“I did not wish to be reminded of her. I did not wish to show the world my weakness.”

An awkward silence reigned between them.

“I am not like you,” he told Caine. “No matter how many times you tried to whip me into your shape.”

A dignified nod. “You are like her. You always have been. Questioning everything, championing causes that have no financial worth or personal gain. Disobeying me at every turn. She always spoke her mind, arguing that we were too harsh on the human classes…” His voice trailed off. “She would have been proud of what you have become, what you have achieved.”

More silence. A glimmer of the mother he had never known.

“Do you think this changes anything?” Leo demanded. In the past few days he’d thought he’d finally found peace with his past—and with the man he called a father. He had Mina now, and his sisters and brother, a family that Caine could not even begin to comprehend. He’d even begun to renew his friendship with Malloryn, despite being fairly certain about what had caused the rift between them. Malloryn had wished him well on landing Mina, but there’d been a hint of sadness hidden behind his cynical smile.

“You are my son,” Caine said. “No matter what the world says. I have lost her, but I will not lose you, no matter what I must do.”

Leo barked a laugh. “You manipulative son of a bitch. You had the chance to prove yourself my father in Council chambers.”

“I never…I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know what to do.”

“You didn’t know who to choose,” Leo corrected icily. “Your loyalties to that bastard, or your ties to me.”

“That’s not true.” This time there was a hint of steel to the words. “I made my choice. I killed my prince and broke my word, for you. Everything that I have ever believed in… Change…change does not sit well with me.”

Leo shook his head. Everything that he thought he’d settled within himself in the last few days was thrown into turmoil. In spite of everything, a part of him wanted to believe Caine’s words. His own personal weakness. “I’ve delivered my queen’s message. Consider my familial duties finished.” He turned and strode toward the door.

“Wait!” Caine shuffled across the carpets, pushing the journal into Leo’s hands. “Here! Before you go. Take this! For your…for your fiancée. Perhaps this will explain some matters for her.”

Not that there was any choice. Leo’s fingers curled around the leather-bound spine. “What is it?”

“An abomination,” Caine said. “And a miracle.”

Leo flipped the journal open.

Project: Dhampir.

An initiative undertaken by the Dukes of Lannister, Casavian, and Caine.

1864.

That caught his attention. More than fifteen years ago. What in blazes had Caine and Casavian been working on together, especially when they’d despised each other?

Spidery scrawl filled the journal. Test notes, tables of subject names, CV levels… Leo flipped through the pages swiftly. “What is this?”

“An undertaking. A means to transmute the effects of the Fade by means of an elixir vitae. There was word of it from an ancient Oriental transcript that spoke of the origins of the craving virus.”

Leo’s heart quickened. “Did it work?”

“Only on seven of the test subjects. And…myself.”

Leo’s gaze jerked up, interested despite his feelings. Focusing on Caine’s silvery hair—not gray with age, so much as faded—and his pale, unblemished skin and eyes. “Who else tried the elixir?”

“Casavian, of course.”

Their eyes met.

“What one ventured, the other must as well.” The slightest curling of Caine’s lip. “Only one of us survived it. In a way, he poisoned himself.”

Leo’s hands trembled as he kept flipping through the pages. Mina would be devastated, but perhaps this would bring her some peace of mind. The truth behind her father’s death.

“And the elixir vitae?” he demanded. Honoria’s vaccination could reverse the effects of the craving to a point, but what if one could change the fate of all blue bloods? To control their evolution, as Caine had?

“The secret to the elixir…you will find that at the end of the journal.”

Leo hurriedly riffled through the pages to the back, where he found an entry written in a less than steady hand.

It has been decided to destroy all records of this project. All of the test subjects are to be executed by Vickers, the Duke of Lannister, and all documents destroyed, after the debacle of Subject X. The testing facility suffered a fire and all that remains of my work is this one journal. I should destroy it, for the elixir is a most dangerous tool in the wrong hands.

However, I cannot bear to see all of my work—of the last fifteen years—turn to ash. Perhaps, if I were a stronger man, I would consign these records to the fire myself, but pride—vanity—compel me to keep some record of such flawed genius.

If you read this, you will know that I have created a creature of such utter perfection that God himself has cursed me for my impudence, and that perhaps, for the first time in my life, I understand the consequences of dabbling in matters best left to the Almighty.

I pray only for redemption now.

With regret,

Dr. Erasmus Cremorne

“It is dangerous knowledge,” Caine said softly. “A weapon in the right hands.”

And you’re placing it in mine. His curiosity was stirred, an itch beneath the skin. Perhaps an inclination inherited from Todd, and Caine, the bastard, knew it. “What happened to the doctor?”

“He hanged himself shortly after writing this appendix. He sent the journal to a compatriot of mine. However, I managed to intercept it in time.”

Leo shut the book with a hard slapping sound. “Do you think this can buy my goodwill?”

“Perhaps I think you will know how best to use such knowledge. I have no need of it now.”

Eyes narrowing, Leo gave a terse nod. “Thank you.” For what it would mean to Mina.

The duke took his seat again, folding into his padded armchair with a stiff kind of grace that made a blue blood seem clumsy. His fingers laced over his middle. “You should continue our chess game. You still have deplorable lack of foresight. I can teach you how to—”