“I know.” Dario’s brow furrowed and pain etched his features. “My concubine of fifty years died recently.”
Harper bit her lip. Fuck. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Dario shot her a sad smile. “I was not in control, and I did not trust myself not to act irrationally while I was so deep in grief. I locked myself away for the safety of myself and others. My control has improved enough for me to leave the castle, but I want solitude while I do my best to find some peace. Without it, my control could splinter again.”
“Understandable,” said Knox. And sensible. Near-rogues didn’t make sensible decisions.
“But you do not fully trust it is true.” Dario put down the scissors. “There is another reason I invited you here. Come to my garden. There is someone you should see.”
Knox slowly lifted one brow. “Someone?”
“Yes. They are hoping to speak with you and your mate, but it is of course your choice whether or not you come along.”
Harper stayed at Knox’s side as he followed Dario out of the rear exit of the greenhouse and down a long stepping stone path. At the end was a pretty floral arch with vines twined around it. They walked through the arch into a maze-like garden of carefully plucked bushes. They made a serious of short, sharp turns until eventually they came to a small opening.
Harper arched her brows, impressed. It was like a little oasis with patches of herbs, colorful fragrant flowers, and the soothing trickle of the fountain. The chirping of the birds splashing in the bird bath added to the relaxing feel. The breeze rustled the leaves and flowering trees, and bees and butterflies swooped from bloom to bloom. What held Harper’s attention was the small old woman on the wooden bench, knitting what looked like a scarf, which was a little odd, considering the heat.
Dario gestured to the woman. “Meet my grandmother, Nora.”
Pausing in her knitting, Nora studied all of them. She spoke to Harper. “You’re smaller than I thought you would be. People often underestimate those who are short. I do enjoy shocking people by showing them what a mistake that would be.”
Harper couldn’t help but smile, since she could fully relate to that.
Nora’s eyes danced from Harper to Knox. “Your emotional bond is very strong. That is good. You will need each other if you are to face what is coming.”
“Nora has premonitions,” Dario told them. “She sees the future, but she does not have visions. She knows and feels things about the future.”
“I knew Dario wouldn’t win the election, but he didn’t listen to me.” Nora shook her head. “It’s rare that he ever does,” she muttered.
Dario looked close to rolling his eyes. “Can you not just get to the point?”
“I could.” The woman cackled at his exasperated expression.
She makes me think of Jolene, Harper told Knox. Harper kind of liked her already.
Nora resumed knitting as she spoke. “I’m sure all of you have heard the rumors about Dario, just as we have heard the rumors about you and the other Primes. So many rumors,” she mused. “Rather odd, don’t you think? Obviously someone started them, but it seems such a petty thing to do… unless their aim is to cause discord among the Primes, of course.”
It wasn’t a theory that Knox hadn’t already considered. It held merit, but… “Who would want such a thing?”
“I did not see their faces, nor do I know their names. But they call themselves ‘the Four Horsemen.’”
Harper frowned. “Like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”
Nora placed her knitting beside her and smoothed the creases out of her long gypsy-like dress. “Yes, only they do not want to see the end of the world. They want to see the fall of the US Primes. They want domination of the entire country. But they’re having to use underhanded methods to achieve that because they cannot destroy all of the Primes by themselves.”
“They need the Primes to destroy each other,” said Levi.
Nora nodded. “They believe that causing a political war will lead to a physical one. As such, they are trying to cause arguments amongst Primes and make them distrust each other in the hope that they will turn on each other.”
Harper recalled the tension and distrust at the annual meeting; the rumors were certainly having some effect, even for those who didn’t fully believe them. “I don’t think Crow is one of the Horsemen.”
“He is merely a tool,” Nora confirmed. “A tool his manipulator is having difficulty controlling. But, really, they should have thought of that.”
Knox spoke. “He was sent after Harper, not me.”
Nora smiled. “Very good. I wasn’t sure if you would see that for yourself. This person planted the idea of the vision in Crow’s head, so you need not worry that there’s any substance in it. But there will be a child one day. And others will come for it. You will both need to be prepared for that.”
Harper swallowed, anxious at the idea of not only being a mother – after all, what did she know about parenthood? – but also at the idea of people seeking to take the child.
“What about the unpredictable weather?” asked Knox.
Dario cleared his throat. “I will accept the blame for that, but not publically. It would be used against me to support the ‘I’m turning rogue’ rumor. I was grieving, and my control over my gifts was not at its best.”
Given that Knox had lost his mind when he’d almost lost Harper, he could understand. “Why trust us with this when you don’t trust the other Primes?”