Elwin stretched back in the seat, looking through the book that Heather had created. Now that he knew why she created the book and searched for all of his father's illegitimate children, he understood the larger picture. Caetano du Crépuscule was determined to see the Rochester family fall from grace through whatever means necessary.

Flicking his fingers through the pages, Elwin looked at the half brothers that existed because of his father's penchant for adultery. He hadn't decided what to do about them, nor had he spoken to Joe. It wasn't guaranteed that his lawyer would be able to help him. Like the decree, it was a difficult situation.

Elwin wondered if Heather had ever approached any of these men or their mothers. The images in the book were taken from a distance. Some of them were drawn. He believed that she hadn't spoken to them.

Heather wrote in the book that the eldest illegitimate son was eighty-seven. Closing the book, Elwin thought about that for a moment. His parents were married for just under a year before he was born, which meant that it was nineteen years of fidelity then those remaining eighty-seven years of constant cheating.

There was a degree of separation between the sons, but Elwin did not believe that his father had been faithful and then suddenly became a cheater. The truth was likely to be that Heather hadn't found anyone before the first one she'd listed. That meant that there would be more of them out there.

There was another question that plagued his mind. Where in the world were these men? Did Heather travel across the globe to find them, or were they all in the US? Was his father really that foolish? Elwin believed that his father wouldn't want them crossing paths and then potentially causing problems for him.

The door opened, and Selene walked in. She smiled as she approached.

"Happy to be home, son?"

"In a way," he murmured, putting the book back into the drawer.

Selene nodded regretfully. "Kelleck told me, or rather, he updated my knowledge about glasswings. I'm sorry, Elwin. Had I known,"

"It's okay," he interrupted. "I think that if we'd all known that, none of this nonsense would have happened. It's how this will affect Calion that worries me."

"He will not know."

"Maylin might say something."

"Then we deny it."

"That is a dangerous thing to do. Secrets are never wise. Look at the mess that has come from my father's secrets."

"And what would the world say if they knew the truth about his antics? Be careful, Elwin. Telling Calion is just as dangerous as saying nothing."

Elwin didn't want to tell Calion, but he didn't like hiding it either. He knew that this was going to blow up in their faces, and it would end with Calion walking away from them for another eighty years. He didn't want that after getting his brother back.

"But you'd better decide soon. Calion will be joining us soon for a chat about Maylin."

"Fine, we won't say anything but don't say that I didn't warn you."

Selene offered a grim shrug. She didn't want to upset Calion.

"How has he been doing in my absence?"

"I thought well until I had the conversation with Kelleck. Some of the girls have chosen to leave, and now I fear that Maylin may have had some kind of influence over those decisions. Thankfully Calion kept his thoughts to himself so those who he is getting on well with are still here."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Selene shrugged, more interested in watching Elwin. She could see that something was bothering him and wanted Elwin to be honest and open with her. The problem was that she was worried that it was being kept from her for a reason.

Elwin caught her gaze and let out a soft sigh. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

"I returned to my office to begin sorting everything to prepare for the sale. One morning I didn't go to my floor first. I went to Kendall's floor. I needed staff information for the paperwork. She was there, and we overheard her side of a conversation with her grandfather. Kendall was in on it. She helped Heather and fed her information."

"How did it end?"

"I fired her. She told me that I'd regret it and then stormed out of the building. In the afternoon, Kelleck and I packed the few things that she'd left at the apartment, and I had them couriered to her place. I have not heard from her but that does not mean that she hasn't tried to exact her revenge."

Selene could say that she was right a thousand times a day for the next couple of years, but it would not do them any good. Not when they should focus on the bigger, more dangerous picture.

"She paid a waitress ten grand to take a sordid photo after spending the night with me."

"I can safely assume that this did not happen?"

"No photo was taken. The woman happened to be fae and was not aware of what messing with a du Crépuscule can do. So with some inventive thinking from Kelleck and Raven's assistance, we were able to provide the woman with an image of another man who happened to be near us in the restaurant."

"Right place, wrong person. I like it."

Elwin nodded, thinking about Ashlee. Their time in the shower together still lived brightly in his mind. He'd happily search for her again and offer a second round, but Elwin was done with chasing women.

The door opened, and Elwin watched Cal walk into the room. He appeared happy and it was a relief to Elwin. Not because of Maylin but because of his ongoing acceptance. Behind him were Kelleck and Sterling.

Elwin was surprised but not so surprised. Sterling, according to their mother, was a rebel. He was yet to have the conversation with Kelleck. Both were determined to get out of New York before Kendall tried something else.

"I suppose that you're going to tell me that I need to be prepared for this nonsense as well?"

"Absolutely. This is your ten-year warning. Be ready for it, have your fun now, and return to this estate prepared to settle down."

Sterling rolled his eyes and sat next to his mother.

"Honey, do you know what a shirt is?"

Looking down at the bare chest below the heavy black jacket, he smirked.

"Mother, the ladies love to see the goods. It makes everything go gold, platinum, and even diamond."

Selene's eyes narrowed, trying to figure out her cryptic son. Sterling merely smiled.

"Well, when you're home, you can dress traditionally, thank you. We have enough problems and do not need you adding to them."

"Which is why we're here." Elwin began. "We have a glasswing in our presence."

"We do?" Cal asked with a large frown. "Who?"

"Maylin."

Calion turned to his mother, who answered, fearing that Calion would ask why Elwin knew. He could still ask that, but she was prepared. After all, she'd seen Maylin in the garden alone.

"And as luck would have it, Kelleck studied glasswings extensively, so we are fully aware of Maylin's capabilities."

"I take it that it's bad."

"Not so much. Troubling is probably closer to what we have here."

Kelleck shifted to lean against the edge of Elwin's desk to face his brothers and mother. Cal needed to hear this. Elwin already knew it.

"Glasswings can produce a potent pheromone that attracts their intended target. It makes the target obsessive about them to the point where they are morose if they are not in the company of the glasswing. Mother mentioned that a few of the ladies have left the estate, and we are concerned that Maylin might have been involved."

"I don't know if that is the case, but the three who have left were not doing well. I found them to be pleasant company but not what I could accept for a life together. Maylin is on the list and while talking to her, I found myself besotted, yet when I talked to one of the other ladies, she drifted from my mind."

Kelleck nodded.

"That is how you break their hold over you. Your interest in the other women is enough to sever the connection that she had. Have you discussed your thoughts about the candidates with her or any of the other women?"

"No, not after an incident with Veronna. We were in the garden, watching the storm roll in while we were waiting for dinner. The other ladies were always moving in and out of the residence. In one of the times when we were alone, she offered to help me turn down the room. Jerome was feeling under the weather. I knew what she was really offering and politely declined, stating that there were rules that we had to abide by and I wasn't prepared to have an encounter that would sully both of our names. Veronna accepted it, but I think it was the catalyst for her departure. We sat there for a few minutes before one of the other ladies returned but I got the feeling that we were not alone. I thought that anything I said might be heard, so I decided not to say anything."

"Do you think that Maylin was in the garden again?"

Calion looked at his mother. Selene scoffed, waving her hand in the air.

"I see her in the garden all the time. I've been meaning to talk to you about it and why you're letting her walk alone like that."

"She must be incredibly good at slipping out because I have never noticed. What are we going to do about this?"

"Well, there's nothing to say that you couldn't pick Maylin. Physically, she will still be able to produce children for you because they are extremely fertile, more than a standard fae. There's only a slim chance that they will be a glasswing. The birth rate is exceptionally low. If it were me, I'd talk to her and state that you'd like the other women to have a fair chance, and they wouldn't get that if she's dropping her pheromones every time you are near her. You've got a clear mind now. Consider your options and tell us what you think."

Calion thought about the women who remained and the conversations they'd shared. They'd spent the past few weeks talking a lot, walking through the gardens, and enjoying lavish meals.

Elwin waited with fear churning through him. He didn't want to hear Maylin's name. It wasn't because of his own selfish need to hide what happened. This was a hope that he could protect his brother. Elwin believed that Maylin would always command the attention of the men around her, and he didn't want his brother to suffer a wife with wandering eyes.

"Well, I find Chandrelle to be good company, and I feel relaxed around her when we are alone. Ayda has begun to emerge from her shell and is now interacting with the group. I think that with time, she will do well in society events. I am undecided about Amartha and Elethia. There is a snide side to the both of them that doesn't sit well with me. Shalia is polite, but that's to be expected, considering she's been raised to be the wife of someone within the society scene. Good for the image but boring behind closed doors."

"It's all about the conversation, right Lord Stuffington?"

Calion narrowed his eyes at Sterling, who playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

"Your time will come, heathen."

"You're just jealous that you don't get anywhere near the kind of action that I get."

"Or the crabs."

Kelleck chuckled. Listening to his brother's playful banter was always amusing.

"Children," Selene scoffed. "If you're done, we have issues that need to be dealt with."

"Yeah, like checking out a glasswing. Never seen one of those before. Later, losers. Not you, mamma bear, you're not a loser."

Sterling stood, kissing his mother on the cheek. She winced with a grin. Bristly kisses were always rough, but affection from her beloved sons was never refused.

"Sterling," Elwin chided. "Stay away from the women."

He groaned, leaning on the door as he opened it.

"Then what's the point in being here? Can I go back to Earth, daddy?"

"No. Behave yourself."

Sterling didn't care. He'd venture to South End tonight and find a temporary friend.

When the door was shut again, Elwin shot his mother a derisive glare.

"He will behave himself with the women," she offered. "Tease the three of you. Yes, that will happen constantly, but he won't,"

Selene briefly paused, realizing where her sentence was leading.

"Take their attention from Calion," she murmured.

"Please," Cal scoffed. "Tell him to take Maylin off my hands."

"Do you want to send the Lovaris sisters home?" Selene asked cautiously.

"Sarras is only interested in becoming a Rochester. She has no interest in me, and in all our conversations, I hear about her future as Mrs. Rochester. I'm sure she'd be signing up for all of my brothers if I don't select her, which is a weird thought."

Kelleck nodded, agreeing completely. He'd seen the women in the garden, watching for a brief moment before they escaped his view from the dining hall window. They were pretty, but the thought that they'd be back here in five years trying to get his attention was something that he did not like. It's why he wanted to be involved when Elwin started the process for his future.

"And as for Maylin, I don't want my wife attracting or luring the men around her. It's a scandal waiting to happen. That aside, there's something that I can't put my finger on. Something that makes her seem unattainable to me. I don't know."

Calion shrugged, not noticing how Kelleck and Elwin exchanged glances.

"I'm sure that you could find a reason. I don't know, maybe because she's a glasswing."

Kelleck shook his head.

"You need to tread carefully, and singling out glasswings is not a good idea. I'd suggest that if you wanted her removed that you state that the lack of information is the reason. It would mean that the other sister could still remain because, technically, there is no lie about her. The only thing that you could say in that respect is that you're removing her from the group because you don't want to associate with their family due to the neglect. It is a risky move because you're going to send the family on the path to ostracization."

"I think that by inviting the parents here and telling them that we have learned the truth, we will see a lot of improvement. Advise the facts and tell them what we want to happen from here. We won't remove the women, and they won't walk away from here, but it will be a mutual separation that allows them to keep their status."

"Or you could just make a decision. There is no reasonthat you have to wait until winter is over. If you find the right woman, thensay so. I will send requests to the parents of the other women to come here andcollect their daughters. The parents of the woman you pick will also come here,and we can start the preparations for your wedding. All you need to do is picksomeone."