Kaj nodded. “We’ll be up in a few minutes.”
When the five of them left, Kaj turned to Acadia. She had been staring at her coffee mug for the past few minutes, as though she had no idea what she was doing there.
He shifted his position, turning in his chair so he was facing her. “I need to share something with you.”
Her beautiful amethyst eyes bounced over his face, and he could see a wealth of uncertainty.
Reaching into his back pocket, Kaj retrieved the paper he’d folded up and stuck there before he left their bedroom. He passed it over to Acadia.
Her eyebrows lowered as she took the papyrus paper from his hand, her delicate fingers unfolding it. When she began reading, he watched her face. Truth was, he wasn’t feeling all that confident about what he’d done. Not because it wasn’t the right thing, but because he hadn’t considered how Acadia would feel about it. They’d briefly discussed it when she’d entered his mind and read his thoughts, but no further.
When she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes.
His muscles tightened, fear trickling in his veins. Those tears could mean anything—good or bad—and he wasn’t about to get his hopes up.
“We’re truly free?” Her words were so soft.
“Completely.” Kaj held her stare. “He’s also lifted the infertility. However, while you’re still immortal, your people are no longer indestructible. It was a compromise on his part.”
When her tears began to fall, Kaj quickly cupped her face, wiping the wetness with his thumbs. He figured now was probably not the best time to share the news about those trapped in the in-between.
“Please tell me these are happy tears, Acadia.”
“They are.” She nodded, smiled. “I promise.”
“I’d like you to go with me to talk with Penelope. Obsidian and I agreed we would deliver the news to her together.”
“About Oliver?”
“Yes.”
Acadia wiped her eyes. “Of course I’ll go with you.”
While he was grateful to have his female at his side, Kaj wasn’t looking forward to the next part. He wasn’t one to ever anticipate drama, but there seemed to be a lack of it right now. Surely something was going to blow up in a big way. The question was when.
The answer, apparently, was today.
Kaj stood in the third-floor conference room with its big table and office-like decor while Penelope lost her shit.
Like, seriously, lost. Her. Shit.
Needless to say, she hadn’t taken the news well, but then again, had he really expected her to? It wasn’t every day you learned that the male you thought you were related to turned out to be some random child who’d been placed in your family because an archangel had manipulated it to be so. Oh, and on top of that, that male you considered a brother … he had a vampire inside him.
“He’s not my brother?”
“Biologically, no,” Obsidian explained, clearly having gotten all the deets from Michael.
“And you’re telling me … the guy I’ve known my whole life is the original vampire?”
“Camping out in Oliver’s body, yes,” Kaj confirmed.
“So when we talk to him … who are we speaking to?”
“That’s the part I’m not exactly sure on,” he told her. “I believe when Khari emerges, he’ll maintain all of Oliver’s memories.”
“Meaning my brother will be what? An empty husk?” Her golden eyes were brighter than before.
Kaj shot a quick look at Obsidian.
