Rennick had become a killing machine, ending every rebel in sight. Taking hostages for questioning wasn’t an option, and when his father fought alongside him, doing the same, he knew they both remembered the night his mother died.
Protecting Amelia was their number one priority. The rebels never made it inside the palace walls, nor would any ever again.
He knew she was safe between Echo, Reyna, and Amos, but he took no chances with his mate’s life.
No one knew how to start what was sure to be a shocking conversation for Amelia, and Rennick worried about how she’d react. He’d kept the truth from her out of respect for Amos, but she might perceive it as a betrayal.
Amelia lowered herself into the chair and clasped her hands in her lap. “Explain.”
Jumping right in, then.
Amos drew in a deep breath. “There’s no easy way to say this,” he began, “but you’re my sister and second in line to the Desert Kingdom throne.”
Amos and Rennick waited with bated breath, and both men were taken aback when Amelia burst out laughing. “Very funny.”
“It’s true, love,” Rennick said softly.
Amelia’s laughter died down, and she motioned to Amos. “He’s fae.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and pointed to it. “I’m a human.”
“Your ears were clipped when you were born to hide your heritage,” Amos explained, his voice cautious.
She made an intelligible sound. “Come again? Because it sounded like you insinuated that someone cut off part of my ears as a baby.”
Amos raked a hand through his short blond hair, and the longer Rennick looked at him, the more he saw the similarities between the two. Their coloring was the same as were their mouths. Amos had a sharp jawline, where Amelia had a rounded face, but other than that, the resemblance was uncanny.
“When our mother was pregnant with us—”
“Us?” she parroted.
Amos nodded. “We’re twins.” She scanned his face, and Rennick saw the moment she realized what he said was true. “Our father wasn’t a good man,” Amos continued. “I could go onfor hours about the horrors he inflicted on his family and people, but that’s a conversation for another day.”
Amelia looked as though she’d seen a ghost, and Rennick reached for her hand. She squeezed it with impressive strength. He wouldn’t be able to feel his fingers by the end of this conversation.
“He believed women shouldn’t hold positions of power.” Amos’ voice held a hint of nervousness. “There were no female warriors like there are in other kingdoms, no female council members, and more importantly, no female heirs.”
Amelia looked like she might say something, but only silence filled the room.
“Our grandfather was the same way, and when his wife bore him twins, the firstborn of which was a girl, he changed the babe’s name and sent her away the day after she was born, but later in life, she found out her heritage and tried to overthrow our father not long after he took the throne.” Amos cleared his throat and leaned his elbows on his knees. “He killed her and vowed that if he had a daughter, he would kill her immediately to prevent history from repeating itself. That’s what he told our mother.”
Amelia held up a hand. “Royals only have one child.” Her hazel eyes met Rennick’s. “Unless you lied.”
Rennick sat forward. “I wouldn’t lie to you, love.Usually,they only have one. No one knew your father had a twin or that Amos does.”
“I wouldn’t have known if not for our mother,” Amos added.
Amelia wavered, and Rennick extracted himself from her death grip to lay a steadying hand on her back.
“Our mother didn’t know it yet, but she was already pregnant with us when our father told her about his sister. When the midwife told her there were two heartbeats, she begged the woman not to tell anyone until she had a plan for what to do if one or both of the babes were girls.” He smiled fondly. “Themidwife agreed without hesitation. The staff adored our mother and would have done whatever she asked.” Amos’ lips tilted into a half smile. “You’re a lot like her.”
“How do you know what I’m like?” Amelia cut him off. “We’ve never met, and I grew up in an orphanage with no family.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, sat back, and motioned to Eddy. “I checked in on you periodically through Roland.”
Rennick felt the moment Amelia’s patience snapped. “His name isEddy. You sent him to me when I was fifteen. That’s when you get yourfamiliar, no?”
Amos pressed his lips into a grim line. “It is.”
“Then he is more mine than yours.” She lifted her chin. “He has lived with me for almost ten years. His fucking name is Eddy.”
