When I returned to the living room, Ethan and Lucas were deep in conversation, discussing strategies on how to take on Theodore. A wave of tiredness hit me, so I left them to it and climbed the stairs to Ethan’s bedroom, where I promptly fell asleep.
Sometime later, I found myself in an endless white room. A part of my brain knew I was dreaming, but it all seemed so real. I peered about. There was nothing there, just endless whiteness. I had a momentary thought that this must be what limbo felt like when a man appeared.
He was tall, with jet black hair, deeply tanned skin and piercing blue eyes. He stared at me, his eyes a reflection of my own.
His body pulsated with power, and it strangely affected me. My pores tingled, making me feel so much more alive.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice unexpectedly filled with wonder.
The man appeared to be middle-aged and was very handsome. He wore a pristine grey suit, a black shirt, and a silver tie. His tall form was broad, and I could tell he was sporting some serious muscle underneath his clothes.
A smile creased his eyes, and I got the distinct feeling that although he appeared to be no more than fifty years old, he was much, much older.
“You’ve been asking after me,” he said in a deep, attractive voice.
“I have?” My tone went up a notch at the end. I didn’t feel like I was in danger; however, I did feel a little intimidated.
“You have,” he stated. “I am Roman Patel.”
Roman Patel? My grandfather, Roman? Shock and awe filled me.
“Ah, right, uh, yes. Good. Thanks for, um, answering my call.”
This was so strange. How on earth could he have known I was asking Emilia about him when he wasn’t even supposed to know that my mother was his daughter? Or that Emilia had been pregnant with his child at all, for that matter.
“I can hear when people say my name,” he explained, answering my unvoiced question. “No one has uttered it in a long time, not until a couple of weeks ago when I heard an old lover say it to you.” He paused, and the silence dragged out as a thoughtful look crossed his features. “Why did she say it to you?”
Right, so maybe he didn’t know all the details, only that I was looking for him. Guess I’d better tell him then. “Because you’re my grandfather.”
The moment the words left my mouth he walked towards me until we were standing as close as possible. His chest pressed against mine, and his cool breath hit my cheeks.
“Your grandfather?” he breathed. “How?”
“Emilia Petrovsky is my grandmother. She had a baby girl who was yours, but she never told you about her. Her name was Darya. She passed away when I was little.”
He absorbed the information with an emotionless face. “So, you are my kin.” Reaching up, he trailed a hand down my cheek before gripping my shoulder. His hand was solid and firm.
“Yes,” I breathed.
Another smile. “Wonderful.”
And then I got the surprise of my life when his mouth descended on mine and he kissed me—with tongue! WTF?! I struggled to push him away, but his hands clamped down on me, holding me firmly in place. A tingle of what I could only describe as magic trickled through me, and I relaxed into the kiss, responding to it with an embarrassingly loud moan.
Oh, hell no! He just magicked me into liking the kiss! My stomach turned with how wrong this was, and I summoned every ounce of my power. Sparks shot from the palms of my hands as I shoved him away and finally managed to break the kiss.
“What the hell was that?” I accused, drawing away from him hastily.
He touched his hand to his chest where some of my sparks still singed him, burning through his immaculate grey suit. He appeared amused, intrigued even.
“Is your father a warlock or a human?” he asked.
I frowned, then replied, “Human. Why?”
“You have powers. More than I would expect from a Halfling.”
“A Halfling?” I questioned.
“Half-human, half-witch,” he explained.
“Okay, well, you still haven’t told me why you kissed me. Is that how you greet all of your granddaughters?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had a granddaughter before, and you are very pretty.” He stopped for a second and studied me. “Ah, I see why you’re so appalled. You were brought up in the human world. If you had been raised in the way of magic, you would know that what you have been taught to refer to as incest is not frowned upon in our realm. In fact, it is encouraged. It allows us to maintain our pure bloodlines.”
I scrunched up my face, not knowing what to say. I was entirely grossed out. I shook my entire body, feeling like his kiss was a tangible thing that was stuck to me and I wanted it off.
I pointed a finger at him warningly. “I don’t care if you think it’s normal to French your granddaughter. Don’t do it again.”
He laughed long and deep, and I felt it vibrate right down to the pit of my stomach.
“You’re feisty,” he said, and with a sweep of his hand, the white room transformed into a beautiful library filled with old bookshelves and antique furniture. He gestured for me to sit on an armchair, and I obliged. I was still trying to get my head around the whole ‘incest equals good’, as opposed to ‘incest equals bad’ thing. I wanted to get to know my grandfather, but if he had romantic intentions, then I could definitely forego the family bonding.
Roman sat at the head of a gorgeously carved wooden desk and continued to stare at me. “You sought me out for a reason. What is it?”
“Don’t you even want to know my name first?” I asked.
He closed his eyes, and a faint smile touched his lips. “Tegan Stolle. Now I know your name. Talk.”
“Impressive,” I muttered, and a silence ensued.
Finally, I exhaled and proceeded to detail the predicament in Tribane, including Theodore’s barrier shutting the rest of the world out and how the human population knew about supernatural creatures following Whitfield’s vampire attacks. I finished up by requesting he help me undo the barrier and somehow erase the humans’ knowledge of supernaturals. Oh, and I also snuck in that I would very much like to make Rita good again.
Roman tapped a finger to his mouth. “Sounds like a tricky and complicated situation. I remember Theodore from my youth. He had already become a sorcerer at that point, but he wasn’t as powerful back then as he is now.” A look of nostalgia crossed his features.
“When exactly were those days of youth?” I asked curiously.
He appeared to be casting his mind back. “I turned fourteen in the year 1578 if I recall correctly.”
I gaped at him, doing the mental calculation. “That means you’re, like, over four hundred years old.” It also meant that Theodore was even older. A shiver ran down my spine.
“And I don’t look a day over forty,” he said with a confident smile.
More like fifty, but I didn’t correct him.
“I’ll be twenty-seven this year,” I said instead.
His eyes grew intense as he appraised me. “And you wear your twenty-seven years exquisitely.”
I rolled my eyes at his flirting, which seemed to amuse him. “I bet Emilia just loves you,” he commented with no small amount of sarcasm.
I chuckled. “Yeah, she thinks I’m a real prize.”