I want to go to him and tell him that I…
Well, I’m not really sure what I want to say. I’m so confused, my heart feeling as if it’s been torn in half.
When Finn tears his gaze off me, the acknowledgement that everyone is watching River and me washes over me. I’m not a fan of it, and thank god, River senses this. He puts me down and steps back, but doesn’t go far, slipping an arm around my waist.
“This is your daughter, Ellie?” the woman asks. When Ellie nods, the woman stands up and approaches me, her smile friendly. “I’m Jocelyn. I’m River and Finn’s mother.”
I don’t return her smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be missing?”
“I faked my own disappearance,” she explains. “If I hadn’t, my husband would’ve had me killed.”
“Why?” I question. “I mean, I get that your husband is a fucking lunatic, but why would he kill you?”
“Because he found out about my nearly decade-long betrayal,” she responds, glancing at Ellie. “Your mother and I, along with Aiden’s help, have been working together since you were eleven to keep your identity hidden, but a few weeks ago, my ex-husband found out about this.”
“I’m assuming at the same time he found me,” I state the obvious. “And also took Ellie.”
Ellie nods while tapping her fingers restlessly against the armrest of the sofa. “James thinks he needs to sacrifice me to get to the throne. At least, that’s what he’s told the society. However, I’m not convinced he believes that. I think he’s convinced the society that needs to be done, so he could get them to kill me, and then only one Everford would be alive. He’s controlling every narrative he can.”
“He has the society brainwashed,” I say, shivering at how the men in cloaks watched James force Finn and me to sign the contract. And god knows what else they watched.
“Are you okay?” River whispers with his lips close to my ear.
The idea of telling River everything that transpired sends my stomach lurching.
I nod, resisting the urge to dry heave. “I’m fine. Just exhausted.”
He doesn’t believe me, and I have a love/hate relationship with his ability to read me.
“The society members are just as evil as my husband.” Jocelyn returns to the sofa, collecting her wineglass off the coffee table as she whisks by it. “James was just the first person to figure out that an Everford was still alive, so he’s become their leader. For now, they may worship him, but that’ll change now that too many people are aware of your existence. More than likely, a war is coming.” She looks at me, then takes a sip of her wine. “Dangerous men are going to fight to get a hold of you.”
“Easy, Jocelyn. We don’t need to frighten her,” Ellie tells her with a pressing look. “If we get to the island first, a war could be avoided.”
“No, it can’t,” Jocelyn disagrees as she slants forward to set the wineglass down on the table. “Even if we make it to the island first, Maddison will need protection. She’ll be the heir to the world, and a bounty will be put on her head.”
“She’ll be protected,” Aiden assures her. “But none of this matters yet. We need to decipher that book so we can figure out where the island is.”
I glance over at him, recalling the memory I dreamt about with him in it. I met him at least once before, but my mind erased the memory. Why? What traumatic event happened that made me want to forget him?
He’s standing over near the door with his arms crossed, his gaze set on me. When he notices me staring at him, he doesn’t shy away. I doubt he feels shyness.
I wrench my focus on him. “I love how you’re all talking about me like I’m not here.” I shake my head, frustration building inside me. They’ve kept so many secrets from me. And maybe they were trying to protect me, but if I had known about the danger I was in, I could’ve protected myself better. Irritated at that, I glance at the man. “And I’m assuming you’re my real father.” My detached tone indicates I’m not ready to cope with this.
It’s all too overwhelming. I’m on the edge of breaking, and I’m either going to start crying or beat the hell out of someone. It’s really difficult to tell.
The man, Sylas, clumsily stands to his feet. “I am. Maddison, I can’t believe we’re finally meeting?—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I cut him off as I step back. “I’ve heard enough bullshit over the last three weeks. My brain can’t take any more of this.”
River brushes his hands along the sliver of flesh on my lower back that’s peeking out between the hem of my shirt and the waistband of my pants.
It helps a bit, but not much.
Sylas stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the room, the lighting highlighting the sadness in his expression. “I know you’re upset, but I swear I didn’t know about your existence untila few months ago. And by then it was too risky for me to see you.”
Even though I don’t know him, I weirdly believe him.
“Maddy,” Ellie says as she moves to grab a bottle of wine from off an end table. “I know this is a lot for you to process, and I know the idea of you being an heir to the world is freaking you out, but we don’t have a lot of time. If James finds this island before we do, he could get a hold of the throne, now that he’s the beneficiary to your life.”
