Sloane dropped a light kiss onto her head. “You are biased.” They started to walk back towards the house, and Tegan considered what Sloane had said to her.
“I do not disagree with Cord,” Sloane said to her softly. “My father, the way he treats the Vampyres and the Lycans, is shameful. He thinks he is better than them. When I was younger, I did not notice. As I got older, it bothered me but not enough to say anything about it. I wasn’t here, I wasn’t witnessing it, and I used to think Cord exaggerated to justify his own behaviour towards our parents.”
“And now?”
“This estate has no Akrhyn who are Lycan or Vampyre.” Sloane’s bitterness was evident. “I have checked our ledgers, our lands have no Lycans or Vampyres who have allied with our House.” Sloane shook his head sadly. “We are not better than anyone, and yes, I know, I saidsubjectsat tea, but I do not think of them like that. They are here for my House as much as my House is here for them.”
“Serving each other,” Tegan said in agreement. “There are Akrhyn loyal to House Novikov, you know.”
“Really?” Sloane looked at her in surprise. “The house at Silver Lake was…modest.”
Tegan laughed at her cousin. “Father is almost five hundred years old, do you know how many Akrhyn and their descendants he hassaved? Either from hunger, war, or Drakhyn. How many lives he has been in, how many Akrhyn he hastaught? Our home is modest, but those loyal to my father,huge.”
“Why are you not Heir for House Novikov then?”
“Because my father raised me, but he is not my blood.” Tegan smiled sadly at her cousin. “And my blood father did not know he had options when his children were born.” She saw the expression on Sloane’s face and shrugged slightly. “Leonid is very strict when it comes to blood.”
“Well, at least he’ll get on well with Cord then,” Sloane joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“If he finds him,” Tegan said sadly. “However, since your insufferable brother refused to letanyCastor take me to the Vampyre Court, I have no choice but to wait here. Idle.”
“Hardly idle.”
“What do you think in regard to the Council Elder?”
“I’ll look into it,” Sloane said as they reached the French doors again. “The benefit of being me, no one expects me to be a good poker player.” Sloane winked at his cousin.
* * *
Tegan walked the halls of the mansion, bored. She felt guilty for not telling Sloane that Marcus was in the woods to the north of his ancestral home, but after the Drakhyn attack, they felt it better to keep Marcus being near quiet. Marcus had delivered her here but had left shortly thereafter. They had felt it would be best if he carried out his own investigations without Cornelius watching his every move, especially after what had happened on their way here and their conversation with Dark Prime Castor Chernov, and as Sloane had so rightly pointed out, there were no Lycans on this property. The House Akrhyn were non-Sentinels, and although there were many Akrhyn who chose not to fight, Tegan had fought to keep in her seat when Delilah referred to theservantsat last night’s evening meal.
Tove liked to read historical romances, and this house reminded Tegan of one of Tove’s novels with the ripped bodice females and shirtless males on the cover. Tegan had never read one, but she knew Tove liked them and would sometimes tell Tegan the plots.
However, this was not an English estate where the occupants were the Lord and Lady. Cornelius and Delilah were vapid, vain Akrhyn who both needed a good whack with a kali stick. Maybe more than once, Tegan thought to herself. She worried for Sloane. He may be a masterful player at the game—he had Cord for a brother and Cornelius for a father, after all—but he wasgood. Pure of heart. She feared his father knewexactlywho Sloane was and what he was. She had no doubt of Sloane’s intelligence, but she feared he may not be as skilled at manipulation as his father was.
“You look lost.”
Tegan turned to look at the speaker and smiled in recognition. The short-haired blond Akrhyn looked well, and she was pleased to see a familiar face. “Kai,” she greeted warmly.
“Hey there, beautiful,” Kai said as he came closer to her, his blue eyes travelling over her slowly.
“How are you?” Tegan asked him as she felt her cheeks redden at his perusal, and she waited for him to reach her.
“Been good, took a while to recover from the ball, but I’m fully fighting fit again.”
Tegan nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry you were hurt. Drakhyn are, ugh, I cannot even,” she cut herself off in frustration.
“But it was the Castor’s burns that injured me.”
Tegan looked up at Kai. His face betrayed no emotion, and Tegan looked away hastily when he glanced at her. “The fire was needed,” Tegan said, coming to Cord’s defence.
“Was it?” Kai murmured before he smiled at her. “It’s over, we won, which is all that matters. The Drakhyn know their place again.”
“Know their place?” Tegan asked as her steps slowed.
“Yes, they tried to attack, we fought back and defeated them. They know not to do it again.” Kai reached out and caught her arm. “I heard you were here, and I knew you would be restless.” Kai’s eyes danced with laughter, and again Tegan felt her cheeks warm at the way he looked at her. “In here, I have something you may enjoy.”
Tegan hesitated before she followed him through the doors. She couldn’t stop her smile as she took in the training room. It was full of Akrhyn, sparring, fighting, training. As she watched them, she realised they were in need of alotof training, but still, Tegan felt like she took her first real breath since she got here.