“Jesus…” I whispered, chills breaking out over my skin. “Keep going.”
“So I put the rest of the photos into my back pocket and waited on the bed for Nate to get back to ask him about the photo I found. When he came back in, carrying two plates filled with food, his eyes dropped to the photo that was in my hand and then he cussed, his head tilting up to the ceiling…
“Fuck.” Nate walked farther into the bedroom and kicked the door closed so hard a photo fell from the wall and smashed.
“Is this? Has this got something to do with me?” I asked him, lifting my hand that held the image.
He put the plates on the bedside table and took a seat beside me on the edge of the bed. The blankets were still ruffled from our two-hour binge fest, and I wore nothing but his shirt with my hair wild all over the top of my head, but in this moment—none of the feelings I was feeling earlier mattered. I needed to know about this image and why I was so drawn to it.
He looked back at me and licked his bottom lip. “Yes.”
“Yes—what?”
“Yes, that is you, and yes, that bitch is your mom.”
“What!” I shot off the bed and threw the photo away like it had caught on fire. “Nope. No way!”
Nate stood up and readjusted himself through his grey sweats. His skin still glistened. “Yes way, can we do this tomorrow?”
“So yeah. We didn’t do it tomorrow, I urged him for answers until we had a huge fight— ”
“—I remembered that fight. I could hear you both from upstairs.”
Tillie nodded. “Yep. Then I texted Peyton to see if she knew—which she did, of course.” Tillie wiped the tears from her face. “Turns out, Katsia had both of us and gave both of us to the same family. Why? I don’t know. My adoptive mom was a junkie and my dad used to beat me—and Peyton. I don’t know the depths of why, and the story which centers around her, but—”
“Holy fuck, Katsia is your mom. How old was she when she had you and Peyton?”
Tillie laughed. “Huh, very fucking young. Must have been thirteen with Peyton and around seventeen or sixteen with me. I don’t know what the age gap with Peyton and Jase is, but I know they’re not born in the same year.”
“What about the man in the photo? Do you know who that was?” I asked, pushing my plate away. I had suddenly lost my appetite.
Tillie shook her head. “Something else I haven’t gotten to the bottom of yet, either!”
“Well, this is a little messed up. So what happened and how did you get to Perdita?”
Tillie leaned into her chair and tucked a loose strand of faded pink hair behind her ear.
“She came for me, and I don’t know why. I still don’t. I was almost home and a white van pulled up and threw me inside and then I woke up in Perdita. She didn’t know I was pregnant at the time, but when she found out, it only made her more interested,” Tillie paused. “Just for the record, worst mother ever.”
“Bet mine could give her a run for her money.”
“And mine,” Tate mumbled, taking a sip of her orange juice.
“So where is Peyton?” I pondered aloud.
“She’s with The Circle,” Tillie let out bitterly.
“I’ve heard that name be tossed around a lot, but still don’t know who they are?”
“So there’s the Kings, and you know what they do and why they do it, but obviously there has to be someone sitting in the Pentagon and White House who foresee everything. I mean, they run a damn island. Anyway, The Circle is just that. They’re a clang of people, who only very few people know about, that are scattered all over the world and sit in high power positions that make sure everything King related flies under the radar. They’re sort of like the CIA, I guess, but far dirtier.” Interesting to see how deep the Kings’ circle ran, and terrifying at the same time. I wonder why Bishop never thought to tell me about them, probably the same reason why he has always hidden everything from me.
“Why the hell is she with them?” Tatum asked, shock evident in her tone.
Tillie shrugged. “She was always going to go the political way, she only stuck around for Jase.”
I cleared my throat. “About that, I’m not sure if anyone has told you, but since you’ve been gone a few things have happened on this side, too.” I exhaled. “Hunter and Jase are my brothers, as is Daemon who is my twin, but I’m sure you already knew that part.”
She gasped. “Wait, Hunter and Jase? Blood brothers?”
I nodded. “Yeah, turns out I was adopted into Dad’s—or Joseph and Elizabeth’s family. I’m actually a Venari. Daemon got the shit side of the stick and was tossed into The Lost Boys with Katsia.”
“I swear, sometimes I wonder what the fuck I was thinking bringing her into this world.” Her eyes fell to Micaela.
“Well,
