Tarquin narrowed his sharp blue eyes. "Hmm?"

Elliot pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Tarquin. "Use this.”

Tarquin nced at it—Elliot had gotten it from Gideon Bradford, using his Alpha status.

This thing was all the rage on the ck market. Rumor had it, if you held it, you could ask its owner any question, and they''d always have the answer. There was nothing this mysterious owner didn''t know.

As for who the owner actually was, no one had a clue.

Tarquin had tried to get his hands on it before, back when he was looking for Elijah''s mother, but he''d never had the chance. How Gideon managed to snag it was another mystery.

"If you already have a suspect in mind, Dad, and you think using it would be a waste," Elliot said, furrowing his brow with that serious little face of his, "then use it to find the real source of the Eighth Generation Virus."

Elliot was the sharpest of all the kids, and the one whose mind worked most like Tarquin''s. In the whole family, only Elliot and Tarquin knew about the Eighth Generation Virus-and just how dangerous the mysterious figure and the virus both were.

Tarquin studied the object in his hand for a moment, then asked, "Any word from Gerald or Howard?"

The sudden topic change threw Elliot off a bit. "No, not yet."

Tarquin looked back at the thing. "You think this''ll really give us answers?"

Elliot shrugged, not nodding or shaking his head. "I don''t know. But I think it''s worth a shot."

Noticing Tarquin''s hesitation, Elliot asked, "Are you worried about tipping someone off?"

Tarquin stayed quiet, not offering any exnation. He handed the object back to Elliot. “Hold onto it for now. After the casket''s opened, if we need it, I''ll ask you for it."

Elliot''s little face showed a flicker of confusion, but he nodded obediently and tucked the thing away.

Then, curiosity getting the best of him, he asked, "Dad, is there some secret in Grandpa''s casket?"

Why else wait until after it was opened?fnec47 Content originallyes from F?nd-Novel/fnec47

Tarquin''s brow furrowed. His expression grew heavy. "The secret behind the mysterious figure and the Eighth Generation Virus-it might all be hidden in your grandpa''s casket."

Elliot was surprised, silent for a moment. Then he said, "The mysterious guy has been after the virus for ages. When Grandpa and Grandma died, I''m sure every inch got searched. There''s no way they''d leave Grandpa''s casket unchecked."  s

"I know. The virus itself won''t be in there. But there might be a clue."

"Huh?"

Tarquin reached over and ruffled Elliot''s hair. "You''ll see when we open the casket."

Elliot was still puzzled, but he didn''t press further.

After a few seconds, he looked up at his dad-wide-eyed and earnest. "If anyone ever hurts your feelings, just remember Mom and us. We''ll never betray you, never hurt you. We''ll always'' benght here and wet always love you."  s

Tarquin looked down at his son, heart swelling.

Elliot probably guessed that the suspect was someone close-someone Tarquin trusted.

Being stabbed in the back by an enemy? That was just life.

But by someone you loved? That was true cruelty.

Elliot was trying tofort him, to ease his pain.

Tarquin scooped his son up in his arms. "As long as I have you all, even if the sky falls, I won''t be scared Come on, let''s go light some candles for Grandpa and Grandma.”  s

Elliot nodded. "Okay!"

Carrying Elliot, Tarquin headed for the door, but Elliot called out to him, "Dad?" "Yeah?"

Elliot said quietly, "You''re amazing, you know? You''re the best father I could ever ask for."

Tarquin looked at his son, his heart overflowing. As a father, nothing meant more than hearing that from his child.

And for the rest of the afternoon, Tarquin felt lighter than he had in a long, long time.

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