My mother walked to the waiting car quickly, disappearing when Robert closed the door behind her.

Jared pulled me into his arms, and I let my cheek burn against his chest.

“I can’t imagine how you must feel right now,” Jared whispered against the top of my hair. “But I want you to remember two things: Cynthia feels helpless, and that’s not a feeling she deals well with, and I want to remind you that I love you, and that love is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. If she makes you feel unworthy or unwanted in any way…know that every breath you take is precious to me.”

I nodded, unable to thank him for the words I didn’t even know myself that I needed to hear.

We walked to the large staircase, and I slumped to the first step. “I don’t want to…I can’t think about her anymore.”

Jared nodded once. “So let’s think about what she said.”

A small laugh escaped my throat. “That I’m the woman in Hell’s prophecy? I’ve been told several things in the last twenty-four hours that are, quite frankly, ridiculous, and Cynthia’s story gets the prize.”

Jared didn’t smile. “What if it’s true? It’s not like Cynthia is the most creative person on the planet. Why would she lie?”

I craned my neck, looking at him in disbelief. “Jared? I can’t believe you’re falling for her nonsense! My father never wanted children? That’s absurd! Jack was the best father anyone could ever hope for. You’ve said it yourself…he worshiped me.”

“Cynthia didn’t say he didn’t like children. I took it as he hoped to prevent something. We need to do a little digging in your ancestry.”

I rolled my eyes. “Wild goose chase. You’re wasting time even discussing this.”

“What do you know about your family?” he asked.

“What do you know about your family?” I retorted.

Jared’s brows moved in. “I have an uncle in South Dakota. My grandparents are gone, you know that.”

“So are mine. My parents were only children, Jared. I have no family to speak of.”

“So we start with the grandparents on Jack’s side,” he said, standing. “Where does Cynthia keep stuff like that?”

“Stuff like what?”

“Family albums, newspaper cut outs…a family tree?”

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” I shrugged.

Jared sighed. “Jack has a coat of arms in his office. You can’t tell me family wasn’t important to him.”

I cupped my chin in my hand and thought for a moment. Cynthia’s words replayed in my head. Kim’s story and Cynthia’s were now meshed together— intertwined because of the prophecy, and the book it came from. Somehow life was even less normal than when a demon stood in my apartment. I felt like a freak.