Me: Keep doing what you’re doing, and let me know if anything changes.
I tossed the phone on the bed and thought of what I had planned for the day while the water warmed. Unlike Ashlyn, I would be far easier for Adira to find if I went anywhere but my parents’ house or the cabin.
Taking a leisurely shower, I thought of Fenris’s cabin and its lack of plumbing. While I appreciated the seclusion it offered, I wasn’t yet ready to forego bathing to avoid Adira. When I finished, I bundled my dirty clothes in my towel and went to find Dad.
Looking barely awake, Mom sat at the table. She nudged the cup beside her.
“Come sit and have some hot chocolate.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“I sent him outside after he woke me. He’s too agitated to be reasonable at the moment.”
“Why is he agitated? He said you were tired. Why would he wake you up?”
She patted the chair and didn’t say anything until I sat.
“Rather than worry about him, let’s talk about why you needed a shower.”
“There wasn’t one where I was staying.”
“And where were you staying?”
I shook my head, unwilling to share that secret even with Mom.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“There’s no shame in enjoying someone’s company for an evening, Eliana. Especially after Adira’s failed attempt to feed you. However, you might want to choose partners who have decent bathing facilities. There are so many things that can be enjoyed in a multi-head shower.”
Realization hit me hard. “Dad thought I was—”
“Covered in the liquid joy derived from a night of frantic copulation? Yes. But not because of anything you’ve done. It’s a memory from long ago. But, baby, even if you had shown up on this doorstep glistening with—"
“Please don’t.”
“Well, it would have been okay. Your father’s love for you wouldn’t have changed.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. “And you?”
“I would have been overjoyed.” She smiled and patted my hand, but her humor died quickly as she considered me. “I think it’s time we have a frank talk.”
“We haven’t been talking frankly?”
“Do you know why I left you here when you were twelve?”
The odd question made me frown.
“I asked you to?”
“No, baby. I left you here because you weren’t ready.” She took a big breath. “A fly reaches sexual maturity within one week. A frog? Within one to two years. A brownie, as you discovered, reaches sexual maturity around 14 months. Why am I telling you all this?”
I shook my head, unsure where she was going with her weird fact dump.
“Different species mature at different rates. We’re not human, baby. We’re succubi. While so many of our characteristics and attributes are just like humans, we’re not the same. I was twelve when I reached sexual maturity. I didn’t question what was happening to me. My hunger drove me, and I embraced it.”
I swallowed hard and looked down at my hands.
“I’m not saying this to pressure you into feeding. I’m trying to help you understand something.
