"Your father killed the human and your mother. She didn'thandle it well."
"She got mad and did it on purpose, you mean."
"Her heart was broken and she could no longer see the reason for her being. She abandoned her purpose and split the amulet in three. She gave two of the pieces to those who were closest to her heart. The amulets of protection and," he touched my chest where my pendant lay, "wisdom."
I stifled a laugh. This thing was supposed to inspire me with wisdom? Yeah right, like anything I had done in the last day had been wise.
"And the other?"
He shrugged. "We are not sure." He stroked a finger down the bridge of my nose. "Do you feel better informed now?"
"At least I understand some of why this is happening to me. Why you're so eager to be with me."
"No matter how you try to reason it, you belong to me and I to you. No matter what has happened in the past, or future forces that will try to keep us apart. Lochlann will return and take his rightful place. Then I can focus on helping you become who you are destined to be."
Who was I destined to be? I didn't feel ready to hear what I knew was coming, and I threw a question at him before he could continue.
"We are immortal?"
"We live for millennia, but are relatively easy to kill if damaged quickly enough so we cannot heal." Contempt entered his tone. "Vampires are immortal."
Uh oh. No. I did not want to talk about vampires.
"It's too heavy, let's change topic," I said hastily. "Tell me why you left the Tribe, I want to understand what I'm facing. Were you just following Lochlann?"
"The decision was mine, and I made it. The Tribe is made up of simple fairies trying to live their lives. There are a core few devoted to Devlin and his way of life. These influence and control the rest. It is because of them demonkind is experiencing the darker side of the fairy race." He face was sad. "It's their nature which leads them to dominate. To twist things for their own gains."
"They're evil," I said.
"Yes," he replied bluntly. "I will not pretend that my brother is a saint, but he wants peace. Lochlann wishes to bring back the old ways."
I pressed my fingertips to his face; let them trail along his scar to his jaw, careful this time for my talons not to scratch him.
"And you think that will be a good thing?"
He shrugged. "It cannot be worse than how we are now."
"Lochlann is losing. He was hoping to have two amulets, but now he has none and the Tribe has one." Breandan stiffened and his jaw cracked beneath my hand. "Apart from you, the rebels have no clue where any of the amulets are, but Devlin knows I have a piece." At the surprise and hesitation I caught passing his face, something clicked for me. "Lochlann knows," I said. "He thinks he knows where one is. That's why he left so suddenly, isn't it?"
I had my own suspicions as to where an amulet piece was, but if Lochlann had left his entire rebel force to go find it, surely I was wrong.
Breandan shrugged, not bothering to deny it. "He would not leave us for such a long time if it wasn't important."
"You should have told me all this." My hand dropped as my face became as mad as my voice. "I've been fumbling around in the dark." I pressed a hand to the space beneath my collarbones where the amulet piece lay. "I've been a target this whole time and you didn't warn me."
"I'm protecting you. We didn't want you worrying about your birthright. Concentrate on getting used to your true form."
"Gods, Breandan, enough already. Be plain, what is my birthright?"
"If I knew you would not overreact I would. As it stands, you had better ask Conall the next time you see him."
Resting my forehead on his chest, I smelt the woods he liked to run in. Head butting it hard, I placed my hands on his sides.
"You can't protect me from everything. I need to know these things sooner rather than later. You put me in more danger by keeping me in the dark."
"Yes I can,' he said matter of fact. "I may have failed my brother and my sister, but I will not fail you."
At the mention of Maeve, I froze. My heart sunk to somewhere below the soles of my feet.
"Why do you think you have failed your sister?"
