Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3) (8 page)

BOOK: Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3)
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“How are you finding things here?” Ash asked her. She’d tried her best with the two girls when they’d first come to the academy, but Rhian was so hostile and up-herself that it made talking to either of them virtually impossible. Cala seemed quieter and less self-assured than her sister, and possibly would be easier to speak to. Not that Ash had much of a chance of that with Rhian around. She’d tried to make the effort, but Rhian always caused troubled. Plus, she and Cala were in different training classes and outside of training, her ice queen of a sister shadowed her closely, keeping everyone else at a distance. Come to think of it, this was probably the first time in weeks that Ash had encountered Cala alone.

She didn’t know how to speak to Aisline. She’d never had a friend before. Sure, she knew it sounded pathetic, but Rhian and her mother made sure that she never had any time to herself and that she was always at their beck and call.

Cala wanted more than that. She wanted Aisline to like her and maybe forge a friendship. Hopefully, this move to the academy could be the best thing that had ever happened to her.

And, if she got friendly with Aisline, she might be able to stop some of the evil pranks her sister was planning to pull…

Cala shuffled her feet nervously, her eyes glued to the floor. “It’s different.”

“That’s one way to put it. It takes a while to get used to it, but its great here when you do.” Aisline laughed. “Do you fancy going downstairs to grab a coffee or something?”

“Really?”

“Why not? Let me grab a quick shower and I’ll come and knock on your door in five minutes.”

“Great!”

Cala’s sudden grin brightened her face and Ash realised how much the girl must have been struggling. She instantly felt bad and was glad that they’d had this chance encounter. Cala seemed sweet and maybe they could be friends, if her sister backed off. It was worth a try, anyway.

 

Walking down the grand staircase together, there was a stiff nervous tension between them. That was hardly surprising, though. Even though they’d been living in the same mansion for the last couple of months, it was a damn big place and Ash hadn’t exactly gone out of her way to form a welcoming committee. She now realised how unfair she had been. Rhian may be a stone cold bitch but Cala seemed ready and willing to make friends here, even though she was painfully shy.

With a sigh, Ash thought to herself, ‘better late than never’. It was a lonely place to be if you didn’t have friends to help you through it. She knew that and was damn lucky that she had Kayleigh and the rest of the guys when she first started. Who knew how she would have handled all of this if she’d had been on her own.

“What do you fancy?” Ash asked as they walked into one of the rec rooms. Luckily, the room was relatively quiet as most of the other trainees were working out or busy elsewhere. Now that she had Cala on her own, she was looking forward to getting to know her and that would be so much easier without a bunch of rowdy boys shouting over them. “There’s tea, coffee or hot chocolate.”

“A hot chocolate would be great, thank you.”

Ash nodded for Cala to go ahead and sit down and she set about making the drinks. It was a chilly night and hot chocolate would hit the spot nicely.

“So, what are you doing for Christmas?”

“I don’t know yet.” Cala replied. “I think that Rhian wants to go home, but I’m not sure my mother will let her.”

“And you don’t? And why wouldn’t your mother let her if she wanted to go home?” Ash quirked an eyebrow at her.

“It’s complicated. My mother, well... I don’t know.” Cala muttered.

Ash didn’t push it. There was obviously something there, but it was a little too soon to start probing so personally like that. Perhaps when they got closer, Cala would find that she could confide in her and maybe some of that burden that was clearly weighing down her shoulders could be lessened. Ash had never seen a girl looking so forlorn and beaten. She couldn’t help but wonder what her home life had been like, especially seeing as her sister was the complete opposite.

“I’ll be staying here at the academy.” Ash offered.

“You will?” Cala looked a little surprised.

“Sure. I don’t get on so well with my family. Especially since all of this warrior business has come about.”

“Don’t they want you to be a warrior?”

“Well, it’s not really as simple as all that. They didn’t at first, because being the first female warrior of our kind was a bit of a shock. They would rather marry me off and pop out a dozen babies. But, I love it here. If I had to choose, I’d stay. Plus, I don’t think that I could stay away from the rest of the guys for too long.”

“How do you do it?” Cala blurted, blushing instantly.

“Do what?”

Cala spread her arms self-consciously. “How do you do all this? You seem to find it so effortless.”

Aisline set the drinks down on the coffee table and sat on the battered old sofa opposite Cala. The poor girl looked lost. It was clear how difficult she was finding things at the academy and Ash hoped that she would be able to help her in some way.

“It wasn’t easy to start with. Hell, it isn’t always easy now. The schedule is tough and the training is gruelling. The guys often struggle with what’s thrown at them and they’ve been working towards this point their whole lives.”

“But, you make it all seem so easy.”

“Believe me, it’s not. I’ve had my fair share of trouble since I’ve got here, but you have to just keep on going. When things get too much, you can’t give up. You’ve just gotta keep going. That’s what being a warriors all about.”

“I don’t think I can do it.” Cala admitted, looking miserable again as she stared into her mug.

Aisline knew that she needed to sound enthusiastic and encouraging without sounding patronising, which wasn’t an easy thing to do. It was a fine line to walk and she didn’t want to say anything that she couldn’t take back, anything that could knock the girl’s confidence any further.

“The call of the warrior mark will spur you on when you think things are impossible. Those times when you think you are at your lowest, I don’t know whether it’s a physical thing or if it’s a psychological thing, but there’s this kind of tingling sensation that reminds you why you’re doing this, what you’re fighting for. We’re doing something purposeful here and that feeling reminds us of that.”

“But, I’m not Lamia. Does that mean it’s not the same for me?”

Ash shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure. I can’t explain it. I don’t have all the answers. But, Caleb and Rees aren’t Lamia and they seem to find the same pull and lure as the rest of us. I think they would have quite happily stayed away from this place and lived with their pack if they had any choice in the matter, but they didn’t. I guess it will be the same for you.”

Cala ran a hand through her long blonde hair. “I don’t understand what you mean by that. I don’t feel anything.”

“It’s the warrior mark that gives you that restless feeling, you know what I mean? When you’re sitting around doing nothing and you get this burning sensation to get off your butt and get working?” Ash found it hard to put the sensation into words.

Cala shook her head sadly. “That’s the thing, though. I don’t feel anything. I see the rest of you pushing yourselves to the limits, working harder than I’ve ever seen before. But, I don’t have that kind of urge. I’m trying my best with the training because I’m here and that’s the right thing to do, it’s what’s expected of me. But, I don’t feel that drive that spurs the rest of you on. I could quit all this tomorrow. I could give it all up and not feel anything.” Cala’s bottom lip wobbled like she was going to burst into tears.

Aisline took a sip of her hot chocolate, buying herself some time to think about what she was going to say next. It was a difficult situation. The girl had the physical mark, but the magic behind it wasn’t shining through. She’d never heard anything like this before. Even with the magic working its mysterious ways and appearing on people that never thought would be put in this situation, they still felt the full extent of its magic.

“Have you spoken to anyone about this?”

“Who would I talk to? I don’t know how this stuff is supposed to work. And I don’t know anyone to talk to about it.” Cala looked at Aisline in despair. It was obvious that she wanted to try with the training and everything, but was hitting a brick wall. Luckily, the guys in her class were helping her with the training all they could, but there was only so much they could do for her. It was hard to see her struggling like this, especially when she wanted it so badly.

Ash thought about it for a moment. Her initial idea would have been to send her straight to Kayleigh, but that option was out. She would have been such a great help to this girl. That was just one more thing to add to the list of reasons why she missed Kayleigh so much. Aisline couldn’t really do much about it herself. They were stuck.

“What about your mother?”

“She wouldn’t understand.”

Ash nodded slightly. Even though she’d only had a brief time with the twins’ mother, it seemed pretty clear that she wasn’t too easy to talk to. Plus, with her not being part of the Lamia, she may not understand what Cala was talking about, anyway. “What about Doctor Phillippe? Have you seen her about this?”

“Why would I need a doctor? Is there something wrong with me?”

Ash smiled, “No. I mean to talk to. She might be able to help you out with this.”

“I don’t know about that.” Cala wrapped her hands tightly around her mug of hot chocolate. “I don’t really feel comfortable talking about this.”

“But you’re talking to me about it and you’re doing just fine.” Aisline pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Cala hesitated again. “But, I don’t know Doctor Phillippe.”

“Get to know her. She’s really nice. I find her really easy to talk to.”

“Maybe.”

They fell silent again. It was a companionable silence and Cala smiled to herself a little. She was glad that Aisline had run into her, especially after her run in with Rhian. She was now more determined than ever to not let Rhian cause her any discomfort. Rhian had the tendency to get a bee in her bonnet about a specific person and would spend all her time making their lives a misery. She didn’t want that for Aisline. Ash seemed really nice. At least she was making an effort to get to know her. Cala would never have had the confidence to just walk up to her and start talking. At least now it felt like she may actually be making a friend in this place. Finally.

Ash looked up when there was a knock on the door, bringing her out of her thoughts. The door had still been standing wide open as it had been when they’d come in there, but Doctor Phillippe had knocked to get their attention.

“Sorry to interrupt, but can we have a word with Cala? In Kelton’s office?” Doctor Phillippe threw a smile at Ash.

“What? Now? Why?” Cala looked panicked again.

“Now, please.” Doctor Phillippe nodded. She would have loved to have turned around and told the kid that there was nothing to worry about, but this was a serious talk they needed to have.

“Why don’t you come and find me afterwards and we’ll hang out for a bit?” Ash smiled at Cala.

“Sure. That’d be great.” Cala glanced nervously at the doctor before following her out of the room.

Chapter Five

 

Kelton felt sick. After speaking with Cassandra, the situation before him felt even more out of control. There wasn’t a single aspect of that woman that he liked and he didn’t want his opinion of her to taint his opinion of her daughters. The meeting had left him feeling shaken and the last thing he wanted to do was to confront the twins, but he understood when Marion advised him to take the bull by the horns and get it over and done with. The sooner he knew for sure whether he was their father, the sooner they could move on with their lives. He had no idea what direction that would take, but as Marion said, they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

Cassandra had walked out of his office in a bit of a huff. That didn’t bode well. If they were his daughters, unfortunately, that meant that he would have to converse with her in the future, which was the last thing he wanted. He wanted as little to do with that woman as possible. Kelton didn’t think that there was a possibility that the DNA test would come back negative, but he could hope. Not that the wish reflected on the girls at all, he just couldn’t bear the thought of having that woman in his life.

That made him think whether it was the right thing to do to take the test. She was very dismissive, not that he actually wanted to go out of his way to speak to her, but this was a serious situation that they needed to address. Kelton didn’t want to speak to the woman and if he was honest, he didn’t want the results to come back positive. If the test came back negative, it would be best all round. He didn’t want any kind of connection to Cassandra and if it came back that the twins were his, they would have a connection for life.

If he was being honest, he had half expected her to get personal, maybe even flirtatious. She had, but the degree had been way toned down in comparison to what it could have been like if Marion hadn’t been there. That was a relief. The last thing he wanted was to do with that as well.  At least the conversation had been brief. Now he had to move on to a conversation with the twins, a conversation that he really didn’t want to have.

Kelton felt sick to his stomach.

“What’s going on?” Cala asked quietly as Doctor Phillippe knocked on Master Warrior Kelton’s closed office door. She looked around nervously.

It felt so strange, being in front of the man she knew to be her father. Obviously, she’d seen Master Warrior Kelton around the building, running here and there, since they had come here, but they’d never really had the time to speak.

He was an impressive looking man and she could easily see what her mother had seen in him. Cassandra hadn’t gone into the details of what had happened, for which she was thankful, but Cala imagined it to have been a very romantic, passionate affair. Kelton seemed the kind of man that would sweep you off your feet and love you passionately.

He hadn’t hardly spoken to either of them since the night they’d arrived. Cala remembered the feeling of wanting the floor to swallow her up. She’d lived with Cassandra all her life and her bitchiness was something she had gotten used to, but it had been a shock to see her speaking to the warrior and the woman that way. It was clear that neither of them had any idea that they were his children and Cala thought that her mother should have handled it a little more tenderly, instead of jumping in with both feet and announcing the fact.

Rhian couldn’t give a damn about any of this warrior business, waltzing around like the princess she thought she was. It was a bit of a shock to her system to find that the trainees and warrior wouldn’t treat her in the manner she’d been accustomed to.

Although that didn’t meant that Rhian would lower herself to train and be one with the rest of them. That was way below her, but Cala was really enjoying it. She wasn’t very good at it and struggled to keep up, but she kept on going.

In a way, it was probably easier that Kelton had decided to split them up and put Cala in Master Warrior Verynai’s training class. It did her the world of good to be away from the constant suffering presence of her sister. She still wasn’t coming out of her shell, but it was a start at least.

“Have I done something wrong?” Cala asked, worried about why she had been called into the head’s office.

“No, not at all.”

“Is something wrong?”

Marion turned to her and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, but she didn’t say anything. What could she say? Everything was wrong at the moment. There was no way she could promise everything was going to be alright.

“Come in.” Kelton’s voice called out.

Marion opened up the door. Kelton was sitting behind his desk. He was quite a sight to behold. It was no wonder the trainees shook in their boots when they were called into his office. He sure was an intimidating sight. And, he looked much better than he had the last time they’d spoken, much more together. Much more the man she knew.

Thinking about how on edge the trainees could be in front of the Master Warrior had Marion frowning. That was the last thing they needed for this particular meeting. The girls didn’t need to be put on edge.

“Take a seat.” Kelton said in a brisk tone.

“Can I get anyone anything to drink? Kelton? Cala?” Marion asked brightly, trying to calm the tension that was building in the room.

“No, thank you.” Kelton said, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the computer screen, the vein in his neck throbbing angrily.

Marion walked around the desk, picked up a pen and piece of paper and wrote,

 

You need to calm down. Remember, this isn’t their faul
t
.

 

She slid the note across the desk in front of him. That wasn’t something she could say out loud, but it needed to be said. Cala looked absolutely terrified as she sat there, as if waiting to be hung, visibly shaking. It was a dreadfully difficult situation for Kelton to be in, but he had to remember that they were only young girls. This would be even more difficult for them to comprehend.

Kelton glanced at the note before nodding briefly. How the hell was he supposed to relax? He had no idea how to broach this subject with them. Never before had he had to utter the words ‘am I your father?’ Did they even know about the situation? This was one big clusterfuck that he didn’t know how to deal with.

Trying to release the tension from his shoulders, he turned to Marion with a false smile, “Actually, a coffee would be great.”

“One coffee coming straight up.” Marion smiled in relief, grateful to know that he was at least trying. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, Cala?”

“No, thank you.”

Marion was about to pick up the phone to put the order through to the kitchen staff to bring them some coffee when the door suddenly swung open, making them all jump.

“What have I done now?” Rhian stormed as soon as she walked into the room, shooting a suspicious glance as Cala when she noticed her already in the room. “He won’t tell me anything.” She glared disrespectfully at Master Warrior Verynai.

“Any other difficult tasks you wish to assign me to, Kelton? Wrestling lions? Taming wild beasts?” Verynai smirked as he rolled his eyes in Rhian’s direction, oblivious to the tension in the room.

“A couple of coffees if you could manage it, thanks.”

“So, what? Now I’m a goddamn waiter? Awesome.” Verynai laughed before leaving the room.

Rhian was still stood in the centre of the room, hands on her hips. It was a good job that she hadn’t been brought in there to be reprimanded – that sort of behaviour made Kelton relish tearing strips out of the trainees. Her entire body language was disrespectful and insolent.

Kelton tried to ignore how she was acting and doing as Marion suggested, cutting them some slack. The sisters were complete opposites – with Cala sitting like a frightened deer in the headlights, and her sister coming in all guns blazing.

“Take a seat.”

“Why? What’s all this about? Why is my sister here?” Rhian demanded.

“Take a seat.” Kelton repeated and glared at her until she huffed and puffed and took a seat.

Marion perched on the edge of the desk, trying to remain a calm and casual approach. Rhian looked annoyed, Kelton looked pissed off and Cala looked like she was going to cry. It wasn’t the most perfect atmosphere.

Kelton cleared his throat. “I have something I need to speak to you both about. Something very serious.”

Verynai chose that particular moment to come barrelling back into the room with two cups of coffee. He glanced around, finally sensing the tension, before putting the coffee cups on Kelton’s desk and making a hasty retreat.

With a sigh, Kelton scrubbed a hand across his face. “I don’t even know where to start. This is such a mess.” He mumbled more to himself than those in the room with him. This was one of the most difficult things that he had ever had to do. He couldn’t help thinking that this would have been so much more bearable if he had Kayleigh by his side.

He had to stop that train of thought dead in its tracks. Kayleigh wasn’t there. This wasn’t the girls fault. He had to deal with the situation and keep their feelings in mind. As Marion had pointed out, they were only children and he was the adult in this situation.

“Is this about you being our father?” Rhian said, looking bored as she studied her nails.

Kelton drew in a sharp breath.

“Rhian!” Cala exclaimed. She was as blunt as their mother on occasion.

“What? I don’t see the point in sugar coating it. He’s taken long enough to talk to us about it. I don’t see why we should waste any more time pussy-footing around it.”

“You know?” Kelton asked them, shocked. They hadn’t shown any signs that they knew this. Not that he’d gone out of his way to speak to them, but they’d never made any acknowledgment of their potential relationship.

“Of course we know. Mother told us before we came to this godforsaken place.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before now?” Kelton felt ashamed. It wasn’t like he had purposely set out to treat them badly or ignore their presence, but he had been indifferent towards them. He knew now that he should have tried harder from the very start to make an effort with them, but he’d been too wrapped up in his own tormented thoughts. It wasn’t their fault that he was eaten up by Kayleigh’s departure. He should have been there for them.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Rhian countered.

“Rhian, please.” Cala pleaded. “I’m sorry. This isn’t easy for any of us.” She said to Kelton in a timid voice.

Rhian spun around to glare at her sister. “Don’t you dare sit there and apologise for me.”

Cala threw her hands up, exasperated. She could never do anything right. Even if she sat there silently, Rhian would have had a problem with it and bitten her head off.

“I think that we all need to calm down and take a moment to clear our heads.” Marion said soothingly. Tempers were starting to flare and that wouldn’t do any of them any good.

“Who are you again?” Rhian snapped rudely. “Why are you even here? You’re nothing to do with this.”

Marion shook her head slightly, not wanting to snap back, but the girl was just like her mother. Everything about her was a mini-me of Cassandra. She was trying hard to keep an open mind, but the girl was making it very hard for her.

Marion’s position here at the academy wasn’t just as a physician, she was there for any of the trainees or warriors should they need to talk, kind of like an on-site psychologist. She couldn’t imagine this girl ever coming to her and wouldn’t know how to respond if she did. It was a struggle to remain professional.

Before Marion could reply, Kelton stood up, knocking the desk and spilling the coffee. “I can understand that you are feeling angry and that this is a lot to deal with, but you will mind your manners!”

“Oh, sorry? Are you trying to fill in the father role now?” Rhian said bitchily.

Kelton loomed over her menacingly. “First and foremost until we establish the facts, I am the head of this academy and you will treat all of my staff with the respect that they’re due.”

Rhian tried to glare him down, obviously used to getting her own way, but failed, muttering ‘whatever’ under her breath as she sat down next to her sister. There was no way she was going to get the better of Kelton. He was a Master Warrior who had fought the enemy for numerous years, coming up against much bigger and better than a teenage brat like Rhian. She didn’t stand a chance.

Kelton took a deep breath and turned to the girl that he hoped to get some sense out of. “Cala, how long have you known?” He thought it would be a prudent idea to speak to the quieter one of the twins. Rhian seemed bitter about the situation, or at least acted like she didn’t give a damn. Cala seemed a bit more affected by it and therefore he may get some more sensible answers from her.

“Our mother told us just before we got here, when we were out in India.”

“And what did she say exactly?”

“That you’re our biological father.”

“Did she say anything else?”

Cala nodded, smiling and flushing with embarrassment. “Not much really. When the warrior marks appeared, she told us what they were and that she would be sending us to live with our father. She told us that you had a brief romance.”

BOOK: Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3)
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