50. Annani

50

ANNANI

A nnani felt her heart swell with emotion as she sat beside her half-brother's bed. She wished to reach for his hand and clasp it, but the gesture would seem improper given that he did not know they were related, and she was not ready to tell him yet.

He looked so fragile, so unsure. He needed to be told things a little bit at a time.

She could see her father in the prince. The same strong, chiseled features and even the same eye color, but where her father's gaze had been determined and powerful, the prince's was soft and a little lost.

And to think that they had all feared that he and his sister were terrifying creatures who could wield unimaginable power. The earpieces were there to protect her from him in case he was more powerful than she was, but they also translated Kra-ell to English, while the teardrop pendant translated English to Kra-ell, breaching the barrier of language.

The devices were Fates sent, or rather William sent, even though they could do nothing to bridge the cultural divide that Cedric was not even aware of yet, but he would be.

His eyes were misted with tears, and it was not an act because Cedric did not even know that he was supposed to act like a tough Kra-ell prince, with all the arrogance and dominance of the purebloods.

He was not one of them, but that was how he was raised.

Or maybe not. He and his sister had grown up in the temple, with the priestess being the strongest influence on their lives. Perhaps she had taught them compassion instead of a thirst for war.

Annani's eyes started to sting with sympathetic tears.

There was just something very touching about a grown male tearing up.

"Oh, my dear Cedric." She reached for his hand despite the impropriety. He did not know what was acceptable behavior and what was not, and since he did not pull his hand back, she assumed he was agreeable. "I am so incredibly happy and thankful that you and your sister are here. If only my Khiann and my Lilen were here as well, my life would be complete."

Next to her, Kian shifted on his chair, and on his other side, Syssi wiped tears from her eyes. Aru and Jade just observed, unmoved and untouched by the moment.

"Who were they?" Cedric asked.

"Khiann was my mate and the love of my life. He was taken from me mere months after we were married, murdered by a jealous and vengeful god who could not stand the thought that I chose Khiann over him."

The prince frowned. "I do not understand. Why did you have to choose one over the other? You could have had both."

Annani smiled. "I see that some of your memories are coming back. You grew up among the Kra-ell, where males outnumber females four to one, so Kra-ell females take several mates. I am a goddess, and gods are born in equal numbers. We choose only one mate."

He dipped his head in embarrassment. "I apologize for the improper comment. I meant no disrespect."

"I know." She patted his hand. "If you had all of your memories back, you would have known that gods mate only one person, even though gods and Kra-ell come from the same planet. We are all Anumatian."

He looked at her for a long moment. "What am I?"

"You are part god and part Kra-ell. Your mother was the queen of the Kra-ell."

His eyes started glowing in excitement. "And my father?"

"We are not sure who he was." Annani hated to lie to him, and she was not sure she should.

Until she had laid eyes on the prince, she had no proof that he was indeed her half-brother, so her statement might have been true, but seeing him and realizing how much he looked like their father, only a little darker and a lot softer, she could no longer harbor doubt.

The prince glanced at Kian and then back at her. "Who was Lilen?"

He could have asked her more about himself and where he had come from, but instead, he asked about Lilen. That spoke volumes about the kind of person he was.

"Lilen was my son. He fell in battle, defending our clan."

His fingers closed around hers with the gentlest of squeezes. "I am so sorry that you have lost so much."

She nodded. "Thank you."

"If I may…" The prince glanced at Kian and then back at Annani. "Can I ask if you know why my sister and I are here?"

Annani looked at Kian, who nodded.

Her son was observing the prince closely, checking for any signs of him remembering why he was sent to Earth.

"Some of what I am going to tell you will be upsetting, so before I start, I want you to look at my son and his mate. They are half god and half human. They are immortals like gods and have many of the other traits that the gods on Anumati have, but to a lesser degree, and they are perfect the way they are."

"Of course," the prince said. "Why would anyone claim otherwise?"

Annani smiled. "I am glad you asked. On Anumati, gods and Kra-ell do not mix. Even though they are genetically compatible, probably because they originated from the same common ancestors, mixed-race relationships are forbidden by both. The claim is that any children born of such unions will be abominations."

His eyes widened. "So, my sister and I are considered abominations?"

Annani nodded. "That is why your mother hid you behind veils from the day you were born and then sent you away from Anumati the first chance she had. She did that to save your lives."