Malrik POV

“Did you ever stop to wonder why someone would feed you that information?” I asked, my voice smooth but edged like a blade. “And if they did, did it occur to you they probably knew exactly who you were?”

Ansel’s face shifted confusion first, then slow dawning comprehension. His breath hitched. Shame flickered over him; he swallowed, offered no denial.

“Were you so desperate to find your father that you didn’t think about the danger you were walking into?” I ...