Matter of Truth, A (19 page)

That clearly pisses Kellan off, who’s off the couch in a
flash. Jonah’s there to block him, though.

This cannot be happening. Not now, not like this . . . not
after so long. I grab Will’s arm and shoot him a meaningful look that tells him
to lock down whatever latent anger he’s got percolating inside. He has every
right to it, but just not in
this
moment. “Stop. He—he’s not—Kellan
didn’t mean anything by that.”

Which, I think, pisses Kellan off to hear me say, since I
definitely don’t have a right to speak for him, but the last thing we need is a
fight between all these people I love. Before Kellan can counter me, Will turns
to his father. “So, not only did you and Mum keep me in the dark about being a
. . . an
Elf
”—he sneers, turning the word into an undeserving curse—“and
her being a Magical, but apparently the entire universe knows about it except
for me?”

Well, so much for trying to stop the deluge from coming.

Cameron stays silent. Suddenly, both twins, plus Callie, are
riveted on what’s unfolding around us. Me? For the zillionth time in my life, I
wish I could rewind time.

“Plus,” Will grinds out, “you also conveniently forgot to
tell me that I have a godmother?” He shoves tight fists under his arms. “Do I
have a godfather, too?”

Cameron sighs. “Son—”

“Yes.” Astrid’s regained some of her composure, even though
her hands are full on shaking now. “Callie, darling, I didn’t mean to hide this
from you—”

Callie’s off the couch now, too. “Hide
what
? What is
going on here?” She looks at me. “I thought—this is Chloe’s homecoming! We’re
here because of her! Because—and now, there’s—WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

“Astrid, I really don’t think this is the time,” Cameron
says, which only infuriates Will further. He fills his shot glass again and
downs it in one gulp.

“We have nothing to hide.” Although her voice is unsteady,
it’s clear Astrid is feeling more than a bit defiant. “I’ve . . .” Her spine
straightens. “I’ve missed you, Cam. And I’m tired of keeping all this in. It’s
finally time to let it go.”

“Fuck. Me,” Will groans, grabbing the tequila. I toss out a
quiet warning of, “No more,” but he throws my hand off. “Luckily for me,” he
says, glaring now at his father, “I hold my liquor loads better than you,
Chloe. It must be the Scottish in me, unless, that’s been a lie, too.” He chugs
the shot. “And as much as I’d like to get plastered so I can erase all of this
shite, I highly doubt we’ll be doing a replay of your stint in the hospital.”

Both Jonah and Kellan’s eyebrows shoot high. Heat rushes my
cheeks. I so did not need that crack right now.

“William,” Cameron warns, his voice sharp. I’m hoping he’s
referring to both Will’s crack and the drinking. In either case, Will pours
himself another shot anyway, ignoring us both. I attempt to wrestle the bottle
of tequila away, but the look he gives me stops me dead in my tracks.

I remind myself he’s hurting, that his world has been turned
upside down, so I try a new tactic. “I’m not cleaning up after you,” I whisper
harshly when he downs the next shot.

“Yes you will. You’ll remember how I did the same for you
when you spewed all over my truck.”

I CANNOT EVEN. I refuse to look over to where Jonah and
Kellan are. The silent questions will be far too humiliating. Instead, I snatch
the bottle away for good this time and lean in, hissing under my breath, “I
know you’re upset, but Will—please!”

He closes his eyes and bites his lip hard, like he’s
centering himself, which has to be hard with all that tequila. And then, eyes
once more open and the anger thankfully gone off his face, Will motions to
where Callie and Astrid are. “Enough about our drinking ailments. I believe
this woman here was about to also blow the lid off of her personal
Parents
Hide Shite From Their Kids
box. It’s apparently an epidemic. Please feel
free to proceed.”

Well, I suppose bitter sarcasm is far better than blatant
anger.

Callie stares at Will like he’s lost his mind. I think she
might be right.

“Astrid, you don’t need to do this,” Cameron says, but
Astrid shakes her head.

“No. He’s right. I’ve . . .” Steely resolve flashes in the
lavender of her gorgeous eyes. “Callie, your biological father was William’s
godfather. Molly and I grew up with Ben—that was his name.”

Gorgeous, unshakable Callie Lotus’s mouth drops open and
stays that way.

“When your parents died, I took you in.” Astrid’s smile is
tight, ready to shatter at the smallest word. “Technically, I was your
godmother, too. You were Ben’s little girl; I could never turn my back on you.”

Callie’s mouth snaps shuts and then reopens. And then shuts
again, before she says, “Were you having an affair with my dad?”

“No.” Her answer is firm. “Ben was my friend. He and
Molly—they were like my brother and sister.”

Now Callie is shaking. “You told me you didn’t personally
know my parents! That you just knew
of
them!”

“I know,” Astrid murmurs. “I’m sorry. I just . . . I thought
it would be better. Molly and I knew the difficulties your parents had been
going through, so we . . . we thought, in an effort to stave off the problems
already associated with your birth, this was the best.”

Callie stares at her mother for a long moment. Then she
stomps over to where I’m clutching the tequila and yanks it straight out of my
hand. Will oh-so-helpfully passes her my shot glass from the table. She waves
it off and chugs directly from the bottle.

Oh. My. Gods. I’m standing next to a track in which two
trains are heading straight at each other going full steam and the weirdest
thing of all is that, for once, I’m not one of said trains.

“Let me guess,” Will sneers, swinging the shot glass in
between Cameron and Astrid. “You two are the ones who had an affair.”

And the unthinkable happens. Silence is his answer.

This is not happening. This is not—

“Are you bloody serious?!” he growls when the rest of us
can’t seem to pick our jaws up off the floor. His anger reemerges with a
vengeance. “You cheated on my
mum
?”

“No.” Cameron takes a step closer to where Will and I are
standing. “Astrid and I were over before your mother and I got together.”

Holy effing hell. I SO did not see that one coming.

Neither did Callie or Will, who are staring at their parents
like they’re strangers. And, honestly, I don’t blame them one iota.

Finally, voice close to cracking—“This is shite, Dad.”

Cameron nods slowly. “I know you’re angry, son—”

“Angry doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel,” Will spits
back. To me, he says, “Can you believe this? Who the fuck are these people,
Chloe? Why are they here?”

“They’re . . .” I try to swallow the lump in my throat, but
it’s way too big.

“I’m Jonah and Kellan’s mother,” Astrid supplies, “And
Callie and I are here because we wanted to welcome Chloe home and let her know
we missed her and love her.”

“Their
mother
?” Cameron asks quietly. He’s shocked.
And . . . angry?

“They’re not biologically mine.” There’s anguish on her
face. “But they’re mine all the same.” She pauses. “They’re Lucia’s boys.”

Hold on. Cameron not only knows (and I guess dated?) Astrid,
but knew the twins’ mom? I need a notepad to keep track of all of this.

“And Ewan?” he asks, and now, Kellan and Jonah wade into our
complex circle that’s been intertwined for a long time without anyone knowing
it. My fingers itch to touch Jonah when he comes closer, but he and Kellan
position themselves across from where I’m standing with Will and Callie.

“He’s here in Annar,” Astrid is saying while Kellan asks
just how Cameron knows their dad. And my eyes meet Jonah’s once more, but there
isn’t a question there. Just sadness.

Cameron sighs. “Molly and I lived in Annar for a very brief
time when we first were married. She knew your parents, and I through her.”

A pair of tears trickles down Astrid’s cheeks. She hastily
wipes them away. “Now, you. How did you come to be here with Chloe? Because
Cameron, this is . . .” She chuckles quietly. “Talk about a small world.”

Kellan gives me a look that basically says:
now
that’s
an excellent question
. When he turns and looks at Jonah, I immediately know
they’re talking their way. And as much as I used to complain about them doing
it for years, now I find this action comforting.

I’ve missed them both so much.

I take a deep breath, trying to recall all the words I’ve
practiced for hours, but Cameron beats me to the punch. “It’s ironic, isn’t it?
You, taking in Ben and Lucia’s children—knowing they’re your family, even
though your blood doesn’t run through their veins? It’s the same with this hen
here.” His arm drops across my shoulders, and despite everything that’s just
gone down, love for this man fills me up. “She’s my girl. She’s our family. It
was clear from day one that she needed us and we needed her. And we’re here to
give her the support she deserves as well as give Will a go at getting to know
his mum’s past.”

I sniffle and loop my arms around him into a hug. What I see
in Jonah’s eyes now:
I did NOT see that one coming
. Kellan’s expression
is identical.

“She’s a Dane,” Will says quietly, but there’s a smirk
playing across his lips. “A mix-up in the hospital or something. Look. Our hair
even matches.” He leans in. Thank the gods, he’s joking. This is a good sign.
“Oh, wait. Are your roots . . . dark?”

I smack his hand away and laugh. And he laughs that
wonderful laugh of his, and suddenly, things don’t seem so dire at all. And
that’s how Karl finds us when he comes into the room, me and the Dane boys
laughing, Astrid, too, in a quiet way, with everyone else wondering if they’ve
stepped through the portal to Crazy Town.

“I knocked,” Karl says. He’s confused and concerned at the
same time. “But there was no answer. I almost left, but I heard voices, so . .
.”

“No worries, man,” Will says. He and Karl knock elbows, and
now there’s another question from both twins:
they know each other?
“You’re always welcome to barge right in, mate. Except, you may want to turn
around and leave, as we’ve currently found ourselves in the midst of parental
secrets and lies and general incestuousness. Chances are, one of these stellar,
so-called upstanding parents here might have actually either: a) sired you, b)
had an affair with one of your parents, or c) claimed you as their own.”

I’d best describe Karl as an owl at the moment.

“Will,” Cameron sighs. “Enough. Karl, we didn’t expect you
until later tonight.”

Karl greets Cameron, holding up an envelope that must surely
be from Zthane. And then he looks to me, concern filling those hazel eyes of
his. “Do I even want to know?”

“Why are you here, Karl?” It’s the first time Jonah’s spoken
since coming into the apartment. I want to bottle his words so I can listen to
them all the time, especially since I’m pretty sure, the moment he and I
finally get to talk, he’s the one who’s going to want to run away, screaming,
because this here? It’s a hot mess.

“Right.” He clears his throat uncomfortably. “Zthane has
sent the paperwork we discussed last night, Chloe.” He hands the manila
envelope to me. “He’s also requesting a meeting with you and Will as soon as
possible. He, uh . . . we need to discuss some . . .” He glances quickly at
Jonah and then back at me. “Obviously, there are key matters we need to discuss
in more detail.”

This so does not sit well with either twin, both of whom
loathe being kept out of the loop.

Will must see how this stresses me out, because he says
lightly, “I refuse to give up my pancake recipe. Zthane will just have to do
without.” And then, “Honestly, mate. You know we laid ourselves bare last
night. You need to tell Nightstorm to back off, give us some space. We’ll do
our duty, but you know as well as we do that a bit of rest is well deserved,
especially after these last two weeks.”

Karl rubs at his hair tiredly. “I know. Zthane’s just—you
must understand that this is a game changer.”

Astrid cuts in, her voice quiet yet steady. “Is this
something the Council should know?”

“Yes,” Karl tells her. “And it’ll be brought up shortly,
just as soon as Councilwoman Lilywhite is debriefed further.”

I can’t believe this. First the bomb about Cameron and
Astrid, and now this? What else could go wrong right now? I try to keep my
frustration at bay, especially at how Karl is busting out my official title. He
knows I haven’t had time to tell Jonah and Kellan yet. There’s a smidge of pity
in his eyes, though.

“What is going on right now?” Kellan asks. “What are you
guys talking about?”

But Karl doesn’t answer him. He glances briefly at the twins
and then back to Will and me. “Can I talk to you two privately?”

It’s clear this makes both Jonah and Kellan unhappy, Astrid,
too, but Will and I reluctantly follow Karl into one of the back bedrooms. Once
the door is shut and Nell nearly knocks me over, Karl murmurs, “Things seem to
be going well.”

“Are you daft? Did you not hear anything I said back there?”
Will paces the room; it’s not a good sign. Maybe I ought to let him drink more
tequila after all.

“I assumed you were joking,” Karl says, leaning back against
the door.

Will groans. “I wish I were! To briefly recap, these people
come in, and it turns out my dad and this woman used to date, and she’s my
bloody godmother, and that girl out there is my godfather’s daughter, and my
mum and that woman were best friends. So if you think Chloe’s had her say yet,
think again. She’s been sidelined due to the insanity unfolding in my living
room. You can’t drag her away until she’s had her say. You know this, mate.”