Sean shoved shaking hands into his pockets and returned his attention to the man who wasn’t his brother.
Isobel glanced around the empty space. “Where is everyone? I thought the entire Council would be here.”
The man’s gaze touched on Sean, but he addressed Isobel. “I made them leave. They were making everything worse. Heleta especially.”
Autumn chuckled.
“Will you have a seat?” He gestured toward a sitting room.
Still numb, Sean shuffled his feet that way, finding a place next to Cole on the largest sofa. The women sat across from them, Autumn wearing a bright smile, and Isobel a more guarded expression.
For fuck’s sake, the woman was beautiful. Like a china doll. Perfectly made. Lustrous. Cold.
“Can I get you anything?” the man said, distracting Sean from that thought. “Water? Food? I’m sure it was a long journey.”
Neither Sean nor Cole answered.
Autumn leaned forward. “I think what Sean most wants is answers, Kywyn.”
“Right. Of course.” The man sank into a cushy chair. “Where to start?”
Sean found his voice. “Who are you?”
“I’m— Well—” His eyes flicked toward Autumn, who nodded. “I’m your father.”
The air vanished from the room. Sean’s heartbeat thrummed behind his ears, eliciting a strange ringing. His vision misted with gray as he remembered the haunted look in his mother’s eyes when she told him his father died before he was born.
Sean reminded himself he’d wanted answers. “I thought you were dead,” he said, his voice some ragged rendition of its normal tone.
The man—his father—rubbed his face and turned to Autumn. “Maybe we should get Blaire.”
Cole’s eyes went wide. “My mom is here?”
Autumn rose to pull a rope near the door.
“Send a request, not a summons,” Kywyn said to her. “We didn’t part on the best terms earlier.”
Sean ignored all that. “You’re—who?You are two years older than me, max.”
The man shifted to the edge of his seat. “I know this is a lot totake in. My name is Kywyn. Blaire says your mother never informed you of my existence.”
“She said you’d been in an accident before I was born,” Sean said.
A pained expression washed into Kywyn’s features before they smoothed out. “She was trying to keep you from me.”
That raised a red warning sign in Sean’s mind. His mother had been overprotective, yes, but Sean had always trusted her instincts. If she thought this man was dangerous?—
“To keep you from this place, I mean,” Kywyn said. “From Luxoria.”
“Blaire will be here shortly,” Autumn said before returning to her seat.
A knot of tension released in Sean’s stomach. If it was true, Aunt Blaire could corroborate this man’s story. He exchanged a brief, relieved glance with Cole.
“I know I look young to you,” Kywyn said, “but we age differently here, Caden?—”
“Sean.”
The man paused. “Sean. Is that what she called you?”
