Breslin smoothed her skirt as she walked down the main staircase to the war room. A light sheen of sweat still covered her body, and she couldn’t shake the compulsion to race out and search for her twin. The same dream plagued her since the night Bhric disappeared. He was trapped in an endless dark tunnel and she needed to get to him and bring him back.

Every night she ran after Bhric but was never able to catch up with him. This time, the distance closed and she was at his side. There was a silver dagger protruding from his skull, and he was wandering in circles. The frustration from being surrounded by an invisible barrier and not able to touch or speak to her brother still lingered several hours after waking up.

No one believed her dream held significant meaning, so it was up to Breslin to find him. She refused to give up on Bhric.

The bond she shared with him since conception was a faint trace, but it hadn’t disappeared. To say she was out of sorts was an understatement. Her brothers’ insistence that Bhric was dead exacerbated the gaping hole in her chest.

Bhric was not dead, dammit.

Voices caught her attention and Breslin poked her head around the doorjamb. The sight of Zander sitting with Tristan brought a smile to her face. She’d been right. Zander saw the potential of the stripling’s power and convinced his parents to let the witch enter the Dark Warrior training program. It had been several years since the last recruit, so Tristan’s presence was welcomed.

It wasn’t often Zander recruited that young, but when he saw the right supernatural, he didn’t hesitate. Tristan hadn’t transitioned from stripling to adulthood and wouldn’t be initiated formally until after that happened. And then, only if he passed the grueling training sessions required of all warriors.

She’d seen the young witch in battle, and there was a significant degree of agitation and wild aggression. Part of that was expected from a stripling, but he would have to gain control over that if he wanted to become a Dark Warrior.

She recalled the aches, pains, and restlessness during her transition. Those emotions were channeled into sex at some point, and thankfully her brothers acquired potions to diminish the symptoms and burning need. She assumed they’d locked her away because the royal family couldn’t have a sex scandal on their hands, but they were trying to protect her emotionally, as well as, physically. No telling what could’ve happened had she been a reckless, sex-fiend on the loose.

Tristan sat at the large conference table wide-eyed, and glanced around. Every other word out of Zander’s mouth would bring the stripling’s attention back, and Tristan would nod. Zander was going over the rules and expectations of the program and boring the crap out of him.

“Doona put him to sleep with all the stipulations, brathair,” Breslin chided as she walked in. “Tell him the good parts, like how he will learn to handle weapons and take doon demons and skirm. Not to mention all the females that will line up to please him once he’s a Dark Warrior.”

“Hello, Bre. ‘Tis good to see you, puithar. He needs to know what is and isna acceptable at Zeum, but you’re right. The last thing I want to do is overwhelm you, Tristan. Why doona you get unpacked before you head doon to the training room. Nikko and Gerrick are waiting for you,” Zander relayed as he twisted in his seat and pressed a button on the desk, next to the phone system.

“Nate, I need you in the war room,” Zander barked into the intercom before he turned back around.

“Finally, I get to kick some ass,” Tristan boasted as he stood and puffed his chest.

Breslin shook her head. “You have no idea, Hot Shot, but you’re aboot to learn the hard way.”

“All due respect, Princess, but I disagree. You must’ve missed my awe-inspiring skills on the boat,” Tristan countered with a broad smile.

Breslin looked at Zander and chuckled, “You’ve got your hands full with this one, brathair.”

“We’ve all been there, Bre. I’d forgotten the exuberance of youth. But, Tristan, doona expect them to go easy on you. You must earn your place around here,” Zander explained.

“I’m not worried, Liege. I’m more than ready for what they dish out,” Tristan insisted.

“What’s up, boss? You rang?” Nate interjected as he walked into the room.

“At least the stripling has enough sense to address you properly,” Breslin said as she rolled her eyes at their majordomo.

Nate had taken Angus’s place months ago and had yet to treat Zander like the Vampire King. It didn’t seem to bother her brother who understood that he wasn’t Nate’s ruler. Angus was, and the dragon shifter was fiercely loyal to his leader.

Breslin recalled the night they discovered the dragon that had run their home for two centuries was, in fact, the King of the Cuelebre. Believing he was banished from his home realm of Khoth, Angus kept his heritage a secret from everyone. It was a significant loss to their family when Angus returned to his homeland, but they were happy for him and the love he’d found with his mate, Keira.

“Take Tristan to his quarters and then show him to the training room,” Zander instructed Nate.

“You got it. Let’s go, Thor,” Nate called out as Tristan grabbed a duffle bag sitting on the floor.

“Don’t be a hater. Hey, you think they have a Mjollnir I can train with?” Tristan asked with a laugh as they headed out of the room.

“That male is going to be a great asset once he is fully trained,” Zander commented as he raked his hand through his shoulder-length black hair. “Now, what brings you here, puithar?”

Breslin took a page out of Zander’s book and began pacing the length of the room. “I couldna sleep again, and I need to talk to you aboot Bhric,” she admitted and stopped long enough to look back at him.

Zander sighed and approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Bre, I canna completely understand the loss you are experiencing. I know you and Bhric had a special bond. It hurts like hell, but there will come a time when the pain eases.”

“Wait a minute. This isna aboot me needing to deal with his death because he isna dead. I swear brathair. I would feel it if he was gone and I doona sense that. He is still alive somewhere. I dream that he is trapped down a long tunnel and none of us are doing anything to find him. I canna sit by when he needs me,” she practically shouted to her brother and began pacing again.

It was impossible to stand still. The need for action was a vibrant hum in Breslin’s veins.

“Denial is a normal part of loss,” Zander began, but she cut him off before he could proceed.

“This isna fucking denial, Z. He is alive!” she insisted.

“I havena told you aboot what it was like for me when mamai and da died. I was trying to protect you. You came into your power so young, and I thought it was because of the trauma. Losing our parents devastated me. I was still young and relied on them for everything. I was angry and could hardly breathe. I didna know how to live withoot them. I wanted to hunt doon the demons and shred them to pieces,” Zander admitted, and the crack in his voice confirmed the depth of his pain.

She’d never heard this from her brother and was eager to hear more. He’d raised her and been mother and father to her, Bhric, and Kyran, sheltering them from the pain of losing their parents. Losing them had traumatized her, but Zander had stepped up and filled that role to the best of his ability. He may have been distracted and busy most days, but Breslin always knew he was there if she needed him.

“I didna want to believe they were gone despite the lightning that hit me square in the chest when the mantel passed from da to me. There was no mistaking the power that flooded me with his death, and that was before the link to the Goddess connected. I would hear their voices and pray to Morrigan to bring them back to me. Holding onto the belief that Bhric is alive is normal, but the evidence proves otherwise. You must accept it, puithar. You are prolonging your grief, and Bhric wouldna want that.”

“I didna know you went through all of that. I know what you are saying, Z, but that isna what I am experiencing. I feel him here,” she said and thumped her chest. “Our bond didna die. It feels like a blanket is smothering it, but it hasna been extinguished. He is oot there. Surely, that would be gone if he were dead.”

“Och, Bre. I canna say for sure. How would his ring be on that body if it wasna him? There is no way Bhric would give his ring to someone else. And, if he is alive, where is he and why hasna he called? He might no’ want to talk to me after our argument, but he wouldna leave you like that,” Zander pointed out as he raised an eyebrow at her. “I want my brathair back more than anything. I miss him with every day that passes, but he is gone.”

Zander’s words hit her in the gut. She knew he loved Bhric and missed him and had not considered how difficult this was for him. She wouldn’t typically force the issue, but she was positive Bhric was alive.

“I know you love him and miss him, which is why I’m telling you, he is oot there. If I knew where he was, I wouldna be talking to you. I doona know where to search for him and need help. Do you think the Rowan sisters will scry for him?” she asked.

“Because I canna stand to see you suffer, I will ask them for their help. But, I want you to prepare for the ootcome. I love you, puithar,” Zander murmured and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder like she had done a thousand times and his scent soothed the worst of her ache.

A throat clearing from the doorway grabbed their attention. Breslin lifted her head and saw Nate standing there with a female vampire. “Sorry to interrupt, but there is someone here to see you, Zander. She insists this has to do with Bhric, so I brought her right away.”

Breslin’s heart raced in her chest as her breath caught in her throat. This was the news she’d been waiting for. Surely, this female was there to tell them she’d located Bhric or knew something about what happened to him.

Zander kept Breslin close and nodded to Nate. She could feel the tension in her brother’s body. The female vampire stood there with her perfectly coifed wavy brown hair and placid green eyes. How was she so calm and collected if she knew something about her brother?

“Thank you. Please come in and tell me how I can help,” Zander instructed.

“Thank you for seeing me, Liege. I apologize for ignoring protocol, but this couldn’t wait for a formal petition,” the female replied and took a step forward. It was at that point that Breslin saw she carried a bundle wrapped in a blanket.

“Of course. Nate mentioned this is aboot my brathair Bhric. Do you have information regarding his death?”

“I don’t know anything about how he died, but I did know him. We were in a relationship, and I didn’t know where else to turn,” the vampire admitted.

“Have a seat. I’m Bhric’s sister, Breslin,” she offered as she guided the female to the table.

They sat, and the vampire held the bundle closer to her chest and Breslin peered down and saw it was a baby. Suspicion rose about the female’s visit, and Breslin fought back her accusations.

“I’m Pasha, and this is our daughter, Kaylee. Bhric and I were to be mated as soon as the baby was born and now I don’t know what to do.”

Breslin was stunned, to say the least. As far as she knew, Bhric wasn’t seeing any female, much less impregnating one. What she found more disturbing was the female’s lack of emotion. If this Pasha loved her brother, why wasn’t she upset? Not one single tear as she talked about their love for one another. Breslin was calling bullshit.

Zander’s eyes went wide and flew to meet Breslin’s gaze. She shook her head vehemently. There was no way what this female was claiming was true.

“Where is your mate mark?” Breslin demanded.

At the same time, Zander barked, “I knew nothing of this. Why didna you come forward sooner?”

Pasha looked from her to Zander, but remained calm. “We weren’t fated, but he loved me, and we were blessed with a beautiful daughter. That was enough for him,” Pasha insisted.

“So you’re telling me that my brathair was in love with you, and fathered your child?” Breslin asked, disdain dripping from every word. “And yet, none of us have met you or even heard your name before?”

Pasha paled and recoiled before composing herself. “I don’t know why Bhric didn’t tell you. Maybe you weren’t as close as you thought,” Pasha countered.

Breslin took a step forward, ready to throat-punch the bitch. She had no idea what she was saying. This female didn’t know Bhric at all if she could make a comment like that.

“You will have to excuse us if we have concerns aboot your story,” Zander began. “We will need to establish paternity, but if this bairn is my brathair’s, then the entire Tarakesh family and Dark Warriors will be here to support and love her.”

“There is no way to administer tests now that Bhric is gone,” Pasha began.

Breslin swore there was a gleam in her eyes when Zander mentioned their family would support the child. She had no doubt this was a ploy for money.

“Ah, but that is where you’re wrong,” Breslin informed the female with a sneer. “We will have Jace perform the tests using my blood. You see, you’re wrong aboot us not being close. We are as close as siblings can get. I’m his twin,” Breslin spouted to a suddenly pale Pasha.