Blood Reunion

"Then you would have been left behind, if the Fulls had gone on when the threat came."

"Yes. My mother didn’t want to leave me to whatever fate awaited, so they devised an alternate plan. That turned out to be a mistake. I could have melted into the forests with the others—the Vionnu army would have had a difficult time tracking us."

"Then why was Mother Rain worried?"

"She was afraid that Tiearan would move on to another world and not go back. She did not want to leave me on Vionn. So here we are, son, our lives changed forever because of decisions others made."

"But why did Mother Rain think it wouldn’t bring harm to someone else?"

"She knew it would, but she thought it was only temporary harm. Redbird decided to make it permanent."

"I can’t understand that, father."

"I don’t understand it either, child. Father Willow says to tell you hello and that he misses your hard work. He is having difficulties getting the others interested in throwing hay to his cows." Toff and Corent spent about an hour going from tree to tree and plant to plant, talking while Corent put his hands on this tree or that, closing his eyes to give it a bit of his power.

Toff always liked watching Corent work—the Half-Fae loved the living things he touched. Toff walked with Corent to the palace gate later, a guard following discreetly behind. Toff hadn’t realized until then that he was guarded just as closely as the Queen’s natural children.

"Toff, take care and enjoy your life," Corent squeezed Toff’s shoulders before walking through the gate and away from Toff. Toff felt a sadness he couldn’t describe as Corent walked away from him. As if Corent were saying good-bye for all time.

* * *

Lissa’s Journal

"No, I will never tell that child who his father is," I grumped. I wasn’t feeling very well right then and Norian was irritating me. I considered barfing on his shoes.

"Even if he asks you someday? As an adult?" Norian was Director of the ASD at the moment, not my mate. Hence the annoyance. He’d been shocked by the information I gave him, but didn’t doubt its veracity. I could smell parentage in the blood. My nose was better than any DNA test Norian had ever seen, and he employed it as often as he could. Some days—actually most days—being Liaison to the ASD was aggravating in the extreme.

"Norian, let him grow up without that taint, all right? If he’s stable and happy as an adult one day, then sure, we can tell him. But as long as I have my doubts about his mental state if we pass that information along, then no, it stays with us."

"Do you think the ASD’s new most wanted even realizes he has a child?"

"I find that highly unlikely," I retorted. "But if he did, and if there was the slightest chance he’d try to get him back, well, you see how that could go wrong in a hurry."

"How do you think it happened?" Norian settled onto my sofa and patted the seat next to him. I frowned at my lion snake shapeshifter mate for a moment before settling beside him. Norian ran gentle fingers over my forehead. I considered punching him, while wondering if pregnancy affected every woman the same way.

"I don’t know what you have in your files on all this, Norian. But Melida supposedly was pregnant with her husband’s child before he was killed on Cloudsong."

"I have that information," Norian nodded. "I also have records that say she miscarried."

"Except she didn’t."

"What?"

"Oh, she probably wanted to miscarry, but she didn’t. We all assumed that Findal, Melida’s husband, approached Black Mist. I don’t think he did. I think Zellar may have approached Melida on Black Mist’s behalf, offering all sorts of promises to her and Findal if they’d get Black Mist what they wanted, which was Brandelin’s death."

"Sounds as though he offered her something else, too."

"Yep. Maybe she did that whole miscarriage thing just to throw Zellar off the track in case he got suspicious. Either way, we both know she showed up at Grey House already pregnant and she wouldn’t let Cleo touch her when she didn’t feel well. Cleo would have known. Heck, Selkirk probably would have too, just by putting his hands on her. She had a really good illusion spell going, I think, to fool them. I saw the records—Trik was born two months after Grey House sent her packing."

"You think Marid knows? Who the father is?"

"I hope not. I don’t want Trik hurt or upset by any of this. I think he’s had a hard enough life so far. He doesn’t need any more trouble."

"When are you going to tell Toff that his father is still alive?"

"When I think he’s ready," I sighed.

"Just lean back, breah-mul, and close your eyes. You’ve had a long day." I settled into the crook of Norian’s arm and did just that.

* * *

Tory had gone to the kitchen for a snack. And then, deciding to sneak past his mother’s study just to see why the light was shining underneath the door so late, he’d skipped close to her door so she wouldn’t hear his footsteps. Tory only caught the last bit of conversation between his mother and Norian. Tory couldn’t wait to tell Ry and Sissy what he’d heard.

* * *

"Why did you haul me out of bed, you lumbering ox?" Ry would have hit Tory with a pillow if he still had one within reach. He didn’t—Tory had skipped Ry right to the top of their mother’s palace.

"I have to tell you what I heard, and I can’t let anyone else hear," Tory hissed.

"All right, what did you hear? And this better be good, I was asleep."

"I skipped right beside Mom’s study, and she was talking to Uncle Norian," Tory whispered. "Mom said Toff’s father is still alive."

"What?" Ry’s shocked reply had Tory clapping a hand over his brother’s mouth.

"You heard me—she said she was waiting to tell him when he’s ready."

"Holy cow," Ry’s voice was now a whisper, too. "Who do you think it is?"

"Well, do you think there are any records or anything? Mom said Toff was two or so when the Fae took him, so his dad’s accident, whatever that was, had to happen before then. You think we can get into Uncle Gavin and Uncle Tony’s records? They keep everything that happens in the palace."

"We’ll have to get Uncle Drake and Uncle Drew’s, too—they have everything that happened outside the palace."

"Come on, let’s get back inside—it’s freezing up here." Tory skipped them back inside their bedroom.

* * *

I’m not kidding, Sissy. That’s what I heard. Tory’s mindspoken admission to his sister the next day shocked Nissa just as much as it had her brothers. Do you think your dad will tell you anything?