Page 67 of Banshee
“I know he wanted Mom to abort me. When she found out she was pregnant, he begged her to have an abortion.”
“How do you know that?” Her face said everything. I’d known she knew. But she didn’t know I did.
“I overheard you and Zeus talking about it.”
“Ire—Aspen. It wasn’t that he didn’t want you. He was worried about losing Mom.”
“And he was willing to sacrifice me to prevent it. Just like he was willing to sacrifice me to find you.”
Diana sat back on the bed. She had nothing to say. What could she say? She knew I was right. Seeing the truth of my words on her face made me wonder if I’d ever be able to forgive my father for what he’d done.
“I love you, Diana. And I am so happy you are alive and safe. I hate what you went through. I hate that you lost all that time with us, with Bane, with Mimic and Kytten. And I know that Mom and Dad and Zeus will be so happy when they find out you’re alive. And I want that for them. I do. But I don’t know that I can be a part of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I don’t know if I can be around them. At least, not right now. I’m not ready for them to know where I am. I’m not ready for anyone outside this clubhouse to know where I am.”
“Oh, baby sister.” She launched herself up from the bed and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and laid my head on her shoulder. I was happy she was here. I’d missed her so much. But I couldn’t help but notice she called me baby sister. Not Aspen.
Not my name.
She wasn’t ready to accept me as Aspen. She wasn’t ready to accept what my life had become, and my father’s part in it. This was where the grace I mentioned came in. She’d missed out on so much, and I knew it was unfair of me to expect her to just accept and understand how life had gone on without her.
She needed time. It was the only thing I had to give her.
Diana and I talked a bit longer before there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and Kytten peeked her head in. Diesel growled low from his place on the floor.
“Diesel, stop it,” I chided.
“It’s okay. We have an understanding, don’t we, boy?” Kytten came into the room and stood with her arms out. “Come on,” she called out, and Diesel launched at her, sniffing her literally from head to toe. When he couldn’t reach his nose higher, he jumped up with his paws on her shoulders and sniffed her head.
Satisfied, he jumped down and huffed as he made his way back to the corner.
“What the hell was that?” Diana asked.
Kytten lowered her voice and answered, “He senses the monsters.”
“The monsters?” Diana whined, looking between Kytten and Diesel. I knew what Kytten meant. She’d been through her own hell throughout her life.
“Mom, it’s okay. I have come to terms with what happened. Well, most of it. The shit with Val certainly will take some time to work through.”
I stayed quiet; I hadn’t told Diana that Valhalla was the woman that helped me.
“So, should I call you Aunt Aspen now?” Kytten asked with a smile.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I chuckled back at her.
“Did you tell Mom how we met?”
I shook my head. “I told her about the women who helped me, but I didn’t tell her who they were.”
Diana closed her eyes and sighed. “Meredith.”
“The Nyght Nymphs,” Kytten corrected.
I smiled at my niece. “The Nyght Nymphs. What they do is important, and I hope you’ll still do it without her.”
“Oh, definitely,” Kytten assured me. “It will be hard to tell the others when the time comes, but once they know everything, they’ll adjust.”
