“Fear mongering,” Grayson rasps from behind us.
Soraya dips her chin. “Bingo.”
“Now, back to the rumors…” I press, realizing we’ve gotten off-topic.
Soraya sighs. “Yes, well…” She clears her throat. “It was apparent that your mother was going to be the next Maiden, and a lot of people suspected that Delaney was jealous of that. Delaney couldn’t understand why her twin sister had so much more power than her.”
“Wait.” I wave my hands in the air in a desperate attempt to make her stop talking. When did this noose slip around my throat? Why can I suddenly not breathe? “They were twins?”
I knew Delaney and my mother were sisters, but I didn’t know…
Fuck.
My mother… My mother would’ve looked like Delaney, if she were still alive.
Pain slashes at my gut, and I instinctively place my hands over my stomach as if that could keep all of my internal organs where they belong. I feel sick, but I don’t know if I’m going to throw up or pass out.
A hand touches the small of my back, and another one squeezes my shoulder. I glance over first one shoulder and then the other to see Grayson and Ethan watching me carefully, their expressions radiating nothing but warmth and comfort.
Their presence gives me the courage to suck in a deep breath and focus back on Soraya, who’s watching me sympathetically.
“I’m sorry,” she says, sounding genuine. “I thought you knew.”
“Please just continue,” I rasp out.
She hesitates, gauging my expression carefully, and I can tell she’s debating whether or not to share this next piece of information with me.
“I’m okay,” I assure her, though my voice is quiet and subdued. “Just tell me.”
“Well, rumor has it that Helena’s powers weren’t the only reason Delaney was jealous.” She pauses for a moment and takes a breath. “They say that, before your mother met her husbands—your fathers—they were in a relationship with Delaney.”
“W-what?” I sputter out, staring at her in shock, unable to wrap my head around this snippet of information.
My fathers were once in a relationship withDelaney? Crazy, evil, vindictive Delaney? My goddamn aunt? I think I’m going to be sick.
“These are only rumors,” Soraya rushes to reassure me. “But people say that, at one point, Helena was in a relationship with a different man, and Delaney was in a polyamorous one with the shifters. I don’t know what happened exactly, but your fathers quickly realized that Helena was their fated mate and ended things with Delaney. Delaney was absolutely heartbroken because she loved them and saw a future with them. A part of her hated Helena for stealing them away.”
“So Helena was able to have Delaney’s perfect life,” Grayson muses softly, his scratchy voice a balm on my tattered soul despite his words.
Soraya’s frown deepens. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it. Helena first had the power, and then she had the men Delaney loved. The two sisters became estranged, but then…”
“Then a pregnant Helena ran away from her mates, had me, and committed suicide,” I whisper as an uneasy feeling slithers through my chest and coils around my heart like barbed wire. “You don’t think…?”
I can’t voice the question, can’t speak it out loud. It’s too horrible to even consider.
But Soraya doesn’t have the same qualms as I do.
“That Delaney murdered her sister and hid you from your fathers?” She bites down on her lip. “I considered it.”
“And?” I press, fear pressing in on me from every direction.
“And…I don’t know,” Soraya responds with a self-deprecating shake of her head. “I was just a child when all of this happened, but Delaney appeared devastated when she heard of your mother’s passing. And I doubt she would’ve willingly sent you off, knowing what magic you possess. She either would’ve taken you back to the covenstead to train you, or she would have killed you.”
She shoots me an apologetic smile at her blasé attitude, though I don’t blame her for being callous. I’d rather have her tell me the truth than keep things hidden from me so it won’t hurt my feelings.
“Maybe Delaney thought it would be too suspicious if she showed up with a baby who looks exactly like her,” Ethan reasons, frowning. “It’s not as if she could’ve passed the baby off as her own. Everyone would’ve known she wasn’t pregnant. She could’ve decided she didn’t want to hurt an innocent baby—her own flesh and blood—and sent Izzy away, hoping that she’ll never discover the truth about her magic and the supernatural world.”
“But what did she have to gain?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air. “It doesn’t make sense. When my mom left to be with her pack, Delaney became the Maiden. And it wasn’t as if Delaney sought out my fathers afterwards to get back with them.”
