Nykyrian stood rigid still while she touched his face and Kiara knew he wanted to leave, wanted to run away, but she couldn't let him. This was the only way she knew to silence his nightmares. He could deny it all he liked, but she knew he still yearned for his mother's love.
Nykyrian bared his fangs, anger darkening his eyes. "Don't lie to me! You didn't want twins to half your empire. You kept Jullien by your side and sent me away!"
Realization struck Kiara so hard, it stole her breath. She took a step back, glancing at Cairistiona, Nykyrian and the other woman. It couldn't be.
Her gaze drifted to the wom en's expensive, imperial robes, the imperial guards. Her throat dried. The woman before her was Princess Cairistiona, the lady holding her was Princess Tylie, which made Nykyrian . . .
Nykyrian barely caught Kiara as she fainted.
"Oh my," Tylie said, glancing around the street. "Is she all right?"
Nykyrian clenched his teeth, fear pouring over him. He couldn't imagine what was wrong with Kiara. "I don't know," he said, swinging Kiara's limp body up into his arms.
"Our shuttle's docked behind this building. Cairistiona's doctor is on board," Tylie said, glancing at his mother. "That would probably be the closest place to take her for care."
Nykyrian glared at his aunt, wanting to get as far away from them as he could. But Kiara came first. He nodded and followed them around the building. His mother kept looking back at him, her smile wide. Every time he saw her, he was torn between welcom ing it and wanting to curse.
It seemed an eternity before they were on board the shuttle and the Andarion doctor came out of the back, complaining about serving a human patient. The prejudice ate at Nykyrian's tolerance and he wanted to backhand the man.
Gently, Nykyrian laid Kiara in a soft, cushioned seat. His heart thudded in his chest as he watched her pale beauty, aching for her to wake so they could leave these people.
The doctor shooed him away so he could examine Kiara without a lot of interference. To Nykyrian's extreme annoyance, his mother grabbed his arm and pulled him to the back of the shuttle where she and Tylie could talk to him.
"Who is the woman?" Tylie asked, glancing over the seat to watch the doctor.
"My wife," he said coldly.
His mother smiled. "You're m arried!"
He just glared at her. It cut him that his own mother didn't know the m ost basic inform ation about him.
Tylie looked back at him. "What happened to you? After we sent you off to school, we were told you died in a fire."
Nykyrian curled his lip. "You never sent me to school, so don't bother lying."
His mother and aunt exchanged puzzled frowns.
Cairistiona touched his hand. "I put you on the shuttle myself. You were sent to Pontari Academy," she said slowly as if talking to an idiot.
A chill crept over Nykyrian.
He tried to remember why his mother had sent him away, but he couldn't recall all the details. All he could remember was her smiling and waving at him, her tender voice telling him to behave. He looked deep into her eyes, trying to find the answer. Could she be telling the truth? No, his mind scream ed. It was a lie, it had to be.
His temper boiled. "I was sent to a hum an work home!" he snarled, glaring at them.
Both of their faces lost color.
"Mother," Tylie breathed. "Dear God, I never thought she would do something so horrible."
Nykyrian's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"
Tears gathered in Cairistiona's eyes as she clutched at her necklace. "She always hated you. She said Jullien could pass for an Andarion, but you would always look too human."
"It was her idea for you to go to Pontari," Tylie interjected. "She thought you would be better off with humans."
The bitter anger in his aunt's voice surprised him .
"Everything was a lie. And all this time we kept you," Tylie turned to face his mother,
"drugged so you wouldn't search for him. How did you know he was alive?"
Cairistiona offered Nykyrian a shaky smile. "I just did."
Nykyrian sat in shock, not knowing what to believe anymore. He stared at his feet, trying to sort through all the emotions tumbling through him, rage, pain, grief, loss.
"Mother's com mitted a terrible crim e!" Tylie said at last. "What are we going to do?"
Cairistiona shook her head. She looked at Nykyrian with eyes that tore through all the defenses he kept around his heart, his soul. He wanted to cry, but he knew he wouldn't.
He had passed the point of tears years ago.
His mother clutched her hands in her lap, all the while studying his face. "What did they do to you in the work home?" his mother asked, her voice shaking.
Nykyrian shrugged, not wanting to remember. There was nothing she could do to ease the ache or correct the wrong. Only Kiara seemed able to do that. "I was adopted," he said at last, deciding that would be the easiest thing to disclose.
His mother smiled. "By good people?"
A lump closed his throat and he stifled the urge to snarl. "Commander Huwin Quiakides."