The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Chapter 27
I stared at Casteel’s parents, caught in a cyclone of
confusion and disbelief. I wanted to stand, but Casteel still
held onto my hand tightly. And where could I go?
“For you to have your abilities, you have to be the child
of a deity and not just share their blood,” King Valyn
explained in that same gentle way. “And it also means that
neither of your parents could’ve been mortal.”
I inhaled sharply. “What?”
“There’s simply no way that you were ever mortal,”
Queen Eloana said, her gaze searching mine. “That doesn’t
mean that the mother you knew isn’t your mother. It just
means that she was never mortal.”
I shook my head as my brain rapidly tried to process this
new information. “But wouldn’t Alastir have known that? He
met her.”
Queen Eloana lowered her gaze, and I knew then that
she had said what she had to lessen the impact.
My stomach hollowed. “Don’t do that—don’t lie to soften
the blow. I appreciate it. I do.” And I did. It meant that she
cared in some fashion about my feelings. “But I need to
know the truth. I need to face it.”
A measure of respect rippled through the Queen as she
nodded. “He would’ve known if the woman he met was not
mortal.”
“It also means that Leopold couldn’t have been Malec.”
Kieran had moved to perch on the arm of the settee. “Alastir
would’ve known and would’ve said as much.”