Page 111 of House of Roots and Ruin
“You’re right,” he said, surprising me. “He has two. Triplets.”
“Triplets,” I echoed, thinking back to the babies I’d seen in the nursery.
There’d been three of them there.
Three of the plants Gerard had named after Constance.
Gerard had said something about sets of three that night in the greenhouse. I strained to remember what it had been.
Three. Always three. One is too small a sample. Anything it produces could be a fluke. Two isn’t enough either. Both could fail and you’re back where you started. But three, three is the perfect amount.
An uneasy feeling expanded through my gut like a spilled slick of oil spreading out and poisoning everything it touched.
Three plants.
Three babies.
Three sons.
Gerard was experimenting with…something,that much was clear. But what?
I wanted to howl my frustrations, let them rip free from my throat, foisting them into the world where they could be someone else’s problems. If only Constance had shown me more…
Realization dawned over me, sudden and swift.
“You’re not really here.” It slipped out before I could stop it, the idea too big to stay trapped and unspoken. “You’re a ghost.”
Viktor blinked, as if intrigued by my suggestion. “Am I?”
I nodded, uncertain.
His eyes narrowed. “Is this a common thing for you? Seeing ghosts? Talking with spirits?” He leaned back, studying me with amusement. “Ver, you were just sitting in my lap. Kissing me.Beingkissed by me…You know firsthand how very solid I am.” As if to prove his point, he leaned forward and traced his fingers from my cheek, down my neck, lingering at the hollow of my throat, feeling my pulse race. His touch felt unmistakably real.
I sucked in a deep breath, pulling away from his seductive fingers. “So you’re alive, then.”
He leaned forward, eyes bright with an unchecked fixation. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I only kissed you because I thought you were Alex,” I snapped, purposefully avoiding what he really was poking at.
Viktor’s smile deepened, turning wicked. “Does Alexander often kiss you that way?”
I folded my arms over my chest, trying hard not to look away.
He laughed. “I thought not. Oh, dear brother. I should have been here to teach you so many things.”
“Wherehaveyou been?” I asked, my words as sharp as scalpels. “Alex doesn’t remember you. Gerard and Dauphine have never spoken of you.”
With a groan, he pushed himself out of the wheelchair and stood, stretching tall, his joints cracking. “I don’t see howhe sits in that thing all day long. What a toll is must be on his back.”
“It’s not exactly as though he has a choice in the matter.”
Viktor looked down, contemplating the chair and my words, then shrugged and walked to the window.
Carefully, I lifted myself from the floor, righting my skirts and trying to draw up as much height as I possessed. Even from across the room, I could feel him tower over me. I inched toward the open door.
“Oh, Ver,” he said. His gaze was fixed on something outside, making it impossible for him to see any movement I’d made. “Running off to call for help while my back is turned? I have to admit, I’m disappointed.”
“Where’s Alex?” I tried to keep my voice steady and firm, pushing back the worry and fear.
