I stared at my father trying to make sense of his words. I’d gone to him in desperation after I’d torn most of the palace apart searching for Rachel. Or Alda. She was gone too. Hours had passed, and no one seemed to have seen either of them at all. It was almost as if they’d disappeared into thin air. My father confirmed Rachel essentially had. “You cannot be serious.”

“Would I joke about something like this?” He clutched the two arms of his chair.

“Gone?” I struggled to accept the words coming out of his mouth. “How could she be gone?” He’d spit it out casually, as if the words wouldn’t destroy the very fabric of my being.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” He leaned forward. “Isn’t she your life mate?”

“Yes, but she was with me last night. She was fine. I’m sure she didn’t leave on her own free will.” She may have been angry and hurt, but she’d never leave me. Besides, how could she? She knew nothing of space travel. She’d never set foot in a day of training no matter how often she begged my father to allow her.

“She did leave and she was not taken by force, so it is time to push away those delusions.” His deep purple eyes darkened until they were nearly black.

“Alone? Rachel left the planet alone? How is that possible?” I had faith in her abilities, but leaving Andrelexa undetected? That went far beyond the realm of possibility.

“You are the one who encouraged her to play with her androids.” His eyes darkened further. Rachel’s interest in robots had been a source of considerable consternation with my father for years.

“Wait.” I thought over his words. “Are you implying she used her androids to escape?”

“Escape? Interesting choice of words.” There was a gleam in his eyes. He was enjoying this. He was enjoying my suffering.

I pushed aside my anger and my growing hatred. Both emotions would get in the way of the most important goal: bringing her back home to me. “Why would she leave? Where could she possibly go?”

“You know where she went.”

“Earth?” I shook my head. “There’s no way. She thinks it’s gone.” Keeping the truth from her had been painful, but all I needed to do was remember the fate of her parents. Earth wasn’t the place for her at all.

“Evidently not…” my father trailed off.

“The doctor?” It was the only explanation.

“I’ve already questioned him. He’s the one who alerted me to her departure. He admits he told her but accidentally. Evidently you never told him of her knowledge or lack thereof.”

“I specifically told him to tell her nothing of Earth because it might upset her.” Anger surged through me. This wasn’t my fault.

“But did you direct him to hide the Earth’s existence from her?”

No. I hadn’t. I hadn’t wanted to admit what kind of lie I’d gone along with for years. But what choice did I have? By the time I found out it was too late for her to return—and I knew I could never live without her. “I need to go after her.”

“We will bring her back. That is not the issue.”

“Then what is the issue?” How could anything but her absence be the issue? Who knew what kind of danger she was in? There was no time to waste.

“She may have orchestrated her departure with her androids, but I hardly believe there is no one else involved.”

“You said the doctor played no part.” Even though he did. If she hadn’t known the Earth still existed, she’d have never left. It was his fault. And mine. Despite wanting to deny it, I had failed in my instructions. I never explicitly ordered him to stay silent.

“The doctor is of Earth. This other I speak of is one of our own. I can feel it.”

“We will find out once I retrieve her and bring her home.”

“You will not be bringing her home. You are the heir. You must stay here.”

“I’ve been to Earth before!” My voice rose, and I didn’t care. Restraining myself from physically attacking my father was hard enough.

“When there was no danger involved. For all we know this is a trap. They want to lure you off planet to destroy our line.”

“Then who do you suggest? You said yourself you suspect someone inside is involved.”

“Kelby. He is completely loyal, blood, and expertly trained. Do you deny he can be trusted?”

“He can be trusted, but it needs to be me.” I would not have someone else do what was my duty. Rachel was mine. I would go after her. I would convince her it was time to come home and do anything to heal the wounds I’d inadvertently caused.

“You speak as if any of this is your choice. I let you have her. Did I not? I directed Telton to find you what you desired most. To search the planets for a match that could give you what you needed.”

“We shouldn’t have lied to her. None of this would have happened if she’d been told the truth.”

“Oh yes?” He laughed. “She would have loved you just the same knowing she was taken as an offering to you? Knowing that her brother still lived, and she was ripped from her life?”

“Her love for me would never waver.”

“You’re an idiot. I have an idiot for a son.”

Anger surged through me.

“Are you so stupid that you never figured it out?” He laughed loudly. “You are as gullible as she is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you truly think I’d leave anything to chance?”

“What are you talking about?” My hands balled into fists at my side.

“You may not need modifiers, son, but everyone else does.”

“Wait.” A frightening reality slammed my hart, nearly knocking me over. “Rachel? She’s been taking modifiers?”

“Taking is the wrong word.” He grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the overhead light.

“You forced them on her? Without her knowing?” Had Rachel been right?

“We never hurt her. A little bit in one’s water can go a very long way.”

“You never told me? You never told me what you were doing to her? You had no right.” Rage surged through me. Rage like I’d never experienced before. This rage included anger at myself. How could I have been so blind?

“Modifiers don’t create feelings, they enhance them, making them the best emotions they can be. Rachel needed them. You would have been destroyed if she didn’t return the intensity of your own feelings. And you wouldn’t have settled for anything less. Don’t lie to yourself.”

“Then why did you stop?” I was numb. I could barely process what was going on, but I needed to know.

“Things changed. The diluted form we gave her stopped working. It was gradual at first, but it was only a matter of time before it ceased completely. Why do you think I sent you for the doctor?”

“She will never forgive me.” The reality was cold, distressing, but nothing like realizing her feelings hadn’t been truly her own. What had been real?

“She will when she starts taking modifiers the traditional way. Your sister tried one on her, and it seemed to do its job.”

“Gardenia knew this. She knew all along.” Brick by brick my entire life was changing. Everything I thought I knew was twisting and turning in horrible ways.

“Not all along. She figured it out long ago. You would have too, if you’d been looking. But you could never see. You were so blinded by her. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I knew your emotions were strong, but I never imagined you had the capacity of our ancestors. It’s all going to be okay, son. Kelby will bring her home. She will start taking modifiers. I have the doctor working on stronger doses that will work with her system, yet will not affect anything in the womb.”

“In the womb? You think she wants to carry my children? To have anything to do with me after what’s been done to her?”

“She has no choice. The decision has been made.”

“You can take the medallion back. You know how to break the bonds of Narva gold.”

“I can but for what end? Your future was foretold as soon as you were born. You will be the savior of our kind, Caspian. Rachel is what you need, and she is who you will have. Once she starts on the modifiers again, she’ll be the old Rachel you knew. The two of you will have the life you’ve always wanted.”

“I need to find her. I need to explain I had no idea….” I paced the room. “I had no idea…”

“Kelby will retrieve her, and you will have all the time you need to speak with her. Perhaps she won’t need the modifiers. I am sure after a few days on that planet she’ll be begging to come home.”