Page 82 of Halfblood Deceived

“Third,” Sebastian and Zeydan chorused.

Kerian shrugged. “Zeydan and his family were attacked by the fucking stony arseholes, so Kam and I, along with Sebastian and Aylana, went to help.” He sighed. “I’m afraid you’ll be on administrative duty for a while longer, Diana. We’ve been rather busy with healing Zeydan’s people, including a half-gargoyle like you, and it might take Milla a while longer to return to her duties.”

Zeydan sat a bit straighter. Diana was obviously a friend, but she was a stranger to him…

Sebastian nudged him with an elbow. “Diana is trustworthy, believe me,” he whispered.

Diana frowned. “The halfblood gargoyle defected?”

Kerian nodded. “Yup.” He shook his head. “The bastards almost killed her, Di.”

The gargoyle closed her eyes for a moment. “As they did with me.”

A flash of comprehension went through Zeydan’s chest.

“Pretty much,” Sebastian confirmed.

A half plan, probably hasty and even meddling, formed in Zeydan’s mind. He leaned a bit closer to Diana. “Do you think, maybe in the future when Aella is feeling better, that you could talk to her? Maybe you guys can relate a bit—”

Diana’s blue eyes went wide with shock. She stopped breathing.

Zeydan blinked. “Was that rude? Sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” Kerian asked her.

Sebastian leaned forward too. “Diana?”

She licked her lips and swallowed. “What did you call her? The gargoyle who defected.”

Zeydan frowned. “Aella, like the Amazon.”

Diana’s breath caught audibly, one hand flying to her neck, blue eyes swimming with tears. “That—that’s the name they said my mother, who was also a defector, had given to my halfblood baby sister. Aella.”

Zeydan felt the floor tilt under his feet. “What?”

“Yes, what?” Sebastian echoed.

Diana sniffed, wiping her cheeks. “My, fortunately, dead gargoyle fiance said my mother had abandoned me and my human father to be with another male. And that she had a girl named Aella, who had died along with my ‘treacherous whore’ of a mother.”

Zeydan’s head throbbed. He felt suddenly sober with shock, confusion, and sorrow for Diana, her poor mother, and Aella as well.

“Oh my fucking gods,” Sebastian breathed out, placing a hand against his forehead. “I thought it was the booze that made me think you and Aella looked alike.”

Diana gulped. “She looks like me?” Her eyes flooded with tears again. “It could be a coincidence, but can I see her just to make sure? Please?”

“That would be one Hell of a fucking coincidence,” Kerian said, shaking his head. “And of course you can. I’ll call Aroth and ask him to come back and cover for you. Then we’ll go back to the mansion so you can meet your, most likely, little sister.”

Diana blinked more tears. “Thank you.” She examined them all and frowned. “You need a sobering potion. And still, maybe I should drive.”

Kerian stood with much less grace than usual, plucking his phone from his jacket pocket. “Agreed. Just give me a minute.” He left toward the bathroom.

Zeydan glanced at Diana, who stared back at him, her blue eyes mirroring the confusion, cautious hope, and fear stirring in his chest.

CHAPTER 19

Diana drove Kerian’s sports car back to the mansion.

Zeydan sat on the passenger’s seat while his cousins somehow fit their tall frames in the back seat, all of them uncomfortably half-sober after downing a potion.

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