23. Adelaide

23

ADELAIDE

I face Blackthorn. "My mother," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. "You know her. You know who she is, don't you?"

Blackthorn's expression is unreadable, but I can see the conflict in his eyes. He's weighing his words carefully, and I brace myself for whatever he's about to say.

"Yes," he finally admits. "I know your mother. And Addy... she's not what you think she is."

I feel Corvus tense beside me. His hand finds mine and squeezes it gently. The others are silent, watching this exchange closely.

"What do you mean?" I press.

"She's not human."

My mind reels at this information. If she's not human, and not a vampire, and by her own admission, not a witch either, then what is she? "Go on."

Blackthorn takes a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he's about to say. "Your mother, Addy, is a being of pure light. A celestial, if you will. One of the most powerful beings in existence."

The world seems to tilt on its axis at his words. A being of pure light? A celestial? It sounds impossible, and yet... it makes a strange kind of sense. My mother is the kindest, most generous, selfless woman I know.

"You mean like an Angel?" I stammer.

"Not exactly. She is beyond that. It's hard to explain. She is lightness itself. Inevitable."

Wow. Okay. I was not expecting that. I wasn't expecting any of this. I'm staggered, but at the same time, I know Blackthorn isn't lying.

"Who is she to you?" I know the entire Academy is listening in on this conversation, but I don't really care. They need to know. We all do. This affects all of us.

"My daughter."

Time stands still. Murmured conversations that were going on around us halted.

"What?" I bleat.

He smiles in that grandfatherly way, and now I know why. He is my fucking grandfather.

"Jesus Christ," I snap and turn from him, seeing him cringe at my blaspheme, but I don't give a shit. "This is insanity."

"Maybe, but all true."

"And Randall? Did he seek her out to create me?" I hold back the gag.

Blackthorn's expression darkens at the mention of my father's name. "Randall Black has always craved power. So yes, he sought out your mother, believing that a union between darkness and light would create a being of unimaginable power. You, Addy."

"So he bred with the world's ultimate darkness and then her opposite?"

"Pretty much," he mutters, looking a bit green around the edges. I get it. I think I'm going to be sick.

I shake my head, trying to process all of this information. "But why didn't you tell me sooner? Why all the secrecy?"

"Because you weren't ready," he says gently. "And because knowing too much too soon could have been dangerous. There are forces at work here, Addy, that go beyond anything you can imagine. Your mother is part of a cosmic balance, a force of light that stands against the darkness. And now, with Crimson awakening inside you, that balance is more precarious than ever."

I feel Crimson stir at his words. "So, what does this mean for me? For us?" I ask, unsure if I'm speaking for myself or for both of us.

Blackthorn's gaze is intense as he looks at me. "It means, Addy, that you have a choice to make. A choice that could shape the fate of not just our world, but many others. You can embrace your dual nature, find a way to balance the light and dark within you. Or..."

"Or what?" I press, dreading the answer.

"Or you could reject one side of your nature entirely. But doing so... it would have consequences beyond anything we can predict."

I feel the weight of his words settle on me like a physical burden. The fate of worlds, resting on my shoulders. It seems impossible, and yet... I can feel the truth of it resonating within me.

"So freeing Crimson is the right thing to do?"

"Yes."

"Am I ready for this? Or will it kill me?"

"Oh, you're ready," he says, beaming with pride. "Look at what you did here." He gestures absently to the shadow pet still curled up at my feet. I'd forgotten all about it.

"What is on the other side of the portal?"

He gives me a warning stare, which I take to mean as he will tell me, but not now. "I don't know," he says, eyes narrowed.

I give him a nod that lets him know we will continue this conversation when the entire school isn't watching.

I turn from him and catch Lyra looking at me with renewed interest. She is standing with Asher and Lucian, which makes me very wary of her intentions. "I need a minute," I say and walk off, disturbed to find the shadow pet follows me, slinking along the ground like a dark mist at my feet.

"You and I need to have a frank conversation. Are you capable of that?" I ask Crimson.

Sure. What do you want to know?

"Oh, now you're all chatty, after the revelations come out."

She giggles. What can I say? I like being all mysterious and shit.

"If my mother is a celestial being, is yours a demon?"

Yep.

"Is she still alive?"

Can't say for sure. She was in the other dimension the last time I saw her.

"Why are you trapped in my head?"

I'm not in your head, Addy. My essence is in your body. I was in the mirror in the tower. Locked away. When you took over residence there, and you saw me in the mirror. I was freed from that prison, only to be trapped in your body. Then Randall tried to get rid of us.

"Who imprisoned you and why?"

The five fathers, like your little Fae mate, said. They thought I was a threat to them, when all I wanted was to rule my dimension.

"The place Randall opened up? What's it called?"

That's enough questions for now.

I let out a frustrated growl. Crimson always knows when to pull back, leaving me hanging with more questions than answers. It pisses me off, but part of me knows that it's probably for the best. I'm already on information overload as it is. I need time to process this lot first.

Taking deep breaths, I lean against one of the stones on the circle where the Sanctuary is, feeling its chill seep through my clothes. The shadow pet nudges at my hand, seeking attention or perhaps offering comfort. It's bizarre, having this creature so attuned to me when I didn't even know it existed until today.

Pushing away from the wall, I walk back to the guys, who are waiting with various degrees of patience. I find them gathered under an ancient elm tree.

I look at each of their faces, trying to gauge what they're thinking. Zephyr's eyes hold a touch of concern, his lips pressed into a thin line. Corvus is watching me with that intense gaze that seems to peer into my very soul, stirring up things inside me that I'm not ready to face. Ignatius looks like he might burst into flames at any moment, his skin flickering with sparks as if reflecting his inner turmoil. And Zaiah, well, he just raises an eyebrow and smirks, as if he finds this whole situation incredibly entertaining.

"Addy," Zephyr starts, but I hold up a hand to stop him.

"I'm fine," I lie. Because let's be honest, I'm anything but fine. My head's spinning with thoughts of celestial beings, demons, and cosmic balances.

"You don't look fine," Corvus snaps. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

I sigh.

Ignatius steps forward. "You know we're here for you, right? Whatever this choice is that you have to make—we're behind you."

I nod, feeling a lump form in my throat at the sincere expression in his fiery eyes. "I know, and I appreciate it." I can't look at them for long because their support makes everything feel too real.

Zaiah clears his throat. "So, are we going to ignore the fact that there's a shadow creature following you around like a lost puppy, or what?" He gestures towards the pet at my feet, which has taken to imitating a cat, curling itself around my ankles.

"No, but we need to rally the troops. If MistHallow has fallen to these other creatures, then we need to take it back."

"Okay, how?" Zephyr asks, his gaze fixed on mine with an intensity that makes my heart thump.

"I don't know, yet. What did you mean when you said, ‘the shadows are her servants'?"

He smirks. "Something my dad said about you."

"Sounds like the elders know more than they're letting on," Corvus says, pissed off.

"What else is new?" Zaiah asks.

"Yeah, the elders are cocks," Ignatius snorts.

I grin at the lighter atmosphere, but it doesn't last. We are an academy of students without an academy. It has been taken over by creatures out to destroy us. "We need to do this ritual and see what happens to Crimson."

"And what if she kills you?" Corvus asks bluntly.

"Then I die, but at least we tried to save MistHallow."

How noble.

"Unless you have answers, you can shut the fuck up." I see her miming zipping her lips and I roll my eyes. "The sooner we get this done, the better. She is pissing me the fuck off."

"Agreed," comes the unanimous mutter back at me.