Page 77 of Violet Legacy

Rieka looked at her uncle Lucien.What had she done?

Golden blond hair, the same color as the desert, fell to his shoulders. He would have looked washed out if it wasn’t for his light brown skin. It was almost the same shade as Lilian’s. Dressed entirely in black, he blended into the darkness as if he was made from the shadows surrounding them. His smile stretched across his face; his breathtaking beauty unable to hide the coldness emanating from him. There was no mistaking the lack of empathy within him. It was what she imagined a psychopath would be like.

“I am waiting.” There was an edge of boredom to the tone.

“What are you?” Rieka countered.

“It is a little late to be asking that. I would have thought it would be obvious.” Lucien bowed. “We inherited the Anki life span, thanks to the O’hurani.”

Rieka had never seen anyone sarcastically bow before, but she was pretty sure she had just witnessed Lucien complete one.

“You are eleven thousand years old,” Rieka slowly repeated. Some part of her had refused to think about the logistics of the statement. No one lived that long, not even Atlanteans.

“Where is your mother?”

Rieka swallowed. She had hoped that there was a long line of descendants between her and Vandana—but no. “She died.”

“Are you sure?” Lucien raised a perfect blond eyebrow. “It’s hard to kill an immortal. Part of the whole being immortal deal.” Lucien paused. “Until we die.”

Rieka’s eyes widened before she shook her head. Lucien made no sense. Lilian’s body had never been recovered from the crash site. Rieka may have been her second choice, but she knew her mom wouldn’t have left her. “What do you want?”

He laughed. The sound was too human and rehearsed, as if he had watched it somewhere and wanted to try it out. “The same thing Lilian did. But perhaps not for the same reason,” Lucien answered as he took a step closer. “The tomb.”

“Can the O’hurani be killed?” Rieka asked.

“You look like your mother,” Lucien said, changing the subject. “Except you have Vandana’s eyes. Do you still have Lilian’s journal? She went nowhere without that infernal thing.” No hint of affection in his tone. He said the words as if he and Lilian had barely been acquaintances, let alone twins.

Rieka shifted onto the balls of her feet.

Lucien absently glanced at Rieka. “Of course, you do. The Houses would kill to understand the secrets she kept. Or to have access to the throne. Remember that when you cross paths with them.” He chuckled as if he had told himself a joke but forgot to say it out loud. “The last time I saw you, you were barely old enough to converse. Do you remember me?”

A memory of a large, overcrowded bazaar popped into her mind. Somewhere in in the old city of Damascus. No older than four, she remembered being distracted by a small toy when he had appeared. “Yes,” Rieka bit out. “She told me to stay away from you.”

“And here we are. Fate is a cruel mistress.” The tone was self-deprecating. The smirk on his face revealed white teeth and sharper than normal canines. “Your mother did you a general disservice keeping your heritage away from you.”

“And what makes you say that?”

The chuckled vibrated through her, sending a chill through her body. She never wanted to hear it again.

“Because you would have stayed away from Egypt. It is the one place where he can sense you.” Lucien stared at her, his gaze unwavering. He blinked and looked around as if it was the first time he was really seeing her. A slow smile spread across his face. It didn’t reach his eyes. The ice blue remained glacial.

Rieka squared her shoulders at the hint of an accusation. The one thing she had promised Lilian, and now look at her.

Idiot.

“Lilian did inform you. You just decided not to listen,” Lucien said. “I do enjoy a bit of chaos.” There was no mistaking the edge of amusement in his voice now. He moved away from Rieka, merging back into the shadows. “What else did she tell you?”

“To not trust you.”

“Semantics. I am the only one who can tell you what you really are. She thought she could protect you by keeping it a secret.”

“And why would she need to do that?”

“Because you are far more like Vandana and the Anki than Lilian was. I do wonder how human you truly are,” Lucien said. “You can sense it. The warm embrace of the power of a god. Being here has awakened you to what you really are. What you can do.” Lucien moved away from her. “The Anki know you are alive.”

Rieka blinked slowly. She didn’t quite understand where Lucien was going with this. What could she do? Heightened senses were not something special to the Atlanteans—it was part of their genetic code. Lucien had his own agenda and one that she wanted nothing to do with.

“Do you know what the bracelet is?”

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