“Gabriel, there is no more to tell. That is why Michael knelt for the prince. His blood reacted to the presence of royalty. Obedience to the Royal Blood Call is an imperative the Anlu’kyr are born with, and Michael will feel this too.”

“Michael has been screaming for his master for three days. Not his prince.”

Quinton gives a dismissive flick of his wrist. “Is the prince not a master to his people?”

Flanagan folds his arms, his brows tight. “They don’t call him that. Not unless he is their master. There’s something off about this, Quinton. There is no such thing as a human half breed. The Anlu’kyr are barely fertile with each other. They don’t produce half breeds with humans.”

“And this is why I believe Michael to be the mix of more than two species.”

“That’s even less likely. Channelers this strong are human. The only mixed-breed Channeler with any strength I know of historically was the Warl…” Flanagan looks between me and Quinton. “You mean Michael is mixed breed like the Warlock?”

Quinton shakes his head. “A coincidence only. The Warlock’s bloodline ended five hundred years ago, and his particulars were purposely designed. Created through years of experiment and hybridization. Michael will simply be the result of an unusual coupling of which we have yet to discover the details.”

Flanagan scrutinizes Quinton. I get the impression he’s still not buying the witch’s explanation. I don’t understand why he’s making such an issue out of it. Quinton’s explanation seems pretty bloody straightforward to me. He thinks I’m part monster, and that makes me want to kneel to a bloodsucking vampire prince. In other words, my life is now epic shitballs.

I rub tension from my temples. My head throbs. This is too much. Too fucking much. I’m not sure I even believe it yet.

Flanagan sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “If this is true, they will come for him. It gives Alexei the perfect excuse to attack Blackriver. In fact, it begs the question why he’s hitting Longreach instead.”

“We do usually move those we assume are slaves to Longreach for treatment,” Quinton says.

Flanagan shakes his head. “He knows Michael is here.”

“Alexei cannot attack Blackriver directly, not without permission from his grandmother. And the Fae Queen respects her treaty with us. So maybe he attacks Longreach to give his position more weight in her eyes.”

Alexei’s grandmother is the Fae Queen? So the vampire prince is part fairy. Is that the reason for his pointed ears?

“Alexei doesn’t ask permission,” Flanagan rumbles. “He will inform her, but if Michael truly is a youngling, he will come for him regardless.”