Elijah had the answer at the tip of his tongue, but he suddenly halted, a sly smile curving his lips. "Of course, the throne doesn’t belong to . It belongs to Violet Purple, your heir, doesn’t it?"
The way Angus’s smile vanished was nearly comical.
Elijah was smug. "I’m right, aren’t I? So instead of the senile father, we place his rightful heir on the throne," he said sarcastically.
For a mont, Angus seed caught off guard. Then, as always, he recovered with unsettling calm. "I have to give you that," he said evenly. "And you’re right. My daughter, Violet, is the rightful heir, the child I had with my mate. A child of both worlds."
It was Elijah’s turn to be stupefied. He hadn’t known that Violet’s mother had been Angus’s mate. So where was she now? If she had been around, he should have heard one or two things about her.
Still, he didn’t let his shock last. If anything, Elijah hoped his brother would keep talking, and maybe reveal more.
Their gazes locked, a glint of arrogance in Angus’s eyes. "But you forget," he said, his voice dipping low, "she’s still young. That’s why I’ll rule until I decide she’s ready to take on my legacy."
"Your first son is a demon, all thanks to you. You haven’t paid for that cri and the only way you’ve escaped judgnt is because everyone believes you’re dead. And now you’ve created a second abomination, Violet Purple?" Elijah baited Angus, trying to force him to reveal Violet’s parentage.
Of course Angus saw through it. "You don’t know what her other half is, do you? I don’t bla you. Her mother even bound her powers so I’d have no access to her." He chuckled at the mory.
Elijah’s jaw clenched hard. He hated being left in the dark while his brother held the upper hand.
"But don’t worry, I’ll tell you." Angus smiled as if he were doing Elijah a huge favour.
Elijah was not the least bit delighted by the arrogance, but he said nothing. He needed that information.
"She’s Fae," Angus announced.
"What?" Elijah was shocked
Angus laughed deliriously, "I got mated to a Fae. Isn’t that mind blowing?"
"Impossible," Elijah muttered, shell-shocked. It made sense now, the purple in her hair and the trendous power she carried.
To be honest, Elijah had assud Angus had sired a pure-blood heir and found a way to repeat the sa spell used on the cardinal alphas. His second thought had been that her mother was a witch. A powerful one, given the warehouse spell.
"You fucked a Fae?" Elijah asked, still reeling.
Angus snarled, "Mated." He would not allow such disrespect to the mory of his mate.
"So Violet is half werewolf, half Fae?" Elijah repeated as if the information would sink in faster that way.
"The most powerful of all my heirs," Angus boasted.
"All your heirs?" Elijah’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t tell you went around spreading your seed." Suspicion nicked at the edge of his voice.
Angus, self-pleased, answered, "Unlike you, mine fell on fertile ground." He taunted his brother.
Anger snapped back into Elijah. "I swear on the grave of our father, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure you never step on that throne."
Whatever pleasantry remained on Angus’s face vanished, replaced by a dark look. "I sought you out because you are my brother. I talked to you because I thought you’d see reason with and do the right thing, even join ."
He leaned in, fervent. "This power I’ve brought isn’t going anywhere, it’s staying in the family. The least you could have done was support it. I hurt you and compensated you by letting you rule this long. Now it’s ti to return things to the way they should be. And you want to be my opponent?"
"Not just your opponent," Elijah declared, stepping closer so their breaths mingled, eyes like steel, "once I get my hands on Violet Purple, I’ll make her your worst enemy. So hide her well because your ti is ticking."
Angus’s confidence faltered. "Hide her? What are you talking about?"
Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Didn’t you steal Violet away? Isn’t that why you’re here, babbling about reclaiming a throne?"
Angus froze. "Steal her?" He gave his brother a dirty look. "Why would I steal her when it isn’t ti?"
Elijah’s gaze brightened. "So it isn’t you then."
"Wait," Angus said, eyes widening. "It couldn’t be—" but before he could finish his words, it was as if the rug was pulled right under his feet and he began to lose his grip on the dream world.
"No—wait—" Angus was still shouting when he was pushed out.
Back at Duskmoon Hollow....
Angus opened his eyes, blinking as the familiarity of his room ca into focus.
Beside him, Lauren and Layla breathed hard, as if they’d just ran a thousand mile. Blood darkened the sheets where their palms had bled from the cut, but their gazes were fixed on Ziva — they knew exactly what she had done. She had severed the dream-link.
Without a word, Ziva took each sister’s hand and mouthed the healing spell. Flesh knitted together as if by will; the cuts closing abruptly. Still, the look she gave them made it clear: not a single word was to pass their lips.
She was finishing with the second sister when Angus cleared his throat. "What happened?" he asked.
Ziva didn’t flinch. "Holding onto the connection was taxing," she said flatly. "It was starting to weigh on us, so we let go."
Angus said nothing. He wasn’t a witch hence he couldn’t know how difficult it must have been to pull his brother into the dreaming world. But he could see the exhaustion on their faces and guessed enough.
Ziva watched him, reading the slow turn of thoughts behind his eyes. She pushed with a cool voice. "About Violet...."
Angus looked at Ziva and let the words fall like an order.
"Don’t worry about her. I’ll find her. You can leave now."
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