“He devoted himself to building his legacy, the Foundation, and finding Vortex. He never took any of the women seriously.”

“I see.” She considered what he had said a moment earlier. “So, according to the experts, dual talents are usually unstable monsters?”

“It’s a theory.”

“And one of your talents gives you the ability to think like a monster. I guess that explains how you tracked me down, doesn’t it?”

His brows shot together over the black frames of his glasses. “What?”

“You think I have two talents. That makes me a monster, right?”

“No, damn it, that’s not what I meant.”

“You can think like a monster, so you were able to find me.”

Irritation flashed in Harlan’s eyes. “That’s not how it happened.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve spent a lot of the past five years researching paranormal genetics. Turns out strong talents often appear to skip generations, but it’s more likely they remain latent unless something happens that forces them to the surface. That could explain why dual talents don’t show up very often.”

“You’re really worried about this whole monster thing, aren’t you?”

Harlan looked at her. “Wouldn’t you be if you just found out you had a half sister you never knew existed who is now locked up at Halcyon Manor because she’s in a fugue state after murdering a few people and trying to poison others?”

Olivia stilled. “Ah. So that’s it. This is about Larissa Whittier.”

“You’re aware of her?”

“Sure. The Foundation is a giant rumor mill, and Lark and LeClair is tapped into it, thanks to Catalina’s husband. Slater Arganbright is one of Victor’s nephews. Now I understand your concerns.”

“My concerns?”

“Okay, deep down you’re scared to death that you’re going to end up like Larissa Whittier, right?”

“I’m not scared to death. I’m trying to be realistic.”

“You’re scared because you’ve both got Rancourt genes,” Olivia said. “But you’ve got other genes as well. Regardless, the genetic aspect isn’t important in this situation.”

Harlan’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right? You’re an authority?”

“Yep. I thought I explained—you control your talent, it doesn’t control you. Larissa Whittier is, or at least was, in full control of her talent, too. The critical factor, the only one that truly matters, is that you both had the power of choice. Whittier chose the path of revenge and took it way too far, which is a really stupid thing to do, because people—including, I’m sure, a number of real oracles—have been warning against it for centuries.”

“He who walks the path of revenge should first dig two graves—one for himself.”

“Exactly. See? You don’t need an oracle. You can do your own prophecies.”

“How do you know I’m not out for revenge?”