Aisline took a sip of her hot chocolate, buying herself some time to think about what she was going to say next. It was a difficult situation. The girl had the physical mark, but the magic behind it wasn’t shining through. She’d never heard anything like this before. Even with the magic working its mysterious ways and appearing on people that never thought would be put in this situation, they still felt the full extent of its magic.
“Have you spoken to anyone about this?”
“Who would I talk to? I don’t know how this stuff is supposed to work. And I don’t know anyone to talk to about it.” Cala looked at Aisline in despair. It was obvious that she wanted to try with the training and everything, but was hitting a brick wall. Luckily, the guys in her class were helping her with the training all they could, but there was only so much they could do for her. It was hard to see her struggling like this, especially when she wanted it so badly.
Ash thought about it for a moment. Her initial idea would have been to send her straight to Kayleigh, but that option was out. She would have been such a great help to this girl. That was just one more thing to add to the list of reasons why she missed Kayleigh so much. Aisline couldn’t really do much about it herself. They were stuck.
“What about your mother?”
“She wouldn’t understand.”
Ash nodded slightly. Even though she’d only had a brief time with the twins’ mother, it seemed pretty clear that she wasn’t too easy to talk to. Plus, with her not being part of the Lamia, she may not understand what Cala was talking about, anyway. “What about Doctor Phillippe? Have you seen her about this?”
“Why would I need a doctor? Is there something wrong with me?”
Ash smiled, “No. I mean to talk to. She might be able to help you out with this.”
“I don’t know about that.” Cala wrapped her hands tightly around her mug of hot chocolate. “I don’t really feel comfortable talking about this.”
“But you’re talking to me about it and you’re doing just fine.” Aisline pointed out.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Cala hesitated again. “But, I don’t know Doctor Phillippe.”
“Get to know her. She’s really nice. I find her really easy to talk to.”
“Maybe.”
They fell silent again. It was a companionable silence and Cala smiled to herself a little. She was glad that Aisline had run into her, especially after her run in with Rhian. She was now more determined than ever to not let Rhian cause her any discomfort. Rhian had the tendency to get a bee in her bonnet about a specific person and would spend all her time making their lives a misery. She didn’t want that for Aisline. Ash seemed really nice. At least she was making an effort to get to know her. Cala would never have had the confidence to just walk up to her and start talking. At least now it felt like she may actually be making a friend in this place. Finally.
Ash looked up when there was a knock on the door, bringing her out of her thoughts. The door had still been standing wide open as it had been when they’d come in there, but Doctor Phillippe had knocked to get their attention.
“Sorry to interrupt, but can we have a word with Cala? In Kelton’s office?” Doctor Phillippe threw a smile at Ash.
“What? Now? Why?” Cala looked panicked again.
“Now, please.” Doctor Phillippe nodded. She would have loved to have turned around and told the kid that there was nothing to worry about, but this was a serious talk they needed to have.
“Why don’t you come and find me afterwards and we’ll hang out for a bit?” Ash smiled at Cala.
“Sure. That’d be great.” Cala glanced nervously at the doctor before following her out of the room.
Chapter Five
Kelton felt sick. After speaking with Cassandra, the situation before him felt even more out of control. There wasn’t a single aspect of that woman that he liked and he didn’t want his opinion of her to taint his opinion of her daughters. The meeting had left him feeling shaken and the last thing he wanted to do was to confront the twins, but he understood when Marion advised him to take the bull by the horns and get it over and done with. The sooner he knew for sure whether he was their father, the sooner they could move on with their lives. He had no idea what direction that would take, but as Marion said, they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.
Cassandra had walked out of his office in a bit of a huff. That didn’t bode well. If they were his daughters, unfortunately, that meant that he would have to converse with her in the future, which was the last thing he wanted. He wanted as little to do with that woman as possible. Kelton didn’t think that there was a possibility that the DNA test would come back negative, but he could hope. Not that the wish reflected on the girls at all, he just couldn’t bear the thought of having that woman in his life.
That made him think whether it was the right thing to do to take the test. She was very dismissive, not that he actually wanted to go out of his way to speak to her, but this was a serious situation that they needed to address. Kelton didn’t want to speak to the woman and if he was honest, he didn’t want the results to come back positive. If the test came back negative, it would be best all round. He didn’t want any kind of connection to Cassandra and if it came back that the twins were his, they would have a connection for life.
If he was being honest, he had half expected her to get personal, maybe even flirtatious. She had, but the degree had been way toned down in comparison to what it could have been like if Marion hadn’t been there. That was a relief. The last thing he wanted was to do with that as well. At least the conversation had been brief. Now he had to move on to a conversation with the twins, a conversation that he really didn’t want to have.
Kelton felt sick to his stomach.
“What’s going on?” Cala asked quietly as Doctor Phillippe knocked on Master Warrior Kelton’s closed office door. She looked around nervously.
It felt so strange, being in front of the man she knew to be her father. Obviously, she’d seen Master Warrior Kelton around the building, running here and there, since they had come here, but they’d never really had the time to speak.
He was an impressive looking man and she could easily see what her mother had seen in him. Cassandra hadn’t gone into the details of what had happened, for which she was thankful, but Cala imagined it to have been a very romantic, passionate affair. Kelton seemed the kind of man that would sweep you off your feet and love you passionately.
He hadn’t hardly spoken to either of them since the night they’d arrived. Cala remembered the feeling of wanting the floor to swallow her up. She’d lived with Cassandra all her life and her bitchiness was something she had gotten used to, but it had been a shock to see her speaking to the warrior and the woman that way. It was clear that neither of them had any idea that they were his children and Cala thought that her mother should have handled it a little more tenderly, instead of jumping in with both feet and announcing the fact.
Rhian couldn’t give a damn about any of this warrior business, waltzing around like the princess she thought she was. It was a bit of a shock to her system to find that the trainees and warrior wouldn’t treat her in the manner she’d been accustomed to.
Although that didn’t meant that Rhian would lower herself to train and be one with the rest of them. That was way below her, but Cala was really enjoying it. She wasn’t very good at it and struggled to keep up, but she kept on going.
In a way, it was probably easier that Kelton had decided to split them up and put Cala in Master Warrior Verynai’s training class. It did her the world of good to be away from the constant suffering presence of her sister. She still wasn’t coming out of her shell, but it was a start at least.
“Have I done something wrong?” Cala asked, worried about why she had been called into the head’s office.
“No, not at all.”
“Is something wrong?”
Marion turned to her and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, bu
t she didn’t say anything. What could she say? Everything was wrong at the moment. There was no way she could promise everything was going to be alright.
“Come in.” Kelton’s voice called out.
Marion opened up the door. Kelton was sitting behind his desk. He was quite a sight to behold. It was no wonder the trainees shook in their boots when they were called into his office. He sure was an intimidating sight. And, he looked much better than he had the last time they’d spoken, much more together. Much more the man she knew.
Thinking about how on edge the trainees could be in front of the Master Warrior had Marion frowning. That was the last thing they needed for this particular meeting. The girls didn’t need to be put on edge.
“Take a seat.” Kelton said in a brisk tone.
“Can I get anyone anything to drink? Kelton? Cala?” Marion asked brightly, trying to calm the tension that was building in the room.
“No, thank you.” Kelton said, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the computer screen, the vein in his neck throbbing angrily.
Marion walked around the desk, picked up a pen and piece of paper and wrote,
You need to calm down. Remember, this isn’t their fault.
She slid the note across the desk in front of him. That wasn’t something she could say out loud, but it needed to be said. Cala looked absolutely terrified as she sat there, as if waiting to be hung, visibly shaking. It was a dreadfully difficult situation for Kelton to be in, but he had to remember that they were only young girls. This would be even more difficult for them to comprehend.
Kelton glanced at the note before nodding briefly. How the hell was he supposed to relax? He had no idea how to broach this subject with them. Never before had he had to utter the words ‘am I your father?’ Did they even know about the situation? This was one big clusterfuck that he didn’t know how to deal with.
Trying to release the tension from his shoulders, he turned to Marion with a false smile, “Actually, a coffee would be great.”
“One coffee coming straight up.” Marion smiled in relief, grateful to know that he was at least trying. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, Cala?”
“No, thank you.”
Marion was about to pick up the phone to put the order through to the kitchen staff to bring them some coffee when the door suddenly swung open, making them all jump.
“What have I done now?” Rhian stormed as soon as she walked into the room, shooting a suspicious glance as Cala when she noticed her already in the room. “He won’t tell me anything.” She glared disrespectfully at Master Warrior Verynai.
“Any other difficult tasks you wish to assign me to, Kelton? Wrestling lions? Taming wild beasts?” Verynai smirked as he rolled his eyes in Rhian’s direction, oblivious to the tension in the room.
“A couple of coffees if you could manage it, thanks.”
“So, what? Now I’m a goddamn waiter? Awesome.” Verynai laughed before leaving the room.
Rhian was still stood in the centre of the room, hands on her hips. It was a good job that she hadn’t been brought in there to be reprimanded – that sort of behaviour made Kelton relish tearing strips out of the trainees. Her entire body language was disrespectful and insolent.
Kelton tried to ignore how she was acting and doing as Marion suggested, cutting them some slack. The sisters were complete opposites – with Cala sitting like a frightened deer in the headlights, and her sister coming in all guns blazing.
“Take a seat.”
“Why? What’s all this about? Why is my sister here?” Rhian demanded.
“Take a seat.” Kelton repeated and glared at her until she huffed and puffed and took a seat.
Marion perched on the edge of the desk, trying to remain a calm and casual approach. Rhian looked annoyed, Kelton looked pissed off and Cala looked like she was going to cry. It wasn’t the most perfect atmosphere.
Kelton cleared his throat. “I have something I need to speak to you both about. Something very serious.”
Verynai chose that particular moment to come barrelling back into the room with two cups of coffee. He glanced around, finally sensing the tension, before putting the coffee cups on Kelton’s desk and making a hasty retreat.
With a sigh, Kelton scrubbed a hand across his face. “I don’t even know where to start. This is such a mess.” He mumbled more to himself than those in the room with him. This was one of the most difficult things that he had ever had to do. He couldn’t help thinking that this would have been so much more bearable if he had Kayleigh by his side.
He had to stop that train of thought dead in its tracks. Kayleigh wasn’t there. This wasn’t the girls fault. He had to deal with the situation and keep their feelings in mind. As Marion had pointed out, they were only children and he was the adult in this situation.
“Is this about you being our father?” Rhian said, looking bored as she studied her nails.
Kelton drew in a sharp breath.
“Rhian!” Cala exclaimed. She was as blunt as their mother on occasion.
“What? I don’t see the point in sugar coating it. He’s taken long enough to talk to us about it. I don’t see why we should waste any more time pussy-footing around it.”
“You know?” Kelton asked them, shocked. They hadn’t shown any signs that they knew this. Not that he’d gone out of his way to speak to them, but they’d never made any acknowledgment of their potential relationship.
“Of course we know. Mother told us before we came to this godforsaken place.”
“Why didn’t you say anything before now?” Kelton felt ashamed. It wasn’t like he had purposely set out to treat them badly or ignore their presence, but he had been indifferent towards them. He knew now that he should have tried harder from the very start to make an effort with them, but he’d been too wrapped up in his own tormented thoughts. It wasn’t their fault that he was eaten up by Kayleigh’s departure. He should have been there for them.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Rhian countered.
“Rhian, please.” Cala pleaded. “I’m sorry. This isn’t easy for any of us.” She said to Kelton in a timid voice.
Rhian spun around to glare at her sister. “Don’t you dare sit there and apologise for me.”
Cala threw her hands up, exasperated. She could never do anything right. Even if she sat there silently, Rhian would have had a problem with it and bitten her head off.
“I think that we all need to calm down and take a moment to clear our heads.” Marion said soothingly. Tempers were starting to flare and that wouldn’t do any of them any good.
“Who are you again?” Rhian snapped rudely. “Why are you even here? You’re nothing to do with this.”
Marion shook her head slightly, not wanting to snap back, but the girl was just like her mother. Everything about her was a mini-me of Cassandra. She was trying hard to keep an open mind, but the girl was making it very hard for her.
Marion’s position here at the academy wasn’t just as a physician, she was there for any of the trainees or warriors should they need to talk, kind of like an on-site psychologist. She couldn’t imagine this girl ever coming to her and wouldn’t know how to respond if she did. It was a struggle to remain professional.
Before Marion could reply, Kelton stood up, knocking the desk and spilling the coffee. “I can understand that you are feeling angry and that this is a lot to deal with, but you will mind your manners!”
“Oh, sorry? Are you trying to fill in the father role now?” Rhian said bitchily.
Kelton loomed over her menacingly. “First and foremost until we establish the facts, I am the head of this academy and you will treat all of my staff with the respect that they’re due.”
Rhian tried to glare him down, obviously used to getting her own way, but failed, muttering ‘whatever’ under her breath as she sat down next to her sister. There was no way she was going to get the better of Kelton. He was a Master Warrior who had fought the enemy for numerous years, coming
up against much bigger and better than a teenage brat like Rhian. She didn’t stand a chance.
Kelton took a deep breath and turned to the girl that he hoped to get some sense out of. “Cala, how long have you known?” He thought it would be a prudent idea to speak to the quieter one of the twins. Rhian seemed bitter about the situation, or at least acted like she didn’t give a damn. Cala seemed a bit more affected by it and therefore he may get some more sensible answers from her.
“Our mother told us just before we got here, when we were out in India.”
“And what did she say exactly?”
“That you’re our biological father.”
“Did she say anything else?”
Cala nodded, smiling and flushing with embarrassment. “Not much really. When the warrior marks appeared, she told us what they were and that she would be sending us to live with our father. She told us that you had a brief romance.”
Kelton frowned. ‘A romance’? That was stretching it a little. It was a spell induced sleazy one night stand that he sorely regretted the moment he came to his senses. However, the girls didn’t need to know that. Just because he couldn’t stand their mother for what she had done to him, he didn’t have any intention of trying to turn her daughters against her by telling them the truth. He’d rather they think he was a total dog who knocked up their mother and hit the road.
“Do I really need to sit here and listen to this?” Rhian turned her nose up. She had no interest in speaking about it and didn’t care about Kelton or what he was to them. A sperm donor. That was what he was in her mind.
“Yes. You do.” Kelton was trying desperately to keep his temper in check, but it wasn’t easy. Rhian was really pushing his buttons. “I need to talk to you about this. It’s not something we can brush on the carpet. Do you realise how important this is?”
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