Page 92

“And then of course, the other gods formed the Silent Ones.”

“Who are they?”

“Humans given supernatural abilities to make sure these two bloodlines are safe and that. . .I keep in line.”

“They can kill you?”

“They think they can.”

“This is a lot of protection for two bloodlines. What else am I missing?”

“My mate is smart.” The line of his jaw tightened.

“Why are the bloodlines so important?”

He let out a long sigh.

“The demons that once corrupted the earth were weaker gods that turned cruel. In many ways you cannot kill them, so those bloodlines’ ancestors were only ever able to fight them and then seal the demons away.”

My mind went straight to Aunt Delphine's altar room. Back home, we knew blood held things.

Power.

Memory.

Debts.

And keys.

Aunt Delphine used to say every family carried two inheritances: what the ancestors left you in the will, and what they left you in the veins.

I was living proof of the second one. One furious woman in my bloodline had decided love would ruin us, and generations later, I was still paying her bill.

So. . .the Satos and Matsumotos have been paying a bill too.

Only theirs had demons attached.

"Blood magic," I whispered. "My people would understand that."

He nodded, as if he'd expected nothing less from me. “And the seal lives in the two bloodlines' blood. Each line holds half the key. If either line dies out, the seal weakens. Her slaughter nearly opened it, which is why the gods panicked.”

“Hold up so. . .the key is in all of the people in that generation?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s in the leader.”

“And that’s how you know to keep the leader alive?”

“Exactly.”

“But each generation’s leader will die one day.”

“Which is why I always need that leader to have a baby. Then, if the leader dies, the keys pass to that child.” He gazed off at the water, and there was a troubled look in his eyes. “This generation is a bit more problematic.”

“How?”

“Through my guidance in the shadows, the two bloodlines merged.”

“What?”