I sat there for a good fifteen minutes, grateful that none of the lighting was in this corner of the rose garden. I was, frankly, at one of the lowest ebbs of my life and I didn’t even care that I was sitting in the dark. Let Maddock come at me. That’s all I needed. But he wouldn’t. This was the home of the Celtic Clan’s alpha — a Boyd. I’ll bet that he avoided my father at all costs.
So, I was safe from vampires. But that was the only good news.
What was I going to do about my parents? Or Mark? Or Austin? Or the mystery of who had firebombed Graystone? Or my being part vampire? Would my family disown me for being Pranic? Would Austin keep trying to kill me?
I had problems.
I really do wish I had a drink. Or ten.
Looking up I watched as two shadows walked toward me.
“Something’s wrong,” Michael said. “Can we help?”
I wanted to tell them about my mother, but I didn’t. They’d find out soon enough.
They moved to sit beside me and I scooted over on the iron bench. I really hadn't expected them to join me, but I wasn't adverse to it. After all, we were related and they hadn’t tried to kill me. Yet.
“Did you know about me?" I asked. “About us, I mean? Sandy and Austin and me?”
"Sure," Douglas said. “Especially you. Dad was always bragging about you.”
“He was?”
"Dad said that you’d always known what you wanted and went after it like an arrow.”
I didn't know what to think about first, the fact that my father had said such a thing about me, or that the twins were calling him Dad. I’d always called him Father in a formal way, but there was respect in their tone and love, as well.
"I didn't know a thing about you," I said.
“Why would you?" Michael asked. “You’re a member of the primary family. We aren’t.”
That’s something else I hadn’t known. Evidently, there was an etiquette to be followed if you were the offspring of a concubine. We just had too many damn rules in the Furry community.
"I didn't know anything about Dominique, either," I said. “I suspected I had siblings, but not who you were. I wish I'd known.”
Neither one of them said anything. They probably didn’t want to say anything critical about dear old Dad.
“What do you do?” I asked. “Are you attorneys?”
"I'm a pharmacist," Michael said. “Douglas’s an architect. Neither of us had any interest in the law.”
"You’re a vet," Douglas said.
I nodded, then realized they probably couldn’t see me. “I’m opening my own clinic,” I said, accepting their congratulations and well wishes with gratitude. They didn't seem like elitists like Dominique. Or maybe I’d just misjudged her. I’d done a lot of that recently.
I liked my new brothers. They seemed down-to-earth and charming, as well as funny.
Michael was married with a pregnant wife. I hadn’t known my father was so close to being called Grandpa.
Douglas wasn’t married yet, but he was engaged, the party announcing same to be held the week after next. Would I attend? I was so touched by the invitation that I accepted immediately and began to mentally adjust my schedule.
“I need an architect,” I said, telling Douglas about Graystone. “I’ve always wanted someone to tell me what’s what. Plus, there’s the clinic I want to build.”
We talked about some of the details and he offered to give me the names of some local people he knew.
“No,” I said. “Why not keep the work in the family?”
We must've sat and talked for at least a half-hour. For a little while I managed to forget the coming announcement my father was going to make.
Instead, the three of us became children again, sharing stories of our father, lessons we learned growing up, and how each of us had rebelled in our individual ways. I was gratified to learn that as perfect as they appeared, the twins were anything but. Hamish had even threatened to send them to TMI, something that he’d never had to do to Austin. What a pity. It might've done him some good.
But if they had ended up going to Texas Military Institute here in San Antonio we might have met earlier. What would my life have been like with two extra brothers? I found myself regretting that I hadn't had the opportunity to find out.
"Torrance.”
I looked up to see Austin standing there, the very last person I wanted to see. I didn't respond to him. I didn't stand and go to him. I just sat there. If he wanted to talk to me, he could cross the garden. I wasn't his handmaiden. Or his slave.
I wasn't the least surprised when he turned and went back into the house.
"What was that all about?" Michael asked.
“Have you met Austin?”
Douglas nodded.
“That’s just Austin being Austin,” I said.
Thankfully, they dropped the subject.
A few minutes later, their mother appeared on the path, summoning us all into the family room. Evidently, that's what Austin had been sent to do, but he couldn't manage to be pleasant for more than thirty seconds at a time.
Austin had always been the princeling, the one person who could get away with almost anything in our clan with the simple explanation of, “That's Austin." Or: “He's Austin Boyd, the only son of the alpha.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how Austin felt now, knowing that he wasn’t the only heir. Was that the reason he hadn’t approached us? Not because he couldn’t bear to be in my company — and the feeling was mutual — but because our new brothers threatened his position of scion?
I didn’t doubt for a minute that our father had financed their educations just like he’d paid for all of Austin’s. Now I couldn’t help but wonder if Hamish had bought into their respective companies. Probably.
My new brothers stood and waited for me. I didn't want to go into the family room. I wanted to stay in the garden or failing that, get in my car and go home. I didn’t want to see my mother. I especially didn’t want to hear the announcement that my parents were divorcing. Or that my father was choosing one of his concubines for his new wife.
Maybe I could amp up my hearing spell so that I couldn’t hear anything at all.