"Why do you say that?" Anna asked, worried about Tayme revealing their father's secret.
"She was too strange. She kept whispering in Uncle Adam's ear. They've agreed that she and I will spend the vacations with him every year.
"She can't decide that. Don't worry about it. She'll forget later."
"I don't think she'll forget. She said she wants to learn to shoot, too. And she said she has a secret that she'd tell everyone if anyone tried to stop her from visiting Uncle Adam on vacation."
Anna was thoughtful and frightened. Had Tayme inherited the gift from his family? It wasn't natural for a three-year-old to be able to blackmail. She was beyond her time. I could see that this was her fault. Tayme spent a lot of time with her paternal grandmother. And she had blatant Allister traits. She didn't want to, but to save her daughter from slipping into the mud in which her grandfather and uncle lived, she would send her to boarding school. Salen College in Avallon. She knew it existed, having studied there in her early childhood, and the teachers were instructed to prevent magic from manifesting in their pupils before its time.
Anna sighed deeply. She had to talk to Max about this. She couldn't see any other solution at the moment. And that would take her away from her brothers and prevent her from telling them about Max's misstep. She was very smart and would be safe in a school that was designed to keep its students out of trouble.
Adam returned and asked if they wanted to watch a movie at the cinema in the mall, and Ian got all excited, which removed any protest Anna might have had about the idea.
...
Max stared at the car carrying his wife, leaving with the feeling of loss screaming in his chest. He couldn't risk losing his family. He re-entered the mansion and went in search of Henry. His feelings for his father-in-law were very troubled. His biological mother was very fond of him, as she had never tried to prevent his friendship with Brianna, but he knew that Henry had to die. He also knew that Anna had turned him into a coward, because he didn't want to be the one to kill that man. However, at that moment, his advice could be invaluable. But that didn't change the fact that he was supposedly waiting for the day when he would see life fade from those eyes. If anyone could think of a viable solution, it would be him, but before he could know where in the mansion to find his father-in-law, his father, who was a more mature version of himself, stood in front of him like a wall. Max hated having to live with his ghost, but without Anna around, he was free to walk between the two worlds.
"Excuse me, Dad. I need to find my father-in-law."
"I overheard your conversation with Anna."
Max stared at him bored.
"That's a novelty. You never come up when she's around."
Allister smiled.
"She was very confused today. The force of her presence, which prevents me from getting close, is being blocked by her daughter. Unintentionally, of course, but I'm enjoying it."
"All right. We don't talk about anything you don't know about."
"Max... I managed to overcome my desire for my Camille after I felt it would drive your mother away from me. Love won. I know you and your desire. You won't give up Camille."
"I don't remember the green house being empty, Dad. You never tried anything for my mother's sake."
"I... You don't remember, Max. Before your mother was taken by your kind, I stopped visiting the green house."
"But with Suzy..."
"I loved her, too. But... She refused to be what I needed."
"I'm not you. There's nothing more important than my family. I'm sure Mom became your Camille so she wouldn't have to share you." Maxwell said, and turned away, walking past him.
His father was thoughtful for a while. His son didn't understand that Camille was exactly the woman capable of giving him the pleasure he couldn't feel with his wife. But he would let him find that out for himself.
Allister looked away. Brianna was glaring at him. They couldn't get close to each other, and he would destroy her side as soon as Tayme broke down the barrier separating them.
...
Max found Henry in the room he shared with Jenna. He could distinguish each person's breathing. He knocked on the door, and when they gave him permission to enter, he saw Jenna asleep, and Henry sitting on the bed next to her, watching her with an astonished expression. He approached slowly, afraid of waking Jenna.
"I need to talk to you."
"Let's go to the office. I want Jenna to rest." Henry said with a sorrow in his voice that startled Max, but he said nothing until they reached the office and Henry poured himself a brandy.
"What's wrong with you?"
Henry stared at him for a moment.
"I can't even say... Actually, I can. I wasted my life on an obsession and ended up not having a family with Jenna, who I now know I love too much. I projected my dreams and expectations onto my grandchildren, when I could have had my own children and not dragged Anna, who has already suffered too much, into this life. I am mortally sorry that I sold my daughter and took away from her the chance to be a normal young woman."
"I don't think she'd want it any other way... Of course she wouldn't mind having siblings, but she'll always want your presence in her life."
"That may be... Even though I recognize my mistake, my obsession, it's not over yet, but we didn't come to talk about me. What did you want to tell me?"
Max took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, putting his hands in his pants pockets.
"Anna believes that I should kill Camille."
"And what do you think about that?"
"I don't know. I'm confused. I feel torn. If I allow it, Anna will kill her with her own resources, and I know she'd be closer to me if I authorized it, but... I can't give up what I feel when I'm with Camille."