Knowing the strain the "gift" put on Ryver, there weren't many times when Kaden genuinely wished he could communicate telepathically. With so many questions to ask and answer, tonight was definitely one of those times.

He needed to reassure Thorn and Lena that he hadn't completely lost his mind in inviting Malandra into the inner sanctum of House Blackwood. Thorn may not have recognised her, but he would know who she was. Even after all this time, House Ravenborn was well regarded by everyone. Everyone except Lena of course. Her respect was not easily won, and it definitely didn't come on someone else's say so. Given her patchy attention to schooling as a youngling, he very much doubted Lena had even heard of the famous family of Sentinels, let alone one of its more formidable officers.

And then there was Malandra herself. She took a seat on the antique sofa, jewel-like eyes sparkling under the light from the crystal chandelier as she tucked one leg underneath her.

Lena took the seat opposite, staring at Malandra with an eyebrow raised in enquiry. If the King's mate intimidated her, the Sentinel showed no sign of it.

Thorn made his way to the wet bar, eyeing their visitor as he went.

Nobody spoke.

Well. This was awkward.

Kaden joined the King at the bar and poured himself a large drink. He wasn't quite sure where to start. Where had Malandra been all this time? Why hadn't their paths crossed already? What did the human half-breed have to do with anything? What in Goddess's green earth was up with Ryver? He could feel Thorn's intense golden stare as he downed his Scotch and poured himself another one. Kaden wasn't quite ready for his friend's questions. He didn't feel ready for any of this.

"I imagine you have some questions, Keeper of the Watch," Malandra prompted, breaking the silence.

"Oh really? I can't imagine why you'd think that," Lena replied with a vicious looking smirk.

Malandra blinked but didn't rise to the bait.

Kaden inclined his head. In truth, he wished he could tell Lena to bugger off so he could ask questions without fear of antagonising anyone. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know that was never going to happen. Even if Lena was still a Guardian and not his superior, he'd never get her to leave Thorn with a potential threat in the House.

Doing his best to ignore his sister's unamused face, he turned his attention to Malandra as he made his way to his favourite spot by the huge fireplace. "Your reputation precedes you, Sentinel." He didn't mean to flatter; he was simply stating a fact.

Malandra Ravenborn was thousands of years old. She'd earned her stripes as a Sentinel before the gates of Faerie had closed. Before anyone left on this side of the door had even been born. The Ravenborns were known for their strength, loyalty and sense of justice, however. Kaden didn't understand how any of them would end up on the wrong side of the gates... Unless Malandra was being punished.

The woman nodded.

Lena huffed, much to Kaden's annoyance.

"What puzzles me is how a woman with your skill and power managed to stay hidden for so long. The gates to Faerie closed an awfully long time ago."

Lena's eyes flashed wide as she seemed to realise just how old Malandra really was.

Malandra gave a small smile. "You think I'm being punished, don't you?"

"Are you?" Thorn asked, taking the words right out of Kaden's mouth.

Malandra's smile broadened. "Not at all. I take orders very seriously," she replied, shooting a pointed look at Lena.

Well, well. It seemed Malandra knew a lot more about House Blackwood than Kaden would like.

Lena didn't miss Malandra's sentiment either. His sister shot to her feet, lip curled in a snarl. "Just who the hell—"

"Lena!" Thorn warned.

Kaden abandoned his post at the fireplace, placing himself between the two women. He caught the look of outrage on Lena's face as she was forced to swallow the rest of her diatribe, but he stayed focused on the Pixie. "What orders?"

Malandra's eyes glowed as she stared back at him. "I'm something of an anomaly, you know, a Vampire-Pixie half-breed. When House Velgeren fell, the banishment left the Seelie Court in a bit of a quandary. I was—still am—Sentinel, with my allegiance pledged to House Ravenborn, but Vampire blood flows through my veins."

Kaden closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Not for the first time, he cursed the name Velgeren.

"What, so they just threw you out?" Lena asked, incredulous.

Malandra chuckled. "Not exactly. That would be far too dishonourable." The hint of bitterness in her voice was unmistakable even if she kept her aura carefully guarded.

Lena was probably far too young to even care how the Seelie Court worked. No one left on this side of the gates had ever set foot in Faerie, but Kaden knew his history. He studied lore; he knew the old ways. Faerie was a just and fair place where honour was everything, but it could also be violent and cruel. There was light and there was dark. Everything was either black or white. There was no middle ground. There was no grey.

Malandra Ravenborn was a grey area.

"They didn't know what to do with you," he said.

"No."

Kaden nodded. "And your orders?"

The Sentinel sighed. "Much the same as yours, I imagine—protect the innocent."

"But why the secrecy? House Blackwood would have offered you sanctuary," Thorn assured her.

Kaden agreed. She may be a half-breed, but she was still Fae, and those battling the Fallen could do with all the friends they could get."

"Because the Guardians of House Blackwood are well known. Your names are known by Fallen and Vampire alike. And because I'm not here to protect every innocent. The Seers said there would be more like me. They sent me to make sure they stayed in the light."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lena asked.

A kernel of understanding bloomed in Kaden's mind. "Ria."

"Who?" Thorn and Lena asked simultaneously.

Kaden prepared his words very carefully, knowing that they would not be well received, but it was Mercury who answered the question. Having evidently been delayed in the medical centre, he'd only just arrived. He explained how he and Ryver had first met Malandra and Ria at Diablo. His anger at being misled was clear to everyone. Nobody bothered to remind him that he hadn't exactly been forthcoming about his own identity; the look on Malandra's face made it clear that she'd be reminding him herself later.

The Guardian's final revelation about Ria's parentage was met with horrified silence.

Kaden winced at the swirl of white-hot anger in Thorn's eyes.

Lena was no better. Her face was stoic, but her aura burnt with a deep burgundy as her anger mirrored that of her mate. "Are you fucking joking?"

Kaden really wished he was.