“Cassandra, you don’t need to do this.” As head of the academy, he had to do all he could to keep them at the mansion. The whole father thing may come later, but for now he was an instructor looking out for his trainees. He’d already gone through this with the shifters, but this was different. He knew that the boys would have been accepted back into the fold, but Cala would be returning to a miserable life.
“Have you suddenly had a change of heart? Have you suddenly realised that you could have a much better life with me and the girls?” When Kelton didn’t respond, she glared at him. “I didn’t think so. I waited all this time for you. I refuse to waste another moment. Get packed, girls. You’re coming home with me.”
“Just because I can’t feel the way you do doesn’t mean you should take it out on them.” He waved a hand towards the twins. “They’re not a weapon for you to use in some warped game. They’re better off here. If they don’t want to train, we’ll work a way around it. You don’t know how hard it will be for them.”
“I’m taking them back with me. Where they belong.”
“They belong here. The warrior mark has brought them here.”
“They’re coming with me!” Cassandra screeched, losing her cool. “Hurry up, girls.”
Rhian jumped up with an eager grin on her face, happy to be getting back to her old life. Her time at the academy had been nothing but boring. All that wasted time just because her mother had been set on a plan, a plan that didn’t work. She couldn’t wait to get out of there and have a professional manicure and pedicure and to get her hair done.
Cala didn’t move a muscle.
“What are you doing? Follow your sister and go and get packed. We’re leaving.” Cassandra demanded.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Cala said in a barely there voice.
Cassandra narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “What did you just say to me?”
“I said I’m not going anywhere. You can’t make me.” She didn’t want to sound like a spoilt brat, but she wasn’t going anywhere if she could help it.
“Oh I think you are and you’ll find that I can make you. Move! Now, young lady!”
“She doesn’t have to go anywhere if she doesn’t want to.” Kelton said in a stern voice. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that he’d fight to keep either of the girls with him, but there was something about Cala that screamed she needed help to get away from Cassandra. Rhian was just like her mother, through and through. Cala was their complete opposite. They were making progress and he didn’t want to lose that now.
“Cala. Come on. I don’t have time for this.” She snapped. Now that her plan had failed she wanted to get far away from the academy.
“I’m staying here.”
Cassandra huffed and puffed. She didn’t have time to waste on the ungrateful girl. “Very well.”
Kelton frowned. “That’s all you’ve got to say?”
“What do you expect? She wants to stay. You want her to stay. I don’t care either way.”
“You’re not even going to fight to keep the girls together?” Kelton couldn’t see a maternal bone in her body, especially when it came to Cala. It was clear that she favoured Rhian.
“No. I’m not. If she wants to stay, she can. Rhian is coming with me.” Cassandra smoothed down her hair, not looking perturbed in the slightest. “You do realise that if you stay, that will be it? No running back to me because your dream of a fairy-tale family with your father didn’t work out.”
Kelton stepped in front of Cala, knowing that someone needed to defend the girl. “You can’t seriously be saying this? You’re expecting her to choose between us? You can’t be that cruel.” As much progress they were making, she was still the girls’ mother and he expected her to want to be with her. Evidently his instincts were right. Cala meant nothing to her.
“She is.” Cala’s small voice behind him spoke up. “If it was Rhian wanting to stay, she’d fight for her.”
“Why? Why would you not fight for Cala? How can you even contemplate turning your back on your daughter?”
Cassandra sneered at him again, turning up her nose. “You know nothing about us. How dare you judge me?”
“Easily! I’ve got eyes. I can see what you’re doing and how you treat her.”
“You think you can do better?”
“I think anyone could do better! You’re disgraceful! Call yourself a mother? You’re pathetic.” Kelton roared.
“Last chance, Cala.”
“I’m staying.” Cala replied firmly.
“Well, I’m leaving. Goodbye daughter.” And Cassandra swept out of the office without a single glance in her daughter’s direction, slamming the door behind her.
Kelton sat down heavily in his chair and glanced over at Cala. He had been fearful that she’d cry. He had never known what to do around a crying woman. But, she looked resolved and stronger now that she had made the decision to break away.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked her. She was losing the family she’d known all her life.
“I am. If that’s okay with you?” She was fearful he’d turn her away.
“It’s perfectly fine with me.” He tried to smile at her, to show that she was welcome in his life. It was a big change for them all, but with her staying, they’d have a chance to move forward.
“Do you want to say goodbye to Rhian?”
“Not really. She’s just like my mother. She won’t care that she won’t be seeing me again. They probably won’t even notice that I’m not there until they need someone to carry their bags.”
They sat in silence for a minute or two, taking in what had just happened.
“I’m still not very good at all this. That fact hasn’t changed in the last few minutes. But, I’m willing to keep trying if you are.” Kelton cleared his throat uncomfortably. This was a little too close to talking about emotions for his liking.
Cala smiled shyly. “I’d like that actually.”
“I know Kayleigh and Elias will be happy you’re staying.”
Cala ducked her head, hiding the blush on her cheeks. “Thank you.” She’d grown to really like Kayleigh and she adored Elias. They were like the family she’d never had and the thought of becoming part of them in the future made her feel warm and fuzzy.
“Do you need to get some rest?”
“I’ll wait a few minutes if that’s okay? I want to make sure that Rhian’s gone before I go up.” She asked timidly.
“Of course. I need to go and check on a couple of things, but feel free to stay in here as long as you like. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“No problem.” Kelton said as he closed the door behind him.
Resting his head on the door, he needed a few minutes to himself. It was a lot for him to take in. He’d basically just been given parental rights and custody over one of the girls. The way it had all happened made him wonder what sort of life Cala had before she’d come to live at the academy.
They would have a lot of work to do but Kelton felt a certain kind of peace knowing that Cala was staying. She was a sweet girl, certainly more agreeable than her twin or her mother. He hoped that with some time and effort on both sides that they would be able to have some kind of relationship. And if things worked out, he would have to make it legal. For now, she was still a minor and the paperwork would have to be drawn up to say that he was her legal guardian. There was a lot to do, but he had the feeling that it would be worth it in the end.
Chapter Fifteen
Kelton stood just outside the door, wondering if this was such a good idea. He knew that if Cala was going to be a part of his life that it would be inevitable that she and Kayleigh would need to spend quite a bit of time together. Hell, if they were to have any kind of future as father and daughter, he needed her to spend time with Kayleigh. The best outcome would be that they would get on and have some kind of friendship or relationship, but who knew what would hap
pen?
It was time to get the ball rolling on the situation and this meeting was scaring the living crap out of him. There was much to lose. With Rhian gone, everything seemed different. There may be a chance for Cala here and he hoped she and Kayleigh would get on as well as they had the last few times.
“He is so adorable.” Cala smiled down at the baby, finding it so much easier to focus on him than on Kayleigh. His innocence was soothing in such an awkward situation. “Does he have a middle name?” She hadn’t thought to ask before.
“Dane. His full name is Elias Dane Bartholomew Kelton, after his father and the leader of our race. Kelton was very close to him.” Kayleigh said proudly, gently stroking her sons’ cheek.
Kayleigh felt desperately sorry for the young girl. She looked terrified. That was totally understandable, given all that she was going through. Kelton had told her some of it, but she wanted Cala to open up and speak about it. She’d just given up her family. She was starting a life on her own, but Kayleigh didn’t want her to feel alone.
She hadn’t planned on this meeting. It was an idea that came out of the blue and had surprised Cala just as much. But this was important, and not just for the young girl. It was a big thing for all of them. Cala was Kelton’s daughter and that meant they would have a big part to play in each other’s lives, if all went well. There were no guarantees, but Kayleigh wanted to try. She didn’t want her to feel alone now that she no longer had her twin here.
Kelton hadn’t said anything to Kayleigh to dissuade her. Cala was supposed to be in training, but the poor girl was struggling and he thought she’d be happy to have an excuse to get out of it.
He’d managed to catch her after she’d had breakfast. It had made him smile to see her sitting with Aisline and the rest of the gang. It would do her good to mix with them. They were a good bunch. Admittedly, she’d looked as nervous as hell, but at least she was taking that step.
Kelton decided to stay out of the room a bit longer. Cala seemed to open up a lot more to Kayleigh and she clearly needed someone to talk to. He didn’t want to ruin that for them.
“How are you feeling?” She asked, deciding to bite the bullet and get the conversation rolling. They’d got on well last time and they needed to move past this awkwardness.
“I don’t know really. I guess I’m still feeling a bit numb.” Cala shrugged, looking at Elias.
“Do you miss your sister?” Kayleigh knew that she had been living in her sister’s shadow for most, if not all, of her life so this transition would be strange to say the least.
“Not as much as I thought I would. In a way, it’s a relief.” Cala immediately looked guilty.
“You two didn’t get on so well?” Kayleigh hadn’t been around much for their time at the academy. She wanted to judge the situation on what she saw now and how Cala was rather than on what Kelton had told her.
“Not really.”
Kayleigh sighed silently. “You know, Cala. I just want to get to know you. I’m not trying to ask you any trick questions here. I’m genuinely interested.”
Cala lifted her eyes to meet Kayleigh’s gaze for the first time. There was something about this woman that she had trusted instantly. Perhaps it was because Kayleigh was the complete opposite of her mother. Whatever it was, she knew she had to trust that instinct and follow it. Just because she cut ties with her family, things hadn’t changed here. Kayleigh wasn’t treating her any differently. Cala needed to get herself together.
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?” Kayleigh asked.
“I don’t know.” Cala shook her head. “Everything just feels so alien.”
“It’ll take some time to adjust.”
Cala felt tears welling in her eyes.
“Do you want to talk?” Kayleigh wasn’t going to push her, but she wanted to get to know her better. “You don’t have to. If you just want to spend time with Elias, that’s fine. Whatever you want.” Kayleigh smiled to let her know that whatever she decided was fine with her.
“I’m just not used to people being interested in me.”
“Why not?”
“Everything was always about Rhian. Even though we were identical in looks, we were nothing alike. She was the one that loved the attention. Not me”
“Were you close to your mother?”
“I wasn’t close to either of them, not really. Rhian was always too much like my mother. I’ve always been the odd one out.” Cala glanced back down at the baby, concentrating hard on not falling apart.
“How so?”
“They’re just so similar in every way. They only care about material things, keeping up appearances and outdoing everyone around them. All they saw me as was someone to carry their bags when they went out shopping and tidy up their mess for them.”
Kayleigh couldn’t help thinking that this sounded like a typical Cinderella story and she felt so sorry for the young girl. She knew that there were worse fates in life, but Cala had clearly had a miserable childhood and that was something hard for her to get over.
“I was never good enough. She’s even a more talented sorceress than me. I couldn’t seem to get anything right.” Cala swiped at her eyes, stopping the tears in their tracks.
She wasn’t going to do this. She wasn’t going to feel sorry for herself, and she certainly didn’t want Kayleigh feeling sorry for her. That wasn’t how she wanted to be seen. Now that she was away from the poison in her life, she wanted to be strong, like Kelton.
“How long have you and Kelton been together?” Cala asked suddenly, wanting to change the focus from her and to find out a little more about both of them. He seemed very private and closed off, but Kayleigh seemed much more open. They were very different people, but Cala could see why they got on so well. It was obvious to anyone in their presence that they were soul mates.
Kayleigh chuckled. “More years than I can count.”
“How did you meet?”
Kayleigh felt herself bristle before forcing herself to relax again. It was an innocent question, one that she had been asked many, many times before. “Kelton was out on patrol one night, the night that I was attacked. He came to my rescue.” She told her, which was the same story they had told everyone. It was the basic truth and sounded much more romantic than it actually was.
“That sounds kind of like what my mother said happened with her.” Cala commented.
“Do you know what happened?”
“I was always told that it was such a romantic encounter by my mother, but I found out the truth of it. She spelled him. A man like Master Warrior Kelton wouldn’t have been interested in her otherwise.” She still didn’t feel comfortable giving him any other title, so she stuck to his name for the time being. Maybe they’d get closer in the future and she’d feel more comfortable calling him ‘dad’.
Kayleigh felt relief flood through her. It was one thing being told by Kelton, but to hear Cala confirm it? It reinforced everything she felt for him. Obviously, she wanted to believe him and had believed him enough to work through it, but there would have always been that niggling doubt in the back of her mind. It had been set to rest now. They could properly move on.
“But why did she do that?”
“I’ve no idea.” Cala shrugged again. “I think she wanted a big, strong man to take care of her and she set her sights on the Master Warrior that rescued her that night. It could have been any of them, but Kelton was the unfortunate one she picked out.”
“Did she tell you before you came here who your father was?”
Cala shook her head. “She’d tell us all these stories, making their encounter seem romantic and more than it really was. We didn’t know who he was though.”
“I bet she was ecstatic when you received the mark of the warrior.” Kayleigh tried to keep the bitterness out of her tone. After all, it wasn’t the girls’ fault, and she didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable and stop talking. It was good for Kayleigh to find out more about what happened and
it was obvious that Cala needed someone to talk to.
“Well, even that isn’t as simple as it seems.” Cala looked away awkwardly.
“What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t until I started listening in on Rhian’s phone conversations with my mother that I realised quite how wrong things were. I knew that with the warrior mark, the training shouldn’t have been such an immense struggle for me. I’ve been trying so hard and it just wasn’t getting any easier. I did a lot of research, finding out everything I could about the warrior mark. It should have been helping me, but the more I trained, the worse I got.” Cala paused, looking down at the baby who was proudly wearing his own warrior mark. “It’s not real.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not real.”
“What’s not real?”
“The warrior mark. It was another one of my mother’s spells.”
Kayleigh gasped, shocked. “Why on earth would she do that?”
“To get close to Kelton again, I guess. She came up with this whole plan to win him over. I think she thought it was a done deal when you left.”
“I can’t believe she planned all this!”
“She didn’t even let Rhian in on the plan at first. I don’t think she thought it was going to work.”
“Why on earth would someone do that to their child? It’s beyond me!”
“My mother is twisted.”
“And to use her daughters like that! Who would do that?” Kayleigh was enraged.
“As I said, twisted.” Cala couldn’t help smiling. She’d lived with her mother for so long that nothing she did ever surprised her any more.
“You can say that again. I can’t believe it!”
“I think she found a Matris friend who told her about Aisline and the shifters. That gave her the idea.”
“That makes sense in a crazy kind of way.” Kayleigh shrugged.
“She’s a crazy kind of woman.”
As they say in silence for a moment, Cala cleared her throat awkwardly. “Are you sure you’re okay with me staying here? At the academy? I mean if you’re not, I can leave.”
End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Page 17