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I’d struck a nerve, judging by the way Julius’s jaw tightened. “Did you know his name is really Julius? His mother insisted at the time. One of the few mistakes I’ve made in my life. Yet now he’s only known by that ridiculous nickname he’s given himself—a reference few will recognize in this day and age. He was always a disappointment.”

A reference from our last dinner returned to me suddenly: my worthless eldest son. My stomach dropped.

“Jim J is your son?”

Julius’s lips twisted in distaste. “Not anymore. What a mess he’s made.”

I stared at him. “Why would your son turn against you?”

Julius refilled his wine glass for the umpteenth time. The bottle was getting dangerously low, and the main course hadn’t even been served yet.

“His mother was one of my mistresses in the Old World. When she later died, he blamed me for not using Immortalis to save her. I secured him a place inside one of my compounds when the Fall happened, even though he was a worthless addict who regularly blew the allowance I gave him on drugs. But that still didn’t appease him. He’d always been craven and power-hungry, so then he founded his merry band of freaks. I tolerated his nonsense for a time, but soon, it became clear he was plotting to overthrow me. So, I ordered that he be harvested for Immortalis production.”

My eyes must’ve been wide as saucers. “You were going to harvest your own son?”

Julius shrugged. “He would’ve gained access to it himself if he’d simply shut up and not spread his delusional little cult. But I admit: I didn’t realize the level of infiltration he’d achieved at the Cave, and someone inside my government tipped him off. The day after that, the compound was attacked and he seized control.”

“No wonder,” I couldn’t help saying. I couldn’t believe that this man was making me feel sorry for sick, delusional Jim J, of all people. “You would’ve killed him.”

“I still would,” Julius remarked. “But he’s past the point of no return now. If we don’t kill him, he’ll destroy himself eventually. The only problem is how much of my empire he takes with him.”

I refilled Julius’s glass once more, since he’d chugged down his last, and frowned.

“Past the point of no return?”

Julius grinned, more than a little inebriated. “You’re not very bright, are you? All drugs have side-effects, Claire. We ameliorate them as we can, but they’re inevitable, particularly if one takes a much larger dose than is recommended by experts. In the massive dose I suspect my worthless son is taking, his mental state will continue to deteriorate.”

“That’s why he can’t be killed?” I asked, but Julius merely continued to smile and didn’t answer. “Is it also why you can’t be killed?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re getting far too bold. I’ve changed my mind about dinner. I’ll send you back to Major Hamilton now. You’ll be on house arrest until the festival. After that, we can discuss sending you to the Omega compound down south. I’ve been gone too long.”

I wanted to argue with him, but it wouldn’t do any good. If our plan worked, I wouldn’t need to, anyway.

Julius must’ve seen a shift in my expression because he said, “Yes, you understand your predicament now, don’t you? But it’s not all bad, my dear. Play your cards right over the next few years, be a loyal pet, and perhaps I’ll offer you the grand prize: an eternal life in the lap of luxury. With guardrails, of course. A loyal pet still needs a firm hand. Now, go.”

I’ll never be your pet, I told him silently. And when your reign comes to an end, I’ll scatter your ashes to the four winds.

Nevertheless, I had to pretend to acquiesce, to make him think I was the weak, fragile girl with no survival skills I’d once been. A girl with no options, and no fight. So, I stood from my seat and turned to leave.

“Oh, and Claire?”

He caught my hand, and he was suddenly right behind me as he spun me around to face him again. I saw a glint of steel, and then pain exploded in my gut. All the air went out of my lungs, and I choked on nothing.

He’d picked up a steak knife from the table and stabbed me. He pulled me in close to him and twisted the blade, making me cry out. Blood seeped onto the crepey fabric of my dress, soaking it. The white-hot pain was more than I’d ever experienced.

“This is your reminder,” he said softly in my ear. “I’ve lived a hundred years, my dear. I won’t be outmatched by a little girl I’ve owned since the moment she was born. Everything you have—everything you will ever have—is a gift from me.”

He pushed me hard, withdrawing the knife, and I toppled onto the floor. The warm, wet gush of blood and the blinding pain made me feel sick, and the last thing I remembered seeing was Julius cleaning the steak knife off with one of the white table linens.

When I opened my eyes again, he was gone, and I was still on the floor.

“Ainsley!” Hamilton was saying urgently, shaking my shoulder. “What the hell happened?”

“I…I don’t know.”

It was the honest answer. I was dazed, but the pain that had consumed everything was mysteriously absent. Was I simply going into shock? I touched my bloody dress, but still, there was no pain. I yanked up my skirt, beyond caring if Hamilton saw my underwear.

There was no wound—only clear, smooth skin. It was as if it’d never existed.