Chapter 6 #3
“They’re creatures from another realm called Indigo,” she continued.
“It lies along the same ley line as us, so we both use Viterra—sorry, the mortals’ realm—as a power source.
It’s a delicate ecosystem, our worlds together, and the Indies have invaded that territory.
They steal more than their share of the energy and leave us with very little.
Lhynion Sidera organized the Exorcism as a crusade against the Indies to correct the balance.
We”—she motioned to each of them—“are part mortal, part immortal. We blend in to fight there, and we’ve been at war with Indigo for centuries. ”
So what happened in that club was some sort of battle? Sean might have asked more, but he snagged on the previous words. “We’re…part immortal?”
Autumn’s mouth opened, but she paused. “Well—”
Another bell at the door interrupted her, and Blaire poked her head in.
Sean and Cole stood, but Cole rushed toward her. “Mom?”
With a muttered “Thank the Mother,” Blaire launched into the room and threw her arms around him. “Do you have any idea how scared I was?”
Sean approached more slowly, uncertain after their rift earlier, but she disentangled herself from Cole and grabbed Sean by the wrist to pull him in. Her embrace was warm and smelled, as ever, of lavender and jasmine.
“What were you thinking?” she hissed. “Your mother taught you better than this. Running off and not telling me where.”
“Aunt Blaire,” Sean said, smothered against the crook of her neck. “You don’t get to be mad about that. This is way more than I’d imagined.”
She backed away just enough to take his face into her hands.
Her dark eyes peered into his, apologetic.
“I made your mother a promise to hide you, but you disappeared to one of the most dangerous places in Viterra, and I had no option but to seek their”—she nodded her head toward Kywyn—“help. Your mother never wanted this for you.”
“It wasn’t her choice,” said a voice behind Sean. A bitter voice. Bel’s voice. “Fate comes for us all whether we want it or not.”
Blaire’s gaze flicked in Isobel’s direction, the faint lines beside her mouth pulling tight. She released Sean and dipped her head in deference toward Bel, touching two fingers to her temple. “So it would seem, Lady Isobel.”
“Blaire,” Kywyn said, “have a seat. I was just trying to explain everything.”
She sighed heavily but settled between Sean and Cole on the sofa. “I suppose he’s here. There’s no avoiding it now.”
“Indeed,” Kywyn said. “Where were we?”
“You were telling me I’m part immortal.”
A crooked smile tugged at Kywyn’s mouth. “Right. Yes. Humans call us the fair folk. Fae. Or elves?”
“I’ve heard goblins,” Autumn said.
“Sirens,” Isobel added.
“Sprites,” Kywyn said. “There are a lot of names, but we are not one race. There are many types of immortals, Indies included, and we are the lavanié—the kind mixed with mortal blood. Half bloods. You were born here, Caden—”
“Sean.”
He winced. “My apology. Sean. You were born in this realm as heir to one of our four noble families, our Sovereigns, but your mother thought this life too dangerous for you, and she took you from Luxoria when you were a baby.”
“She brought me along,” Blaire said. “We were like sisters, and I had my Cole. I couldn’t imagine us raising our children without each other. When she made to escape in the middle of the night, I convinced her to take me with her.”
Like sisters.
So not actual sisters, then?
The late hour began to wear on Sean as he imagined fake Aunt Blaire with baby Cole, sneaking through a wall of mist with his mother, royal infant in tow.
“Before she”—Blaire darted a glance at Kywyn and lowered her voice—“passed, I vowed to carry on her wishes no matter what. But then she was gone, and I didn’t just have the long lost heir of the Sidera line hidden in my home, I had my sweet, grieving baby boy, and I wasn’t sure what to do or how to tell you. You were only fourteen.”
Sean peeked at Kywyn, only to find a wounded crease between his brows. His voice went hoarse. “She’s been gone seven years?”
Blaire dropped her gaze.
“Seven years, and you never told me? Blaire—”
“We made a covenant, Ky. I couldn’t disrespect her by breaking it.”
“I don’t care!” he said, hands clenched. “You had no right to keep my son from me, especially not in Viterra. It isn’t safe—”
“I was only doing as his mother wished—”
“What about his father?” Kywyn snapped. “The Council forbade me to cross the mist. Did you know that? They sent hundreds of search parties over the years, and never once was I allowed to seek out my own family. They told me my blood was too valuable to risk, that if he was never found, only I could provide another heir. If they’d just let me cross the mist, I could have—”
“What?” Blaire asked. “Found us? You would never. Lana made sure of that.”
“We were bonded. I would have found her.” Kywyn said those words with conviction.
She let out a long exhale. “We’ve already had this argument. I apologized. What more do you want from me?”
“I want my family back. My mate is dead and my son doesn’t know who I am.”