chair, her fingers steepled while she stared up at the ceiling. “You trust her? You don’t think she’ll write everything up in the paper?”

Lilah nodded. “I do trust her.”

“Enough to tell her about your skill with runes?”

Lilah looked away. “All right. Good point. No I haven’t told her, although there have been a few times I’ve wanted to.”

He stepped closer to her, and he couldn’t stop himself. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Will you tell her about your secret?”

Lilah took a deep breath. “Yes.”

All his life, he’d kept to the shadows in the vulk way. The less known about the vulk, the more mysterious and dangerous they were. Lilah may have had a different motivation, but she’d lived much the same way. “If you trust her enough to tell her now, then you can give her some details on what’s really going on.” While it went against the way he normally did things, he believed in Lilah’s judgment. And so far, Brooke had already proven herself useful. “But only what she absolutely has to know. Nothing more.” He rubbed his chest. “And let’s keep the runebonding quiet.”

Releasing her, he turned back to the library, but hit the book he’d placed on the corner of the desk with his hip. It crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

Kyril picked it back up and dusted it off. Lilah wouldn’t like it dirty. “Why are you doing research into family lines? You told Brooke you’ve read them all.”

“Oh. I’ve looked for other zorzye bloodlines. I mean, I must be related to them somewhere. I hoped there were others like me out there, but I haven’t found anything. It’s not like magicwielders who catalog all their abilities for each generation.” She opened her mouth, then closed it.

“What? Tell me.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. I thought we may be linked to someone, but I’ve never found even a scrap of a reference on the Cherkassy family who adopted my father and where they adopted him from.”

He studied her. He always tried to forget where he came from, yet Lilah sought it out. Family was important to her.

“I’d also love to talk to someone with my kind of power,” she said. “I could use some help learning how to use it. I mean, you saw what happened.”

“I’ve met two other zorzye, Triska and Briony.”

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