Succubus Ascendant: An Urban Fantasy (The Telepathic Clans Saga Book 4) Read Online Free
Author: BR Kingsolver
her daughter’s friends.
“You’ve been keeping things from us, Irisha,” Natalia said, using the Russian affectionate name for her daughter. “Your friends are telepaths.” Her voice was melodic and soft, and a strong Russian accent still flavored her speech.
“Yes,” Irina said, “and you’ve kept some things from me. I have a lot of news. I’m actually working for a telepath-owned business and I met your mother’s twin sister in Ireland. If you don’t mind us staying for a couple of days, I’ll fill you in on all of it. But the major thing I need to know is, who is Sergei Gorbachev and why did he try to kidnap me?”
Natalia’s eyes widened and she gasped. She stared at her daughter for a few moments, then shot a look at her husband. Martin shuffled his feet and turned to his daughter’s friends.
“Why don’t I show you around the place?” he said, motioning toward the back of the house. Brenna and Rebecca looked to Irina, who nodded. Irina’s friends stood and trooped out after her father.
“Mama, I know that Daddy isn’t my real father,” Irina said softly when she and Natalia were alone.
Natalia took a deep shuddering breath. Biting her lip, she looked out the window, then turned to her daughter. “Sergei Gorbachev is my father, and yours,” she said.
Irina thought she was ready for almost anything, but that statement was completely unexpected. Numbly, she stared at her mother.
“I hoped I’d never have to tell you that,” Natalia said. She turned from her daughter and stared out the window again. “Where should I start?” she finally said. “My mother was in Moscow and met a man there, a telepath. She got pregnant with me and was trapped there when the Nazis invaded Russia. My father was a high-ranking member of Stalin’s NKVD, a very cruel man. In the chaos at the end of the war, she escaped him by hiding with a group of Jewish refugees going to Palestine. She left one war zone for another.”
Natalia stood and paced the room. “As I told you, she was killed in the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946. It was the headquarters of the British forces occupying Palestine, and Zionist terrorists blew up the hotel. My mother had gone there for an assignation with a British officer. I was only six, almost seven, at the time.”
She pushed her hair back and walked to the window, looking out at her husband and Irina’s friends in the back yard. “The woman who was taking care of me didn’t know what to do with me. She took me to the Russian embassy. In time, my father came and took me back to Moscow.”
“I know the Gorbachev Clan is one of the most powerful telepathic Clans in Russia,” Irina said. “I’ve learned a lot about telepaths since I left home. I had pretty much figured a lot of this out. As I said, I met your aunt, grandmother’s twin sister, in Ireland. She told me about grandmother, and she gave me these.” Irina walked over to her mother and handed her several old black and white photographs. Natalia took them, shuffled through them, and then started crying.
Irina put her hand on Natalia’s shoulder, awkwardly patting her. Among the photographs was one taken the day Mairead O’Conner left Donegal to explore Europe. That was the one Natalia held in front of her.
“I never had any pictures of her. I haven’t seen her face since that day when she left me,” Natalia said.
Irina handed her a handkerchief and led her back to their seats in the living room. She waited for her mother to regain her composure, then asked, “How did it happen?”
Natalia, still staring at the picture in her hand, said, “He came to my bed the first time on my sixteenth birthday. I was a virgin and didn’t understand what was happening. When he passed out, two of his men came into the room and took him away. After that, he sent me to many men through the years. Some were men he wanted to reward; some were men he wanted to use or harm. One of the women in his
“You’ve been keeping things from us, Irisha,” Natalia said, using the Russian affectionate name for her daughter. “Your friends are telepaths.” Her voice was melodic and soft, and a strong Russian accent still flavored her speech.
“Yes,” Irina said, “and you’ve kept some things from me. I have a lot of news. I’m actually working for a telepath-owned business and I met your mother’s twin sister in Ireland. If you don’t mind us staying for a couple of days, I’ll fill you in on all of it. But the major thing I need to know is, who is Sergei Gorbachev and why did he try to kidnap me?”
Natalia’s eyes widened and she gasped. She stared at her daughter for a few moments, then shot a look at her husband. Martin shuffled his feet and turned to his daughter’s friends.
“Why don’t I show you around the place?” he said, motioning toward the back of the house. Brenna and Rebecca looked to Irina, who nodded. Irina’s friends stood and trooped out after her father.
“Mama, I know that Daddy isn’t my real father,” Irina said softly when she and Natalia were alone.
Natalia took a deep shuddering breath. Biting her lip, she looked out the window, then turned to her daughter. “Sergei Gorbachev is my father, and yours,” she said.
Irina thought she was ready for almost anything, but that statement was completely unexpected. Numbly, she stared at her mother.
“I hoped I’d never have to tell you that,” Natalia said. She turned from her daughter and stared out the window again. “Where should I start?” she finally said. “My mother was in Moscow and met a man there, a telepath. She got pregnant with me and was trapped there when the Nazis invaded Russia. My father was a high-ranking member of Stalin’s NKVD, a very cruel man. In the chaos at the end of the war, she escaped him by hiding with a group of Jewish refugees going to Palestine. She left one war zone for another.”
Natalia stood and paced the room. “As I told you, she was killed in the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946. It was the headquarters of the British forces occupying Palestine, and Zionist terrorists blew up the hotel. My mother had gone there for an assignation with a British officer. I was only six, almost seven, at the time.”
She pushed her hair back and walked to the window, looking out at her husband and Irina’s friends in the back yard. “The woman who was taking care of me didn’t know what to do with me. She took me to the Russian embassy. In time, my father came and took me back to Moscow.”
“I know the Gorbachev Clan is one of the most powerful telepathic Clans in Russia,” Irina said. “I’ve learned a lot about telepaths since I left home. I had pretty much figured a lot of this out. As I said, I met your aunt, grandmother’s twin sister, in Ireland. She told me about grandmother, and she gave me these.” Irina walked over to her mother and handed her several old black and white photographs. Natalia took them, shuffled through them, and then started crying.
Irina put her hand on Natalia’s shoulder, awkwardly patting her. Among the photographs was one taken the day Mairead O’Conner left Donegal to explore Europe. That was the one Natalia held in front of her.
“I never had any pictures of her. I haven’t seen her face since that day when she left me,” Natalia said.
Irina handed her a handkerchief and led her back to their seats in the living room. She waited for her mother to regain her composure, then asked, “How did it happen?”
Natalia, still staring at the picture in her hand, said, “He came to my bed the first time on my sixteenth birthday. I was a virgin and didn’t understand what was happening. When he passed out, two of his men came into the room and took him away. After that, he sent me to many men through the years. Some were men he wanted to reward; some were men he wanted to use or harm. One of the women in his
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