Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3) (6 page)

Wiping a hand across his forehead, Kelton didn’t realise how badly he was sweating. It was almost like he had just completed a gruelling work-out, but it was just nerves. It was no wonder really, seeing as his life had been flushed down the toilet and he was about to come face to face with the woman who had caused it.

Marion didn’t speak. It was clear that Kelton was freaking out. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing and send him over the edge. She’d never seen him that way before, pacing restlessly and shaking hands. This whole situation was getting on top of him, but he needed to see this through. He had more than enough on his plate at the moment with Kayleigh missing, but this was the right thing to do. Plus, keeping active and doing something to right the situation with the twins would help keep his mind occupied. Marion was going to stand by her decision to push him into doing this, as harsh as it was for him to deal with.

She wasn’t too sure that he appreciated her meddling, though. It was obvious that he wanted to dedicate every spare second of his life to finding Kayleigh and would happily forget about the twin’s existence. In her mind, this mess wasn’t going to clear itself up and the sooner that Kelton got things sorted, the sooner he would have a clearer mind to work on finding Kayleigh. It had taken her a while to get that through his thick head, but he acknowledged that it was the right thing to do, even if it wasn’t his first choice.

Plus, Marion was thinking ahead. If they did manage to locate Kayleigh, there was no way she wanted her friend to come back to this mess. After Kelton had divulged the entire sordid story, she knew why Kayleigh had taken off in the first place. There was no way she would come back with everything still hanging up in the air. If Kelton managed to get some answers, Kayleigh’s return to the academy would go much smoother. Marion was planning for the future, whereas Kelton was stuck in a present without Kayleigh.

The office was relatively small and Kelton wasn’t the most organised person. Every available space in there was covered with piles of paperwork, laptops and weapons. Marion wasn’t sure how he managed to work in such a mess, or indeed find anything, but it seemed to work for him. She moved a pile of papers from off the chair and made room for when Ms Feelan arrived.

A knock came on the office door, making Marion jump out of her skin as she had been watching Kelton pace the small space which had been almost mesmerising, and Darius poked his head into the room. “She’s here.”

Kelton had simply told the warrior on guard at the front desk that he was expecting one of the trainee’s parents. There was no point and no need to explain anything further than that. This was all complicated enough without dragging more people into it. He would tell them what was going on when and if he found out the truth. Until then, the less people that knew about this, the better it was for all concerned.

“Thanks, Darius. Would you show her through?”

Darius nodded before closing the door once again.

“I wish I didn’t have to do this.” Kelton shook his head.

“But, you do, so let’s get this over and done with.”

“The sooner the better in my opinion. I don’t want to have to spend a second longer with this woman than necessary.”

Marion could see Kelton physically tensing up at the prospect of meeting with the woman again. He’s spoken to her about how the heartless woman had thrown the fact that he was the twin’s father out there, mindless of the consequences. The more Marion thought about it, the more she thought that Cassandra had planned that from the very beginning, going for maximum damage and affect. That sounded like the kind of thing she’d do from all Marion had heard about the woman. It was easy to understand why Kayleigh had fled like she had. She had already been in an emotional state and that kind of information would have hit her like a sledgehammer.

She had to admit that she was intrigued to meet Cassandra Feelan. Marion thought that there was much more to this situation than met the eye. It was a gut feeling. Women’s intuition. It was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on and she was hoping that by being present at this meeting, seeing the woman in the flesh would help to shed some light it.

Another knock came on the door and Kelton bristled. Fingering his throat roughly, he wanted to clear his throat, but he refused to show any outward signs of weakness or distress. He refused to let this woman see how nervous she made him.

“Come in.” he barked.

Marion had guessed that this woman would be something special, but she hadn’t banked on her being quite so glamourous and elegant. The woman moved into the room like she owned the place, commanding the room. She moved like a model, each step carefully calculated to draw attention to the seductive swing of her hips and the length of her extraordinarily long and shapely legs. No wonder Kayleigh had freaked out. Any woman in her position would have seen the potential competition in this woman and found herself lacking. Cassandra Feelan was stunning and enough to turn any man’s head.

As she glanced over at Kelton, he didn’t see in the least affected by the presence of this woman. Well, that’s not quite true. If anything his stance had gotten more hostile in the last few seconds. Marion was used to the stiff and regimented way that the warriors often adopted, especially in a formal setting, but Kelton took it to a whole new level with his frosty demeanour. It was clear that he would have rather been anywhere but in that small, confined room, but that didn’t stop the woman from smiling in a disarming manner.

Cassandra elegantly crossed the room, smiling warmly at Marion before turning to Kelton with a fond expression on her face. Marion could feel herself bristling on Kayleigh’s behalf. It was obvious that this woman had designs on Kelton, although for what purpose, Marion couldn’t say. Anyone with eyes could see the way she was trying to work him, softening him with her seductive gaze and soothing smile. Marion couldn’t help wondering if she was using the warrior mark’s appearing on her daughter’s as a way to get to Kelton?

Marion held out a hand to introduce herself formally, to try and get her attention away from Kelton. “Good evening, Ms Feelan. My name is Doctor Marion Phillippe. I’m the resident physician for the warriors and trainees here at the Sons of Satrina academy.”

“How wonderful to meet you.” Cassandra smiled as if truly pleased to make her acquaintance. If Marion hadn’t been quite so wary of her motives, she’d have been won over by this woman. “It’s good to know that my daughters are in such good hands here.”

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t even think that they would have onsite medical staff.”

“Well, it’s necessary for the trainees and warriors.”

Cassandra nodded absentmindedly, as if she were already bored with Marion, so she closed her mouth with a frown.

Marion nodded and narrowed her eyes to study the woman. Cassandra held her gaze, as if she were used to other women assessing her. Marion couldn’t fault her looks-wise. The woman was a goddamn knock-out. But, there was something off about her eyes, a coldness that you wouldn’t notice unless you were specifically looking for it. Or perhaps that was just Marion trying to find a flaw in this perfection. Who knew?

Cassandra allowed the assessment of her to continue before nodding, turning to Kelton and tilting her head slightly. “Kelton, how are you?”

Kelton visibly froze for a moment as Cassandra extended a manicured hand toward him. The last thing he wanted to do was touch her, but unless he wanted to appear rude, he had no choice. “Very well, thank you.” He replied through gritted teeth. There was no way he could ask her in return and no longer cared about appearing rude as he wiped his hand against his trouser leg. Politeness could go out the window for all he cared. He just wanted this moment over and done with so this woman could get the hell out of his life. “Please take a seat.”

“You’re looking very well.” She said, her eyes roaming over his muscular chest.

“Um. Yes.” Kelton frowned, not wanting the conversation to head in that direction.

“Obviously, it was a bit of a shock, what happened to the girls, but it was a wonderful opportunity to see you again.”

“Ms Feelan,”

“Please, call me Cassandra. It’s not like we shouldn’t be on first name terms, is it?” She laughed, a tinkling sound that grated on his nerves.

“Ms Feelan. You must understand that this is not a social call.”

“Whatever you say, Kelton.”

Cassandra gracefully lowered herself into one of the leather chairs sitting on the opposite side to Kelton. He wanted to keep as much space between them as possible. Relaxing a little as he sat down, the barrier of the desk gave him a false sense of security and reassurance.

Marion silently watched the pair of them. It was only because she had known Kelton for so long and so well that she knew just how uncomfortable he was here. All Ms Feelan would see was a warrior at his professional best, menacing and efficient.

Knowing how difficult this was for him, Marion thought that she should be the one to get the ball rolling. It really wasn’t her place to speak of such things, seeing as this was a personal meeting and not of a professional capacity, but the silence in the room was starting to stretch uncomfortably.

Sticking to things to normal, everyday things, Marion asked, “Ms Feelan, can I offer you any refreshments? Tea? Coffee? Water?”

“A coffee would be wonderful. Thank you. It was a long drive here.” Cassandra smiled again, dazzling the room.

Marion blinked several times to clear her mind before picking up the phone on the desk and putting in a request for coffee for them all, which Darius would sort out for them. Placing the receiver back in the cradle, she turned to Cassandra who was still intently watching Kelton, who in turn was studiously ignoring her presence.

“Ms Feelan. We’ve asked you here today to speak to you about the twins.” Marion started to explain.

“The twins? Why?”

Marion turned to look questioningly at Kelton. Was this woman deluded? Why else would she think that she had been asked to attend the academy? No wonder Kelton was concerned about being alone with her.

“Are they okay? How is Rhian?” Cassandra asked immediately. Marion frowned slightly. She could see no motherly concern or affection in the woman’s eyes. She seemed to ask the question simply because that’s what she thought was expected of her. She kept her eyes on Kelton the whole time, her gaze never wavering. There was only one thing she was interested in here and it wasn’t the welfare of her children.

“They’re well. It’s been a bit of a struggle with the adjustments, especially to the training schedule. I’m sure Master Warrior Kelton will be able to explain it better.”

Marion hoped that by giving him that opening that Kelton would be able to lead the conversation in the direction he desired. It wasn’t her place to speak about such things like the paternity test. She gave him this opening to start up the conversation, talking about their transition before heading over to the more difficult subjects.

“Oh? Difficulties? How?”

Kelton finally looked up and met her curious gaze. He felt dead inside. This was the woman that had ruined everything in his life. Taken his life from him. He couldn’t even bring himself to hate her for it. For her, he felt nothing whatsoever.

He nodded, grateful to Marion for putting him back on familiar ground. Speaking to parents about the training programs and how their child was progressing was what he did well. “Cala is doing well. We’re pleased to see that she’s trying her best to participate in the training programme, but she seems to be lacking the natural drive and determination that the warrior mark usually demands. She’s trying very hard in all her classes and I’m pleased with how she’s handling the transition as a whole.” Kelton’s monotone voice gave nothing away.

Cassandra’s expression changed ever so slightly but Marion was still unable to read what she was thinking.  “Cala is a girl that will always try her best.”

Marion instantly noticed the change in her tone of voice. It was almost as if she were saying that her daughter always tried her best, but never succeeded. In her opinion, a mother’s love should be equal, but it was clear that there was a big case of favouritism in this little family unit. It kind of explained the distinct differences between the girls. Cala was the one that tended to blend into the background of any given situation and went out of her way to please others. Rhian was the spoilt little princess who had clearly learned everything in life from her high maintenance mother

“Rhian seems to be somewhat accepting the adjustments, but she isn’t quite as forward about throwing herself into the training programme as her sister is.” Kelton explained, trying to pretend that this was some other parent that hadn’t set out to ruin his life. To think of everything that had happened in his life because of this woman would have made it impossible to speak to her in a civil manner.

“Well, Rhian has never been a very physical child.”

“My point is, she’s not even attempting with the training aspect. She’s sitting on the side-lines and nothing we do or try can seem to motivate her.” Marion interjected, seeing how frustrating this was for Kelton.

Cassandra smiled in what Marion took to be a condescending manner. “Rhian is very much a lady and this kind of life is certainly not one she would have ever chosen for herself.”

Marion bristled. “That is irrelevant. We have another female warrior that has grown up in the heart of the aristocracy and she’s managed to embrace the life here.” Aisline was the prime example. She was a beautiful young girl who had grown up with the finer things in life but loved the life of a trainee warrior.