Secret Of The Rose (Legacy Of Magick Series, Book 2) (16 page)

The silence in the kitchen was deafening. The police team continued their work in the rest of the house, but it was like the four of us were completely alone. Gwen sat and mutely stared at that name on the family tree, so I continued on. I
had
to know.

“I’m asking you Gwen, to tell me the truth. No more secrets. What happened to my half-brother? Do you know who adopted him? And if so, where can I find him?”

Gwen cleared her throat. “Autumn, you have to understand—”

“No,” I cut her off. “No. I don’t
have
to do anything.

“When the baby was born, your father was completely unprepared and incapable of caring for him.” Gwen shut the book and met my eyes. “He tried at first, but Arthur was very spoiled and selfish as a young man. Your grandparents always gave into him, and eventually your father turned over the raising of his son to the person who had cared for and loved that baby from the moment he came home from the hospital.”

“Give me a name,” I said, and didn’t care that my voice was flat, and angry. “I want to know who adopted him, and where my brother is.”

“He’s right here,” Bran said.

I whipped my head up. “Don’t cover for your mom, Bran. I am sick to death of the lies and secrets that come with being a part of this family.”

“I suppose you are.” Bran crossed his arms over his chest.

Alarm bells started to sound in my mind. Between his stance, and the look on his face, my stomach dropped.
What are you holding back, Bran?
I stared him down. “What the hell do you mean?”

“It’s me,” Bran said. “Arthur Bishop and Winifred Sutherland were my biological parents.”

I tried to say something. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My chest heaved up and down from the force of holding in a huge feeling of betrayal.
How could they do this? Why would they all lie to me?
I felt Duncan’s fingers squeeze down on my shoulder and I blindly reached up and covered his hand with mine.

Bran mirrored that move, placing his hand protectively on Gwen’s shoulder. “
This
is the only mother I have ever known,” he said.

I sat there, silently staring at Bran, as the pieces started to click together.
The way I could link psychically with Bran. I’d read his memories and he’d scanned mine, again so easily. I could send him visual images over distances... and I’d thought it was from the blood bond of being cousins, when actually it was because we were siblings!

“God,” I finally said. “That day Thomas Drake used magick on me in the university library, those snide comments Drake had made about mine and Brans’
close
personal connections... He knew.” I felt like I was going to be sick. My stomach clutched as I worked through the facts.

Duncan squeezed his fingers on my shoulder, silently letting me know he was there to support me.

“How could I have missed it?” I whispered to myself. “Why didn’t I see the truth?” I thought back to the first time I’d heard Bran laugh, and how it had reminded me of my father. And finally, the comment he’d made when my own mother had turned her back on me... What had he said?
I know only too well how much it hurts to be rejected by a parent.

Gwen cleared her throat to get my attention. “I went from being Bran’s legal guardian to officially adopting him, after your father gave up all of his parental rights.” She tried to explain.

“When did you officially adopt Bran?” Duncan asked her, before I could.

“Twenty two years ago, shortly after my parents died, and Arthur left town with Autumn and her mother,” Gwen said.

“So my mother knew about you?” I asked Bran, still trying to process this revelation.

“Yes, but she wanted nothing to do with me. Even when I was a child, she hated me. It was the magick.” Bran stepped away to pace the kitchen floor. “Your mother was always terrified of the legacy of magick.”

After all of the lies and secrets, I knew the truth when I heard it. My mother despising her husband’s illegitimate child didn’t surprise me at all. It actually fit her right down to the ground. Another thought occurred to me. “Do Ivy and Holly know?” I asked Gwen.

“That Bran is adopted? No, they don’t.” She shook her head.

“You’re going to have to tell them now. Because I gotta tell ya, accidentally discovering your parents knowingly lied to you about your sibling hurts incredibly bad. And that is not something I would wish on those girls. So, if you don’t tell them immediately, I will,” I stated.

Gwen nodded at me, and crossed her arms over her chest.

I forced myself to look Bran directly in the eye. “No wonder you hated me when I first came here to live,” I managed after a moment.
God, he was my brother!

“I was jealous,” Bran admitted. “Jealous that our father chose you over me.”

I understood where he was coming from, but, “I want to know something before we discuss anything else,” I said to Bran.

“Yes?”

I stood up and walked over to face him. “If I hadn’t found out on my own, would you have continued to lie to me?”

“Yes, I would have,” Bran sighed.

“Then I feel totally justified in doing this.”

“Doing what?” Bran frowned at me.

“This,” I said, and punched him right in the nose.

CHAPTER TEN

I only got a single punch in, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. It took Duncan and one of the police officers in the house to keep me from hitting Bran more than once.

When all was said and done, Bran’s nose had bled all over his nice button down shirt and a little blood had managed to splatter on the kitchen floor. Gwen was horrified at my outburst, and Duncan carted me out of the manor promising not to bring me back until I had cooled off.

A policeman asked Bran if he wanted to press charges, and I heard a couple other officers chuckle as Duncan hauled me out while I shouted curses at my
brother
. Duncan stuffed me back in my truck, shoved my bag at me, and backed out of the driveway. I made it half way down the block before tears of frustration began to fall.

“First to find out there had been a baby— that I thought had died. And I
mourned
for him. That was horrible enough...” I said.

“Breathe,” Duncan suggested as he drove capably down the dark neighborhood streets.

“Then I had that little bit of hope from Mr. Sutherland. The hope that my brother was alive and out there somewhere... only to find out that it’s
Bran
.”

“I think he was shocked that you figured it out. Autumn, he lost his temper too. You two are more alike than you realize,” Duncan said.

“Insulting me is
not
helping right now!” I fumed at him, and the dashboard lights flickered.

“Pull that anger back, before you fry the electronic systems in the truck,” Duncan suggested.

“Well damn it I
am
angry!” I glared out the windshield, and saw two street lamps flicker and blow out. I squeaked, as a shower of sparks spilled onto the hood of the truck.

“I know you’re pissed, but reign that shit in!” Duncan snapped.

Duncan was right. I
had
to calm myself down. I stared up at the waning moon overhead, searched for my center of energy and worked hard at evening out my breathing and slowing my heart rate.

“Better?” Duncan asked after a few moments.

“Yeah.” I blew out a long breath and told myself to try and let the rest of my anger go. We drove along and no other street lamps flickered. Everything seemed almost normal. “The picture that is being painted of my father...” I said to Duncan working to keep my voice even. “I tried to convince myself that he was noble; binding my powers, keeping the legacy of magick a secret. But knowing that he basically
abandoned
his own child makes me angry and a little sick.”

“I think there is someone who might be able to give you an honest perspective on your father,” Duncan said as he parked.

“Who?” I asked.

“My mother.”

***    

Rebecca Drake-Quinn arrived at Duncan’s little guesthouse right before sunrise. He opened the door for his mother and kissed her cheek. She smiled up at him, and when she walked in the room I was surprised to see her dressed in black yoga pants and a light blue and black matching jacket. I’d never seen her dressed so casually before.

Rebecca came straight over and sat beside me on the big sectional sofa. “How can I help you?” she said.

“You can tell me about my father. What you remember, about when my brother was born, and what sort of man my father
really
was.”

Rebecca reached out for my hand and held it. “I first met Arthur when I was dating my husband, David, back in college.” She smiled at the memory. “Arthur and David had been friends all through school. They were even roommates together in college at the fraternity house. It was Arthur that introduced David to magick. While David didn’t have any aptitude for the Craft, he appreciated it, and loved the history behind it.”

“Maybe that helped him accept the Drake’s magickal legacy.” Duncan seemed to consider that. He sat beside me on the sofa, and I leaned into him while listening to Rebecca.

“Which is why— when Arthur came to him about finding the Blood Moon Grimoire, David wanted to help.” Rebecca explained.

“I don’t suppose it ever occurred to my father that there might be a price,” I muttered. “What was my father like when he was in college? Aunt Gwen said he was spoiled.”

“He was, to an extent. Your grandparents doted on him. Arthur had led a life of privilege as the only eligible son of the Bishop family line. From what I know, after Bran was born, and Winifred gave up her parental rights, your grandparents planned to raise the baby themselves. Your father was still in college, you see. But it was Gwen who bonded with the baby and your father left the child care mainly to his mother and sister, while he lived on campus.”

Rebecca didn’t say so, but I got an intuitive hunch that my father hadn’t been as concerned about his studies as he was his frat-boy party lifestyle. “He was too busy partying to take care of his own child?”

“Your father was very popular, and he... had plenty of female companionship.” Rebecca explained.

I thought back to Mr. Sutherland’s comment about his sister wanting to start her life over. “I’m really afraid to ask, but did he abandon Bran’s birth mother when he found out she was pregnant?” I held my breath.

“Winnie was fresh out of high school when she and your father became involved. The young women of the other magickal families pursued your father, because of who he was. And well… I’m not sure how to say this.” Rebecca grimaced.

“Say it straight out.”

“Alright, it was quite the gossip in the magickal community all those years ago. Arthur spread the rumor that she’d tried to trap him by becoming pregnant on purpose. And poor Winnie was devastated when she realized that he wouldn’t be marrying her.”

“You knew her personally.”

“Yes, I did.”

Internally, I cringed at this confirmation of my father’s character as a young man, but damned if it didn’t ring true to me. I tried to reconcile the quiet man that I’d known, the hardworking man who had let my mother run the show— to the spoiled, privileged, partying womanizer from his past.

“Rebecca, did you ever see my parents interact with Bran?” I figured out the timeline in my head. “Bran would have been around three years old when they married.”

“No, I did not. Bran and Gwen had a bond, they were inseparable. Folks in town came to think of him as Gwen’s child before long.” Rebecca sighed, and it seemed she was trying to choose her words with care. “As to Arthur leaving Bran behind... I think Arthur thought he was doing the best thing, leaving your brother with Gwen, where he would be loved.”

“You mean it would have been better for
him
,” I said, meaning my father.

“After David and your Grandparents died, the families were broken. I was mourning, and trying to protect Duncan. Your Aunt Gwen was devastated, as you can imagine. She hadn’t known about the Blood Moon Grimoire back then.” Rebecca’s tone of voice had stayed matter-of-fact while she spoke.

“I’m surprised you can even talk about this so calmly. Don’t you hold a grudge?” I asked her.

“Your father, Arthur, admitted to me that he was ashamed of what he’d done. That he hadn’t protected his parents or his friend, and had lost all of them to the curse.” Rebecca paused, and seemed to be composing herself. “A few weeks later, I’d heard he had left town.”

“He felt guilty, so he ran away,” I said realizing another truth. “He
was
a coward, after all.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Rebecca gave my hand a little squeeze.

“No, no, don’t apologize for my father.” I waved her apology off. I stood up and paced to the other side of the living room. “That day in the library, when your brother used magick on me. He told me, but I didn’t believe him.” I thought back to that day, and recalled Thomas Drake’s words...

My dear, your father ran from this town with your mother over twenty years ago. He turned his back on his legacy, his blood, and then he obviously bound your powers. Those are the actions of a coward.

“Autumn, are you okay?” Duncan asked me.

I shook my head as I thought everything over, and sat in the nearest chair. “It’s a hell of a thing to find out that my family has lied to me, in one way or another, my whole life... while the bad guy has actually been telling me the truth.”

There was a knock on the front door. Duncan went to answer it, and I saw Holly and Ivy, still in their homecoming dresses standing on the stoop. Duncan stepped back and they came in together.

“Shit!” I said. “Please tell me you didn’t walk over here by yourselves! With everything that’s happened, the manor break in and the poppets—”

“We didn’t.” Ivy stopped me.

“Cypress drove us over,” Holly said. “She’s watching Merlin for us.”

As the girls walked farther into the living room area I could see by their posture and faces that they knew. “You’ve had a talk with your mom,” I said.