Chapter 38 Revelations
Vanessa
"You reek of my son," Damian announces as soon as he sees me.
What the– wasn't that about two days ago?
Is there a rule that says, 'don't bust the King's nose under your armpits?' Because I'm seriously about to break that rule right now.
"I apologize for the discomfort, your Majesty," I say with deceptive meekness.
He waves it off and opens his drawer to arrange some documents inside it.
I take the time to take a good look at his private office. Instead of the gloomy but warm atmosphere of Xander's office, Damien's is winter cold and very unfriendly.
Every furniture is black, down to the curtains which are slightly drawn back to let the sunlight filter through a slit opening.
I'm still trying to wrap my head about the fact that I saw Lyra again and this time, with Xander and a tattooed, burly man. He's hefty looking and has this bad boy look about him but he felt dangerous.
What exactly does Lyra want? What's her 'purpose'?
Damian clears his throat and I snap my gaze back to him, not realizing I had already zoned off.
"Is there something wrong?" he pries.
I shake my head. "Nothing is wrong, your Majesty."
His dark eyes which remind me so much of Xander's bore into mine. The intensity is... different though. Whereas Xander's eyes make me want to drop on my knees for him, Damian's, makes me want to run the other way instead.
"You requested to see me, your Majesty," I remind him, trying to divert the topic to the real reason I'm here.
"Come, sit here with me." He leaves his position at the desk and moves to seat in one of the leather black couches, gesturing for me to do the same.
I hesitate, my eyes trailing to the door. I look back at Damian's patient demeanor and sit at the edge of the couch nearest to the door. Safety first, right?
"Would you like anything to drink?" he invites as he pours himself a drink into a small wine glass.
"No, thank you, your Majesty."
He takes a sip, making an appreciative hum before setting it down to face me fully. I swallow.
"Ariana and my wife, Liora, were like sisters during the short time I had known your mother," he begins. His expression solemn as he speaks about his wife.
"She had come to us one stormy night, seeking our help because some people were trying to take her life," he continues.
I frown. "Who was after her and why? Why would a human come to you of all people? If she had come all the way to the pack, then she definitely knew about your kind."
Damian's lips tilted up a little in an approving smile. "Smart, just like her. You're right. We asked her the same thing. She didn't explain much at the time but we took her in anyway. There was no way we could've been so cruel and turn away a pregnant woman."
Mom was pregnant with me?
Tears spring to my eyes at the revelation and I felt a tightening in my chest so strong I clutch it.
She was just trying to keep me safe.
I blink back the tears, rubbing my chest gently before speaking again.
"Why? What did you get in exchange?" I ask, confused at the reason he helped her and especially why he is telling me all of this.
"She offered me her loyalty," he answers.
That's all? Surely, it wasn't that simple.
"She was the council advisor and an extraordinary asset to the pack. She was intelligent and handled private and negotiations with discretion."
Then why did you kill her? I almost blurt, but I bite my tongue. I know looks and actions can be deceptive but this man...I don't think he did it.
I mean, he did mention that there were people after her who wanted her life but then, how do I interpret that memory?
"... unfortunately, you didn't inherit it," I snap my eyes up to meet his assessing gaze.
Wait a damn minute, did he just call me dumb?
A short bark of laughter shot from his lips, lighting up his face for a second. "No, Vanessa. I don't mean her intelligence, her powers. You didn't inherit her powers," he clarifies.
Did I say that out loud? I give him a sheepish smile until his next words hit.
Whoa there! Her what?
"Your mother was a direct descendant of Evanora, one of the first witches to ever walk the face of the earth." My jaw drops. Mouth literally open, no words coming out.
Burst. My. Brain.
"Wait, wait, wait, you're joking, right?"
Damian shakes his head, a serious expression on his face. Of course, who am I kidding? He's not the joking type.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath in. Then out. I repeat the process for about two minutes and when I'm sure my brain doesn't feel like exploding once more, I open my eyes back.
"So," I start slowly. "you're saying, I'm a direct descendant of a witch? My mother was a witch but for the past twenty-three years of my life I never knew witch blood ran through my veins until now? Powers or no powers." He nods again.
"Why are you just telling me now? Or why at all, even?" I whisper.
"Because it was my wife's wish before she died. She loved Ariana so much like her own blood and wanted me to find her daughter no matter what." There was a shadow of pain and sorrow at the memory.
He really must've loved her so much.
"So, this whole thing between Xander and I was your doing?" My nails dig into my palm as I wait for his answer.
"No. It must have been fate itself," his smile is fleeting at the notion.
I don't know how to feel about that.
"At some point, your mother made the decision to leave. The reason are still vague even till today. She wasn't a prisoner, so we had to let her go," he continues.
"What reasons?"
"She said they found her and couldn't risk putting innocent people in danger. All our attempts to help her out were futile as she was insistent."
They? Who were they?
"Although, we tried looking for her after a few years but even the wards couldn't trace her. It was like she vanished into thin air," he mutters, his eyebrows furrowing as he remembers.
"Then, the unfortunate news of her death reached us...the same day my wife died."
"What? How? Why?"
"My wife was found dead, murdered, but the culprit had been caught a long time ago."
He looks at his wristwatch then, I think I even hear him curse a little. "Vanessa, I'm sorry you're just learning all of this now. At first, I wasn't in support of your union with my son, not wanting to bring you into the harsh realities of our world, but now, I would be betraying my wife's trust even if I tried to separate you both. If this is fate, who am I to say otherwise?"
My eyes almost bulge at his kind words. Is this really the same cold-hearted King Damian or an imposter?
"I have an urgent meeting and I'm already late. We'll talk again another time. Take care, Vanessa." He hesitantly stretches out his hand and pats my head twice, a lingering sadness in his gaze as he does so, then he's gone.
I sit still in the deafening silence after he left. My head whirls with everything about my life, my history I had never known.
Then the waterworks started. I break down and cry. I cry for the mother that was ripped away from me at such a young age. I cry for the beautiful life I could've lived if my family hadn't been destroyed. Finally, I cry... just because.
But the fire of revenge burns brighter in my soul than ever before. I'll find 'them', I may not have my mother's powers, but I'll make them regret their existence and for messing with me.
I'll make them pay.