Page 51 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

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ANNANI

As the Odus cleared the dishes and then served coffee and tea, Annani watched Amanda's growing impatience, her leg bouncing beneath the table and her fingers tapping its top.

She had always been such an inquisitive child. Annani should have known that she would one day become a researcher despite the years of partying and losing herself in the pleasures of the flesh to drown out the crippling grief that had followed her son's death.

It was any mother's worst nightmare, and Annani regretted having this in common with her daughter. She did not know what was worse, losing Lilen, who had been an adult and whom she had gotten to know and appreciate as a grown man, or losing a little boy and all the unrealized potential of who he might have been had he lived.

Death was a terrible thing, but hopefully it was not the end, and beyond the veil, Lilen and Aiden were together, perhaps they had even joined Khiann, if he had indeed been murdered by Mortdh and was not in stasis under the desert sands as she ardently hoped.

Across the table, Aru and Gabi sat in silence. Annani could not see their hands, but she was sure they were clasped tightly together under the tablecloth as they sipped their coffee and avoided the curious gazes of her children and their mates.

As the minutes ticked by and the coffee cups emptied, the tension in the room grew thicker, and Annani knew it was time.

"I can see the curious looks you're casting my way, and I know that you are all wondering why I have called you here today. There is a secret I am about to share with you, but I want you to know that I kept it from you only because it was not my secret to reveal. Kian and I have convinced Aru that you can be trusted with it, but to ease his fears, I also offered to compel you all to secrecy, but I will never force it on you. If you do not wish to be compelled, you can leave now before I speak of it."

Amanda snorted. "After such a preamble, wild horses couldn't drag me away." She waved a hand. "Please compel me and then tell me what the big secret is before I die of curiosity."

This was such an Amanda response that Annani could not help the laughter that bubbled from her throat. "Does everyone here share Amanda's opinion?"

As heads bobbed all around, Annani closed her eyes for a moment to gather her power.

When she opened them, her family were looking at her with so much awe that she knew she must be glowing like a star. Glancing at her exposed arm confirmed her suspicion.

"My dear family, my son, my daughters, and their mates. What Aru and I will tell you in a moment can be shared only between those seated around this table. The only one who can choose to share it with whomever he pleases is Aru because this is his secret."

Hopefully, she'd closed all the possible loopholes, and if modifications were needed, she could alter her compulsion as needed.

As her glow receded, Aru bowed his head. "Your power is immense, Clan Mother."

"Yeah." Alena rubbed her belly. "I hope it didn't do any damage to the baby."

"He or she will be privy to the secret and will have to keep it," Amanda teased her sister. "After all, your child is seated around this table."

"Not funny," Alena grumbled. "We don't know what compulsion does to the brain, and especially to a developing one."

"He is going to be fine." Sari reached for her sister's hand.

Alena frowned. "How do you know it's a he?"

"I don't, but I have a hunch. Kian and Amanda got girls, so it's your turn to have a boy. You also have many more girls than boys, so a boy is statistically more likely."

"It doesn't work that way," Amanda murmured. "There are many factors that determine a baby's gender."

Annani lifted a hand. "Let us not get distracted." She turned to Aru. "Would you like to share your story, or should I?"

"I will start." Aru rose to his feet.

Annani felt a flicker of apprehension twist in her gut. She knew that the revelation of his connection to the queen of Anumati and the communication that was enabled thanks to him and his sister would come as a shock to her daughters and their mates, but the bigger shock would be when they understood the implications.

"I have guarded this secret since I first became aware of it, and it has shaped the course of my life and my twin sister's. Not even our parents or my teammates know, and it's imperative that they never find out. It is not because I don't trust them but because this knowledge is so dangerous, and the king's spies are everywhere." He scanned their faces. "Except here. Earth is shielded from the oracles, and the only vessel passing through this sector is the patrol ship I arrived on."

Annani was not sure that Aru was right about that. Had the assassins who had come to destroy the rebel gods arrived on a patrol ship? Or had the King sent a smaller, faster vessel with a few well-trained, well-armed, trusted operatives?

"My sister and I have a special telepathic connection," Aru continued, his words hanging heavy in the air. "You have a similar duo in your clan, a mother and daughter who can talk to each other mind-to-mind. What you might not have realized is that distance does not affect telepathic communication. I can talk with Aria, who is on Anumati, as if I was talking to any of you on the phone. It is instantaneous."

Even though everyone was aware that Vivian and Ella possessed a similar ability, a ripple of shock went around the table, gasps and murmurs of astonishment mingling with the clatter of silverware and the hush of held breaths. Annani kept her gaze focused on her daughters, her heart preparing for their hurt expressions.

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