Born of Betrayal by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page A

because he was the bastard of an Outcast father. Do you know he was even too humiliated to tell me that he’d finally broken down and paid for a mistress? Had he not been coldly shot down by his own commander—who hated you —and almost killed, I’d have never known he had that much in his life.”
    She jerked her chin toward his awards and articles. “Even though he was and is the most celebrated fighter in Ring history, her agency still refused to allow Talyn to have a full contract with her. He had to take on more fights to buy it out or lose her to a fully Vested male. And you never want to know what the cost of that contract was. It still boggles my mind and fills me with fury.”
    Fain ground his teeth. Every Andarion mistress and her agency that he’d ever heard of, or known, would have sold their souls to make a lifelong pact with a military officer. Especially one who held the second highest rank in their armada, and wasn’t fifty years old with it. Not to mention the fact that, as Galene had said, Talyn Batur was an intergalactic champion regaled by every known world who followed the Andarion Ring sport.
    It sickened him to think of what his child had gone through because of him.
    â€œIf I’d had any inkling, Stormy, I would have busted hell wide open to provide for both of you.”
    She let out a weary sigh. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? We can’t go back. And we both had a guilty hand in ruining our son’s life.”
    â€œI don’t know.” He gestured at the trophies and awards on the shelves and wall. “You look like you’ve done an amazing job with him.”
    Galene looked away. Tears filled her eyes as she tried not to remember the past. “Every day, I ask myself if I could have done more. If I should have done more.”
    Fain gave her a hard, harsh stare. “You’re a much better mother than I ever had. At least you loved him. Protected him. You didn’t eject him from your house and make him an Outcast who didn’t dare step foot in any Andarion territory without a death sentence hanging over his head.”
    Galene swallowed at those words. Funny, she’d never thought of Fain that way. For all these years, he’d been a target for her hatred. She had never really considered how hard it’d been for him to be alone, without lineage.
    Mostly because she hadn’t cared. She’d wanted his life to be lived in total misery. Wanted him to pay brutally for leaving her.
    For leaving Talyn, and causing her baby harm.
    Now that she knew he had, it didn’t make her feel better as she’d thought it would.
    It, too, made her sad.
    â€œHaving raised Talyn, I will never understand how my parents did me the way they did. Or what yours did to you. There’s no way I could ever hurt him. Not intentionally.”
    â€œAs I said, you’re a much better mother than any I know. He was lucky to have you. The only thing he got shafted in was the father department, and for that I am so incredibly sorry.”
    â€œCommander?”
    They both turned as Talyn rejoined them.
    He handed a link to his mother. “There’s been another attack.”
    Flinching, she took the link from him and left the room to answer the call.
    Awkward silence filled the air between them as Talyn stared a brittle hole through him.
    What did someone say to a grown child they’d never known they had?
    All of a sudden, Fain had a whole new respect for Nykyrian, who’d been faced with this when his ex had dropped Thia on him, out of the blue.
    Uncomfortable, he cleared his throat. “Your mom said that you have a female?”
    Talyn continued to stare at him, without comment.
    â€œDoes she have a name?”
    â€œYes.”
    Fain winced at the fact that Talyn had no intention of making this any easier on him. “And it is…?”
    A full and very slow minute went by before he answered.