“Try sixty-seven,” Ethim corrected.
“Sixty-seven?” I stared at her in shock. “I know Ethim’s older than dirt, but you’re human. Like me.”
“Ah, actually no. I mean, yes, I’m human. But I’m also a little bit more. My psychic ability enabled me to bond with Foreia for some time. We age much more slowly here than at home, and your father put a spell or two on me. I might have lied about my age.”
“And about what else?” Jonas prodded.
Mom glared. “Shut up, Jonas. If you hadn’t interfered all those years ago, this would never have happened in the first place.”
“Me?”
“Oh, come on, Mandy,” Ethim interrupted. “Shara was Jonas’ pledge sister. It wasn’t his fault she grew enamored.”
“Everyone, just stop.” I glared them all into silence. “Ever since I can remember, you two” — I nodded to my parents — “have spent as little time as possible together. Ethim would visit for brief periods of time, run roughshod over Mom, bribe her with presents and, heaven help me, sex, then disappear.”
I turned to my mother. “You told me to ignore his absences and focus on the special times he and I spent together. Well, I hated it.” Fury burst forth, anger I hadn’t realized I’d carried for so long that refused to be contained. I read the shock on my parents’ faces, the odd satisfaction on Jonas’, but couldn’t stop.
“I hated how easily Mom fell in line with whatever you wanted, time and time again. I hated when you visited, Dad. Because, for a short time, we were a real family. But all your magic tricks and presents couldn’t disguise the fact you had another life, one more important than that of your wife and daughter.”
Ethim drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Now, wait a minute.”
“And you, Mom.” I was on a roll. “You let him walk all over you. What about me? What about what I needed? You never asked him to come to my soccer games, my band concerts, my school nights. You covered up for him and refused to answer my questions. You think I didn’t sense your bitterness whenever the word ‘Djinn’ came up? Who do you think taught me to hate the Djinn so much? We’re human, they’re not.”
“Thanks a lot,” Jonas muttered, wincing at the anger I turned on him.
“And don’t think you’re out of this. I might have been somewhat normal if you hadn’t always shown up teaching me things Mom told me not to pay any attention to. It’s not normal for a kid to play with shadows. Real shadows, Mom. Jonas used to make them separate from the wall to play while teaching me about Foreia and Aelle.”
“Jonas.” Amanda looked shell-shocked.
Jonas squirmed. “Well, hell, Mandy. The girl’s got so much Djinn magic in her it’s a wonder she didn’t send herself to Foreia by accident at least once in her childhood.”
I kept quiet, not wanting to disturb the mood now that I’d shaken them all. No need to mention I’d accidentally transported myself there several times as a youth. Though at the time, I’d convinced myself I’d been dreaming. But after today’s visit, I knew I’d been much more than awake.
“And Ethim,” Jonas continued, “you should have explained things to her, like I told you to, instead of leaving everything in Mandy’s lap. Mandy was in no frame of mind to talk to her baby girl, not after what she thought she saw. It’s no wonder she was pissed, catching you and Shara, ah…” He glanced at me then sighed. “Mandy, tell her all of it.”
My mother bit her lip, and tears pooled in her eyes. “Don’t hate me, Ellie. It was such a long time ago. You can’t know what it’s like to be so in love with someone, to be so vulnerable and scared of the future. Imagine how much harder it would be to find yourself in love with a king from another world, and you’re just a lowly nobody.”
“Mandy,” my father said softly, reaching over to hold me mother’s hand. “You know you’re worth more than ten of me, any day of the week.”
I was coming to understand more than my mom thought I would.
She smiled at him through tears. “I was young and foolish. All sad stories start that way, don’t they? The plain fact of the matter is that I didn’t trust myself and therefore couldn’t trust you.” She turned to me. “I found him kissing some stupid Djinn woman years ago and refused to listen to his explanation. It didn’t help that she insisted she’d seduced him, even told me all about his prowess in bed and, ah, a ton of other details that made it hard to believe in his innocence.”
“Mandy! You never told me that!” Ethim looked shocked.
“I didn’t want to go into it again. I’d felt so stupid to fall in love with you, a man with so much talent and ability far beyond me.”
“Mom.” I couldn’t help reaching out. “There’s nothing that’s beyond you. I mean, you can read minds.”
“You stole my heart.” Ethim placed a kiss on her hand, clutching her fist in his.
My mom sniffled, smiling tremulously. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I wanted us to be a real family, but I was so hurt by your father, by what I thought he’d done. I left Foreia and vowed never to take you there until you were old enough to make your own decisions.”
I raised a brow. “Mom, I’m twenty-eight. Exactly how old was I supposed to be before you told me all this?”
She blushed. “I know, I know. It’s just that you seemed so happy in Seattle. You had a promising future, almost a Master’s degree. And you were so popular. So pretty and smart and safe.”
“I think I understand, Mom. But that still doesn’t explain why he couldn’t have shown up more than once or twice a year.” I couldn’t help the resentment still lingering deep inside.
