My heart raced as I looked between Kai and Samantha, trying to make sense of what was happening. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like where this was going.
Kai sucked on his bottom lip for a moment, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. It was as if he was carefully choosing his next words, weighing them in his mind before speaking them out loud. "Are you sure your dad was only a witch male?" His question cut through the air like a knife, and for a second, I just stared at him. What kind of question is that?
I blinked, trying to process what he had said, but it didn't make sense. "I don't understand," I said slowly, my voice trailing off. "Are you suggesting that my father was some kind of... hybrid or something?" The words felt foreign on my tongue, like they didn't quite belong in this conversation, but they were the only ones that seemed to fit. The idea was ridiculous, but for some reason, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there might be more to it than I was willing to admit.
Kai nodded, his expression growing more serious by the second. He leaned forward slightly, the tension between us thickening. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting," he said, his voice low but firm. "To be honest, your smell is similar to Kakoi's." He let that hang in the air, his words settling on my shoulders like a weight I didn't know how to carry. I could feel my body stiffen at the mention of the name. Bullshit.
"I have nothing in common with that shitty King," I said quickly, snapping at him, my words laced with an anger I didn't try to hide. The flare of irritation inside me was quick and sharp. There's no way I could be anything like Kakoi, and I wasn't about to let Kai even suggest it.
"Calm down, sweetheart," Kai said, his voice smoother now, like he was trying to calm me down, but there was a cool edge to it that I didn't trust. He was clearly trying to take the heat out of the situation, but I wasn't buying it. "Just hear me out for a second, okay?" He spoke as if this was just some casual conversation, but the atmosphere in the room had shifted in a way I couldn't ignore. His eyes softened, but there was still a coldness there, something I couldn't put my finger on.
"He smells like a hybrid of witch and fae," Kai continued, his voice steady, but the words hit me like a cold slap. "That's what I'm saying. Your smell's similar to his, but it's more... witch than hybrid. Still, talking about hybrids of witches and other races... a male witch is rare." The statement hung in the air, charged with implication. His words were like an unspoken challenge, one that made me feel like I was suddenly standing on unstable ground. Was I supposed to believe this?
"You're right," Samantha spoke up, her tone steady, almost too casual. She didn't seem rattled by the conversation, like this was just another day in whatever twisted reality we were all living in. "But what he's saying makes sense." Her eyes flicked to me, sharp and calculating, as though she was seeing something I couldn't. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, feeling like she could see through me, like she was peeling back layers I wasn't ready to expose.
Kai's eyes darkened, and there was a shift in the way he was looking at me. It felt like something changed in the atmosphere, like a storm was coming. "So what I'm asking is, are you sure your father wasn't a hybrid, like Kakoi?" His question was direct, almost accusatory. It pierced through the confusion, and my stomach twisted. His words felt like a challenge I wasn't prepared for.
"I can't speak with one hundred percent certainty," I muttered, my voice betraying me with its shakiness. I hated how unsure I sounded, how the words felt like they were slipping out of me without control. I couldn't let him see how unsettled I was, but it was hard to keep my composure. "But as far as I can remember, my dad was just... normal. I don't recall him acting strangely on full moons, fangs, bloodthirst, or even having pointy ears like you guys." I paused, my chest tightening with the weight of my own words. "And if he was something else... wouldn't I inherit that?" I knew I was grasping at straws, trying to make sense of it all. The doubt in my mind was creeping in, but I wasn't about to let it fully take hold. There were things I couldn't afford to admit, things I didn't want to face. I had been hiding the truth for so long, and I wasn't ready to confront it just yet.
Samantha's gaze softened as she spoke next, her voice calm and measured. "Her father was a powerful witch male, Golden boy. He could've used a spell to hide his hybrid heritage," she explained, her voice almost too smooth as she pieced together the pieces of the puzzle. "Her mother was also a powerful witch. She could've done this as well. She could've used forbidden magic on her daughter—used it to hide from everyone... and herself, what she inherited from her father." Her words hit me with a force I wasn't prepared for. It was like a punch to the gut, and I felt the air leave my lungs as the shock of her revelation hit me. My mind reeled with the implications. Wait... what?
"Wait... so you met my parents?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper. The question slipped out before I could stop it, and I felt like I had been sucker-punched in the chest. The shock of it all was too much, too fast. How did she know so much about them?
Samantha's voice echoed in my mind, soft but clear, and the words sent a chill down my spine. ["And your grandparents, little one. Why do you think I called you a rare piece of cake before, baby girl?"] Her words were like a haunting whisper in my mind, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to shatter. My heart skipped a beat as I tried to stay calm. Shit.
["But this being your life and your family, after all, I won't tell them if you don't ask me to. About your grandparents, I mean."] Samantha's voice was soothing, but it only made the unease in my chest grow. It was like she knew all the answers, but she was giving me just enough to make me question everything.
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to steady my breath and regain control over the whirlwind of emotions rushing through me. My mind was spinning, but I needed to keep it together.
"That's just an observation, little one," Samantha added, her voice casual, almost flippant, as if she hadn't just dropped a bombshell. She was speaking to the group now, as if what she had just said wasn't the most unsettling thing I'd ever heard. "Just an observation." Like it wasn't the kind of thing that could destroy everything I thought I knew.
Kai leaned forward slightly, his curiosity clearly piqued. "Did you meet them, Sam?" he asked, his voice filled with an interest that seemed almost too sharp. But his eyes were locked on me, and I could feel the weight of the question pressing down on me. It was like he already knew the answer, and I wasn't sure I was ready to hear it.
Samantha's gaze flicked toward him, but her focus was still on me. "Kind of," she purred, her voice smooth and unbothered, though there was something in the way she said it that made my skin crawl.
I stayed silent, unsure of what to say. The tension in the room was suffocating, the air thick with unspoken truths and hidden secrets. I wanted to ask more, to demand answers. The truth felt too far out of reach, and I wasn't sure I was ready to chase it.