AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Zane steps aside a mere second before Landon’s fist connects with Raymond’s cheek.
Teak once again rushes over, but Raymond lifts a hand to stop him. He spits out a glob of blood and manages a weak chuckle. “I deserved that,” he admits.
“Well, since you agree…” Dom murmurs before he, too, punches Raymond in the face.
“Motherfucker!” Raymond’s eye has already begun to swell, and his cheek is a bright cranberry red.
“Who is she?” I hiss, my own hand clenching and unclenching in my lap. The need to punch him myself is nearly overwhelming.
“Ellie…”
“Who the fuck is she?” I demand, rage weaving itself into my voice, turning each word glacial and curt.
“I didn’t want you to know the truth.” Raymond clutches at his gushing nose. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Know the truth about what?”
“The Divine One. It’s… She’s…” His eyes squeeze shut before reopening and focusing on my face. “She’s your mother.”
32
ELLIE
Raymond’s confession is shocking enough for even Zane to drop the knife he’s holding, the blade falling away from Raymond’s neck.
“I…what? No. That’s impossible. My mother is dead.”
She died when I was only twelve years old, in a car accident with my dad. I saw her body. Went to her funeral. Buried her.
“That’s a sick fucking joke, Raymond,” Landon growls, his lip curling.
“Yes, your mother is dead,” Raymond tells me, swallowing. “But your bio mother is still alive, and she’s the leader of the Paragons of Prosperity.”
“What? No! You’re lying!” The whole world seems to disappear around me, becoming hazy and indistinct. My breathing is a ragged sound, distant through the sudden thrumming in my ears, the noise reminiscent of war drums.
“I wish I was, Ellie.”
“Are you telling me they adopted me? I look exactly like my father.” Tears of indignation and rage fill my eyes.
How dare he spew such ridiculous, absurd crap? How fucking dare he?
“You’re not adopted.” Raymond squeezes his eyelids shut, as if he’s desperately trying to find the words to explain, while I gape at him.
“My father wouldn’t cheat on my mother.” He loved her too much.
My stomach spasms, trying desperately to empty itself on the floor, and Ryker rubs a soothing hand up and down my back.
Raymond waits until I’m done dry retching to explain further, his tone uncharacteristically subdued and his eyes haunted.
“I need to start at the beginning of the story. But I need you to listen and not interrupt.”
Landon’s jaw clenches, the muscle inside of it tick-tick-ticking like the hand of a tiny clock, before he nods and sits on the seat Beckett vacated. Zane reluctantly sits down as well, though I notice he’s still gripping his dagger tightly, as if preparing himself to use it. Dom remains standing.
Raymond nods, satisfied to see we’re taking him seriously, before blowing out a breath. “All right, so…” He turns toward me and licks his lower lip anxiously. “You already know that your parents were once members of the Paragons of Prosperity. Your dad was their tech guru?—”
“Dad could barely work his phone,” I whisper. “He wouldn’t?—”
“Your parents tried to protect you the best they could,” Raymond tells me gently. “And that meant changing some aspects of their lives.”
