Chapter 3

• “What were you talking about?” She went over and perched on the sofa, sitting more on the top of the back than the cushion. She flipped her red ‘mermaid’ hair back, “what dad, what soul,” she gave Bastian a hard look, “what is so special about this soul?”
• Bastian crossed his arms over his chest and turned to look at his brother, silently telling him they weren’t going to get out of explanations, not with Liri. He adored her, she was a fellow rebel that bucked the system as hard as he did, but she was viciously tenacious when she set her mind to something.
• Trendan sat down and heaved a loud sigh. “We—”
• She dropped down onto the cushion of the sofa and leaned forward, “don’t say can’t. You know I can keep a secret.” She motioned around the space they were in. “I’ve been using Bast’s place for years to hide and never once told anyone about the things he’s up to.”
• Bastian raised an eyebrow at her confession. “I don’t hide my rebellious streak.”
• She gave him a blank look, “no, you have a penis, you don’t have to.”
• He conceded she was right with a shrug. “She could…”
• “No.” Trendan glared at him, “just knowing any of it puts her at risk.”
• “Don’t I have a say?” She looked from Trendan back to him, “I need some other purpose than primping and preening to attract a partner that I don’t want—yet.”
• Trendan’s expression softened, “I know it’s hard, Liri, but all of us have a duty.
• Bastian snorted, “Attending the never-ending luncheons with the females of the realm can be trying. Everyone looking at you with that watchful look.” He scowled at him, “I don’t see you going to a lot of these, Elyas goes to even fewer—why is it all falling on me?”
• He shrugged, “I have to…”
• Liri laughed, a little louder than necessary, “you avoid them just like both of us.” She flopped back and made a pouty face, “if there’s a chance I don’t have to be tied to a stranger…”
• “Your parents would never allow it.” Trendan looked at Bastian for backup.
• Liri was on her feet, hands on hips, and glaring at him before Bastian could open his mouth, “You have no say because last I checked, I was the only one here with a womb to procreate more females for the realm.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “my womb, my choice.” She threw her hands up, “I just want to do something. Anything for once that doesn’t feel like I’m selling myself to the highest bidder.”
• “You are watched more than we will ever be.” Trendan’s tone told Bastian he was slowly caving, and he waited for that opening to jump in.
• “You could tell them I’m needed to do something.” She smiled at him, and Bastian felt sorry for him, he’d been on the other end of that look before with her and ended up giving in to some crazy ideas. Prince or not he could still be reprimanded in many unpleasant ways for doing some things.
• “The little seer princess in Alterealm could use some help finding those mixed souls for us.” Bastian shrugged.
• “Are you crazy?” Trendan’s harsh look returned in a snap. “How do we explain she’s in Alterealm or the human realm?” He stood up and glared at Bastian, “you are talking about finding humans that are part Solrelm, aren’t you?”
• “Yes—or any souls that are half ours.” Bastian rubbed his hand over his hair and looked down at the floor. Tor should have been back by now. Feeling his pockets, he realized he’d left his phone in his jacket. Going over, he pulled it out of the pocket.
• “I don’t understand this, like completely human or part of our DNA or other DNA?” Liri looked from Trendan to him, “is that even possible?”
• Bastian grinned, “very possible and I have the proof.” He checked for messages. There weren’t any. “We’ve also found some of the Solrelm dads responsible for those mixed offspring and someone has known about this miracle and gone to great lengths to hide it.”
• Liri’s eyes rounded to the point it had to be uncomfortable. “We can have children with someone not from here? Do-do they have our abilities still?”
• Trendan blew out a breath, “yes.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw, “the only ones that know right now are us,” he pointed to himself and then Bastian, “and our two guards.”
• Bastian wondered for a moment where her guard was, how was it she could dip on her guard so often? Tor was in on most of his plans, but he doubted her guard, what’s his name, knew half of the things she did.
• She nodded, looking completely animated, “okay,” she nodded again, “good idea, too many knowing would be bad.” She sat back down, “have you interviewed these fathers?”
• Trendan glanced to him before answering, “no, they’ve had their memories wiped.”
• “Wiped? On purpose? Like someone knew and is hiding it?”
• Trendan blew out a breath, “yeah.”
• “Holy shit. This is huge.” A few expressions crossed her face then she nodded, sending her wavy locks bouncing on her head. “I want in on this. I want to help.”
• “We should work on getting to the dads,” Bastian turned to Trendan, “she could help the seer.”
• “Isn’t their seer a little busy with…”
• “That prophecy of the Alterealm royal family, it’s been fulfilled.”
• Trendan cocked one eyebrow at him, “the nine brothers?”
• “Yes.” Bastian grinned wide, “and most of their true mates were half-human, well, except for the one that is half Solrelm.”
• “Shit.” His tone was contemplative.
• Bastian glanced at his phone, he needed to find Tor. He looked at Liri and then to his brother, “we need to find all the dad’s locations, find the traitorous bastards that were involved in that secret,” sucking in a breath, he continued, “find the traitorous bastards from here that were helping the insane mage, not to mention the lawless faction jerks were after the soul that’s mine—”
• “How are we going to do all of that?” Liri asked quietly. Neither Trendan nor Bastian missed that she was making sure she was included going forward.
• “We can call the Alterealm royals, one princess can hear thoughts, one of their kings can get inside heads—”
• “You want to bring them over here? Wouldn’t it be safer if we met in the human realm?” Trendan was on the edge of the chair now.
• “I don’t know.” Clutching the phone in his hand, he crossed his arms. “I don’t know. I just know we need to do something now.”
• “This has to end.” Trendan stood up.
• “It does.”
• Trendan looked at his phone, “Ulric says they’ll be back shortly.” He looked back at Bastian, “meet me at interrogation?”
• Bastian nodded, then motioned to Liri, “I’ll fill in a few blanks for her and then meet you there.” Why hadn’t Tor messaged him?