Solaris shook her head. “That’s something he has to tell you. It’s not my place.” She started the engine and drove toward the marina.

“Oh, come on.” Raven huffed. “I understand your sense of honor, but this is serious shit!”

“Are you saying you want a reading? Because if you are saying you want a reading, I can do that. But if you’re asking me to betray a confidence-well, that’s a bit different. Do you want a reading?” Sol asked coaxingly.

Raven remained quiet until they reached the marina. Caleb had left the keys in the ignition of the boat.

As Solaris and Raven tossed their gear into the boat, Raven finally answered. “Yes, I want a reading.”

Solaris untied the ropes from the cleats and climbed into the thirty-foot Grady White. Raven guided the boat out of the inlet and into the open waters.

Solaris entered a deep meditative state as Raven quietly navigated her way toward the Mists of Magyck.

The force of Solaris’s words hit Raven directly in her heart. “Your mother wasn’t raped. She gave herself willingly to Philippe Laroque. Your father doesn’t even know this.” Solaris gave Raven a little time to absorb the news. “But she was under the spell of a fae’s magick.”

Information that Frank had tried to keep from everyone-especially Raven. “Your mother was angry at Tobias for leaving so often. She was content with the money they had, but Tobias had business concerning both the Lamai and his financial dealings all over the world. He also had to make his yearly pilgrimage to Queen Rhia.”

Raven was indignant. “So my mother had an affair?”

“An affair, no. Technically a one night-afternoon-stand. But her willingness to give in to Laroque was ignited by magick. The fae’s magick. And that’s how your sister was conceived. Not by rape.” Solaris softened her tone. She psychically knew this could not be easy news for her friend to accept.

Solaris continued. “She was human, with faults and all, and she had intense difficulty with the fact that she had betrayed your father. Neither your mother nor your father knew about the fae’s involvement. Nicolette tried to forgive herself, and your father was…for lack of a better phrase…an angel about the whole situation. For the sake of the baby-for Jade-and your mother, he didn’t kill Laroque. He loved Nicolette more than he loved any other woman. This I know. She was his destined mate. Fated to be together lifetime after lifetime.”

The air around the boat felt thicker as each minute passed. They were nearing the Mists, and Raven was unusually quiet.

“Are you all right?” Solaris asked.

“Just shocked-this is a bit much to absorb in one day. Learning about my mother’s indiscretion, a sister…my fiancé is on death’s doorstep and my father is going to get married and have a baby…”

“Hold on, girlfriend-your fiancé? When were you going to tell me?”

Raven conjured a weak smile. “It all happened so fast. Bo proposed… just before.” Raven was quiet for a moment. “So all along this was an act about my mother’s rape, to preserve her honor?” Raven blinked away tears.

“Yes. To a certain degree, Frank thought this was the best way to handle the situation. Your mom couldn’t bear for Tobias to know she’d given herself willingly to another man. Frank concocted this story, and that was that.”

Solaris hugged her forlorn friend and momentarily changed the subject. “You’ll make a beautiful bride, and Bo will be a gorgeous groom. It’ll be all right.” Solaris gave Raven a squeeze.

Solaris continued with Raven’s family tale/reading. “Frank wanted to protect your mother at any cost. That’s why he did what he did.”

Raven corrected her. “You mean ‘lied’. He lied.”

She nodded in agreement. “Yes, he lied. Frank was very much in love with Nicolette. He’s a powerful wizard, too. Did you know that? He used his power to conceal his feelings from your father. From us all, really.” She took in a deep breath. “I don’t know if it was out of fear, or for another reason. Anyway, no one believed Laroque when he went around boasting he’d had an affair with Tobias’s wife and that she loved him-certainly not Tobias. They dealt with the situation as best they could up until the point when your mother’s pregnancy couldn’t be hidden anymore, and then people began to spread rumors. It left questions in everyone’s minds.”

“What about her death?” Raven asked, staring into the darkening sky.

“That part is very cloudy. The details are still hidden, and I’m not sure why. Laroque blamed Tobias, and he blamed Laroque. Philippe claimed that Tobias had killed her, but he didn’t. I have an uneasy feeling that Frank told Laroque that Tobias had killed her. She couldn’t bear the fact she was unfaithful to Tobias and gave birth to Laroque’s child… I guess she just couldn’t live with herself. For a long period, she struggled with her emotions. It seemed as though things were settling down…and then…she was dead.”

“Why? Why would Frank do that, lie like that? Why did she do that to herself? Why did she go along with it? That was selfish of her. To rob both of her daughters of knowing their mother. That was cruel, not to mention how it devastated my father.”

Sol tried again to comfort her friend. “I have my suspicions about what may have happened, but that’s all they are for now-suppositions and theories. She loved you so much, Raven. I remember how she was with you years ago, when you were little.”

“I remember the stories, and I’ve seen the pictures of all of us together, but we’ll have to travel down memory lane another time. We’re getting closer. I have to focus,” Raven said.

The thoughts of the past that plagued her would have to remain at bay. More immediate issues were facing her now. Her future was at stake. Bo’s life was hanging in the balance.

And her life was dangling right there with his.

The mists were so thick that they dimmed the setting sun’s rays. The moisture in the air around them licked at their skin like a slithering snake.

“Did you remember to bring the silver coins? It’s approaching Samhain. As goddess of the underworld, she’ll want her pound of silver,” Solaris whispered.

Raven felt the fire of purpose burn within her heart. “Yes, I have the silver.” She cut the engine and allowed the current to guide them through the mists to the island.

Solaris turned toward Raven, fear etching her face. “Are you ready for this? To sacrifice whatever it is she asks of you?”

Raven’s expression said it all. She would do whatever it took to save Bo. Without him, she wouldn’t want to live another day-and with that thought, the lessons of her mother’s life slid together to fit more cohesively in her mind. A shadow of understanding took root within her.

Solaris hurriedly warned Raven, “Let Hekate tell you what she wants. Don’t offer anything.”

Suddenly, the boat bumped against the sandy shore. They grabbed their bags and climbed over the side of the boat. There was a discernible wrinkle in the air.

Hekate knew she had visitors.

“This way.” Raven pointed, and they silently headed to the forested womb of the Island of Magyck.

The night-blooming jasmine and moonflowers gently opened, scenting the air with their sultry fragrances. Ahead, they noticed a large formation made of stone representing the goddess, and just a few feet beyond lay the opening to Hekate’s crystal cave.

Solaris took out her ritual herbs of sage, sweet grass and lavender. At the foot of the stone goddess was a small fire pit in which Solaris placed the aromatic herbs. Raven lit the bundle, and the two sat facing each other, ready to enter the netherworld.

“Here goes. Deep breaths,” Solaris instructed.

From the north, the winds picked up in intensity and swirled around them, lifting Raven’s hair and whipping it around her face. The diameter of the whirlwind extended six feet across, leaving Solaris and Raven in the stillness of its center.