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“I want answers,” she whispers fiercely.

“We can get them from Granny,” I insist.

“When? She’s had years to tell us the truth,” she cries.

“She must have a good reason,” I insist, hoping she did. I hate the doubt circling what I thought was a happy childhood living with her.

“She was never going to tell you,” Griffon huffs.

“Perhaps, but I can still get them from her,” I grit out, my anger rising. My spell reacts, and I raise my hand.

Sleep.

Griffon glares at me and cancels the spells, shielding his face.

“Daughter, you want to protect him, don’t you?” He flicks his gaze briefly toward Archer. “Don’t try that again.”

The evil in the room increases.

“I’ll kill you if you hurt him.” My heart is pounding in my ears.

“You can try,” he smirks.

“Answer my question,” Aria says, and he turns to her.

“I loved her deeply,” he says softly, pressing his hand against his chest.

“Did she love you?” I snark, and he twitches.

“Of course. I was everything to her,” he says harshly.

“What happened to her?” Aria crosses her arms.

“She had just given birth to you.” He smiles at her sadly. “She became difficult. Her moods were chaotic, and she was angry most of the time. I was afraid she would hurt you.” He looks at me. “Both of you. I was forced to contain her.” His smile turns brittle. “She didn’t like that I was keeping you away from her.”

“Imagine a new mother not liking that,” I say, unable to stop my harsh words. I know it’s not smart, but he doesn’t seem to want to hurt us.

“Savy, you're judging me without understanding the circumstances.” He wags his finger at me, and I resist spelling it blue. “She was unstable, and I had no choice but to protect you. Every day, she raged, tore her room apart, and tried to spell me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stand guard all the time, and she got out. She killed the woman who was watching you and took you away. It was hours later before I returned home and discovered your disappearance. I immediately started to track you, but she must have had a plan. She covered the traces of her magic, and weeks later, I still had no clue where you were.” He folds his hands behind his back and paces in front of us. “One day, I felt it.”

“What?” Aria asks.

“Her death.” He stops, facing us. “At that time, I could do a spell to locate her body.” He tips his head back. “She drowned.” He drops his head, staring at me. “On purpose. She willingly went into the water. I don’t know how, but she made it look as if both of you were with her. I found pieces of your clothes. The animals had gotten to her, so it made sense that my daughters, who were so little, were victims of the sea.” He turns his attention to Aria. “I was heartbroken. My girls were gone. I mourned you for years, and years. I was angry at Mary. How could she do such a thing? It was unthinkable.”

“When did you find out we didn’t die?” Aria whispers.

I swallow harshly and glance at Archer. He’s going to be so mad at her. I want this to be over. I want to lock us away at home and never leave, ignoring the day's harsh reality.

“Six months ago,” he says.

“How?” I ask.

“Betty is Mary’s sister. She found me.” He grins. “Greedy thing. She was all about money, and she wanted some. We made a deal. I promised her things any witch would know wasn’t possible, yet she took the bait. I began to track you through them. Gwen hid you well. Her spells were solid. I found Savy, but couldn't find you.” He looks at Aria. “I knew my girls had to be close, so all I needed was one of you to find the other.”

“You waited until I reached out to her,” I whisper.

He shrugs. “It took patience and planning. Things I’m good at. I want to spend time with you. Teach you.”

“What do you think you can teach us?” I ask, sliding closer to Aria.