Elle wanted to go after him but knew there was nothing she could say to make the situation better. Instead she took the stairs and headed to the room she thought the child might be in. It was Lucian's child; she wanted to learn to love him.

Darius felt powerless and most of all hopeless, knowing the betrayal and hurt his brother was going through because of him. Darius want to crawl into a dark hole. 

Elle was gone and Deva wanted to comfort her sister but Lucian needed it more. 

"I'll go find Lucian," Deva was already making her way to the exit. 

"I'll go with you," Marcus volunteered.

"No," Deva refused. "I don't think he'll talk to anyone else." 

Marcus nodded knowing she was right. Darius' face couldn't get any sadder. He was torn and she could tell it was eating away at him. It was itching at her too so that's why she needed a break. She couldn't and didn't want to believe all that had happened. 

Adamarius walked with her outside till they reached the front of the woods. 

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say something sooner?" She was mad and hurt. 

Adamarius hated putting her through all of it. "Because I didn't even know the boy existed till recently. I had no reason to open old wounds and hurt you even more. I was hoping to avoid telling you completely." 

"Then how did it come about? Where was the boy before tonight?" He must have had a home. 

"That's what I've been trying to figure out. I was locked away for five years. The boy and the redhead never even crossed my mind once I got out." Adamarius dug through his memory. "I went to the human world for a while then when I came back here to help you I heard rumors." 

Rumors? "Why weren't we announced? What's the use of being a royal if you don't hear these type of things." It was just nerve wracking to have all that power yet not know about such a huge scandal. 

"I don't know. I'm not even sure where Amber was sent after she was forced to leave the castle." 

"Where is she now? Why wasn't the child taken care of?" 

"Because she died giving birth to him. The child was looked after by a human widowed maid who died yesterday." 

The story was slowly piecing itself together. It was a sad tragic story that only made her want to shield and shelter the child even more. 

"He was left alone, to fend for himself." 

"Is that why he transitioned to a vampire so quickly? He was scared and trying to survive."

Adamarius nodded. "Yes that's my theory."

"I should go find Lucian now." She took a step into the woods and immediately caught his scent.

If he would have teleported there would have been no way for her to track him down. He must want someone to find him, if he left such an open trail. His scent led her to one of the cabin houses by the coast that the family owned. It was pitch black inside but she could see his figure reflected by the moon. 

She didn't even bother to say anything. She just sat next to him; know that if he wanted to talk he would.

It felt like an hour till he finally spoke. "I never thought he would do this to me." 

"We all do stupid things." 

"But he is my brother Deva. My brother." The word now offended him. 

"I don't expect you to forgive him-"

"Can you?" Lucian interrupted. 

"I love him. That past made us who we are today. I've made mistakes. I've hurt the ones I've loved and yet they still forgave me. We live and we grow." 

Lucian tore his eyes away from the sky to look at her. "He does these things. These stupid, stupid things never thinking about the consequences and for years I've had to put up with it. I don't think I can forgive him this time." 

She knew Darius was sorry, she could feel it. "I don't expect you to forgive him right now but I expect you to come back to your family. You have Elle and now a son. Who may be the biggest blessing of your life." God knew Alcide was hers. 

"How? How do I go back? How do I become a father?" 

"By learning from your mistakes and loving him no matter what. You're not alone in this." 

Suddenly his thoughts were concerned with Elle. "Is Elle okay? Is she... "

"She'll be fine, with you there. She loves children and she's always wanted to be a mother." 

Lucian took a deep breath. "How could so much happen in so little time?"

"Something tells me it's about to get crazier." 

They both got up because there was no way to escape their reality. 

Once inside the walls of the castle Lucian went in search of Elle. Deva on the other hand needed something strong to sooth her nerves. She entered the study room and poured herself a large glass of liquor but no amount of alcohol could block the headaches.

She felt his presence the moment he walked in. He was scared to approach her. 

"I understand Darius. I understand why you did it." 

"I was afraid of losing you." 

She smiled. "That's always been one of your weaknesses." 

"I had no right-" 

Deva placed her finger over his mouth. "Love makes us do crazy things...selfish things."

Darius had nothing to say that would change the past or fix the present. But what was killing him was not knowing what his wife was thinking. Was she mad? Disappointed? Angry? 

"What I don't get is how? How could you go through with it? I thought you loved your brother. Your bond is stronger than ever." 

It was a question Darius found himself asking since he heard of it. "I would give my life for Lucian. I love my brother." 

"Do you?" The words came out more harshly then she intended. "Or rather, did you?" 

"Yes, I did." It hurt him more, having to justify that fact. 

Deva just couldn't shake off the bad feeling she was getting. "Then I don't get what would possess you to such extremes. Was there something more I didn't see?" 

"Deva it was simple. I didn't want to lose you." 

She could tell he was getting aggravated by the subject. "So you ruin your brother's life in the process." 

"I would have barely made a dent in his perfect little life." Darius' ignorant tone didn't go unnoticed. 

"Perfect? You think his life was perfect?" 

"You didn't know him like I did. Lucian was the greatest blessing of my father's life. He had everything handed to him. It was always easy for him." Darius turned to look at the moon. "Then he had you." 

Deva shook her head. "So your life was a bit harder. That doesn't justify what you did." 

"I know that." 

Deva took a step back. "Your actions affect everyone. The child, that poor innocent child lived for years in fear and without a father." 

Darius wouldn't even spare her a glance. She could feel how much it was affecting him. It was hurting him just as much as it was hurting Lucian. 

"Sometimes I feel like there's a part of you that I'll never know." Deva left, leaving him to ponder the depths of his unknown. 

Lucian's head was still spinning from all the uncovered past. It was crawling its way up, making him feel sick. He was a father, an actual father. Oh how he didn't see this one coming? Lucian had dreamed of being a father but not like this. Raising a child from birth was such a joy and privilege. He had missed out on so much already with this child. 

How could he be a father now? Where was he supposed to start? 

Lucian quietly walked into the guest room. It was dark but a small night light was giving him enough to see. Elle was in the bed humming softly while the boy slept soundly in her arms. She looked so natural with him, no doubt ready for motherhood. 

Her eyes shifted up as he approached. She gave him a weak smile and he sat down. 

"His name is Joshua." 

Lucian tried to smile as he finally took the time to really look at the boy. Joshua's hair looked black in the dark but red in the light. That was one thing he inherited from his mother. 

"He has your eyes."

Elle was calm, a little too calm for Lucian's liking. He raised his hand and cupped her cheek in order to get her attention. 

"Are you alright?" He didn't want look passed her feelings. 

"I'm fine. I guess it hasn't just hit me yet. We have another member in our family." 

"I know and I'm sorry-" 

Elle quickly cut him off. "It's not your fault Lucian. None of this is your fault. You have a son now. It's going to be fine." 

Her understanding of the situation was a characteristic he loved so much. She always knew how to look at the bright side of things. 

"Are you sure? I don't want to pressure you-" 

She leaned in and silenced him with a kiss. "We can't just abandon him. He's your son and we'll learn to love him together." 

Lucian felt like the luckiest man in the world. "Marry me Elle." 

She blinked a few times. "What?" 

He slid a gold ring onto her finger. "I love you. And I've wanted to ask you to be my wife a long time ago, way before any of this happened. I just couldn't get it right." He wasn't exactly sure what he was waiting on. 

To hear him finally say those magic words was like a dream for her. She never wanted to push him because she know they had all the time in the world. 

"Marry me Elle Eragon. Be my wife and I promise to love you till the day I die." 

"Yes," she whispered not to wake Joshua.

"Yes. I will marry you." She always wanted a family she just didn't think she'd get it so quickly and all at once. 

Lucian leaned in to kiss her and she whispered, "I love you."