by C C Solomon
Yasmine batted her eyes at him. “I can sweeten the pot.” She clapped her hands.
Seconds later the door opened. I turned my head and saw a tall woman with light brown eyes and short, bob length black hair enter the room. She had smooth honey skin that made her look deceptively younger but I could tell by her eyes that she was perhaps in her early fifties. There was something very elegant about her as she walked with an almost graceful stride in black stilettos and a red fitted shift dress that hit just below her knees.
What was it about her that seemed so familiar?
“Felix!” she cried, walking swiftly towards him with arms open.
Felix’s face crumbled in a jumble of emotions and he quickly cleared the gap between them, embracing her in a tight hug.
Huh, what was this now? A twinge of jealousy flared through me. I hadn’t seen him hug anyone that tightly that wasn’t me or his friends.
“Mom?” his voice cracked with emotion.
I dropped my mouth open. Mom?
Chapter 20
Felix turned to us, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of the woman he called mom. “Everyone, this is my mother, Olivia.” He was practically beaming, his chest puffed out with pride. He looked back down at her. “Where have you been? Do you want to sit? Have a seat.”
He ushered her to the couch and sat down beside her.
Olivia looked around at us, quickly looking past me. “Pleasure meeting you all.” She patted Felix’s back. “I was imprisoned for years by another demon. It was a few years after the magic returned. I’d been trying to get in touch with you until that point but in the early days of this, it was hard,” she explained as they sat down.
Felix balled his hands resting on his thighs. “What demon? I’ll kill him.”
“It’s okay, there is time to get into that. Just know that if it wasn’t for Yasmine here, I wouldn’t have been able to escape.”
Ah, of course she was behind this. Was it all a coincidence or had Yasmine known exactly who Felix was? His mother was supposed to be a high-ranking demon so it wouldn’t be a surprise except she’d been living as human since Felix was a child. Would anyone have known they were related?
It certainly made sense why all she requested of Felix was for him to be by her side. I wondered if his mother had made some kind of arranged marriage deal. Well, if he liked old lizard face then good for him.
Felix moved his head in Yasmine’s direction but didn’t look at her. “Thank you for saving my mother. Should I assume that there’s a condition?”
Yasmine looked all too pleased with herself as she lifted her hands and studied her well-manicured, pointed nails. “The deal I offered still stands and you can stay here with your mother.”
Azrael leaned forward on the table, their eyes ablaze with anger. Guess they weren’t too fond of demon mother’s returned. Yet another demon around Felix that he didn’t like. “And what if we refuse? Would you kill a fellow demon’s child?”
“She wouldn’t dare, angel,” Olivia spat, her own eyes narrowing at Azrael. Didn’t appear to have any love lost there.
Yasmine nodded. “She’s right. Now everyone else is fair game.”
Felix finally looked at the other demon, his eyes looking just like his mother’s a moment ago. “If you lay a hand on my future wife or my friends, I will destroy you. That’s a promise.”
Olivia gave a slight gasp. “Future wife? Are you engaged?”
Felix looked over to me, his eyes softened. “Mom, that beautiful woman over there is named Francesca Ross and she doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to be my wife.”
I gave a wobbly grin not sure how to reply in front of his mother. “Hi, Mrs. Gonzalez.”
Olivia gave me her narrow-eyed stare and I felt like melting into the wall behind me and disappearing. She lifted her chin, still glaring at me. “Francesca. Did you have a mother named Dalia?”
I nodded slowly. Did she know my mother? How did that happen? “Or so I’ve been told. I have a memory issue.”
“You are an Unseelie fae, correct?”
“Yes.”
“There was a scandal in your court years ago. A rumor that filtered amongst the underworld that she had a child by a demon. A prominent one at that.”
Oh shit. Please don’t know him. Please don’t know him.
I didn’t respond, just looked at her with large eyes.
Olivia nodded, tapping her chin. “Yes, yes. I recall. Although I’d been living in the human world, I still had an old tie who would tell me some of the gossip from the underworld from time to time. It drove your father mad, Felix.” Her shoulders seemed to sag at the mention of his father. “But yes, when her court found out that her child was half-demon, she ran off to the human realm. I can understand having to do such things myself. My family was very displeased with my relationship choice. You’re from a prominent family yourself, Felix.”
He gave a lopsided grin. “So, I’m like a noble?”
“Actually, yes. And your father, was no ordinary angel. He was an archangel.”
That was news. And a welcomed one because it meant we weren’t talking about my family anymore.
Felix’s mouth formed into an ‘o’ shape. “What?” He looked to Azrael. “Did you know that?”
Azrael bowed their head. “I was aware. It changes nothing and was not relevant to who you are.”
Of course, the angels would still withhold things.
Faith, who had been sitting on the arm of the couch, uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her thighs. “Not to change the subject Mrs. Gonzalez. Sorry, I’m Faith Thomas by the way, Felix’s best friend.”
Olivia smiled at her. “Hi, dear.”
Faith got a smile and I got a glare. I was half-demon, she was a demon, why did she not like me? Oh, that’s right some strange woman she didn’t know was allegedly going to steal her son away and marry him. Was he a mama’s boy? Was she the type of woman who didn’t like her son’s girlfriends? Ugh, I didn’t need that drama.
Faith continued. “Hi, so, did you know Fran’s father? That would be helpful to us since she lost her memory.”
Was Faith actually trying to be nice and look out for me? Aww…just when I didn’t need it.
Olivia turned back to me, her face hardened again. What the hell? “I think I do. The word on the underworld street was that your father was none other than King Herrod. Although it was never proven. He has so many enemies that wouldn’t be ideal for people to know.”
Yasmine sat forward. “I had no idea. But when I found Olivia, through a mutual friend I had help me look on Felix’s behalf, she told me.”
How did she know Felix was looking? Who was spilling all our beans? Could he have said something? I looked over to him and he seemed unsurprised. Had he actually told Yasmine he was looking for his mother?
He nodded. “I’ve been putting out feelers to find her. Before I knew what Yasmine was, I mentioned I was looking for my mother. The paranormal world is large and small at the same time.”
I twisted my lips. Of course, he’d be spreading his business all over town. Didn’t he know that secrets were power?
Yasmine went on. “So, if it is true that you are his daughter, we wouldn’t want to harm you. He is one foe we wouldn’t want to have. Even if he’s not well liked.”
Well, that would be another reason why she was offering a deal to us instead of death. She now really had no power over me. If I shot down her offer, she still couldn’t hurt me.
Olivia, still glaring at me, adjusted in her seat. “Herrod is the worst of demons. Our kingdoms have a history of disputes with his. He is a relatively young demon King but dangerous all the same. Ruthless and untrustworthy. He’s killed many a friend and family members of mine. I’m sure he was behind my… detainment.”
Oh, well that would explain the hate. I wondered if her family had done anything to Herrod’s people? The thought then crossed my mind if she had anything to do with my mother’s death. Herrod’
s M.O. seemed to be revenge. However, since there was obviously history and Olivia knew of me, he might have kept her locked up to protect me. Assuming I even believed her.
Azrael’s neutral voice broke my thoughts. “Did you not know, Francesca? When you visited him, he said nothing?”
I looked around at all the faces in the room. I was an amazing liar and I could keep my knowledge hidden. After all, I wasn’t in a room of friendly people. If Olivia really was an enemy to my father, then admitting my identity would put me in the very danger he claimed to want to protect me from.
“He knew my mother. He knew of me. He was a family friend checking in on me. He told me some things about my past that I didn’t know.”
In a way this was true. He’d never been a father to me.
Olivia gave a chuckle. “Is that what he said? And you think he’d take such special interest in you simply because he was friends with your family. Felix, I’d hoped you’d pick a smart woman to be your wife.”
I clenched my jaw in annoyance. If she was trying to goad me into telling the truth well it was working. I needed to breathe in deep and let it go. I did not want her as a mother-in-law though.
Yasmine gave an exaggerated yawn and stood up. “How about we let the two of you play catch up? I can set you both up in another room. Of course, for now you’ll have to understand that you cannot leave the town.”
Olivia rose as well. “Of course.” She patted Felix on the shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart.”
Was she really okay with being confined again? You’d think as a royal demon she would be all types of pissed that Yasmine wouldn’t let her leave. Why was she being so understanding? What kind of deal had been made?
Felix slowly got up and walked behind his mother. He avoided my eyes and said nothing as he left. That was not like him. He didn’t believe me.
When the door slammed shut, I raised my shoulders, almost wincing. It felt painful to have Felix not acknowledge me.
I went to sit on the couch, avoiding the stairs of Faith and Azrael.
Faith plopped down beside me, stretching her legs out. “My grandmother had a saying. Tell the truth and shame the devil.”
I side-eyed her. Clearly, she didn’t believe my story either. Maybe I wasn’t as good a liar as I thought.
Azrael thrummed their fingers on the table, their lids lowered but eyes fully on me. If they had a tail they’d be swinging it back and forth like a cat ready to pounce. I was not safe. “Now that the demons aren’t here, you can tell us the truth. Is Herrod actually your father?”
I turned to the angel and gave him a hard stare. “No.”
Azrael squinted their eye in disbelief. “Why lie? What do you think will happen? This news won’t make us want to hurt you. We already know you’re half-demon.”
He thought I was an idiot. This would be clear ammunition. I gave him a tight smile. “If I was Herrod’s daughter, and an ambitious someone like Monica found out, she would use me as bait to get Herrod to submit.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“One, why do I want him to submit? Two, we don’t know if she’d kill me after he did submit. She doesn’t seem like the type to allow loose ends. I’m assuming I’m still around because she finds me useful. I’ll do her bidding while she takes ridiculously slow baby steps to find a way to return my memories and feed me bits and pieces of my past.”
Faith turned fully to me, one leg up on the sofa. She gave me a skeptical smile and scratched her head. “You expect us to believe that Herrod demanded a meeting with you after seeing you two months ago, just to play catch up? You can keep feeding us the bullshit but it’s going to cost you a good man. Felix never just leaves quietly. Up until just now he was still calling you his wife to be. Then he leaves without even so much as a glance at you. He’s not buying it and neither are we.” She threw a hand out to the side. “So what if we know? Felix will still like you and we will still be okay with you.”
I looked away although she did have a point. And how long did I think I could keep this secret? If Herrod and Olivia were really enemies—and based on Herrod’s warning to me about Felix this seemed believable—then he wouldn’t be happy I was friends with Felix either. It would get messy anyway. If the cat was out of the bag I might as well feed it some milk. I probably took that analogy too far.
I placed my feet on the coffee table and gave my best unbothered look. Might as well play it down with a cool face. “Fine, he told me I was his daughter. But I don’t even know if I believe it. I need a DNA test or something.”
Azrael shifted in their chair a deceivingly pleasant smile on their lips but eyes still eerily dead. Yup, the cat was about to pounce. “No need. I’ll be able to confirm it if you both can be together. Angel ability. Why did you hide this from us earlier? We could have tried to protect you from Olivia’s accusations if you wanted it secret.”
I eyed the angel carefully. Why would they want to protect me? “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to bring any unnecessary danger.”
Faith huffed. “You don’t trust us.”
I tilted my head toward her to catch a confused frown on her face. Was she really surprised? “Look, I sort of trust you and Felix but I don’t trust the angels.” I looked back towards Azrael. “I don’t believe you would cover up my true identity. What would be your reason for protecting me? As far as I’m concerned this works well for you. With Olivia not liking me for supposedly being Herrod’s daughter, that can give you good footing to keep me away from Felix, which is what you wanted.”
Azrael threw their head back and slouched low in the chair. “I wanted you away from him because you were part-demon and I didn’t want that to heighten the demon half of him. But with him finally finding his mother, it doesn’t matter anymore. Game over. He’s never going to be separated from her. She’s the loving woman who raised him, for all intents and purposes, well. He only knows her as human because that’s how she presented herself all this time. At this moment, I can’t think of a single thing that would make him step away from her, even you. Before his memories were tampered with, he’d been looking for her for years. And just a few words from her about you and he doesn’t even argue. I thought his love for you was going to be the hardest thing to beat. I was wrong.”
I wasn’t sure if Azrael was truly frustrated or just trying to egg me on. For some reason I felt a queasy unsettled feeling in my gut. Everything they’d said was right. Perhaps I took for granted the sort of power I had over Felix. I liked the unfaltering devotion he seemed to have towards me. I’d never had anything like that, even with Alister.
Okay, I know I’d been pushing him away but still, I guess I kind of liked him around and maybe deep down thought he might be around for a while. Maybe I thought, that one day he and I could be a real thing. However, with his mother just ushering him out like that with barely a but from him, I wasn’t so sure about that anymore. I’d seen Felix angry before. What would it look like when he was angry with me?
I needed to not care. I shook my head of the thought and caught Azrael’s intense gaze on me.
“Is this why you’ve been so distracted?” the angel asked.
Nope, I wasn’t going to have a heart to heart with Azrael. “What’s the game plan? Olivia doesn’t have the power here. She might have been a noble at one time but she’s not anymore. She struck a deal with Yasmine and we know Felix will be protected. The rest of us are fair game. We still have to get out of here.” I needed to check in with Herrod at some point. Now that everyone knew, perhaps having him rescue us wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
“Herrod wouldn’t let his daughter get killed and I’m not sure Yasmine looked up to fighting him. I’m assuming you called for help when you were in the bathroom for an excessively long time. Can Herrod break in?”
“He’s willing to try. I asked him to contact Nadia or a fae friend of my mine. I was hesitant about owing him a favor. Still not sure he actually is my dad.”
“Mayb
e Felix will help get us out of here?” Faith suggested. “Since his mom is friends with Yasmine.”
That raised another point I wanted to highlight. “You can say all you want about me being a bad influence but listen here. I helped get rid of an original soulmate ally. Herrod protected me on the battlefield.”
Faith tilted her head down, eyes wide. “He did?”
Had I left that part out? “Uh, yeah.”
“But he’s not your dad,” she said, dryly.
I waved a hand at her in a dismissive fashion. “The point is, the demons around me are helpful. Like Yusan and Nadia. Olivia is aligning herself with a child eating skin stealer.”
Azrael sighed. “Have you heard the tales of what Herrod has done? Let’s not point fingers here.”
“I wasn’t. I’m just saying, what kind of person is Olivia for siding with Yasmine?”
Faith shrugged. “She freed her. Maybe Olivia doesn’t have a choice.”
Were they being difficult on purpose? “Fine, stay here and wait for Olivia to help you get out. I’m going to just have Herrod get me out.”
“Now, hold up. No need to go so far. We get out anyway we can and come back with help to shut this place down.”
I kept my mouth shut. If I got out of here, I wasn’t coming back. Turns out this was more than I bargained for. It was time I took the easy road for a change. No need to stay where I wasn’t wanted.
Chapter 21
By the next morning, I still hadn’t heard from my father. Were Marcus and Nadia really that busy? I still had time, but something told me if Olivia laid eyes on me again, she might shorten that time.
My father wasn’t the only one M.I.A. Felix hadn’t returned that night or that morning. It was now noon. I had to admit. I was getting antsy. I lay on the bed looking at the ceiling and formulating how I planned to fight my own way out. Things felt so unclear. Now that I knew I had a family, perhaps I needed to refocus my energy on reconnecting with them. Then again, if they were willing to kick out a 12 year old, I wasn’t so sure they’d be too happy to see me. Yet, if I came back as a fae Queen maybe they’d be more receptive. But did I care what they thought? They sounded like jerks.