In Her Shadow (ACOTAR)

Chapter Thirty-One: Experiments and Bargains

"I asked you a question, High Lord," Elinoire picked the letter up again and shook it. "What is this?

"That is private," he came towards her and tried to grab the letter but she ducked out of his reach.

"Like hells it is. This is about my sister and I so you'd better start talking or I will melt you from the inside out,"

Momentary surprise flashed across Tamlin's face as he registered her words. But that was gone in an instant, his chest puffing out proudly.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me, little girl. I am a High Lord of Prythian,"

Elinoire paced forward until she was nose to nose with him, "And I'm your worst nightmare you useless sack of muscle. Answer the question,"

He backed up a few paces, clearly weighing up how much he would reveal to her. Elinoire did not break his gaze, although her insides began to feel watery. She'd faced many foes, but never a High Lord before. If it came down to a fight, she had no idea if she'd survive this.

But the High Lord did not fight, instead he sat heavily in a chair and looked up at her, his green eyes solemn, "Your mother was Hybern's lover during the war. Against her will, which is how things usually went with Hybern. I don't know much else except my uncle found out through a seer that your mother would bear twins of great consequence to him, one of them being his mate. We smuggled your mother out of Hybern and sent her to Valhallan to live out her days with a male she'd known when she lived in Prythian, who I anticipate is the male you think is your father. That's all I know,"

Elinoire's world began to spin. Hybern was their father and Isolde was the king's mate. Of course he was, it was so obvious now. The obsession, why she could never fight back, it had all been there in front of them all these years and they hadn't seen it.

"Oh my gods," Elinoire sank into a chair. "And... my brothers? Are they really my brothers?"

"I don't know. What is contained in that letter is all the information I have. I helped smuggle your mother as far as the Spring Court. My father never spoke of it again,"

The Golden Thorn stood and stalked over to Tamlin, pulling him from his chair by the scruff of his shirt and slamming him against a wall.

"Do you know what you set in motion that day?" She was nose to nose with him and she could see the surprise and restraint in his eyes. "My sister spends her days and nights tortured, mutilated, chained up and used by that monster you call family. I had barely reached maturity before I took my first victim as the king's assassin and now I have killed more people than I can remember. Think about that. One little girl brutalised and one little girl forced into becoming a heartless killer. Is that what you thought would come out of your so-called good deed?"

"I didn't know what would happen. My father said we were to do this and-"

"So you didn't think to question what your uncle would want with a pregnant woman apparently carrying his mate?"

"Of course I didn't think he would harm his mate,"

Elinoire shook him, "He's a psychopath! You led us into the den of a psychopath! We have not known a moment of peace since we were taken to court,"

Tamlin gently placed his hands over hers and looked into her eyes, "For that I am sorry. You... you didn't deserve it. But life with Hybern as your father would have been much worse,"

Pushing herself away from Tamlin, Elinoire began to pace, the letter still scrunched in her hand. Everything made so much sense and she mentally slapped herself for not seeing this before. And she hadn't heard from her sister in so long, what if Isolde was back in Valhallan, married to the king with a baby in her belly, forced to accept the mating bond. How could the cauldron want this?