Page 229 of Infernal Secrets

“Then Raelynn is almost a full-blooded Shyrlivi. Nearly indistinguishable,” Ezra said.

My gaze snapped to his.

That couldn’t be true.

56

TERMS

RAE

Other than seeing weird things all my life, I never felt different from the other girls around me growing up—or did I? Did I know the difference between feeling human versus Shyrlivi?

The guys acted human.

As far as I knew, only “lesser” infernals were the monsters who didn’t act human.

I cradled my forehead in my palm.

Zeke looked at Ezra. “How did you do the math so quickly?”

“It isn’t too difficult to work with a whole and three-quarters.”

“Can you tell us her real father’s name?” Amra’s soft voice pulled my attention. Why did she barely speak?

Quinfina shook her head, her chains tinkling again.

Cornaith hissed, baring his teeth. “It is your duty to tell us so that we may protect—”

“It’s my duty to provide you with information pertinent to the infernal plane’s prosperity,” Quinfina snapped.

Zeke’s eyes widened.

“It doesn’t matter,” Cornaith said, sniffing in disdain. “She needs to die, regardless.”

“Why?” Ash asked, brow furrowing. “If Quinfina gave her the book, doesn’t that absolve her of her crimes?”

“We still don’t know why or what bringing the princes to Earth meant,” Rhistel said, waving a hand in our direction. “What if the women in her family all did the same thing? Tricked our people into mating?”

Was he seriously suggesting they seduced and took advantage of them? It sounded like a tin-foil hat conspiracy that an entire family of women would target someone in each generation just for some twisted sexual gain.

Lymsrana shot him a flat look. “Do you truly believe that if they wanted to trick those men, they would do more than have children and remain on Earth?”

I looked at Lymsrana when she echoed my thoughts.

She understood, further backing my suspicion that the men on the council had a few screws loose.

Rhistel dropped his arm. “Perhaps, but what purpose does any of it serve?”

When Quinfina didn’t offer an answer, I wondered if there was anyone alive who knew why my family continued to find themselves entangled with infernal men. It couldn’t be mere coincidence that an entire family kept ending up in the same situation, generation after generation.

Ardvaen smoothed a hand over his robe, moving to Lymsrana’s side. “The princes are acting irrationally. Ash allowed himself to be injured to save her. Without whatever magic broke free, he would be dead.”

My stomach soured at the thought.

I didn’t want to think about any outcome that ended in Ash’s death. He didn’t deserve that kind of end, or the world’s cruelty. He was a good man.

Quinfina studied Ash. “While he didn’t die, he fell into a stasis from the magnitude of magic meant for a mere human.” Her gaze cut to Cornaith. “Had she really been a human, she would have died within moments after the execution started.”