An Unexpected Truth

An Unexpected Truth

## Blurb

**THE TRUTH IS NOT THE TRUTH**

After a bad breakup, all Verity Thayer wants is to spend the next few days moping in her apartment, eating chocolate, and hoping the Universe will leave her the hell alone for a while.

That lasts until a mysterious note arrives in her mailbox:

*Your mother didn’t die of cancer. And your father isn’t who you think he is.*

With her brother away with his fiancée and Alastair Stone on the other side of the world, Verity sets off on her own to track down the note’s sender.

But finding the secrets of murder and betrayal buried in her past isn’t the worst part. Someone doesn’t want her to know the truth—and they’re willing to kill to make sure she never learns it.

## Plot

Verity Thayer is reeling from her girlfriend, Kyla’s, ultimatum: choose between me and Alastair. Verity couldn’t do it, and now she and Kyla are over. So she’s not in a good headspace when she receives an unsigned, unmarked letter that informs her that the man who raised her was not her father, and her mother didn’t die of cancer. Worse, Jason and Alastair are both away and can’t help her process this latest life-upheaval before she can decide whether to follow the instructions given and head to a small town to contact the sender for more information.

### Pause here a moment WARNING, Possible Spoilers Ahead

She calls Stan Lopez, her father’s best friend, and asks if she can visit and ask him some questions. There, Stan tells her that her parents’ relationship was solid, but like all cop families, there were stresses. He never got a hint that her mother had strayed, but… There was a time when her father did say he and his wife were having problems. She was feeling neglected, and they had a big fight just before she went on one of her retreats (with mages, though no one knew that at the time). When she got back, she was feeling better and they got back on track. This was nearly a year before Verity was born. The timing did fit.

Against Stan’s advice to leave it and move on, Verity drives to the tiny town of Fairbreeze and goes to the coffee shop where she was instructed to leave a message. She’s told to meet her mysterious informant at a restaurant that night. It’s all very cloak-and-dagger, and Verity wonders what the person is afraid of.

At the restaurant, she meets Josephine Kilgallen, her aunt. Verity’s blood father, Sebastian, is dying and has only a short time left. He’d met Verity’s mother at a mage gathering, and one thing led to another. Once she found out, Sebastian’s wife, Lydia cursed Lenore Thayer via wine she’d opened to celebrate Verity’s birth. It was Lydia who wouldn’t let Sebastian have anything to do with Verity. At Josie’s pleading, she agreed to leave Verity alone, as long as she – or anyone - ever found out about her true parentage. So Josie had kept quiet until now. Lydia, according to Josie, is a much stronger mage than Sebastian, and ruthless and demanding. Even though they’d split, she ensured Sebastian stayed away from Verity.

Josie says Sebastian lives in a nearby, even more secluded town where Lydia rules the family winery. She can take Verity there tomorrow while Lydia is in meetings. Oh, and she has two half-siblings, Miles and Elena.

Verity follows Josie’s directions to her house in Los Robles, only to find Josie has been stabbed to death. Police break in almost the instant Verity finds her, and she’s taken into custody. They put her in a cell with none of the usual procedures like fingerprints or questioning. When she asks why she is a suspect, they tell her that her prints are on the knife used. They’re acting scared, and not of Verity. Suddenly two people appear, disabling the cop left to watch Verity – her new half-siblings.

Miles and Elena escape with Verity in a van, saying she needs to leave before Lydia can get to her. There is no love lost between them and their mother, and they believe she is responsible for their father’s illness. But Miles isn’t a strong mage, and Elena is mundane. Verity convinces them she’s a match for Lydia, and insists they take her to their father.

While Miles and Elena keep lookout, Verity meets her father, who is obviously near death. He apologizes for never contacting her, for being a coward. She offers to try healing, but he says no, he’s at peace now that he’s seen her. Suddenly, the doors fly open and Lydia arrives.

Verity can tell immediately that the woman isn’t sane. And it becomes clear why she’s so feared: she’s a black mage, not afraid to ash anyone in her way. Both Verity and Sebastian shield when Lydia attacks, Verity’s holding. Lydia is in an insane, apoplectic rage, and Verity’s anger is pushing her to kill Lydia like she did Mathias. But suddenly, Lydia has some kind of seizure and collapses from some kind of stroke, leaving her no longer a threat. Sebastian dies a few moments later.

Miles arrives, apologizing that his mother overpowered him. Lydia is taken away, presumably to a rest home for the completely invalid. Once things settle down, Verity is ready to head home, but says she’ll return for their father’s funeral. Miles and Elena will take over the winery.

Back home, Verity is able to unburden to Alastair when he returns. Comforted, she even thinks she might be ready to commit to their relationship.