Page 29 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)
“I have to send you some of the clothes I bought while in Japan. Not all of it was my taste, but I couldn’t help myself,” Jeanie admitted. “I think we may get an apartment there, especially with how much both of us want to go back.”
“You two will have to join us next time.” Nelson squeezed my shoulder as he handed me a glass. Cormac and I shared a look as I placed the glass to my lips and then set it down. It wasn’t worth the conversation of telling them I wasn’t really interested in alcohol.
“We would love that,” I said honestly, “but we have something to handle before that.”
“Is it the modeling agency?” Jeanie asked. “They’ve called me a few times.”
“No.” Cormac shook his head. “It’s actually rather serious.”
Both of our guardians put down their drinks and sat up straighter, adjusting to our tone.
“I’m not sure how much you know, how much you were aware from the start of the part you would play…” I started, then decided to cut to the chase. “We know about Beryl, and we know about the prophecy. More so the part I play in it.”
My words set off a detonation of silence, both of them staring at Cormac and me wide-eyed. I realized they really hadn’t expected this. I could feel their nervous energy and, more than anything, the guilt.
“Of course you do.” Nelson broke the silence first with a wry chuckle. “I shouldn’t be surprised—both of you have always been so smart.”
“Did Beryl tell you? She told us to never breathe a word of it,” Jeanie said, her brow dipping. “I don’t understand what would have changed.”
“So much has changed,” Cormac stated. “But we should start from the beginning.”
So we did.
For the first time in our lives, Cormac and I told Jeanie and Nelson everything.
From the first conversation of theirs we’d overheard to why we’d left for California.
I didn’t soften my story; I didn’t try to shield them as I recounted what had happened with Toris, with our return here, and even in Broken House.
Cormac explained how we found out we were sirens and the spiral it had sent us into—and the further realization that we could have bonded.
The more we explained, the more heartbroken both of them became.
I hadn’t realized our story would evoke so much emotion until Jeanie’s eyes welled with tears. My voice was rough as I finished our twisted tale. “And the composition piece is finished, but our universe is perched on the edge of war. Only days exist between us and possible ruin.”
Jeanie covered her mouth as she let out a small sob, Nelson rubbing a hand on her back as he nodded in understanding. I shot a glance at Cormac, who looked as shocked as I was. Never had either of them shown this much concern over the two of us, even when we were very young.
“We failed you,” Jeanie said through the tears. “We failed to protect you.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Cormac tried.
“No, we did.” Nelson offered him an appreciative look but cleared his voice. “We did, and we can take ownership of that. Truth be told, we had no idea what we were doing.”
“We came here to understand the truth and how we came to be under your care,” I said gently. “And why you never told us.” I purposefully tried to keep my magic tucked away, wanting them to tell us of their own volition.
“We never planned on being parents,” Jeanie admitted, inhaling and brushing away the tears. “We both went through…a lot in the Elven realm. We’d planned on taking time to heal.”
Sometimes it was so damn hard to remember that they also had a past—a full history of pain and suffering they were working out.
“When Beryl approached us and asked us to bring both of you in,” Nelson said with a small smile, “we oddly didn’t hesitate. She didn’t tell us much, just warned us that one day they would come for you. That someone would try to hurt you.”
“It was obvious from when you were very young that you two were special,” Jeanie added.
“But we tried to give you the best kind of ‘normal’ we could offer. Of course, our grasp on that in the human world wasn’t great, but it was better than what we’d experienced in the Elven realm. It’s clear now that it wasn’t enough.”
“I don’t agree,” I voiced, clearing the emotion in my throat.
“I was angry for a long time because you two acted different from other parents, but I’m realizing that you did your best. That you were trying to be as different as possible from your experience of what a parent was like in the Elven realm. ”
Nelson nodded. “If I could describe what that is like, it would make it probably easier to understand?—”
“No need,” I promised him. “I’ve been there. It was…horrible.”
Cormac nodded, having heard about it from me. He spoke in a quiet, emotion-laden voice. “I get it. We just wanted the truth, but we understand why you didn’t tell us. You’d been told that if you did, it could harm us. You were protecting us.”
“I’m so sorry we couldn’t be more,” Jeanie said. “However we can help now, or in the future, we are more than willing.”
Sitting up, I nodded. “We’ll be leaving for war soon, and I need to know that the pride is protected by more than just shifters. Can I count on you to keep it safe?”
Each was extremely powerful in their own right, and their promise would give me comfort while we were away.
“Absolutely. You can depend on us.”
For once, I believed them. For once, I trusted them.