Page 65 of The Monsters Within

When we returned from the cemetery, I asked Cash for Thorne’s knife. I wanted to talk to Thorne and tell him what happened. I held the knife in my hand as I searched for my brother. I found him in the kitchen with Charlie.

“Thorne, can we talk?”

“Hey, Charlie-Pop, let’s go over and see how Auntie Beck is feeling,” Blade called out from the door.

“Okay, bye, Mimic; bye, Kytten.” Charlie waved and ran to Blade.

“I already texted Sam and Jack to let them know I have her, brother. Go talk to your sister.”

I thanked him with a smile and turned to my brother. “Well?”

“Sure,” he answered as he began cleaning up the snack he and Charlie were eating.

“I want to tell you what happened when Valhalla found me.”

That got his attention, and he sat down at the table. I held the knife in my lap. The weight heavier than I remembered. Maybe it was the weight of the truth.

I told him everything. How I wandered around looking for him for two days. About the homeless man who found me in the dumpster and tried to pull me out. And how Val killed him and took me home.

I told him about the first birthday without him, but I couldn’t form the words to tell him about the knife. I held it firmly in my hands as though I was drawing strength from it to get the words out.

But before I could tell him about the last birthday, he said, “So you gave me shit about Sam, and you had Val. She’s your mom.”

“Valhalla isn’t my mom. She’s Amber’s mom.”

The loud gasp from the doorway had us both turning. I felt the blood drain from my face when I saw Amber standing there.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

I slowly stood, tucking the knife into my back pocket. “Amber, you weren’t supposed to—”

“What did you say, Kytten?”

I clamped my mouth shut. I fucked up. Val would hate me now. Cash would be pissed. I looked at my brother; his stunned expression told me he had no idea who Amber was.

“Is Valhalla my mother?” she asked.

I didn’t answer; I couldn’t. I was frozen in my spot as Amber’s anger grew. I swallowed audibly, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed in my throat.

“FUCKING ANSWER ME!”

I jumped at her angry words. I still couldn’t confirm it out loud, so I nodded. “Amber—”

“Don’t. Just fucking don’t.” She held her hand up and stood there for a few minutes. “Who else knows?”

“I...”

“Who, Kytten?”

“I’m not sure. I know Sypher knows.”

“Dante?” Her eyes bored into mine, and I didn’t dare deny her an answer, so I shook my head. Dante didn’t know.

“I assume she knows?” I nodded again. “Did she know in Louisiana?” My head went up and down without my say so. Confirming what she thought. “That fucking bitch.”

“She’s not a bitch. She was protecting you.”

My words came out now. My shame replaced with anger. How dare she talk about Val that way. She didn’t know her. Not really.