Page 93 of The Bones of the Cursed

The shaking stops. “Who are you?” Alanis asks, the nerves at bay for now.

The mystery man looks up, finally revealing his face. Shock shoots through my veins. Alanis and Elion remain unfazed. They have no idea who sits in front of us.

“Viros.”

Alanis’s head whips my direction, then back at the man. “Viros? Like the God of Magic and the Land?”

I would recognize him anywhere. His portrait hangs in the hallway right across from the library in the castle, and he hasn’t changed much since it was painted. His hair is deep brown with a white streak that falls across his face, his jawline sharp, and dimples appear in both cheeks. Well, when he actually smiles, which I would guess isn’t often. His defining feature, though, is the scar that stretches from his right cheek to his neck. His deep blue eyes survey Alanis, taking in every inch of her.

“What the hell are you doing here? I thought you went to the Eternal Vale.”

He makes a noncommittal noise. “I left, but not for the Vale. I left for the Caselian Realm with my mate.”

His statement hangs in the air between us.

Alanis balks at his words, staring dumbfounded. “You helped my father…How did you find him?”

“I didn’t have to find him. I knew where he was the entire time. I was simply waiting for the signs that your powers had made themselves known. I knew humans wouldn’t know how to handle them, so suppressing them was the only way. Especially in the unfortunate realm we found ourselves in. Their laws only got stricter the older you became.”

“No…no,” she says, face pale as she shakes her head. It can’t be. You can’t be…”

I grasp her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Alanis…”

She doesn’t seem to notice. “You’re…”

Viros completes her sentence without hesitation. “I’m your birth father.”

35

- ALANIS -

VIROS

Iheard what he said. I’d already pieced it together, but hearing the words makes it real.

“Lani.” Elion stares at me with sad eyes. He lost his father, my father. The only father I ever knew. This man before me, this God, is a stranger. How can he be my father? He’s a God, for Gods’ sake.

“I don’t—I don’t think I heard that right. You’re my…father?” I’ve said the word countless times over the years. It feels strange to attribute it to Viros, of all living beings.

He nods, looking at me through eyes that have been around far longer than me. Eyes that are thousands and thousands of years old.

“Who is my mother?Whereis my mother?”

At my question, his eyes take on a bright glow. “Odessa Grim was your mother. The next in line to take over the Matriarchy of the Shadow Vale Coven. The Grim blood is one of the most powerful lines in the history of Witches.”

“Is she here?”

Those eyes so full of light and love close, and when they reopen, my stomach plummets to the ground. All that remains ispain.

“No.” Viros’s voice cracks as he says it. “No, she died.”

I already had an idea that she was no longer alive, but hearing it confirmed is another thing altogether. My adoptive mother regretted taking me in, and now I will never have the chance of meeting my real mother. Never have the chance to learn if she wanted me, or what it might feel like.

“How?” I keep my sentences short, worried my emotions may overtake me.

“After we found out she was pregnant, we left for the Caselian Realm. We wanted to give you a normal life, away from your grandmother, but shortly after you were born, a group of radicals raised up in the town we were living in. They were paranoid that Witches and Fae were taking over their world. We were cautious, only using our powers when absolutely necessary to keep your grandmother from finding us. We certainly didn’t want human eyes turned our way. Your mother was leaving a meeting with the healer when she cut through an alley behind the market. A group of men started following her. She knew their intentions were most likely cruel. They hadn’t spotted you yet, though, so she laid you inside a compost bin behind the market. They attacked her, only giving her enough time to throw a shield over you so they couldn’t hear or see you.”

My heart lurches. My mother didn’t throw me away like rubbish, she put me there to protect me.

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