Arjun lifts a shoulder. “That is the way of the Vale. I suspect they resent ethereals for thriving. For possessing the gift of immortality without having earned it. Perhaps they wish to lord over us with their last remaining advantage: their pure bloodline.”
Hortense spits at nothing. “This is the same disease that exists in mortals. An obsession with purity. Mark me, it will be their end.”
I listen as they speak. Even though the news of Celine’s parentage is not a surprise to me, I still don’t know what to make of it. Perhaps I should simply tell Celine the truth and leave the decision to her. But another, more visceral part of me wishes to protect her from all of it. To keep her away from this world and its perils. “Celine’s eighteenth birthday is less than seven weeks from now,” I say to no one, my attention settled on the far wall.
“Which means nothing you might have done or said could have prevented this exact outcome,” Odette replies. She reaches for me, her fingers coming to rest on my hand. “Stop blaming yourself for every bad thing that has happened to Celine in her life.”
I gaze at her sidelong. “Is it so wrong to want to keep those you love safe?”
“It is if you are lying to them,” Jae says from his chair across the room. “Don’t spare Celine the truth to appease your own ego, Sébastien.”
Hortense glares at him, then turns toward me. “Listen to the traitorous chaton. He may be cannon fodder in my eyes, but there are times he speaks true. Tell Celine what you know. Leave the decision to her. It is what a good man would do. One who trusts the heart and mind of the woman he loves.” Intensity sparks in her rich brown eyes. “Do not make her story about you.”
Her last words are like a punch to the stomach. If Nicodemus were here, he would do just that. His anger at being betrayed by Jae would eclipse all else. He would make these stories about himself.
I will not be my uncle.
I look around at each of my brothers and sisters. I think of the measure of them. What makes them who they are. What makes me who I am.
And I know what I must do.
CELINE
All day at the shop, Celine had warred with herself.
She’d promised never to seek out Bastien again. She’d sworn to leave behind his world and all the troubles that came with it. The questions remained: Did she owe it to him to keep that promise? Did she owe him her loyalty? Or was it more about honor?
Honor had not done Celine much in the way of favors. An honorable young woman would not have fled Paris after committing a murder, no matter the circumstances. She would have faced justice and hoped it prevailed.
Laughable. When had justice ever prevailed when it came to a richly entitled young man and a young woman of modest means?
Celine did not owe any man anything. By midafternoon, she’d decided that honor and loyalty were nonsense if they prevented her from living the life she wished to live. As soon as she closed up shop for the evening, she resolved to return to Jacques’ and demand to speak with Bastien again.
An hour later, she changed her mind. As much as she hated to admit it, Bastien was right. She already possessed all the information she needed. The madman responsible for her injuries was dead. She was safe. Barring a miracle, there was little chance of her memories being restored. It was time for her to resume her life. To live in the present, rather than in the past.
To choose Michael Grimaldi and build a future with him in the light.
For the rest of the afternoon, Celine behaved like an absolute boor. Just before sundown—when Antonia asked her to repeat herself—Celine scowled at her with all the vim of an outraged schoolboy.
“I would like to know,” Eloise commented in a contemplative tone, “how we might kill that bee in your bonnet.”
Celine’s scowl deepened. “What bee?”
“There is a . . . bee?” Antonia shrank into herself, her long brunette plait swaying like a pendulum as her eyes darted to all four corners of the shop.
Eloise pursed her lips. “If you want me to ask what is troubling you, then simply say so. I don’t have the patience or the inclination to tease it out of you, Celine.” Her grin was tight.