45. Brandon

45

brANDON

B randon's stomach churned with anxiety as he sat beside Morelle at Annani's dining table. He knew what was coming—after all, his own suspicions had sparked this gathering—and he berated himself for not warning Morelle beforehand.

He should have told her and prepared her for this. But how do you tell someone you love that you suspect they were created to be a weapon?

Hopefully, Kian would handle the revelation diplomatically, though Brandon had his doubts. His boss, for all his leadership qualities, wasn't known for his emotional intelligence, and his delivery style left a lot to be desired.

Annani might do better, but now that they were all gathered around the table, it was too late for Brandon to make suggestions about who should break the news to the twins .

Thankfully, Morelle seemed unaware of his inner turmoil, completely absorbed in entertaining Allegra. The child had demanded her highchair be placed between Morelle and Syssi, and no one had thought to argue. The little girl was clearly taking after her father, already showing signs of Kian's assertiveness.

"More!" Allegra demanded, holding out her empty cup to Morelle.

"What do we say?" Syssi prompted from her other side.

"More! Please!"

Brandon caught Kian's eye across the table and gave a subtle shake of his head, trying to convey that he hadn't shared his suspicions with Morelle yet.

Kian's responding nod suggested he understood, and Brandon hoped they were on the same page.

"Everyone, please," Annani called for attention as her Odus began pouring wine. "We have reason to celebrate tonight."

Brandon's heart skipped. Had Annani found a way to spin this into something celebratory rather than concerning? He wouldn't put it past her—she had a gift for finding the bright side of any situation.

When everyone had full glasses, Annani lifted her glass. "To Morelle and Ell-rom, who by joining our clan have brought such joy to my heart and to our entire family, and who make us all safer by their presence."

Brandon watched as confusion flickered across both twins' faces, but they raised their glasses and drank along with everyone.

In a way, the Clan Mother was right. Having a one-of-a-kind weapon was a tactical advantage, so the twins' presence made the clan safer. The goddess was truly a master diplomat.

Throughout the meal, Allegra and Evie provided endless entertainment, keeping Morelle distracted with their antics, and Brandon managed to eat a few bites and not offend their hostess by leaving the food on his plate untouched.

"No, like this," Allegra was explaining seriously to Evie, demonstrating the 'proper' way to eat peas with a spoon. Most of them ended up on the floor, but neither child seemed concerned, and the adults just laughed, knowing the Odus would clean everything up.

When everyone was done, the dinner plates had been cleared, and the Odus began serving coffee, tea, and dessert, Brandon's anxiety spiked.

This was it.

Annani set down her coffee cup and looked at her siblings with so much love that Brandon felt his throat tighten.

"My dear sister and brother. Your extraordinary gifts didn't come to you by chance." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "They were given to you deliberately. We do not know this for certain, but it seems very likely that you were created to be Earth's shield against the Eternal King—to help rid the galaxy of a tyrant when he decides to threaten to end all life on this planet in order to get rid of the three of us—his grandchildren, his blood, the threat to his throne."

The silence that followed was deafening. Morelle's face had gone pale with shock, while Ell-rom looked like he might be sick. Brandon wanted to reach for Morelle's hand but found himself unable to move a muscle.

"Extraordinary is right," Amanda said. "What a blessing the two of you are. Naturally, it will take us decades to fully understand and hone your abilities, but you are no doubt our best defense against the king. In fact, you are the only defense. Without you, our only hope was for him to never set his sights on Earth, but we all felt like we were living on borrowed time."

Brandon couldn't have said it better even after working on it for hours, and Amanda had nailed it on the spot without any preparation, unless Kian and Annani had told her ahead of time.

"I'm so grateful you are here," Alena said. "It hadn't occurred to me that your talents were the only possible defense against the Eternal King. But now that it's spelled out, it's so obvious. Your father and mother created you for a purpose."

Ell-rom swallowed. "I don't know what's worse. Thinking that we were the result of an illicit affair or that we were created with a deadly purpose in mind."

Jasmine took his hand. "Does it matter? You are who you are, not what your parents wanted you to be. You decide what you want to do with what they gave you."

He nodded. "I'm honored that you regard me as a shield against the Eternal King, but even if Morelle and I master our powers, we can't reach him. He's literally across the galaxy from us."

"We don't know the full scope of your abilities yet," Amanda said softly. "For all we know, distance might not matter. Your powers could potentially reach across space."

Ell-rom shook his head. "I doubt it. Besides, why do you think we were created to be weapons? It could be just the natural result of combining royal godly genes and royal Kra-ell genes. Both our parents were powerful."

Morelle regarded her brother with a pair of sad eyes. "I don't think so. When the head priestess pushed us, she knew that one of us could kill with a thought. I think that she also knew what I was supposed to do, but I just couldn't access my abilities. Maybe if she had hinted at what it was, I might have been able to do it back then."

"She might have pushed too hard," Syssi said. "Sometimes, it has the opposite effect, especially with paranormal abilities. They need to be gently coaxed to the surface."

Ell-rom snorted. "That was not my experience. My so-called talent was wrenched out of me by fear. I was afraid of that guard exposing Morelle and both of us getting…" He glanced at Allegra, who was watching him with a serious expression on her little face. "Well. You all know what would have happened. The second time I used my talent, I was terrified for Jasmine's life."

"My trigger was also fear," Morelle said.

Amanda lifted a finger. "Not true. You started using it on a small scale when you siphoned powers from Cassandra, Jin, Arwel, and Toven. Fear just triggered a massive siphoning." She leveled her eyes at Morelle. "Theoretically, you could absorb power from thousands and channel it to topple a building. I have a feeling that with training, you will one day be able to do that."

As Morelle reached for Brandon's hand under the table, seeking his comfort, he felt so guilty for not telling her sooner himself and letting others do it. He knew that he needed to confess that he'd been the one to first voice these suspicions, but he couldn't, and now it would have to wait.

"What are we supposed to do with this knowledge?" Ell-rom asked.

"Whatever you choose," Kian said. "This information doesn't change who you are or what you want to do with your life. It just explains some things about your abilities and highlights the importance of training. We are not going to force you to become our shield against the Eternal King, but if he comes for Earth, your lives will depend on your ability to utilize your gifts as much as ours will, so we hope that you will want to hone them and be prepared to save everyone."

Silence fell over the room as everyone mulled over Kian's statement.

"More cake!" Allegra's demand broke the tension, making everyone laugh.

"Just a small piece." Syssi reached for the dessert plate.

Under the table, Brandon squeezed Morelle's hand, and she squeezed back. They needed to talk, and he hoped she would not hate him once he confessed.