Page 114 of Hybrid Heroics

“Alric knew two out of five of my parents had telepathic abilities, and they didn’t want to test how strong I was. He knew those powers would grow with age. It’s just a fact among vampires and angels. He couldn’t get close to me. And he didn’t really want to send anyone to do it for him. Though now I wonder about a few people I’ve encountered over the years…”

“Kitten?” I called. “Can you slow down for a minute?”

She shook her head no. “His only option was stalking me, or having someone else do it. Which is why he loaned Aoiden Lynch money. He held that favor over his head, striking the deal to cancel the debt in exchange for his oldest son. Alric already knew Palmer would be my mate, just as surely as our parents did. Actually, maybe Aoiden told him, and that’s what started their relationship.

“Once Amelia was out of his way, Alric thought he couldn’t fail, but the prophecy never changed. He could achieve all his goals… Though once I was ready, I would kill him. There was no way to stop it, even if he thought he could.”

Sloane whirled on us, her expression serious. “Then tonight, they attempted the warped angelic spell, and it didn’t work. He blew through all his stocked power to keep me busy and still failed. But he would have failed no matter what.”

“Why do you say that?” Amelia inquired.

“How old was he?” my Kitten countered, raising a brow at her mother.

She scratched her head. “He was over four hundred when I was born.”

“And you’re in your second century?”

“Yes.”

Sloane nodded. “So he was at least in his sixth century, if not seventh. That’s old for a mage. But not old for a mage mated to a fae…”

“Oh,” Vaughn whispered.

My kitten smirked. “Alania was keeping him young and healthy. And would have for another millennium or more. But when she died, so did their bond, and Alric’s connection to his fountain of youth. That’s why they were estranged instead of separated. He was holding something over her head, blackmailing her to keep the bond in place.

“My guess is it was the fae realm. She wanted the throne, and he wanted to live longer. They didn’t have to be together to get what they wanted. Alric gave her everything she needed to kill Vex, only he didn’t know that he’d gotten the wrong plant. He cursed Reagan, but the Winter King acted fast, moving Vex’s body.

“Alania didn’t care, didn’t think twice about it until the Winter children started growing suspicious. Alric swooped in to take care of Reagan for her. But Reagan is a planner. He knew they would try to kill him eventually, so when he set Vex up, he prepared to join her.

“When Alric finally killed Reagan, it freed the king of his curse and sent him to his mate’s side… Where he used to take Vaughn and Freya as children, under the guise of fishing, but he was really checking on Vex without getting too close.”

Sloane finally stopped pacing, dropping to sit in my lap as she concluded her speech.

“Reagan told Vaughn to bring me there, because he knew my parents, knew I’d be rebellious or unpredictable… Whatever you want to call it. He knew I would get in the water. And once we were in the water, we would see the magic. Something tells me he also knew Vaughn wouldn’t return to the fae realm unless it was to seal our bond during a quick trip. To the temple, to the cove, and get the fuck out.

“But Alric’s actions pushed the prophecy to play out before it was time. So that quick trip was a little longer, but we also got there before Reagan and Vex were ready to wake. We woke them when we entered the chamber. While that was happening, Alric was in my head, but I was careful in funneling my thoughts to the hounds.

“What he did see was me killing Ralph Bowers and Vaughn killing Alania… But again, I remind you of the god complex. He didn’t think the broken bond would affect him, or maybe he forgot all about how they work. Neither option matters. The fact is, he didn’t take that into account until it was too late.

Sloane turned sideways in my lap, tossing her legs over the arm of the patio chair. “He tried to escape through the ward and bounced off the surface. That was when all his doubts, failures, and mistakes sunk in.” She looked at her bare wrist. “About eight minutes before I killed him.”

“How did we circle from Franklin—Fernando—to this?” York asked, blinking wildly at her.

“Franklin is fine,” the ancient vampire corrected. “I haven’t been called Fernando in hundreds of years.”

“I don't know,” she stated. “I just wanted to work it out now that there’s no one but me in my head. If I would have realized I had that much information bottled up… I would have killed him sooner. I feel like the air pressure just changed in the cabin.”

I snorted, and she gave me a lazy smile.

“I’m not sure what to say about all that,” Amelia acknowledged.

“There’s nothing to say,” Sloane told her. “It’s done. None of that information changes anything now. I only said it because I needed to brain dump all the bullshit.”

“Sometimes I think you’re insane…” Franklin trailed off, shaking his head. “Other times I know you are. Genius, but insane nonetheless.”

Rig chuckled. “She’s totally normal. How is that even close to insanity?”

“You would say that,” the ancient vampire commented dryly, pointing at the angel. “You’re nothing but chaos wrapped in feathers.”