Page 60 (1/2)

The waiter poured the tea and took off

"I know exactly how deep they are I know that there is an organization which is atteoal of installing an authoritarian government based on the Roman Empire I know that the man at the head of it calls hian with Ada were part of the same conspiracy, which also includes Vincent Harcourt and Alexander Stur told this to me before I snapped his neck I know that this conspiracy repeatedly targetedas far as to hire mercenaries to assault the warehouse where we live They had orders to kill me and my sisters I also know that you were the one who lifted the hex on theman to find the artifact for Adam Pierce And that you hexed Vincent Harcourt to keep hi Caesar’s secrets You’re in this conspiracy up to your elbows"

I took a breath "So I’m a little confused You tell me that I’m supposed to trust you because you and I are blood When was blood theto you? Was it when the ht to butcher us, when Howling iced the overpass while I was in the car behind him so I would wreck and die, or when Adam tried to burn me to death in the irl"

I sipped my tea

"You have no proof"

"I don’t need proof A truthseeker hexed Vincent’s mind There are only three truthseeker Houses in the US I met Garen Shaffer and eliminated him as a suspect"

"You cracked Garen Shaffer?" Skepticisame, and he lost"

"He didn’t cloak?"

"He did at soh it Garen Shaffer is too focused on the welfare of his family and his corporate health to becos as they are House Lin is up to their throats in governan had shared that handy fact with ht, while we discussed the future of House Baylor "Involving themselves with the conspiracy would be too risky, as they’re under heavy scrutiny That leaves you You fit the profile"

"Oh, so there is a profile?"

"Yes Everyone involved coenerations deep Everyone is dissatisfied with the status quo Pierce wanted to burn the world free of repercussions and constraints of the law David Howling wanted to destroy his brother and take over his House Olivia Charles hated to see her only daughter stuck in a loveless enes She had reached the apex of her social clih She wanted the kind of status that would allow Rynda to pick and choose her husband aenes Vincent Harcourt is a sadist, who is aliven free rein by his House Not sure what Sturm’s issues are, but he definitely has some"

"And me?" Her voice was deceptively er You never had another child, probably because you can’t Without heirs, House Tremaine will die with you"

Victoria’s face showed no e at all, as if she were carved from rock

"You looked for hiht be connected to his disappearance But you went too far, and you werefor your son You wanted access to every database, every information bank, every person you decided to question without such pesky lis of the Assembly You wanted more power What you did is treason My father wouldn’t stand for it and neither will I I want nothing to do with you"

I got up, turned away, and took a step

"The randfather But the youngest is neither a siren, nor truthseeker She is so you can never let out"

Catalina and Arabella I spun around

Victoria pointed at the chair "Sit"

I sat

"I had twelveyouper generation, and we count our lucky stars if the child survives I was nancy She died when I elve My father followed her two years later I am House Tremaine Alone I wanted a child The future of the House required it, but I wanted one And that child would need to be a strong one A weakling would be killed The father had to be a Prime I tried with three different Primes, each carefully chosen, cajoled, seduced, bribed Whatever it took"

Her hands curled around her cup like talons Old pain flared in her eyes

"Why not marry?"