Chapter 11: The Truth About My Mother

More secrets. I’m so tired of secrets. When will it be enough? I stare straight ahead without seeing anything, a numb feeling sweeping over my body as I take in this new information.

“What?” I ask hollowly.

“Your mother was a Celestial,” Dad repeats.

Another bomb dropped. I slowly turn my head until my gaze slams into my father. He visibly flinches when he sees the anger in my eyes. “What the fuck?!” I whisper furiously. “What are you saying?!”

Dad hesitates, but before he can answer, Ari storms into the room, his face like a thundercloud.

“What is going on?” he growls. “Your emotions are all over the place.”

I gape at him. “You can feel my emotions?”

“Perks of being soulmates. If you tried, you could feel mine too. It would come easier for you if you accepted our bond.” He doesn’t look at me when he says that, but his words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Have I been hurting him by taking my time with the bond? I can’t be expected to just give in and go with everything. My breathing picks up again as my anxiety rises. Too much is going on and I haven’t even gone to college yet. I barely graduated from high school. I’m not ready to be someone’s lover. I’m not ready to help save the world and stop a war that literally has nothing to do with me. I need space. I stand abruptly and run from the room, ignoring the shouts behind me.

I slip out the back door and jog towards the beach, kicking off my shoes as I go. I rip off my socks and sink my toes into the warm sand. As I near the water, I slow to a stroll, stopping where the waves reach the shore. I breathe deeply, letting it out in a woosh as I stare at the ocean, sparkling in the sunlight.

“It’s a lot to take, isn’t it?” Gabriel’s smooth voice comes from behind me.

I don’t turn around as I nod. “I don’t know what you all want from me,” I answer.

Gabriel laughs. “What we want from you?” he repeats. “We want nothing from you, kid. Being mated to our prince doesn’t mean you suddenly have to be our leader and take on all this responsibility. You make Ari happy. You make him smile more. You make him lighter. We just want you both to be happy together.”

“There’s just so much shit happening,” I sigh.

He steps up beside me. “That’s just life,” he replies. “Whether you’re one of us or human, you will always have to deal with shit. The question is, will you face it head-on, or will you let it drag you down?” He pats my shoulder and turns around, heading back for the house.

I mull over his parting words and find myself heading back towards my family. They’re still sitting in the living room, speaking in low tones when I enter. Silence falls and I snort, taking a seat next to my soulmate. I take his hand and smile softly before turning back to Dad.

“Don’t go silent now,” I say. “You have a story to finish. How did you even meet Mom? I thought Celestials couldn’t leave the island?”

“They’re not allowed to,” Ari explains. “Which means she would have had to pass for a human.”

“And she did,” Dad says. “She had a glamour on.”

Ari frowns. “Only a royal is powerful enough to cast a glamour,” he murmurs. “And it only lasts for a certain amount of time. She would have had to go back to them every six months or so to touch up the glamour.”

“It wasn’t you?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, which means it had to have been Azriel,” Ari mutters. “Idiot.”

“Anyways, she had no choice but to tell me her secret as her due date got closer when she was carrying you and Saige,” Dad continues. “In case either of you showed signs of being a Celestial. We weren’t sure how it would work since Celestials have never been with humans before, at least not that we knew of. Saige didn’t show any signs, but you were born with tiny little wings. You were an adorable little cherub. Your mother was terrified you would be taken from us if the government found out about you, so she took you to her Celestial contact to have a glamour put on you. It kept you human. She came back with several vials of magic that she claimed would keep you glamoured until you turned eighteen.”

I sit back against the couch with wide eyes. “Were you ever going to tell me?” I demand.

“Of course I was,” Dad sighs.

“When?!” I snap. “When the glamour wears off and I suddenly sprout wings?!”

Ari shakes his head again. “You have no idea how dangerous this all was,” he says in a low voice. “A glamour is not meant to last for years. A Celestial is not meant to be confined like that for so long. When the glamour wears off, she’s going to be in a lot of pain. I’m guessing your wife didn’t explain everything to you. And I’m guessing Azriel didn’t explain everything to her.” He stands abruptly.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“To have a word with my brother.” From his dark tone, I doubt he’s going to just talk to him.

I watch him stomp from the room. “This has to stop,” I finally say when I turn back to my family. “The secrets. I can’t handle it anymore. I need you all to be honest with me. Especially with everything that’s going on right now. We don’t have time for secrets and trust issues.”

“I’m sorry,” Dad says earnestly. “I never should have kept this from you. We should have told you as soon as possible. We just wanted you to have a normal childhood.”

I nod. “No more secrets,” I say firmly.

Dad hesitates before letting out a sad sigh. “I suppose I have one more secret,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact with me.

“What?” I growl.

“Your mom is your biological mother,” he swallows thickly. “I’m not your biological father.”

The silence that falls in the room is stifling. I stare at my father with wide eyes, trying to focus on my breathing so I don’t explode with rage or sadness or whatever emotion I’m feeling right now. I might be feeling them all.

“Do you mind explaining that?” I ask, proud of my calm tone.

“Your mother came to me when she was already pregnant with you and Saige,” Dad begins. “She was heartbroken about something, but I fell for her almost instantly. She was just so gorgeous, and she had the sweetest nature and kindest heart. We connected almost instantly. I already had your older brothers from a previous relationship that ended amicably. She was afraid of something, I could tell. I understood everything when she told me her secret. So, we agreed to become a family. The two of you took my name and she came home with the glamour to hide you from the world.”

I glance at Saige, but he looks just as shocked as me. It gives me some kind of relief to know that he was in the dark about this too. “Who’s our biological father?” I question curiously.

Dad shakes his head. “No idea,” he answers. “That’s one secret your mother refused to tell me.”

I let out my breath and lean back against the couch, feeling drained. “I’m tired of the secrets,” I say dully. “No more. We’re supposed to be family. And with everything going on right now, we can’t afford to uncover more secrets. We need to be honest with each other.” I stare at my brothers individually before finally turning to glare at Dad. “No more,” I repeat firmly.

They silently agree but before anyone can say anything else, Gabriel jogs into the room with the satellite phone in his fist.

“Where’s Ari?” he asks breathlessly.

“Looking for Azriel,” I answer, rising to my feet. “What is it?”

He shoots me a grim look. “Keanu Forrester is on his way with a few more agents,” he says calmly. “There’s been another murder.”