Chapter 7

• Someone snorted. Daxx came over. “Probably the same way everyone else did. Unless you think she was hatched, and her mother was a chicken.”
• Crissy came over quickly. “Creatures can be hatched that aren’t birds. Like fish…” She stopped when everyone looked at her.
• “No, no, no, little one.” Bastian said in a quiet tone. “Can you not see it? This mix. How is she this mix? It’s impossible.” He grasped her shoulders and turned her to look at me. “Look. Tell me what you see.”
• A low growl emanated from across the room.
• Bastian dropped his hands from her and stepped back. He looked at the scary redheaded man. “Sorry, Justice, I forgot protocol and all that…” He waved his hand around. He turned back to Crissy. “What do you see?”
• “Um,” Crissy looked at me, then above my head, “that she’s good. All good.” She nodded her head quickly.
• “No, no, no.” Bastian hissed out a breath in exasperation.
• “Bastian. Why don’t you tell us what you see and try to shed some light on what you’re talking about?” Chase said wandering over slowly, an amused look on his face.
• “Yes. Fine.” Bastian gave him a hard look then turned to me. Placing his hands on his hips, he stood there continuing to stare at me. Then around me.
• I felt like I wanted to be somewhere else. Every pair of eyes on the room were on me.
• “She’s half Alterealm.” He finally said.
• “We know that. She already told us her mother was from Alterealm.” Bethany said sitting on the corner of the platform the thrones were on.
• “Right.” Bastian looked animated then looked back at me. “And-and that means her father…” He frowned, “no that’s impossible.”
• “What is impossible?” Daxx threw her hands up as she stomped over.
• Now I wanted to crawl under the thrones as they all stood there staring at me now.
• “Her father was one of mine.” He said with disbelief in his tone. “There’s basically no human in her at all. I thought it was the lighting at the garage…”
• “Wait. What? What do you mean I’m not human?” Eyes-wide I stared him down.
• “On the outside, you appear to be, but not really.” Bastian said softly. “Which means I’ve been—my people have been lied to for too many millenniums to count.” He scowled.
• Daxx huffed out a loud breath and went to the nearest chair and sat down. She motioned to the table. “Sit. Explain.”
• Bastian put his hands on his hips and turned back to me. “I can’t sit. Now is not the time to sit. I need answers.”
• He wasn’t the only one.
• He pointed to me. “Your parents. You knew them?”
• I shook my head slowly. “My mother only.”
• He nodded, but his expression said that wasn’t all he wanted to know.
• “They took my father before I was born.” I told him.
• “They?” He raised both eyebrows and watched me.
• “His people. That’s all I know.” I glanced away from him to see the room was filled with more people and they were all crowding closer.
• “My people found out about him and your mother and took him?” Bastian clarified.
• “Yes. That’s what she told me.”
• He ran his hand through his messy hair and looked at the floor. “There would have to be a record then…” he mumbled quietly. With a fierce look he snapped his head back up to look at me. “When were you born?”
• Clasping my gloved hands in front of me, I tried not to look as panicked as I felt. “After the war.”
• “First?” King Troy asked.
• “Second?” Rafael inquired.
• I shook my head. “Civil.”
• “You were born after the civil war?” Bethany asked. “The one that ended in eighteen sixty-five?” She was standing beside me now.
• I nodded.
• “Cool.” She turned to the woman with the long black hair. “She’s way older than you, Alona.”
• Alona smiled, “and yet looks younger.”
• King Chase turned to look at her. “There’s not a woman in any realm to rival your beauty and grace, my beloved.”
• “Everyone, out of Reagan’s face. Now.”
• I turned to see Quinton leaning inside the door. I didn’t even know he’d arrived.
• “Quinton’s right. Everyone sit down.” The small red-headed lady came in. She was carrying a plate and glass. “Come, love. The contents of your backpack didn’t survive the fall, so I’ve made you something to eat.” She set it on the table and turned around. She tsked and looked at the men around me, “You should be ashamed of yourselves, hounding her after she gave so much to help your brother.”
• The large bodies started to back away.
• “That goes for you too, Prince Bastian. I know your mother quite well. She wouldn’t stand for this sort of harassment—against a woman with Solrelm blood.”
• Bastian jolted like she’d smacked him. He stepped back. “You are so right, I completely lost my mind and forgot.” He looked back to me and bowed slightly motioning to the table. “Please, sit and eat.”
• I moved around him to where the lady had set the plate.
• “I’m Mitz, by the way, dear. If you need anything, you let me know.” She gave me a gentle smile that reminded me of my mother.
• “Th-thank you.” I sat down.
• “All of you sit and behave like the royalty you’re supposed to be.” She ordered before walking from the room.