Mars then saw she had not been frightened.

For now, she was definitely frightened.

“Oh, my goodness, Mars, what did he say to you?”

He took her head in both his hands, brought it closer, and held her eyes.

“The man you knew as your father is unable to make a child,” he said quietly.

Her eyebrows twitched in bewilderment.

“But that’s—” she began.

Cautiously, he went on, “Your real father is a Zee with silver eyes.”

He watched another set of silver eyes grow wide.

“And part of why I had not told you this is because I have ordered men to find this man and bring him to me so I could meet him and see if he is worthy of introducing to you,” he finished.

“My father is not my…?” Her voice trailed off.

Even if his wife did not finish the question, Mars answered, “No.”

“My mother…had an affair?”

Fuck.

“Not exactly,” he muttered.

Her voice was becoming shrill and her head was fighting his hold when she asked, “How ‘not exactly’ if I am not of my father and this is known?”

“Silence,” he whispered, but said no more.

It took her a moment before she whipped away.

He knifed up and caught her in his arms before she could scurry out of bed.

“Piccolina,” he murmured.

“He sent her…he-he forced her…” She did not finish that either, and this he knew would be one of the few times of their lives together that he would wish she was not nearly as clever as she was. “Oh my gods,” she breathed and focused on him. “I am not Countess of the Arbor.”

“No,” he agreed firmly. “You are Queen of Firenze.”

She grasped onto his neck in a tight hold. “Mars, this is disastrous.”

“I cannot imagine how,” he replied.

“I am…I am a…” And yet again she could not finish.

“You are royal blood. Your mother is Wilmer’s sister. And your father is a Zee. A nomad. His people are like our tribes. They have no use for nobility except when forced to do so. But if the tribes ever learn, which they will not, they will be glad of the fact that you are of people like them.”

Her gaze moved over his face a moment before she accused, “You’re inventing things to make me feel better.”

He was.

The tribes wouldn’t care either way for they had no use for nobility except when forced to do so.

“Not at all,” he lied.

Something else occurred to her, he saw it before she voiced it.

“My mother was there when this was discussed.”

He sighed, pulled her closer, and as gently as he could, said, “She was, amore. And I will assure you I told her we would give her a home should she wish hers no longer to be with him. She chose him. This is not an arrangement I understand. Then again, in order to give him what he desired, an heir, she made her choice long ago, something else I do not understand. The only thing I can take from this is that I am glad she did for you are here, you are my wife, my queen, and if she did not, I would not have you. All else fades for me. They have no meaning to me, except that I am glad they made this arrangement so I could have you.”