Addison sat across from Luke and Lia, staring at the letter resting on her lap.
“I ... umm ... don’t know where to begin,” Addison said. “So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours, I haven’t even processed it all yet.”
“Is this about Sara Belle?” Lia asked.
“In a way.”
Addison relayed the recent events, starting with her meeting with Briggs and ending with the visit to her father’s house hours earlier.
“Wait a minute,” Lia said. “Your dad’s not your real father? I can’t believe it.”
“I can’t either,” Luke said. “I never would have suspected.”
“I’ve spent all these years thinking I looked like him,” Addison said. “Crazy, right?”
“No matter what’s happened, I know he loves you,” Luke said. “Have you opened the letter yet?”
Addison shook her head. “I have no idea what to expect. He’s a man I’ve called dad all my life who isn’t my biological father, and I have a different father and a brother I’ve never met. I’m not sure I can handle any more surprises. I might implode.”
“We’re here with you,” Lia said. “Whatever is in the letter, we’ll get through it together.”
“She’s right,” Luke said. “You’re not alone, Addison, and you never will be.”
“Thank you,” Addison said. “I’m grateful for both of you.”
Lia rubbed her hands together. “All right, well, we’re ready when you are.”
Addison unfolded the letter and read aloud.
Addison,
If you’re reading this now, it means I am no longer with you. It also means you have been told of your brother, and of your other father, and there’s a good chance you’ve become aware of who you are. It’s true. You do have a brother. His name is Corbin. Right now, I imagine you’re angry with me, and I expect you’re hurting to such a degree I can only imagine. You think I kept him from you, and the truth is, I did. Not because I wanted to, but because making you aware of your father and your brother won’t change the series of events from occurring the way they did. Please know every decision I have made was with the best of intentions. It has always been my utmost desire to protect you from the unknown, from things even I don’t understand. I hope you find it in yourself to forgive your father, Bill, the one who raised you. He stayed silent out of honor and respect for me, even though he didn’t agree with my decision.
Before I met Bill, I fell in what I thought was love with another man. Looking back now, I can’t say what it was, or whether he tricked me into falling for him in order to further his own agenda, which was to produce an heir who would benefit from our combined abilities. His name was Sam, which I later learned was short for his real name, Samael. At first, I wasn’t aware of who he was or of his intentions. I’d never met anyone apart from our own ancestors who possessed the abilities we have, you see. It came as a shock to learn not only were there others like us in the world, the circle once included men, too. Samael not only possessed similar abilities to ours, his seemed far more superior in some ways, like he’d had many more years to practice.
When I became pregnant, I learned of Samael’s true nature. He showed me who he really was, a sorcerer who knew I was gifted, even though I had forsaken my powers and hadn’t put them to use since I was a teenager. When I think on it now, I wonder if I made a horrible mistake when I turned away from my birthright. Maybe if I hadn’t, I would have seen him for who he was before it was too late.
When Samael learned we were to have twins, he was elated. He assumed we’d marry and raise the children together. I had no such desire at the time. I was young and independent. I wasn’t interested in being married then. I expressed this to him, inciting a wrath of anger and contempt. He wanted our children to be the most powerful entities to have ever lived. I wanted the opposite. I wanted the two of you to be normal children with normal lives.
I convinced myself everything would be all right, and when you and Corbin arrived, I assumed I could find a way to flee, to rid myself of Samael forever. To do this, I needed help. I couldn’t stop him on my own. I was weak and out of practice. I decided my best option was to confide in your grandmother. I told her everything and begged for her help, knowing she would find a way out of my predicament. What followed is the reason you and she were estranged.
Your grandmother wanted me to play nice at first and wait out the pregnancy. Once the babies were born, she had a plan to save the three of us. She never told me her exact intentions; she just asked me to trust her. Several months later, the two of you were born. The day we arrived home, your grandmother said I looked tired and suggested I get some sleep. She offered to watch the two of you while I did. I woke a few hours later, finding you in your crib, but not your brother. I searched for him and discovered he was gone. While I slept, your grandmother made a deal with Samael. He could take the boy if he left the girl. He was to leave for good, and neither of them were to ever return again. I didn’t want to believe it at first. I couldn’t fathom how my own mother could betray me. But she did, and Samael got part of what he wanted, at least one child to raise the way he saw fit. He accepted the deal, and my sweet Corbin was gone forever.
I spent many years of my life in search of him after they disappeared, even though I always knew I’d never find him. I never did. Once they were gone, your grandmother had cast two protection spells using a book she referred to as the book of enchantments. One spell was to shield me from finding my son, and the second kept him and his father from finding the two of us.
I wish I could see you now to apologize. I’m sorry you had to find out this way, and I’m certain now that you know of their existence, you’ll want to seek them out, to make them part of your life, as I did in the beginning. As you got older, I considered what might have happened had I found your brother. I have no idea how he was raised, who he is, or what he is capable of doing. There was good in his father, but there was also evil. Whichever road you choose to go down now, use caution. Think of yourself and of your own family, if you have one. And always remember how much I love you.
—All my love, Mom
Addison folded the letter in half and set it on the coffee table. She leaned forward, burying her head in her hands. Luke knelt beside her and draped a hand around her neck. He didn’t speak, and neither did Lia. They waited, giving Addison the time she needed.
“Just when I think I know who I am, I realize I know nothing,” Addison said.
“You know yourself, Addison,” Luke said. “You know who you are—a caring, compassionate person. You’re the same woman today that you were yesterday. The letter only adds more transparency.”
“I have two different types of energy flowing through me, not one,” Addison said. “Joan knew. She said I had to make a choice.”
“What choice do you need to make?” Lia asked.
“When I place the stone into the book of enchantments, I believe I’ll find out.”
Addison leaned back. She stared at the clock on the wall, watched the seconds pass by.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Moments gone.
Stolen moments.
Moments she’d never get back.
“I should be mad at Marjorie,” Addison said, “but I’m not. I don’t know whether my grandmother was right or wrong to do what she did. It’s possible she knew who Samael was—who he really was. Maybe she was protecting us. I can’t see her doing what she did otherwise. All I know is, I’m tired of everyone’s protection. This is my life, and I can make my own decisions. I’ll live my life on my own terms.”