Page 20

Chapter twenty

Roisin

G rier, Father’s aide, opened the palace doors as though he was expecting us to arrive, but then he’d always done so.

“Welcome home.” He bobbed.

“Grier, can you fetch Father and Mother, please?”

“Certainly, they’re walking in the rose garden.”

“Father is well?” I asked.

“Better than ever.” Grier smiled.

“Never mind, we’ll find them.”

I raced through the palace, eager to find my father. When I’d left, he’d been lying in bed about to die. We’d all never imagined we’d lose our immortality, and die, but Father had put his own life on the line to keep the rest of the Fae alive. Sir Axis fixing the spring had healed everything. Well, almost everything according to Sir Axis, and since he’d helped us, I believed him when he said the spring would languish again if Father didn’t unlock the Veil .

Aislinn and Fallon ran behind me. Our footfalls were loud through the marble hallways as though they were the pounding of our hearts. We burst through the glass doors on the patio and into the rose gardens. In the distance, I spotted them. My parents. The King and Queen held hands as they walked through the perfumed petals. I’d spent a lot of time in this garden painting the roses, so I recognized which way to run the fastest to get to them.

My feet barely touched the rich soil that now surged with power. Mother and Father stopped walking and turned to us. The radiant glow of the smile on her face made my happiness even brighter. Dia, I loved my mother so much. How would I tell her what the demons said?

Father opened his arms, and I launched myself into them.

“My baby girl,” he mumbled while stroking my back in a soothing caress. “I’m all right. Everything will be all right now.”

I couldn’t stop the sudden onslaught of tears flowing from my eyes. They streamed down my face. Father had almost died. I’d kept my belief that Ciara would find a cure and because of that, I’d never given up hope. Despite that, the image of Father in bed fading away wouldn’t leave my mind. I cried and cried until Mother’s soothing voice started singing. Instantly my tears stopped, and I eased myself out of Father’s arms.

“It’s true.” I stared at Mother.

“What’s true, sweetheart?” Father asked .

I shook my head and dashed the tears from my cheeks, dropping my gaze from Mother’s face because I’d glimpsed worry in her eyes.

“Sir Axis fixed the spring,” I said, because every member of our family needed to be here when I asked Mother for the truth. I was afraid the demon’s words were all true.

“He did,” Father said. “I owe him a great gratitude.”

“You owe him unlocking the Veil.”

“Roisin.” He sighed.

“No, Father. It’s time.” I glanced at Mother. Saltine had sent her those words that it was almost time. Now I understood what she meant by them. “We need to talk as a family. Lorcan is fetching everyone as we speak.”

“Agreed,” Father said. “I’ve made decisions that have affected everyone, but I can’t say I’m sorry about them because they kept you all safe for many years.”

“Father,” Aislinn said before stepping forward and embracing him. “I’m happy to see you well.”

Father returned her embrace and eyed Fallon over her shoulder.

Aislinn stepped back and pulled Fallon forward. “This is my fated mate, Fallon.”

They nodded at each other.

“Your mother told me you’d mated,” Father said. “I’m happy for you both.”

Mother cleared her throat. “Let’s head into the dining hall.”

“It’s not dinnertime,” Aislinn said .

“No, but we’ll need a large table if everyone is coming home with their mate,” Mother said. “It makes me so happy to learn you’ve found them.”

All except me.

Her gaze landed on me. “You’ll find yours when the time is right.”

“I understand that, Mother.” I turned and walked back inside the palace. She knew. The words pounded inside my head. She’d hidden it from us for years that we were part Siren, part Rage Demon.

Anger welled deep in my stomach. Why wouldn’t she tell us about our heritage? We’d lost all our family members to the Trappers, but we had more we didn’t even know about. It would have been better to understand we had more family. Better to ease the loss the others had experienced, and for me. I would have grown up knowing family instead of believing there was only us. I didn’t have time for this anger, though. Not when I needed to get back to the Winter Court and save Brandon. The longer I was away from him, the more the need to return to him grew. I couldn’t have fallen in love with him, could I?

I paced to the dining hall and kept my pacing inside the room. Aislinn and Fallon sat at the table. Father stopped my pacing for a second, cupped my cheek in his hand, nodded his head, and let me go back to pacing. He understood me too well to realize I would settle right now. My fingers itched to throw paint on a canvas, to let the emotions out creatively. I paused at the end of the room and stared at the rose painting hanging on the wall. It was one of mine, as were all the paintings in the palace. They were all so pretty. My thoughts turned to the one I’d painted of Brandon, and so did his teasing words about painting him naked. I’d very much like to do that. Then I’d hang the painting in my bed chambers where I’d stare at Brandon any time I wanted.

Mother stood at the window and stared outside. Father stood by her side, his hand on her lower back, offering her his unwavering support as always. Did he know too?

Why was I so angry with them?

The door opened and Saoirse and Arrow walked into the room with their baby. Ailbhe. Behind them were Briana and Sledge. Saoirse and Briana took one look at Father and rushed across the room. He hugged them both at the same time.

“My girls,” he muttered. “You both look well. I see your fated mates are treating you well on Earth.”

“He is,” they said in unison.

“Let me see my grandchild.” Father held out his arms.

Arrow stepped forward and handed Father the baby. Ailbhe gurgled as though trying to talk. Father smiled.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you grow up into the powerful man you’ll become,” Father said.

Ailbhe gurgled back.

“If only Sophia was here to translate for me,” Father said.

As if summoned by her name, Sophia walked through the door with Rian, Lorcan, and Pepper. Rian strode toward Father, and they embraced in a back-thumping display of manly affection. Lorcan hung back, his chin low, and knowing my brother as I did, I recognized he was struggling with his emotions.

“You are well on Earth too?” Father asked.

“Aye, Father,” Rian said. “I experienced the healing of the spring as soon as it happened.”

“That is good news.” He turned to Sophia. “And Earth?”

“The vibrations are still out of sync.”

Father’s lips firmed. “I was afraid of that.”

Ailbhe gurgled again.

“What did he say?” Father asked Sophia since she was a jaguar shifter and understood shifters’ young as Ailbhe was part wolf shifter.

Sophia smiled. “He’s hungry.”

Everyone laughed.

“Food will be along shortly,” Mother said.

“I hope you would not eat without us,” Ciara said, walking into the dining hall and holding hands with Malachi.

“Us?” Mother asked.

“Aye, Malachi is my fated mate, and we’ve marked each other.”

I rushed over and hugged her before anyone else. She squeezed me back and then moved on to hugging the rest of the family one at a time until she reached Father. He dragged her in for a deep embrace.

“I’m happy for you both.” He kissed the top of her head and released her. Then he glanced around the room at all his children. All his mated children except me. His youngest child he still called a baby girl. What would he say if I said I’d developed feelings for a human?

Mother embraced Ciara, then Malachi. “You’ve always been a part of the family.”

“Thank you,” Malachi said.

He’d been Ciara’s best friend since they were born on the same day they’d grown up side by side, always together. Fate had been a part of their lives for longer than any of us had realized.

“Fate works in strange ways,” I said.

Servers entered the room and placed platters of food on the table. Everyone claimed a seat and chatted happily as though they’d forgotten I’d asked them to come here. I didn’t want to ruin the happy family moment. The togetherness. Love poured throughout the room.

Father placed his hand over mine. “What is it, Roisin?”

Drawing in a steadying breath, I pushed back my chair and stood.

“I asked you all to come here today because I was told something that affects us all.” My gaze found Mother.

She gulped and pushed back her chair. “Roisin, don’t.”

“Don’t what, Mother?”

She kept her stare on the stubborn tilt of my face and recognized I would tell her secrets.

A deep sigh escaped before she said, “Let me talk first.”

I nodded and returned to my seat .

“A long time ago, I made a deal with Saltine,” Mother said. “And now it’s time for me to reveal what that deal was.”