tricks.” I snorted at that, and he shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t be comfortable with myself if I didn’t mention it.”
“So our people will be safe to move now,” Theo murmured, almost to himself, his blue eyes glazed over as he stared at the ceiling. “It would give us time to acquaint ourselves with the area.” He shoved his glasses up his nose, studying Drake. “How clear is this line?”
“You’ll see it and feel it no matter your form,” he assured him. “It’s only active once a war has been called, so you wouldn’t have noticed it if you’ve visited the site in the past.”
I cleared my throat, calling their attention back to me. “I’m sorry. I know this is important, but I don’t see how it connects to me.”
Drake winced now, the little color he’d gained draining from his cheeks. “Yes.” He shook himself, as though struggling to push the words forward. “Stepanov was never content with Gaspard’s attempted changes to help our people. His focus was on power, and he worked behind the scenes to achieve what he wanted, shielding his mind and his intentions from Gaspard. Gaspard…” He paused, clearing his throat hard before he could continue. “He wanted to do well by his people, but he was one among many. With a mate and a son, his attention grew divided, and Stepanov used that to his advantage.” Tears built in my eyes as I looked to Damien, taking in the raw pain that had carved itself into his face at the reminder of his grandfather, and I pushed my love for him across the bond.
“Stepanov has always feared one thing above all others,” Drake explained. “Dying. He wants his life to be eternal, and if that’s not possible, then he wants his legacy to be so.”
“The breeding program,” Ryder breathed out softly, and my gaze whipped to him. His hazel eyes were wide as he stared at Drake.
“We didn’t know about the program for many years,” Drake expounded softly, a tear tracking down his cheek. “By the time we did…” They were in too deep, I thought. They would have been coerced by the power, or they would have had families, children, friends, and people who could be utilized against them if they made any objections to Stepanov’s twisted machinations.
“My mom?” I was trembling now, the chair creaking softly as my body hummed with the tension coiling inside me.
“Stepanov traveled frequently in his younger years. Ostensibly, he was searching for a mate. It wasn’t until later we would find out that he was merely looking for ways to make himself immortal.” My blood chilled at the thought—that was what he’d need a phoenix for. “I never put the pieces together, not until recently. He told us of a woman he intended to mate with, a female he bragged would elevate his status. He hinted that she was rare, had incredible power, though he refused to tell us what she was. He did, however, let a name slip.”
My chest was tight, my heart pounding so hard I was sure my mates could hear it as I fought for air. Drake raised his face, and even through the blur of tears coating my vision, I could see the vivid blue and brown of his mismatched gaze.
“Her name was Kamilah Farouq.” My Phoenix let out a cry, heat flaring across me at the words.
“He never announced a mate,” Hiro objected, even as he stroked a gentle hand down my back, letting me gain my breath back.
Drake inclined his head. “He returned without her, or so we thought. He claimed there was a tragedy, that her and her family had been wiped out during an earthquake. He had grown colder, harder, and we attributed it to mourning.”
“I don’t understand,” I whispered.
“None of us did. It didn’t make sense until around the time Joshua left. Tongues were loose, tempers high. It was only then when I heard her name again. I hadn’t even thought of it in years, you see. It never occurred to me you would be related to her. I hadn’t known she was a phoenix.” His words were almost a plea as he addressed us. “Stepanov and Maldonado were ranting, raving really, about the breakdown of the island and the fact that the breeding program had been disbanded after your raid. Maldonado was cursing you, Nix, you and your mates. He mentioned that blood would tell, that Stepanov never should have kidnapped her and started it all. That it