Darkness Everlasting (Guardians of Eternity #3)(59)

His lips curled into a sensual smile. "From that delightful blush I can only presume that you've leaped to the conclusion that we're lovers."

"Are you?" she bluntly demanded.

"No." He lightly stroked his pale blue tie. "Sophia is certainly beautiful and exciting enough to tempt any man, but she already possesses several lovers. I prefer to be something more than one of the pack."

Lovers? As in plural? As in an entire harem?

Jeez. This just kept getting stranger and stranger.

Which was saying something.

Darcy pressed her fingers to her throbbing temples. She needed more than six hours of sleep in a cramped car to deal with all of this.

"Cripes, this is giving me a headache." She glared toward Salvatore, deciding she had had enough of the veiled implications and subtle hints. Time to take the bull by the horns. Or the wolf by his teeth. Whatever. She sucked in a deep breath. "Who is that woman?"

"I think it would be obvious."

"Humor me."

There was a tense pause before he pushed from the car to stand directly before her.

"The woman is your mother, Darcy," he said.

Even expecting his words, she felt her knees go weak and her heart lodge in her throat.

"You're certain?" she whispered.

He reached out to lightly touch her pale cheek. "Considering that I was there when you were born, I am very certain." His finger smoothed over her cheek to the corner of her lips. "You were an astonishingly beautiful baby, as were your sisters."

"Sisters?" She abruptly grasped his wrists in a fierce grip. It was that or tumbling to her knees. "I have sisters?"

"Your mother gave birth to quadruplets," he said smoothly. "Not an unusual event for a pureblood."

With a cry Dairy began to step away, her hands held up in a pleading motion.

"Wait. Just. . . wait."

He blinked at her fierce reaction, as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb of nuclear proportions on her.

"What is it, Darcy? Are you unwell?"

She wrapped her arms around her waist as she continued to back away. "I'm overwhelmed. I need a minute."

His lips thinned as he easily sensed her barely contained panic.

"I did warn you this was not the setting for this conversation."

"I assure you that the setting has nothing to do with my reaction." She gave a short, near hysterical laugh. "For God's sake, I've been utterly alone for thirty years and now suddenly I discover I not only have a mother, but three sisters as well." She swallowed the strange lump in her throat. "And on top of that, you have more than implied that my mother is a werewolf. Which would mean ..."

"That you are a werewolf," he completed softly. "Si."

"No," she instinctively denied. Styx had claimed that Salvatore was attempting to trick and deceive her. The ancient vampire was obviously right. That was easier to believe than the thought that Salvatore was telling the truth. "It's not possible."

The air prickled as Salvatore struggled to maintain his patience. Darcy sensed it was not a task he performed often. Or well.

"What must I do to prove my words?" he demanded.

"Nothing." Her tone was sharp. Not surprising. She was struggling with her own tangled emotions. "I think I would know if I turned into an animal once a month. That's not really something a girl can ignore."

"There is a reason you do not shift."

"And that would be?"

His lips thinned with impatience. "It is not something I will discuss until we can be assured of our privacy."

"You can discuss me being a werewolf here, but not why I don't have any symptoms of being a werewolf?" she demanded in disbelief.

"I had no desire to discuss anything here."

She glared into his handsome face. "These secrets are beginning to wear on my nerves."

He paused a long moment, no doubt reminding himself that he had gone to too much trouble to throttle her now.

"I thought you would be pleased to discover you have a family."

She gave a restless shrug. "I am, of course."

"But?" he probed.

But, indeed.

She didn't even know where to begin.

"Where have they been?" she at last demanded. "Why was I abandoned when I was just a baby?"

"Darcy, you were never abandoned." The golden eyes suddenly glowed with a dangerous light. "You and your sisters are incredibly vital to our people. There is not one of us who would not die to keep you safe."

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded in disbelief. "I was left to rot in foster home after foster home until I finally ran away and lived on the streets. Not to mention the fact that one of your werewolves seemed to have missed the memo about just how vital I am, since she tried to kill me only a few hours ago."

Salvatore frowned. "Jade is a mere cur and not in a position to know our secrets. She sensed you meant a great deal to me, but she didn't understand just how important."

Great. Because he was too damn arrogant to explain himself to curs, she had nearly been killed.

"And the reason I was abandoned?"

"As I said, you were never abandoned, Darcy." His hands clenched at his sides. "You and your sisters were lost to us."