(Rigel)

Amaia sits near Alnilam’s legs holding what appears to be a diary. It takes all my self-restraint not to take her in my arms and senselessly kiss her.

But do I even deserve her after everything I did? What’s the assurance that the vile woman will not curse me again, use me to hurt her?

I was made to almost kill my mate.

Not again, not until that wretched woman is alive.

Sitting in the corner, I only watch my mate.

Her appearance is no longer cloaked, this fills me with unease.

I feel it in my heart that Amaia liberated me, broke the curse on me. The soft melody of her blood seems like a hymn to me.

The glow of her skin.

The gold dust in her hair.

The shining flicker of her wings, who appears down today. They are almost on the floor like fallen leaves.

Something is wrong.

Not only her, but Alnilam is holding a frame and emotionally staring at it.

And then the revelations come.

First, that Alnilam is part-fae and they are trying to figure out if our father had a Fae ancestor.

It leaves me stunned but then Amaia whispers. ’Rigel, come back to me."

My body involuntarily moves an inch, itching to get to her, hold her, let her agitated heart be eased but I stay put.

I can’t, not until I kill that monster.

She turns her head slightly, her deeply saddened eyes take in the place where I am sitting, as if she can sense me.

Drooped eyes and downturned, almost quivering lips. This breaks me, seeing her like that, to be the cause of her pain. I had promised I would never hurt her and yet I did.

Dejected, she turns her head away, focusing her attention on Alnilam and they continue to speak.

But then they say something which makes me almost jump out of my skin.

Saiph is my twin brother. What? How? The thought leaves me reeling.

That’s not possible, my twin brother died during childbirth. My mother told me about him, I remembered now.

It’s true though that she had named him Saiph.

Could it be that the evil woman took away my brother and replaced him with a dead child? After everything she has done to us, to me—I would expect this from her.

My magic always seemed to cancel out against Saiph. Not only that, but I also wanted to watch him with Amaia, like a creep. I didn’t understand that complicated feeling but if it’s true that he is my twin, it’s understandable.

That bond I felt with him just like the one I felt with my other brothers.

That means my brother is alive. A new sensation arises in my heart, occupying it, and I want to seek him out, but I also want to listen to what Alnilam and Amaia have uncovered in my absence.

Saiph used to be punished a lot. We had forgotten that. My mother always protected me but Saiph wasn’t always that lucky. The madwoman’s wrath was beyond anything, and her powers were so strong that they suffocated whoever tried to intervene.

"We are going to have DNA tests. TJ can arrange them so all of us can know our true heritage," Alnilam says with finality.

Amaia agrees with him.

"Yes, and we have to stay close to each other. Decide our next steps."

"Let’s read more of the diary and see what else it says," Alnilam suggests, placing the frame on the table with a pained expression and picking up the diary.

It hurts seeing Alnilam like that, knowing that he has been a victim of his own mother.

My gaze lands on the diary and I instantly recognise it. It belongs to my mother. She used to write in it daily before going to bed. My heart races like a wild horse seeing it.

Where did they get my mother’s diary?

The signature black rose she loved is embossed on it. She gifted me a similar one, carved out of the wood with her own hands but I lost it somewhere.

I do want to snatch the diary from Alnilam. That’s the only thing I have left of my mother but I don’t move for now.

Alnilam opens the diary and begins to read slowly so Amaia can hear. She has placed her head in his lap, holding his legs.

"Entry 23

I had never seen Hathial this angered before. The moment he learnt I am mated to Orion and have chosen to accept the bond, Hathial raged for me to reconsider. Saying the man is already married. He is right. I will be a second wife but the pull of the mate bond says I have to do this. I have to leave the love of my life behind and start a new journey...I do wonder if I am making the correct decision."

Alnilam stops reading. Two creases appear between his brows. This comes as a shock to me because my mother never spoke about Hathial with me. Seems like the mate bond cut off their relationship.

"Hathial and Queen Adrnia were lovers it seems. You know he is the only one who voted against my punishment. He is the strongest vampire in existence and I wonder if we can ally with him," Alnilam says to Amaia.

"Yes, I believe he will ally with us. Especially when he knows that Queen Adrnia is still alive and has been held in Istrale for 19 years."

The ground slips from underneath me, making me go numb for a second.

What did Amaia say?

My mother is ALIVE.

Every restraint I am trying to show evaporates with this revelation.

My powers detonate like a time bomb, shadows leap off and camouflage disappears.

Startled, Amaia lets out a scream while Alnilam jumps off the sofa, shielding her with his body as I try to contain my shadows.

"Rigel?" She turns and questions. Her eyes are bulging out of her sockets, mouth hangs open.

"Where is my mother?" I demand, pushing myself forward from the wall, I don’t want to hurt them but my magic is so out of control. I don’t even know how not to explode.

Amaia leaves Alnilam’s arms and takes a careful step towards me with her hands outstretched.

"Calm down. Listen to me," she says softly, eyes holding only me. But I take a step back.

"No, just tell me where my mother is." Turning to Alnilam I demand. "Alnilam, open the door, I can’t hold back much longer."