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His father’s expression was blank. Jace realized that at least his mom had been sitting down when he’d revealed their alien heritage to her. He readied himself to catch his father’s fainting form. But that didn’t happen.

“Mates,” his father said softly, almost to himself. “The Osiris kept calling Diane my mate and I kept telling it that humans didn’t have mates.”

“Altaeth do,” Jace answered softly. His palms were sweaty and he both leaned towards his father and then towards Khoth.

Khoth took an almost imperceptible step towards him. The mental caress was more of a hold now. A shield. No matter what happened, Khoth would be there and protect it from it. Even a father’s disapproval or misunderstanding could not reach him with this warm, mental shield surrounding him with love and acceptance. Jace swallowed.

His father’s gaze suddenly swung between him and Khoth. He blinked rapidly. “You’re mated! You and Khoth… I can feel it. I can feel you both and… Diane!”

His father lifted a hand and pointed it unerringly towards the Moturin Compound where his mother was currently staying. Unlike others who had tried to reach him and failed, Jace had sent her a message to let her know what he was up to so she wasn’t worried. He realized he knew that, not just surmised it or concluded it from her words back to him as a message.

His father did stagger now and both Jace and Khoth steadied him. Khoth from behind with a hand on Jack’s shoulders and Jace from the front as he grasped both of his father’s hands.

“What is this?” his father breathed.

“A bit of a stunner. But you’ll get used to it. In fact, it will make a ton of things make more sense,” Jace promised him. “Let’s get him into the canceaux so he can sit down.”

“Is there anything to drink on board?” Jack asked.

“There are juices–” Khoth began.

“He means something alcoholic. I could use one of those too if there is anything,” Jace admitted.

The canceaux was incredibly plush. It reminded him of a limousine back home, which would have held alcohol of all sorts. They could luck out.

“I believe there may be,” Khoth answered. “The two of you can sit in the back while I fly us back.”

Jace wanted to object. The last thing he wanted to do was to make himself physically present for people to speak to right now outside of Khoth and his father. But his mother was waiting for them. Besides, they weren’t going to be alone for much longer.

“Yeah, we better go. The Council has ordered some of the troops to come here and escort us to their chambers for a discussion. I’d rather be in the Moturin Compound,” Jace said with a grimace.

“I take it that the Moturins have enough political sway to keep that from happening?” His father asked as they both bordered the canceaux. He was already looking steady on his pins again. Evidently, his father’s ability to recover quickly also applied to finding out he was an alien.

Khoth had gone in ahead of them and fished out two bottles of a pale gold liquid. He handed one to each of them with the explanation. “This is planth. Similar to your fermented alcoholic drinks.”

His father popped the top. It let out a shish of sound as carbonation was released. He took a sip and then another. “It’s good. Tastes like a hard cider. What’s it made out of?”

“You don’t want to know,” Jace interrupted, recalling his own experience with the food.

Khoth lifted an eyebrow in that way of his, but said nothing. He slid into the pilot’s seat while he and his father settled in the couches on the back. Jace was looking forward to getting up into the air again and seeing the city at night. Flying by canceaux had its perks. His father let out a whistle as the top turned translucent, allowing them to see everything around them clearly as if they were in a car with its top down, but without the annoyance of the wind.

“Fancy. I could definitely get used to riding in one of these. They’d sell like hotcakes on Earth,” his father said as he sipped his planth and gazed around them.

Jace leaned towards him, elbows on knees, as he said, “I’m sorry I dropped that on you like I did, Dad. I wasn’t sure there was a good way to do it and–”

“No, son, it’s all right. It makes me feel less crazy. Not that I was feeling crazy before, but the sense that I had been here and I could feel you…” Jack’s brows drew together and then he was shaking his head and smiling. “How am I experiencing this if you’re the only full-blooded Altaeth? And how the Hell did the Osiris do that?”

Jace took in a deep breath and explained all he knew. His father took it in, interrupting him with pointed questions. When Jace was finished his father was staring out of the window. While the wonders of Ylore were reflected in his father’s eyes, he wasn’t sure if Jack saw them. He was looking inwards.

“We felt a calling–your mom and I–to Area 67. Before either of us knew what was being held there, we had to go,” Jack said.

“Your desire to be an experimental aircraft pilot is explained as well, Dad. It’s literally in our blood,” Jace remarked.

“And we have genetic memories of places our ancestors have lived? I mean, I can feel the old homestead here.” Jack touched his chest. “It’s incredible.”

“Yeah, I know. The Osiris thinks that my mating with Khoth has supercharged the family bond that Altaeth share, which is why you’re experiencing so much more of this than before,” Jace said.

His father nodded then refocused on him again and flashed a smile. “I didn’t say congratulations yet, son.”