AND JUST LIKE THAT, Olive Sinclair’s pregnancy was no longer the most astonishing thing going on. Or, well, at least it had some serious competition for bizarreness.

We all stood there awkwardly in the middle of the path, with the birds singing merrily around us, making this unexpected family revelation that much more surreal. Even Rose, who was rarely at a loss for words, stood there gaping. The Moroi man—Rand Ivashkov, according to Adrian—blinked at Dimitri as though he were seeing a ghost. Some of Rand’s cocky swagger diminished a little, and he took an uneasy step back.

“Well, I’ll be damned. It is you, Dimka.” He wet his lips and tried to smile. “You look pretty good for a guy who used to be undead, am I right?” He glanced around at the rest of us, looking for us to laugh at the joke. We stayed silent. Dimitri turned to Lana.

“Is he causing you trouble?” he asked her politely. “Are you having difficulty removing him? I’ll be happy to do it for you.”

“We can take care of ourselves,” she shot back, though not unkindly. As though summoned by some unspoken signal, Mallory and another dhampir woman who looked like a guard appeared on the path behind her. Mallory no longer seemed like a dreamy fangirl. In that moment she was as formidable as any guardian I’d met.

Rand relaxed a little. “Yeah, see? No need to do anything hasty.”

Lana fixed her glare on him. “That does not mean you are welcome here.”

“Hey,” he said, confidence returning, “I have every right to be here. I was visiting Elaine. She’s a resident. She can have guests.”

“She can have guests at my discretion,” Lana corrected, fists on her hips. “And I’ve told you before, I don’t want you here drinking.”

He held up his hands in what was apparently supposed to be a pacifying gesture. “Fine, I won’t have another drop. I swear it. But you can’t kick me out now—not when my son and nephew are here. This is practically a family reunion.”

Rose finally found her voice and turned on Dimitri. “Really? This guy? Are you sure?” I shared her disbelief.

Dimitri’s gaze was cool as it rested unblinkingly on Adrian’s uncle. “Positive. Though I thought he was off wandering Europe.”

Rand shook his head. “Haven’t been there in years. That business Nate hooked me up with said they didn’t need my consulting services anymore. How’s Olena doing these days?”

“Do not ever speak my mother’s name to me again,” growled Dimitri.

“Really?” repeated Rose. “This guy?”

The mention of Dimitri’s mother and Adrian’s father—whom I’d never, ever heard called Nate—suddenly triggered the most astonishing revelation of all. Adrian’s jaw dropped as understanding hit him as well. “Are we . . . does that mean . . . are we cousins?” he exclaimed, turning toward Dimitri.