Twenty
Charlie’s skin felt too tight, and it wasn’t just because her wings were magically crammed inside her and it was starting to become uncomfortable. Or that she was starving and if she didn’t eat something soon, she’d be too weak to maintain her illusion. That cornucopia was a gift of the gods. She could feel the celestial magic buzzing against her skin, calling her true nature out of her. The tension in the room among these humans added to the uncomfortable prickle. She shifted in her seat.
“That’s why you’re giving me the money.” Liam leaned back in his chair, adding a grunt of disgust for good measure. “Dad didn’t know, and if I don’t take the cornucopia, you’re afraid you’ll lose it all.”
Mrs. Morris bared her teeth. “I’m not afraid of anything, son. I won’t be here to see the worst of it, and I assure you my last days on this earth have already been taken care of.”
“Everyone needs to stop,” Spencer said. “It’s not true! I demand a paternity test!”
His mother rolled her eyes. “I was there when you were conceived, Spencer. Trust me on this one.”
Liam’s head listed to the side. “Jesus. This can’t be happening.”
Kara huffed. “I knew it. I never felt any connection to Dad. He was always so distant.”
Liam scoffed. “He wasn’t any closer to his blood, sweetheart.”
A horrified look cast over Spencer’s face, and he stared at the cornucopia. “You don’t think that’s why…?”
“Morrismart stock has tumbled since your father’s passing?” Mrs. Morris took out another cigarette and lit up. “I can find no other reason.”
At that moment, a team of servants entered the room, swept away their mostly uneaten salads, and replaced them with a whole creature with a shell and claws that stared back at Charlotte with beady black eyes.
“What is this?” she asked Liam under her breath.
“Lobster thermidor. You just eat the tail part.”
Spencer, who must have read their lips from across the table, shook his head and spread his hands. “Who the hell is this chick? An environmental scientist with a side of Greek mythology who has never seen a lobster before?” He stood up and threw his napkin onto the table. “You know what I think? I think that slut is a corporate raider who’s been working with Liam to undercut Morrismart’s stock price and convince a dying woman that some family story about a piece of pottery is true.”
Kara raised a finger. “That makes sense. Liam has probably known about us all along. He said he knew about Dad’s affair.”
“God, Liam, how low can you go? Convincing our dying mother that all this cornucopia nonsense is real just so you can get your hands on Dad’s money?” Spencer sneered at him.
Liam shook his head. “That’s bullshit, Spence. I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
Mrs. Morris gave a gritty laugh and drew another puff on her cigarette. “You idiots couldn’t tell the truth from your own ass in a mirror. Liam didn’t know a thing about this. And you can doubt the family folklore… God knows I did until that bastard left me behind, but it’s true, and that man”—she pointed at Liam—“is your only hope of maintaining the lifestyle you’re accustomed to. If he takes the money and the cornucopia, you stay in business.”
Pain ricocheted through her body, and Charlotte had to close her eyes to keep from spreading her wings. Out of desperation, she shoved a large bite of lobster into her mouth and chewed. Liam stared at her as she shoveled in another bite and washed it down with the white wine in front of her.
“Charlotte?” he asked softly.
“I need to get out of here,” she said, taking another bite. She gave him a loaded look, trying to project into his head how important it was that she eat. “I’m really hungry, Liam, and I’m afraid something bad will happen if I don’t eat.”
“Okay, I uh…” He stood and turned toward his family. “Charlotte and I have to go. She’s not feeling well.”
Kara lurched to her feet. “Bullshit. You’re staying. We’re figuring this out.”
Liam looked to Charlotte. She closed her eyes and said, “It’s real, Liam. All of it. Everything your mother said. If you touch it, you’ll know.”
Spencer tossed up his hands. “Jesus Christ. Now we’re listening to mystery slut over having a logical conversation about this?”
Liam was around the table in a heartbeat, his hand clutching Spencer’s throat until he made a gagging sound. “You call my girl a name again and I’ll shove your face into the truth. And by the truth, I mean your ass. I just said truth since Mom’s right—you can’t tell the difference between the two.” He shoved him back into his chair and then turned to face the cornucopia.
Charlotte folded her hands and waited. His blood was the key to this gift of the gods, and the moment he touched it, he’d feel the truth in it. With one more glance toward his mom, Liam leaned over the side of the table and placed his hand on the terra-cotta. Light flowed from the gift, up his arm, turning Liam’s brown eyes golden.
Kara blocked the light with a raised arm, her mouth dropping open. All the blood had drained from Spencer’s face. Mrs. Morris was laughing and shaking her head like the entire experience was delightful. Charlie couldn’t figure her out. She’d announced she was dying, pitted her children against each other, and now was experiencing something that had to challenge her human perceptions. And yet she looked… happy. Wickedly happy. As if she was hiding some dark secret.
An uneasy feeling overcame her as Liam pulled away his hand. She stood from her chair. “We should go.”
