father was caught by our military and sent to Iron Gate. He died six moons later. Killed by another prisoner.”
“Oh my God,” Ellis said. “I’m so sorry.”
“We were left penniless. We lost our home and the gallberry crops. My mother and I had no where to go.”
“What happened?” Ellis said.
“Quill’s father allowed my mother and I to stay in the castle until my mother found a new mate.”
“Right, you said before that she remarried?”
“Yes. His name is Pakla. He is in the military. My mother mated with him three moons after my father went to Iron Gate.”
“Three moons,” Ellis breathed. “Holy, you said she remarried quick but… wow.”
“She had no choice. She was not allowed to work to support us and she did not wish to rely on the king’s charity for long.”
“I’m still kind of surprised she didn’t just pack you up and go back to Earth,” Ellis said.
“She did it for me.” My throat was tight, and my voice was hoarse. “She knew that living on Earth would be very difficult for me and she wanted me to be happy. I owe her a great deal for sacrificing her happiness for mine.”
Ellis rubbed my chest. “Is she not happy with her new husband?”
“She is,” I said. “She loves him, and he loves her. Very much.”
“Is your relationship strained with her because of him?” Ellis said.
I didn’t reply and Ellis stared up at me. “You know that it’s all right not to like the man your mom married, even if she married him to make your life easier, right?”
I swallowed hard. No one had ever said that out loud to me before and it oddly eased the tightness in my chest a little. “He is not a bad man and he is an excellent mate to my mother and father to my half-brothers.”
“But?” Ellis said.
“He did not care for me. I was a reminder that my mother had a mate before him. He was not cruel to me, but there was an obvious difference between how he treated me and how he treated his own two sons. Over time, in an effort to keep the peace, my mother also transferred more of her affection to my brothers.”
“Oh, honey.” Ellis sat up and cupped my face. “I’m really sorry.”
I shrugged. “I understood why she did it.”
“Sure, but understanding and accepting it are two different things,” Ellis said.
“I love my mother, Ellis. Very much.”
“I know you do,” Ellis said. “But it doesn’t mean that you have to pretend you’re not angry or sad that she chose her new husband and kids over you. It’s okay to feel angry or jealous.”
“Were you jealous of your sister?” I said.
She hesitated. “Yes. I loved her, but I was jealous that my parents loved her more than me. Even if it was my fault.”
“It was not your fault,” I said.
“Just like it isn’t your fault that your mother likes your brothers better,” she said.
I paused before smiling at her. “You are my clever sadora, are you not?”
She shrugged. “Clever or maybe just an expert on ways that parents can fuck you up.”
She laid back down with her head against my chest. “Do you think it’s why you don’t want kids, Galan? You’re worried you’ll mess them up like your parents messed you up?”
“A little,” I said. “But I also enjoy my life the way it is. I have never felt the urge for children of my own.”
“Me either,” Ellis said.
“Not even with a human male?” I could hear the tightness in my voice. Even thinking of Ellis being with someone other than me was upsetting.
“No,” she said. “Not that it matters now. Unless I can convince the judge that I didn’t steal the juice, I’ll be in prison for the rest of my life. Not much chance of getting married or having babies in prison.”
She smiled up at me, but I could hear the anxiety in her voice and see it on her face. My vertex was buzzing again but I ignored it.
“Why did you steal the juice?” I said.
“I didn’t. Cheryl, remember?”
I didn’t reply and her teasing smile faded. She traced a path down my chest with the tip of her finger. “I traded juice on the black market.”
I suspected as much, and I hated that she’d been forced to break the law.
“Are you upset with me?” she said.
“No,” I said.
She scanned my face. “I did it because I had no way else to survive. I wasn’t like your dad. I didn’t have a