Page 8 of The Reluctant Heir

She shakes her head. “I’m getting to that.”

I press my lips together to stop myself from asking more questions.

“When I met your dad, it was truly love at first sight,” Mom says. “I was heartbroken when I learned that he was married. I figured what I felt for him was one sided and I did my best to focus on the alliance.”

So she did know he was married.

I want to say something, but I can see the guilt in my mom’s eyes. She doesn’t need me to yell at her, even if that’s what I want to do.

“You look just like him, you know?” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Mom.” I give her a pointed look. “You’re getting off topic.”

“Sorry.” She looks down at her hands as she continues. “Michael and I spent a lot of time together and my feelings for him grew stronger. I knew that I should’ve called my father and asked him to send somebody else, but I was selfish. I wanted to spend time with Michael, even if my feelings were only one sided. But the more time we spent together, I began to realize that my feelings weren’t so one sided. His marriage wasn’t so great. He wasn’t happy.”

My stomach churns as the story continues. I already know where it ends up—with me existing.

Mom clears her throat. “It only happened once. I felt so guilty that I left the next morning. I think Michael must’ve felt guilty too because he never tried to contact me—not that I blame him. He was married and his commitment wasn’t to me.”

A tear rolls down my mother’s cheek and my chest aches for her. Yes, what she did was wrong, but she’s remorseful.

“I would say that I regret it, but I don’t.” She wipes her tears from her face. “I got you out of it and you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I want to hug her, but I can’t. Not yet. The story isn’t done and I need to know the rest.

“Your father never knew,” Mom says. “We made a mistake and I knew he regretted it. I knew it after it was over—I could see it on his face. At first, I kept it a secret because I didn’t want to ruin his marriage. It’s not like he could just divorce his wife and marry me.”

She’s right, of course.

Supernaturals don’t have divorce. We marry for life.

Most supernaturals have soulmates—the one person handpicked by fate that is perfect for you. But vampires and succubi don’t have the luxury of getting soulmates. That’s why choosing a lifetime partner is so important. Once a couple is married, they develop a mate bond, which bonds them to their partner permanently. It’s like their minds, souls, and emotions are connected.

“Do you think Michael could’ve hidden the affair from his wife? They have a mate bond,” I say.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. But either way, I didn’t want to put additional strain on them by coming forward about my pregnancy. And once you were born, my motivation changed completely. I didn’t want to keep you a secret for him—I wanted to keep you a secret for myself. I didn’t want to share you with him. And as you got older, the desire to keep it a secret grew stronger. I was afraid. I knew how much you didn’t fit in with other succubi. I was scared you would leave me to live with him.”

At that I lean into her, putting my arm around her to embrace her. “Mom, I would never abandon you. You’re my mom. But Michael is my dad. I should’ve gotten the opportunity to know him.”

She sniffs. “I know. I have made a lot of mistakes and I am sorry about that.”

I want to tell her that it’s okay, but it’s not. She kept me from my dad. There is a whole side of me that I don’t know much about because I’ve been kept in a bubble.

“I think you should go with your dad. He needs you. And more than that, you both deserve to get to know one another,” Mom says.

My eyes widen. “You think I should go?”

“Yes.” She pulls back to look at me. “You’ll never truly be happy here. The succubi and incubi have a way of making aperson feel inadequate. It’s not just you, sweetie. They do it to each other too. You’re just an easy target for them.”

I shrug, trying to show it’s not a big deal. “I know I’m not beautiful like a succubus.”

Mom jerks back. “Madeline, that is not true and you know it. You’re so beautiful. It’s why the others make fun of you—they’re jealous.”

I roll my eyes at that. Of course my mother thinks I’m beautiful—she has to say that. But I know the truth. I’m just a hybrid—not quite succubus, not quite vampire. I’ll never truly fit into either world. I’ve not got the charm of a succubus, and I don’t drink blood like a vampire.

“There is one more thing,” Mom says.

I look up at that. “What?”

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