“This isn’t on you, kiran,” Fain said. “For once, Darice is honoring his War Hauk lineage with his behavior. While he should normally back his mother, she is bleeding his father’s family. No child should be forced to choose one lineage over another. And he knows that had she done the right thing, you would be his father now. She had no legitimate reason to deprive either of you of that relationship. That level of selfishness is not Andarion.”

Fadima nodded in agreement. “He’s right. Dariana has callously and wrongfully used Darice, and now this new baby, to secure a bloodline and title for herself and her progeny while denying you what is rightfully yours. Because your mother has refused repeatedly to act to protect you, Dariana has kept you with your hands tied for far too long.”

“Wait,” Sumi interrupted then, as she tried to understand what they were implying. “Are you saying that the bitch was planning to keep Dancer tied to her without unification? Forever?”

Angry, his grandmother nodded gravely. “That’s how it appears.”

Sumi cursed. “I can’t wait to have her in front of me so that I can beat her down like she deserves.”

His grandmother laughed as she stared proudly at Sumi. “Spoken like a true Andarion female. Dariana is hoping the knowledge of her condition will weaken your human resolve, and that you’ll take mercy on her in the fight.”

Yeah, right. “She couldn’t be more wrong, and she seriously overestimates my love of others. I would never harm a child, and I won’t be striking her stomach. The rest of her, however, is all mine and I plan to drag her around that arena by her hair until she begs me for mercy.”

A sharp gasp drew their attention to the doorway, where a tiny woman with auburn hair and gold eyes stood with her infant daughter cradled to her shoulder. Her face was absolutely ashen. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “I am human and forget how human I am compared to the family I married into. I didn’t mean to offend you, but ow! The sheer harshness of that last statement hit me very unexpectedly.”

Sumi turned her furious glower to what must be Nykyrian’s wife. Yes, it was harsh, but she wasn’t about to back down. Not for Dariana and all the years of cruelty she’d shoved down Dancer’s throat. “You haven’t seen the deep scars on Dancer’s back that bitch has callously given him, for no other reason than to publicly hurt and humiliate him, when he’s done nothing to deserve them. Her pregnancy will keep me from killing her, but it won’t spare her my wroth.”

Kiara blanched even more. “The claw marks? Is she the one who gave them to him?”

Sumi nodded.

A steel anger descended over Kiara’s face. “Then I hope you beat the snot out of her.”