"Wait, dad is here?"

"He was. He left right after classes were over. He said that he wants to meet you, but he had some things he needed to get done first," Jace answered and I sighed. Would I ever get to meet him? It seemed like he always either had something to do, or it 'wasn't time yet'. I was getting tired of waiting.

Why wasn't he talking to me about these things?

"Fine. Whatever," I grumbled and he sighed.

"He really does want to meet you," he pulled me into his arms in a comforting hug.

"Then why hasn't he? If he actually really does want to meet me, then why?"

"I don't know. We need you to be patient though. He has a reason for everything he does, though. Please, just trust me."

"Fine," I said after a moment, "What did you need to tell me?"

"Dad told me why your demon is acting so differently," he began.

"Care to share?," I asked frustratedly when he didn't say any more.

"He said your demon is searching for it's other half," he stated and I raised an eyebrow.

"Like a soulmate or something? That sounds like total bullshit," I rolled my eyes and he huffed.

"You know, you can be such an asshole when you are frustrated," he glared at me and I chuckled.

"I wanted an actual answer about what's going on, not some made up bullshit about my demon wanting to find its soulmate." This was just making me angry. I wanted answers. This was not answers.

"I'm not talking about soulmates! Stop arguing with me for one minute, and fucking think about it," he snapped and I sighed.

"Fine. What's it supposedly searching for then?," I asked and sat down beside him.

"Kit, you can be so stupid sometimes," he sighed and rubbed his temples. "In the supernatural world, when twins are conceived, the soul is split into two. This is why some twin shifters share the same mate. I'm not saying you are incomplete or only half of a person. I'm saying that your demon wants it's twin. You can survive by feeding the way you are now, but the only energy that will fully satiate you for a normal amount of time is the energy of your twin's. Do you understand now?"

Twin? I didn't have a twin. My mom would have told me if I had a twin out there somewhere.

"You're kidding, right?," I laughed, "If I had a twin, mom would have told me."

"You don't believe me? Call your mom right now, and I'm sure she will tell us you have a twin," he demanded with a glare.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket with an eye roll, and dialed my mom's number.

"Kit! How've you been?," her happy voice greeted after a few rings.

"I've been alright. So, you remember how I told you my demon has been weird lately?," I asked and she made a 'mhm' sound, telling me to continue. I'd been calling her every couple days to keep her updated on my life here, so she already knew everything that had been going on.

I told her what Jace said, and I could hear her gasp. I had her on speakerphone, so Jace could correct what I explained wrong.

"I'm really sorry you have to find out this way, but yes. Jace is right. You have a twin. Well, had. He... didn't make it. I'm sorry, Kit."

Her words sent a twinge of pain in my chest, but it felt like my demon either didn't care, or was in complete denial about the loss of his other half.

"That's not possible. His demon wouldn't be searching for him if he was already dead. They know, even when we don't," Jace objected and she sighed.

"Jace, I know you are Kit's step brother, but I was there. I saw how lifeless he looked," I could hear the tears in her voice. "Kit, you wouldn't stop crying after it happened. You were in the NICU with him when it happened and cried for hours. We all did. We had him cremated that same day."

I didn't know what to say. I had a twin. Had.

"Wait, you said he was cremated? What if he is actually alive and someone took him? They could have faked it all," Jace suggested hopefully.

"No! He is gone! I have the paperwork to prove it! Just let it go, Jace! Accept it! There's nothing we can do to change the past! You can say it a million times, but the faster you accept the truth, the easier it will be!," she snapped and I froze. I'd never heard her snap at anyone like that before. I wanted to tell Jace to just drop it, but he spoke before I could.

"Dad knows where he is, and he is alive," is all he said. Mom was silent on the other end. A full minute passed before the line went dead. Mom had ended the call. Jace must have really upset her.

"You really upset her," I told him and he nodded.

"I know. It's the truth though. He's alive. I know that, dad knows that, and so does your demon. Please trust me on this, Kit," he answered me with a serious face. I looked in his eyes, searching for any indication that he wasn't telling the truth. I found none, though.

Maybe he was right. Maybe my twin was alive.

"Okay. I believe you. You need to apologize to my mom for upsetting her, though. She means everything to me."

He tackled me into a hug, knocking me onto my back.

"I will talk to her, I promise," he muttered into my neck and I smiled.

"Good," I answered and suddenly felt my demon become hungry for Jace's energy. "Can I feed from you? My demon is hungry."

He tensed and pulled away from me enough to see my face.

"Please tell me you've fed today," he said with worry in his eyes. "I'm so sorry for not telling you I would be gone all day. I completely forgot."

"It's okay. I fed from Cam this morning during breakfast, and fed from Titan during lunch. He really enjoyed it. So much that he wants privacy next time I feed from him, if you know what I mean," I answered and rolled my eyes at the end.

"Wait, are you saying he got horny while you were feeding from him, and came in the middle of the dining hall?," amusement was shining in his eyes as he held back a laugh.

I nodded, "Yeah," I laughed. Suddenly, I remembered something that I needed to speak with him about. "Jace, I need to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know someone named Axel Adams? He's been staring at me a lot, and I see him everywhere I go."

His body stiffened and he looked down at me with the most serious face I've ever seen him make.

"I do. Promise me one thing?"

"Sure," I answered, confused.

"Stay away from Axel Adams."

❤️