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“I see that. Welcome home. We have guests. Come meet Maerlin.”
Taking his hand, Ash pulled him over to the goddess, bursting with eagerness to introduce her mate. “Maerlin, this is Luca. He’s just returned from revealing the supernatural world and moving us into Earth’s Magic Age.”
Luca offered a warm, respectful smile, but he did not bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Maerlin. I’ve heard so much about you.”
She scoffed. “All lies, I’m sure.”
“They’re not!” Benji called as he scribbled notes on a napkin, cursing his decision to leave his bag in the library. “I have eyewitness accounts.”
Maerlin sent him a look of mock disapproval. “Oh, hush, owl. I’m trying to be humble.”
Luca tried and failed to hold back a snort. “He has studied you obsessively for centuries. Benji is a walking encyclopedia of Maerlin lore. You can’t pull off humility with him around. Might as well find a way to adapt. We need him.”
Maerlin knew about and liked the owl shifters, and Benji’s presence here meant they were concerned about the rift, too. She made a mental note to talk to him when there was time. For now, she had to tell Ash many things.
“I suppose I’ll have to get used to it, then,” Maerlin replied. “Ash, I need to tell you some difficult things. Now that your mate is here, can we talk?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Therian Palace, Friday, January 18, 2013, Afternoon
In addition to the large dining table, the room featured several seating areas, and Ash pulled Maerlin to a sofa. The others gathered around to listen. The goddess took a deep breath and looked at her daughter with the abundant love she’d carried for all these years. “I don’t know how to start.”
Ash smiled. “I can’t even imagine. Let me tell you what I know, and you can fill in the holes.” Maerlin nodded. “I know that the Therians consider you a goddess. You are immortal but occasionally live as a human and possess incredible magic. You worked as a human fertility doctor when you met my parents and became close friends. I guessed that science wasn’t enough to get them pregnant with me, so you threw in some magic. Where have you been all my life? Why did you leave?”
Maerlin sighed. “You’re right, in a way. Melinda and Brian are your parents, but I did use my magic to give them the spark of life and ensure you would survive to birth. In a very real way, you have three parents, especially now that the seal is broken.”
She paused. “I’m getting ahead of myself. I was there for the first two years of your life. You were the most adorable baby, but you added a whole new dimension to the ‘Terrible Twos.’ It became evident that your supernatural heritage came with a limitless well of magic. You can’t imagine how dangerous it is to have a tired toddler who can level a city block—or a continent—during a tantrum when she doesn’t want to nap. That was when I knew my presence was making it worse. I had to block your powers to make you more human and bind them to your soul until you were ready for that responsibility.
“What do you mean ‘more human?’” Ash asked warily.
Maerlin took a deep breath. “You’re not my first child, and our powers don’t always lead to happy endings.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask. That means I have…I guess we’ll call them siblings?”
Maerlin nodded, looking hesitant. “You studied history, right? I assume you’re familiar with the Greek pantheon?”
The color drained from Ash’s face. “The whole thing?”
Maerlin smiled and shook her head. “Oh, goodness, no.” Ash started to relax, but she finished, “Only the original twelve are your siblings.”
“Fucking fuck!”
“Third-siblings, if that’s a thing,” Maerlin added sheepishly.
That was too much for Ash. She couldn’t stop thinking about the other implications of being Maerlin’s daughter. “I don’t have the brain power to process Zeus being my older brother right now. Why don’t you tell me about the seal?”
“If I had stayed, the magic would have gotten stronger, and I couldn’t risk it. I loved you all far too much. Before I went, I had to take the memories of the magic from you and your parents, or the block wouldn’t have held.”
“You took our memories?” Melinda asked, looking upset.
Maerlin turned a pleading look toward her friend. “Please understand that I didn’t have a choice. I had to do it to protect you.”
Melinda and Brian locked gazes, engaging in another of their silent conversations. “I understand why, and I’m not mad. Can we have those memories back now?”
Maerlin nodded. “Of course.” She leaned forward and touched the fingers of her right hand to their foreheads in turn.
Like someone had turned on a video montage, Ash saw the lost memories tied to Maerlin and magic play in her head. So many moments from countless days. Experiencing those memories through the filter of her adult mind, Ash couldn’t deny the love and concern that poured from her other mother. The most detailed memory featured Maerlin babysitting on the Mosiers’ anniversary. She’d taken the toddler for ice cream and spent the rest of the night trying to keep up with the sugar rush and cover the traces of magic as a giggling baby Ash flew around the house, turned the couch to cotton candy, conjured a toy from the television, and transformed her bedroom into Candyland. When Brian and Melinda got home, the house looked normal, and Ash was asleep, looking as innocent as an angel. The exhausted and disheveled Maerlin looked like she’d been hit by a hurricane.
