The party was merrier after Uncle Chris was gone. Granmam brought out the cake, and we all settled into games and conversation. Claire, Dylan, my brothers, Jilly, and Moreno all got involved in a very heated game of Monopoly that I just decided to watch. Nath tended to get a little too competitive for my taste, so instead, I got to see him slowly start to bankrupt my cousin and boyfriend.

After a while, I went to the porch, where I found Kira leaning over the rail that wrapped around the front of the house. She looked out at the big barn and the stretching land in the distance. I handed her a soda, and she took it gratefully.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Everything is new," she said. "I'm not sure... well, I've wanted to come back for so long. It's just surreal that I'm finally here."

"You're family," I said. "We'll do anything for you, Kira."

She looked at me. "Dylan said you were staying away from the ranch for now, but you're here now."

I looked at my fingernails. "Things for me are complicated. Dylan will explain it all later. I trust him with my life. If you give your brother a chance... I promise he's missed you."

"I know," Kira said. "And I'm grateful. My mother... she never wanted me. She just wanted the payout."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I know what it's like to be unwanted by a mother. I've learned to keep the good family close and throw the rest aside. No point in dwelling on people who don't want us."

"I just wish my dad..." Kira threw her arms over the railing. "He wouldn't even look at me. Nothing I've ever done is enough."

"Dylan doesn't want anything to do with him," I said. "If you wanted Oakmore, there's nothing stopping you."

Enough of the family had shareholder stakes that they could vote out Uncle Chris if they needed to. The only reason they hadn't so far was because he was charismatic and the literal face of the company and the brand. Uncle Chris might have been the worst with his family, but he was great with people and money.

"Someday," she said.

She'd make a good CEO. I'd seen it in my vision. I briefly thought about telling her something about the future, but I decided it was better to just let it play out. After all, there were a lot of secrets we were still keeping from Kira.

The front door opened, and Dylan walked out onto the porch. "Well, Nath bankrupt me quickly. I never understand how he's so good at Monopoly. Moreno is still hanging on by the skin of his teeth, but I suspect he's next to slip. Nath hasn't started messing with Geoff yet, and Jilly is holding her own with all the railroads."

"I'll be sure to comfort Moreno when he's out," I said.

"Actually, your dad is looking for you," Dylan said. "I told him I'd send you his way. I have some things I want to talk to Kira about, anyway."

"Giant things?" I asked.

"Sure," Dylan said.

I turned back in the house to let Dylan and Kira talk. My dad was in the kitchen putting some dishes away. He smiled when he saw me, but I could see shadows under his eyes. He looked exhausted.

"Can I help?" I asked.

He closed the cabinet he'd just finished putting glasses in. "That's the last of it."

"I arrested my mother," I said.

The words just escaped my mouth. I wasn't sure why. Dad didn't like to discuss my mother even before I knew the whole truth. Still, I needed to talk to him.

"Nothing to feel guilty about," Dad said. "You did the right thing there, Terri. The giant and human worlds are both safer for it."

"She claims she had twins," I said. "That somewhere out there, I have a brother."

Dad bit his lip. "You want to know if I think that's true, don't you?"

I knew that this line of questioning was dangerous. He still had deep scars from my mother that had healed very little over the years. It probably didn't help that he'd raised me the result of his encounter with a crazy princess for eighteen years.

"You don't have to talk about it," I said. "I know it's hard for you, but I need to know. Please, Dad, if you can tell me anything..."

He took my hand. "Oh darling, my dear Terri, I wish... Ellenora Nikone told me she got what she wanted the night you were conceived. She gloated that I'd created her heir who would sweep the throne away from her father."

I frowned. "But I'm a girl, and I don't have the ability to take the throne."

"She was very certain during her pregnancy that she was having a boy," Dad said. "Then a few months down the line, she claimed she was having twins. Then Doc delivered you—my singularly beautiful baby daughter. I asked her if you were the only child, and Doc said the king told her that you were Ellenora's only baby."

"Did you ever see Ellenora again?" I asked.

"Once," he said. "When you were three, she tried to come to the ranch to take you. I decided we would stay in the city most of the time after that. Bryan and Doc installed a two person watch to monitor you in secret. No giants tried to take you again until that one in the elevator."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I must have caused you so much stress and anxiety."

"No," he let go of my hand. "You and your siblings have been my greatest joy. Whether or not, though, if you have a twin... I really don't know. The only people who might are those who were there the night you were born."

"The royals and the doctors," I said.

"And if they've been covering this up all this time, I guarantee no one will tell the truth," Dad said. "Golden oaths are serious things. I swore to stay out of the realm to keep you safe. King Tytan has an ego and your birth was a challenge to his rule. I thought if I guaranteed that I wouldn't go into the realm, he would fear you traveling there less."

I gave my dad a hug. "I know you've done everything to protect me."

He sighed and pushed my hair back to reveal my makeup-covered bruise. "I fear I've not done a good enough job. Was that from the fight with your mother?"

"I lost," I ducked my head.

"No," he gripped my chin so I would face him. "You held your own like an Oakeley. You have no idea how proud you make me, Terri. I love you so much."

"I know," I said. "And I think I'm going to stay with the halfants. I'm safer with them and for the first time, I feel like I have a purpose."

"I'm happy for you," he said, pulling me into a hug. "And I'm sorry I kept you away from the halfants for so long. I can see now they were exactly what you needed. Though I hope you're not making this decision exclusively because of a handsome man currently being bankrupted by your brother."

I laughed. "No, that's not the only reason. I like training. It feels like an extension of me. The community is great and I can truly be myself."

"And the boy?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I love Jordan a lot too," I said. "He appreciates me in a way no one else has and he has his bad days, but I know he's doing everything he can for a life he can be proud of. I feel safe at his side."

"I'm glad you're happy," Dad said. "All I ask is that you stay safe. Your mother still has followers and fanatics. Tytan certainly doesn't want you mucking around either. I almost wonder if you should swear an oath to protect yourself. If it's public enough, Tytan can't retaliate against you or he'd be in breach of his own laws."

I thought about that for a moment. Sure, golden oaths were dangerous, but if they could keep Tytan away from me? It was tempting. I'd need to discuss the idea with someone who knew more about the solemnity of a golden oath.

"The queen asked me to visit the capital," I said.

Dad's face darkened. "That woman is far from a queen. Still, if she wants to meet you, it could be a good sign. She hated her daughter's pregnancy and locked herself up because of the shame of it. I believe at one point she endorsed the priests' idea to have me marry the wayward princess."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that had even been suggested. Dad grimaced at the memory. From what I knew about giants, the king probably wouldn't have liked this idea any more than Ellenora having a child.

"What do you think she wants?" I asked.

"Felicia doesn't think much for herself, so I'd watch your step," Dad said. "Make sure some other member of the family is with her. Victor is preferable. Savanah doesn't go to court much, but her daughter Andromeda does. I'd even take Ambrosia, but she isn't allowed in the court except on official business."

I knew all of those names except Ambrosia. Savanah was Victor and Ellenora's sister who had married out of the house. I'd met Andromeda. Ambrosia, though, was a mystery.

"Why is Ambrosia exiled?" I asked.

"The king doesn't like his mother pretending she's a Nikone anymore," Dad said. "He set her over at her birth house of Gatica. He couldn't completely take her power, but he made her obsolete. That's what Tytan does to threats. It's what I didn't want happening to you."

I understood that somehow. Dad wanted to protect me. He'd always done a good job, too. You could argue that he did too good of a job since I never even learned I was in danger.

"I know," I said. "My powers are a threat to the throne. Tytan has made that clear. Everything is so hard because I can't always control the things that happen when I go into the vision realm."

I told him about my last vision with Ric and how I touched his mind. Dad listened carefully and his expression darkened more and more when I talked about my connection with Ric and how I'd almost drowned. I didn't want to worry him, but I couldn't keep this all to myself.

When I was done, he was quiet for a few moments. Then he took a deep breath and looked at my blue eye and then my gold one. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face and then he took a deep breath.

"You know, sometimes I dream about your mother's duo-colored eyes," he said. "I remember very little about the night I met your mother. I was running an errand with Ron to talk to a giant we trusted about a suspected run away. We got separated and Ellenora met me. I woke up when Ron found me in a back room."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I was a means to an end for her," he said. "She just saw a future she wanted. I've had a long time to process it all. All I care about now is that it brought me you, Terri. I wouldn't trade you for the world."

I could really tell that he meant it. My father was always sincere. It was what made him so trustworthy and in stark contrast with his brother. Uncle Chris made promises that he rarely kept, while my dad was always a man of his word.

"I love you, Dad," I said. "And I promise to visit as much as I can."

"Only if you're safe," he said. "I think we'll be sticking around the ranch for a bit. The boys like it here and maybe Elise can finally get some peace to finish her thesis. It'll be a change for you siblings' schooling, but I'm not too worried. We'll be close by if you need us and we can all be a part of the family business again."

I smiled. My brothers would love the ranch. It wouldn't hurt for Granmam and Dylan to have more help around here. Dad always seemed happier here too and if he thought this was for the best, I knew the family would love it.

"That business, though, with your mind in the realm where you connected with Ric," Dad suddenly sounded serious. "I've heard stories about halfants could connect minds. Your aunts Doc and Alastra could do it when they touched. It was something they could do as twins."

Twins. The word brought my mind to a screeching halt. Every time I thought I was past this, it came back like a viper to twist around me and pull the air from my lungs.

"Do you think Ric is—" I didn't want to finish that sentence.

Dad's silence was all I needed to confirm his suspicions. Maybe Ellenora wasn't so crazy after all. That meant somewhere out there was my other half. He was a part of me, and like my mother said, I needed to find my twin.

Hey everyone!!! So Terri thinks Ric is her brother. What theories do you have about Ric? I'm so excited to see the end of this story. I hope you love the ending. There are a few more wrinkles coming, and I'm so excited. Until next time!