The soft morning light beamed through the large arched windows, shining over the small group as they ate their breakfast. At least, the three youngest were eating their meal. The two older brothers were not. Kelleck smirked at his eldest brother, who appeared as if he wanted to desperately flee the estate and return to his former home on Earth.

The other who sat at the table was Selene. She stared with shock on her face. Slowly the words began to filter into her mind, but they did not make any sense.

Elwin had just told her that the woman that she'd hinted at was, in fact, a du Crépuscule by blood, and they'd been together for the past fifty years.

"I'm sorry. I don't think that I heard you correctly."

"You heard correctly, mother," Kelleck interjected with a devious smile directed at Elwin. "He's banging a crepskie woman."

"What's a crepskie woman?" Aleph asked.

"The enemy," Kelleck said in a haunting tone to freak out his brother.

Selene growled softly as her eyes narrowed at her eldest. The one that should know better.

It was not the breakfast with her sons that she'd expected. Of course, it wasn't all of them, just Elwin, Kelleck, and her babies, the three youngest. The others were still in their own places trying to avoid the nightmare of this place. It was a view into their own futures, and like the one that was suffering it at the moment, they didn't like it much.

"So, you managed to find a du Crépuscule on Earth, and instead of turning and walking away as fast as you could, you decided that it might be a good idea to oh, I don't know, bang her bloody brains out for five decades. Are you mad?"

"And the rest."

Elwin's eyes narrowed at Kelleck. He merely smiled and enjoyed the show.

"Oh yes. She's the human resources manager for your company. I have no idea what that is."

"It's a job. She hires and fires staff in Elwin's company. There's a lot to it and not really worth the discussion other than the fact that he's probably paying her more than she's worth."

"Can I add that she's Earthborn and has walked away from her family?"

Selene inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes for a moment. There was a tranquil place somewhere in her mind. She was certain of it. Opening her eyes, Selene leaned on the table and glared at her eldest.

"No du Crépuscule lord will ever let one of his own be born on Earth, so that is a flat-out lie. As for this woman turning her back on the family, do you really think that's the truth? The elder du Crépuscule is a bigger monster than your father ever was, and there is no chance in this world or the next that he'd let a tie be severed like that. She might think that she's walked away but it is not the truth. What worries me is that she is being watched and they know about your relationship with her."

Elwin gritted his teeth. He'd like to see an end to the feud, but it was unlikely, regardless of how ridiculous it was.

"Honestly, it's like you want this family to fall from grace."

Kelleck's eyes lifted with concern. He knew that Elwin planned to talk to their mother about the book. In front of the youngest siblings, it might not be ideal but they'd agreed that keeping it from their mother was not a good idea.

"What?"

Selene could see the glances that they were exchanging.

"Later." Elwin offered. "After breakfast, come to the study alone."

The cutlery clattered as the fear began to grip Selene.

"No," she whispered. "I cannot stomach food with fear turning it over. What is going on?"

Standing, Elwin left his breakfast and gave Kelleck a firm look. He nodded in response, knowing what his brother wanted. Watch the young ones while he destroys their mother's world.

Selene followed Elwin to the study, closing it behind her. She watched as his hand ran over the drawer of the desk and then unlocked it. Whatever the dark secret was, he wanted it protected behind the enchantment of this room.

"The story of how I got this book began when Calion received the request to return and decided to come to my office to protest. I don't know how she figured it out, but I assume that she must have overheard me talking about it to Kendall."

"Kendall?"

"Kendalais du Crépuscule. She goes by the name Kendall to hide from her family, which I know what you're trying to say to me, but after fifty years, I think that I know Kendall."

Selene rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Who is this woman you're talking about?"

"Her name is Heather Redwell. Does that ring a bell with you?"

Shaking her head, Heather felt the confusion rise.

"I'd employed her as part of the secretary pool, but she was career-driven and quickly rose to higher positions. She made a clear move towards me but then learned about my future."

"She's fae?"

"Yes, but Earthborn."

"So she says. Until I see her trying to walk through the gate, I don't believe it."

"But I do because she waited for Calion in the lobby of the building, and then, well, I'll spare you the sordid details but let's say that your second born likes to entertain in the elevator."

He could easily add that her firstborn does as well, but it was better left unsaid. Instead, he preferred to highlight Calion.

Selene snorted a laugh, then shook her head with a dismissive smile.

"Heather stole this letter from Calion, who was completely oblivious. She lured him into suggesting that her name be added to the list."

"She knew about it?"

"A fake one. She was biting at my heels about the decree. I don't know how she found out about it, but I assume that she overheard me talking to Kendall."

"You know, I hate to point it out, but you're telling me that this woman knows things that you've told this Kendall woman, a woman who is a du Crépuscule. Put aside your feelings for her and look at the hard facts. Heather knew information that you've told Kendall, presumably in an environment that she ordinarily could not get such things. Are you really that blind, or would you like me to dumb it down even further for you?"

Elwin huffed.

"Okay, so I get it. Kendall could be a spy and passing information onto Heather, who is doing the dirty work for her or for her family. There is a slight issue with that theory. Earth is far more technologically advanced. They have a lot of ways of listening to things, private things. I usually check but,"

"But you don't check Kendall?"

Reluctantly, Elwin shook his head.

"I promise that I will think about this with open eyes and deal with it once I've got Calion on his way to the altar."

"Okay. Carry on with the drama."

"Heather was asking about the list, so I sent her on another path with a fake one. Anyway, she stole this because I think she believed that it was a gate key. The problem with that thought is that Calion does not need a key. I got this back after I asked a Raven to watch her. He knew that it did not belong to her and took it, leaving a fake one in its place. Also, he found this on her which he also left a forgery of. I have since spoken to the Raven. I asked him to follow Heather. She's still trying to figure out how to get to Merah."

"But it won't happen because if she was born in this land, she would know that she doesn't need a key to get in. She would know how to get in."

"Right. Now about this book. I don't want to show this to you, but I think that you have the right to know. After talking with Calion last night, I think that I might have figured out the truth behind these images."

Selene took the book and opened it. At first, it was a little strange to see a picture of Barwin and herself. Then it continued through women that she recognized. The maids that had left their employment for one reason or another. After a few blank pages, an image of Elwin appeared, then continued with the rest of her sons, descending in age. There were even pictures of Aleph and Corwin when they were younger. All of the images were grainy and darker.

"They're from Earth, aren't they?"

"The images, yes, I think so. At some point, all of my brothers have been to Earth. Keep going. It's about to get worse."

Turning the page over, Selene wondered who the young men were. As the pages continued, she could see a familiarity in their eyes.

"These are Barwin's sons as well?"

"I think so, and I think that Heather had figured it out and was collecting evidence. I don't know why but I know that she was determined to get to Merah. Maybe she intended to blackmail me but didn't have enough evidence. I don't know. What I do know is that if Calion's memory of the past is correct, they will all have different mothers."

A deep frown filled her face as the tears lingered.

"He told me last night that the reason that he hated our father was that after entering this room to search for a book when he was ten, Calion hid under the desk when our father returned with a maid. He said they fornicated on the lounge. I think that it became a hate-filled obsession after that, and he watched as our father brought the maids in here. One by one they would leave."

"We had a high turnover of maids. I thought that we were cursed to a never-ending stream of maids that had issues with this place."

"No, just someone that could not keep it in his pants. I think that he sent them to Earth to hide them and probably didn't tell them that Earthborn fae cannot return to Merah. He probably removed their ability to return as well."

Because once the child was an adult, the maid would be able to return, and then she might have something to complain about. Elwin didn't know how to break the connection, but there was a strong chance that his father would have known. That meant that the answer might be in this room.

"Is this woman one of the maids?"

"No, Earthborn, remember? I'd never seen her before she started working for me. I don't know what her problem is, and I'd hoped to study this book over the duration of my stay to see if I can figure it out before I return to New York."

"You're going back? I was hoping that you might stay now that things are better with Calion."

Provided that he stayed away from Maylin. It would not be easy, but Elwin would spend his days in this office or the one in his quarters. The only time he'd venture out was to return to his room to sleep or to find food. It was not going to be easy, but he'd do it and he'd squash those feelings for Maylin. No matter what, he was going to avoid them and her.

"I was considering it, but no matter what I decide, I still need to return to tidy up my affairs."

Selene handed back the book with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry that you now have to think of your father in this light. Despite it all, he was a good fae, and he only ever wanted the best for his family."

"No, he didn't want to tarnish our reputation. Considering that he's got a long list of illegitimate sons with maids from this house, I'd say he was a bit of a hypocrite."

More than a bit, but he was being pleasant in front of his mother who was still hurting from the revelation. Her husband had spent years being unfaithful to her.

Selene knew that she should not be surprised. They rarely had sex anyway. It was always in the beginning of the fourth year that Barwin would suggest that another child was ideal. They would plan their nights around their pursuits, and somewhere in their calendars, they'd find time to create the next child. She thought that it was odd that he wanted them spaced so evenly but she thought nothing of it. If it gave her body time to heal, then it was fine by her.

Selene didn't want him near her anyway. Now that she had time to think about it, Selene was grateful that he was too busy slobbering all over the maids. It meant that he left her alone for the majority of their life together.

"He was, but you must not overthink his input into this. It will cloud your mind, and you need to ensure that you figure out what that woman was after, not worry about your philandering father."

Elwin returned the book to the drawer and then locked it. Safe once more, he would look at it later and think about what Heather was aiming for when she searched out all of his siblings and half-siblings.

The pair returned to the dining hall.

Kelleck gave his mother a sympathetic smile. She gripped his hand firmly.

"Think nothing of it, Kel. I know that it pains you to consider my feelings regarding it, but I can assure you that I am not as upset as you might think."

The elder sons looked at each other, both notimpressed that she didn't really care.