“He is oldest,” Sloane shrugged.
“But he isn’t Cornelius’s son, you are.”
“But he is more powerful, Cornelius noticed Cord’s potential at a very early age. Power is everything to my father, it didn’t matter that he didn’t sire him, he was given the Ivanov name regardless.”
“I’m sorry,” Tegan told him softly.
“It matters not, I’m glad it’s not me who will carry on Cornelius’s legacy,” Sloane’s quick grin was tinged with bitterness. “Dad sent me here to become Michael’s second, like Marcus is Salem’s.”
“Well at least you and Michael are good friends,” Tegan offered lamely.
“We weren’t always,” Sloane admitted. “Everything was a competition when we were younger. I was trying to prove to my father I was just as good as Cord, Michael trying to live up to his father’s formidable reputation.” They walked along for a few moments in silence. “It was a few years before we learned we were better fighting together rather than against each other.”
“You stay here all the time?”
“Yeah, I’d rather be in a nest of Drakhyn than stay at my ancestral home.”
“I’m sorry,” Tegan touched his arm in commiseration as they walked.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Delilah reminds all of us, every day that Cord is Heir, and if she isn’t preening about him, she is preening at a ball,” Sloane gave a mock shiver. “Cornelius is usually coming up with some grandiose plan to impress the Great Council in his bid to become Principal, or he’s waging war against supernaturals.”
“War?”
“He hates Vampyres and Lycans, believes they are no better than Drakhyn. He’s been punished, severely, in the past by the Great Council for his actions against them,”
“Which is why he is called mad,” Tegan nodded in understanding.
“Yes, it desensitises his atrocities though. What’s worse, he has supporters. There are Akrhyn that agree with him,” Sloane shook his head in disgust.
“Does Cord?”
“No, my brother abhors our parents as much as I do,” Sloane smiled grimly. “I knew as soon as he showed promise that he could Cast, he would leave to join the Castors.”
“You actually like him,” Tegan noted with surprise.
“Cord? Of course, he’s my brother,” Sloane laughed.
“But you say such horrible things about your parents?” Tegan was confused.
“My parents are stark raving mad, Cord is a good kind of crazy.”
“I don’t understand,” Tegan admitted, thinking back to Sloane holding his mother’s hand in the study. “You seemed close with your mother, but you are always arguing with Cord.”
“If I don’t put on the family show for others, I will be reprimanded and not in a fun ‘go to your room’ kind of way,” Sloane said quietly. “It’s a show, a front. It’s not real.” His eyes were sad as he looked at her as they slowed to a stop. “Everyone here knows it’s fake. I think that is one of the reasons Salem was so determined to ensure that Michael and I get through our differences, I think he felt sorry for me,” Sloane shrugged.
“I’m sorry,” Tegan repeated as she bit her lip, she didn’t know how to offer comfort. She had no idea this was how it really was. Father had never said, but then, being Leonid, why would he? He would consider this mundane and other family matters were not worth his attention.
“I’m happy here, Tegan, there is no need to be sorry. Salem did me the favour, Cord advocated for it, wanting me away from our parents just as much as he did.” Sloane grinned his familiar easy smile to her. “This is where I belong.”
“Which is why you said yes to Zahra,” Tegan guessed.
“She isn’t so bad, we won’t really hinder each other,” Sloane shrugged it off as he resumed walking.
“But don’t you deserve love?”
“Ha! Love is overrated,” Sloane nudged her in jest. “My parentsloveeach other, Salem loved Mikayla but loved your mother too. Nah, I’m good for an arrangement like I have with Zahra, no expectations, no demands.”
“I think you may have just quoted really bad examples?” Tegan felt obligated to defend the concept of love. “It’s not like that for everyone, I think you may be focusing too much on the minority.”