Suddenly the door burst open and a huge man came hurtling into the room, growling like an aggressive wolf.
The warlock held out his hand. “Everything’s fine, Thomas. Thank you.”
“But I thought I heard...” He looked around the room as though looking for an attacker.
“Everything’s fine.” The warlock repeated and flicked his wrist.
The massive guy nodded and disappeared through the door he’d come from.
“Your security?” I asked and he nodded, his eyes not focusing on me, but instead he looked lost within himself.
“Yes....”
I wanted to roll my eyes. A little late, buddy?
My father pushed onto his feet, his brow deeply furrowed. “How could your mother have not have told me about this?” he asked, waving his arms. He seemed consumed by his frustration with her, not so much with me.
I snorted, shaking my head. I flicked my wrist again. Instead of high heels, the shoes next to my bare feet were slippers, nice warm ones that made my skin instantly relax the second I slipped them on. “Yeah, we asked her the same thing many times. She just didn’t tell us anything about you.”
I made it a point to avoid touching my locket. I didn’t need my mother lecturing me about anything, especially my father. What to tell him, what not to tell him, especially since she apparently kept me and my sisters a secret from him. How she managed to do that, especially considering he was an incredibly powerful warlock, I didn’t know.
“We?” he repeated.
Oh, so now he was listening?
I rubbed my lips together, hesitating. Telling him about me was one thing, but should I tell him about my sisters? I didn’t know.
However, I realized I couldn’t go half in. I either told him nothing or I told him everything. My mother told me to be careful, but how was I supposed to do that?
“Yes, my sisters and I.” A hesitant nod, but I made my gamble. “There is three of us, all born within three years.”
The blood drained from his face this time, making him appear as white as a ghost. He sat back down in his seat, looking queasy. I almost felt bad for him.
I gave him a half smile, amused as much as I was confused. “Yeah... I know.”
This still didn’t make sense to me. My mother had gotten pregnant with me, I assumed by accident, but she’d gone back for my sisters on purpose. Why?
Why get pregnant by accident and then get pregnant on purpose? If I was an accident, why not just stop with me, learn her mistake? Why go and make two more?
Maybe when I had more time to talk to my mother about this, I would ask her. I would not be intimidated by her. I wouldn’t let her brush this off anymore.
He continued. “She... went away for a year and then came back for a few weeks, then she’d disappear again. She came back... three times I think.”
His gaze met mine and pain wrapped around my heart as the locket sung to me.
I didn’t dare touch it, I couldn’t handle my mother’s emotions, my father’s AND mine all at once. My mother had already had so many opportunities to tell me the truth about everything, so many times, but she hadn’t. She’d kept her secrets. And that was her choice. But that didn’t mean I was ready to just move past it. I didn’t want to hear her explanation now when she was practically forced to give it.
I swallowed hard. “My mother gave birth to a son, after my sister Courtney. But he died... and I don’t think she ever fully recovered from that.”
The whole room shifted, changed color. There was a heaviness in the air, a shifting of mood. I wasn’t sure where it came from or how long it was going to stay. Should I excuse myself? Or remain here with no threat to myself.
The warlock had his eyes closed and the vibrations coming off him were... powerful.
Bordering on dangerous. I’d never felt anything like it.
And yet, I felt safe. It was power I recognized because the power was also in me.
I grabbed my locket for the first time since I’d arrived and heard my mother’s scream.