you knew as Kieran—”
“ Kieran?” The name exploded from Rieker’s and Dain’s lips at the same moment.
She held her hand up and her voice gentled— “and he is also your birth father.”
Chapter Eigh teen
Tiki’s gasp echoed like a cannon shot in the silence. It was as if time had become suspended in that moment. Then the room exploded in questions.
“ Kieran’s alive ?” The hope in Dain’s voice was unmistakable.
“ Our birth father?” Rieker’s words were thick with disbelief.
“ The Jester ? ” Tiki squeaked.
Larkin held her hands up to stop further questions. “I know it’s a shock but let me speak before I change my mind. There’s more you need to know.”
“ Tell us,” Dain and Rieker said at the same moment.
“ More ?” Tiki whispered.
“ The Jester’s last name is Winterbourne.”
“ Kieran told me that was my last name,” Dain exclaimed.
Larkin raised her eyebrows. “He must have sensed his life was at risk then.”
“ What does it mean?” Rieker asked.
Larkin’s face remained impassive. “Winterbourne is an ancient name, from a line of fey who were UnSeelie by birth but left the courts long ago to strike their own path.”
Tiki looked from Rieker to Dain. “UnSeelie? What are you saying? That William and Dain are—”
Rieker finished her sentence. “ UnSeelie?”
“ Half.” Larkin said in a matter-of-fact way. “Breanna was Seelie, Fial was UnSeelie, but he was born to the light.”
“ Wait.” Rieker shook his head as he held his palms toward Larkin. “I don’t understand. My father, Will Richmond, was not our birth father?”
“ No.”
“ But before you said—”
“ I lied.”
“ I thought faeries couldn’t lie,” Tiki said.
“ Don’t be ridiculous.” Larkin snorted. “Yet another convenient mis-truth that we use to suit our purposes. You should know by now that we are powerful creatures far beyond the abilities of mortals—”
Rieker interrupted her. “You’re telling us our real father is alive?”
Larkin raised her chin a notch so she appeared to be looking down her nose at him. Her eyes were slitted in a calculating expression. “Yes.”
“ And you want me to believe that our father is the man we knew as Kieran and also as the Court Jester ?”
“ You’ve got it all exactly right, William.” Larkin clapped. “Bravo.”
Rieker’s eyes narrowed and one side of his mouth lifted in a sneer. “Why do you think we would believe the madness you spew, Larkin?” He pushed himself to his feet. “I’ve often wondered at your loyalties, but now I wonder at your sanity . This time you’ve gone too far.”
Larkin remained unaffected by Rieker’s reaction. “You have just confirmed that we have been successful in hiding our true purpose. Think it through, William. It was our goal to bury the truth so deeply, beneath so many layers of lies, that no one would ever suspect the truth of who we were and what we were doing. If they knew or found out—we would be dead—as most of us are.” Her lips pressed in a thin line as she gazed at Rieker. “We had to do it this away—to keep you and Dain alive.”
Dain remained seated and seemed much less shocked by the news. “You mean we’re not half-mortal?”
Larkin shook her head. “No. Of course not. You’re pure fey, though of mixed blood, to be sure.” One corner of her mouth quirked in a taunting smile as her gaze shifted to Rieker. “Not a mortal half-breed, after all. Just a fey half-breed.”
Rieker ’s mouth tightened. “You’ll have to give me some proof to believe this, Larkin.”
“ I know it’s difficult, William, especially given the mortal upbringing you’ve suffered. This is difficult for me as well. We’ve hidden these secrets for so long because our lives depended on it—all of our lives—that even now, when I know I must tell you, I worry that my revelations will put us at even greater risk.”
Dain leaned forward, an
“ Kieran?” The name exploded from Rieker’s and Dain’s lips at the same moment.
She held her hand up and her voice gentled— “and he is also your birth father.”
Chapter Eigh teen
Tiki’s gasp echoed like a cannon shot in the silence. It was as if time had become suspended in that moment. Then the room exploded in questions.
“ Kieran’s alive ?” The hope in Dain’s voice was unmistakable.
“ Our birth father?” Rieker’s words were thick with disbelief.
“ The Jester ? ” Tiki squeaked.
Larkin held her hands up to stop further questions. “I know it’s a shock but let me speak before I change my mind. There’s more you need to know.”
“ Tell us,” Dain and Rieker said at the same moment.
“ More ?” Tiki whispered.
“ The Jester’s last name is Winterbourne.”
“ Kieran told me that was my last name,” Dain exclaimed.
Larkin raised her eyebrows. “He must have sensed his life was at risk then.”
“ What does it mean?” Rieker asked.
Larkin’s face remained impassive. “Winterbourne is an ancient name, from a line of fey who were UnSeelie by birth but left the courts long ago to strike their own path.”
Tiki looked from Rieker to Dain. “UnSeelie? What are you saying? That William and Dain are—”
Rieker finished her sentence. “ UnSeelie?”
“ Half.” Larkin said in a matter-of-fact way. “Breanna was Seelie, Fial was UnSeelie, but he was born to the light.”
“ Wait.” Rieker shook his head as he held his palms toward Larkin. “I don’t understand. My father, Will Richmond, was not our birth father?”
“ No.”
“ But before you said—”
“ I lied.”
“ I thought faeries couldn’t lie,” Tiki said.
“ Don’t be ridiculous.” Larkin snorted. “Yet another convenient mis-truth that we use to suit our purposes. You should know by now that we are powerful creatures far beyond the abilities of mortals—”
Rieker interrupted her. “You’re telling us our real father is alive?”
Larkin raised her chin a notch so she appeared to be looking down her nose at him. Her eyes were slitted in a calculating expression. “Yes.”
“ And you want me to believe that our father is the man we knew as Kieran and also as the Court Jester ?”
“ You’ve got it all exactly right, William.” Larkin clapped. “Bravo.”
Rieker’s eyes narrowed and one side of his mouth lifted in a sneer. “Why do you think we would believe the madness you spew, Larkin?” He pushed himself to his feet. “I’ve often wondered at your loyalties, but now I wonder at your sanity . This time you’ve gone too far.”
Larkin remained unaffected by Rieker’s reaction. “You have just confirmed that we have been successful in hiding our true purpose. Think it through, William. It was our goal to bury the truth so deeply, beneath so many layers of lies, that no one would ever suspect the truth of who we were and what we were doing. If they knew or found out—we would be dead—as most of us are.” Her lips pressed in a thin line as she gazed at Rieker. “We had to do it this away—to keep you and Dain alive.”
Dain remained seated and seemed much less shocked by the news. “You mean we’re not half-mortal?”
Larkin shook her head. “No. Of course not. You’re pure fey, though of mixed blood, to be sure.” One corner of her mouth quirked in a taunting smile as her gaze shifted to Rieker. “Not a mortal half-breed, after all. Just a fey half-breed.”
Rieker ’s mouth tightened. “You’ll have to give me some proof to believe this, Larkin.”
“ I know it’s difficult, William, especially given the mortal upbringing you’ve suffered. This is difficult for me as well. We’ve hidden these secrets for so long because our lives depended on it—all of our lives—that even now, when I know I must tell you, I worry that my revelations will put us at even greater risk.”
Dain leaned forward, an
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