Page 104 of Mage Massacres

“You guys suck. We need a movie night where Palmer doesn’t pick.”

I grinned as York reprimanded them. “Would you two shut up? Take your bullshit somewhere else.”

“I needed a little humor,” I confessed. “Now that I’m standing here, I’m not sure that I’m ready to face my parents.”

“We weren’t going to let you go alone,” Vaughn responded aloud, his fingers threading through mine. “You didn’t give me time to wake the mage.”

Palmer glared at my fae, then leaned over, resting his head on mine as he yawned. His hand shot out, knocking on the door, and I fought to push my sudden panic down.

“Now or never,” my mage whispered, straightening his slouched posture.

“You ass,” I mentally hissed, wanting to choke him. “I wasn’t ready.”

The door swung open. Papi gave me a strained smile as he nodded his head for us to come in. Vaughn and Palmer flanked me, all three of us halting mid-step when we saw my dad holding Raguel in a headlock. The pair froze, peering at me with wide eyes.

“Good morning, cub,” Dad sang, releasing the angel. “What are you doing here?”

I gave him a blank look, unimpressed with his nonchalance. “You know why I’m here.”

He grimaced. “Are you really mad?”

I flicked my wrist, forcing the vintage sofa in the attached sitting room to spin around. Dad tugged at his beard as I sat in the center of the yellow velvet monstrosity.

“We need to talk. No more lying. No more half-truths. The things you’re hiding from me are putting everyone I care about in danger. I’ll let you know how I feel when this conversation is over.”

I’d disliked the sunshine yellow color ever since one of Dolyn’s experiments had gone wayward and stained my skin. I didn’t hate it as much as the fluorescent yellow that Palmer had dyed my hair, but it was a close second.

Vaughn winked as my mage waved his hand over the cushions, the velvet turning a cloudy purple. It fit the decor perfectly, but it also took away my distraction.

My mates smiled, oozing with charm and fake innocence as they sat beside me. Their act was bullshit, though I was grateful for the push… And the attentiveness they were forcing me to display.

Fuck.

I really, really wasn’t ready.

“What do you want to know?” Raguel asked, stretching out on the floor across from us.

“Everything,” I replied, then wobbled my head. “And also nothing, but I’ll try to keep a clear and open mind as I listen.”

He nodded, his head drooping so that I could only see the top of his silver hair.

“You’re the fourth charm,” I affirmed, a fact that had been stuck in my head all night. I wanted to hear him say it. “The faceless man in the photos?”

“The charm on her necklace?” he clarified before answering. “Yes. Amelia has had that necklace for a century or more. I didn’t allow my face to show in the photos because it was frowned upon to mate outside my species. And like a fool, I decided to keep our love hidden. I have regretted it every day for two hundred years, but I hated myself even more for hiding it after you were born.”

“I was told she only had three mates.”

Raguel glared at Papi and Dad.

“We had to lie about you,” Papi defended. “After you left, we lost your bond too. We heard that you were causing problems around the realms, but we knew it couldn’t be you. How were we supposed to explain that to a toddler and make her understand?”

“And what about when I was older? What about now or last month or last year?” I questioned. “You didn’t think to tell me the truth at any other point in time?”

“We should have,” Dad admitted. “We should have told you the truth about Rig and Amelia and Alric, but we couldn’t find the right time.”

“Are you serious?” I laughed, bitter and humorless. “You’ve been lying to me for my entire life, and you just couldn’t find the right time to tell me?”

Anger rolled over my skin in barely contained waves of kerosene, splashing inches from the furious fire burning in my chest. Was this what I wanted to spend my energy on?