“I’m not following, Eme. What are you talking about?”
“That damn leopard is my mate. I know it. The way my body reacted to him, it was like I could barely breathe. I was warm all over, my leopard wanted to come out and play, and my fucking panties are wet. I don’t need this; I don’t need a man trying to control my life.”
Lily blinked. “Oh, Eme, I’m sorry. Now you know how I feel about Declan. We can be stubborn together.” She looped arms with her. “Come on. While they talk business, I want you to meet Mia and Gage. Gage is Remy’s brother and Mia is his mate. She’s pregnant—due any day now—and she would wring my neck if I came to the compound and didn’t stop in to see her.”
“All right. Lead the way then. We can’t have her wringing your neck; I need your help with cleaning up the club.”
“I see how it is; you just want me for my free labor.” Lily laughed as she led Emelise down the walkway, past several houses, before she stepped into a well-kept yard and approached the open door.
Mia stood in her doorway, her belly swollen with child, and leaned against her mate, Gage. “I was wonderin’ when you were gonna come see me.” Mia was a tiny redhead who looked almost elfin next to her mate. There was almost a foot difference in height between her and Gage.
“Mia, you know I’d never come out here and not visit with you.” Lily gave her a brief hug and turned to motion to Emelise. “Mia Delacroix, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Emelise Rousseau.”
“Rousseau? Any relation to Eulalie and Buford Rousseau?”
“Um, maybe? I honestly don’t know. My mama never told me my grandparents’ names, but she was from here and they were members of the Pard.”
“Your mother…Adelaide? You’re Adelaide’s daughter?”
“Yes. How do you know my mama?” Her voice quivered and there was a pained look in her eyes.
“She and my mama are cousins. Come on in and sit yourself down, cher. You look like you’re about to fall over.” Mia ushered them both inside. “Gage, go fetch Mamere Eulalie and my mama; dey need to be here for dis,” she said to her mate before she carefully lowered herself into a chair.
Emelise
Emelise sat down on the sofa in a daze. Mia’s mother and her mother were cousins. That made them cousins. She had family. Holy hell. She was nervous as hell about meeting her grandmother though. Her mother had pushed the belief that she wouldn’t be wanted or welcomed, but Mia seemed to think differently. Had her mother been wrong all this time? She barely felt Lily’s comforting hand on her shoulder as she tried to sort through her emotions.
Lily noticed the shock on Emelise’s face as they took a seat on the sofa. Instead of asking what would be a stupid question, such as ‘Are you okay?’, she just sat next to her and offered silent support.
Emelise’s head snapped up as Gage returned with two women in tow. One was much older; she had to be her grandmother. The other was about the same age as her mother. Her throat was suddenly dry and she wasn’t sure she could even speak.
Eulalie stopped in the doorway and stared at the young woman seated on the sofa.
“Mamere Eulalie, dis is Emelise, Adelaide’s daughter,” Mia introduced them to each other. “I knew you’d want to meet her since she was visitin’.”
“I’d know you was Adelaide’s anywhere. You look so much like her, child. Is your mama here in New Orleans too?”
Emelise felt the bite of pain at the mention of her mother. “No. She died a few weeks ago.” Her voice was so soft; if they hadn’t been shifters, none of them would have heard her.
Eulalie moved forward toward one of the empty chairs, but stumbled at the news that her daughter was gone. The color drained from her face and Gage had to catch her and ease her into a chair.’
“I always hoped one day she’d come back, give us a chance to make tings right. Now she’s gone.” Eulalie wiped her eyes before she looked to her granddaughter. “But you’re here; I’ll have to be happy wit’ dat.”
Those words pulled Emelise out of her shock and made her anger rise. “If that’s how you really felt then why the fuck didn’t you try to find us? It wasn’t like Mama was trying to hide who she was. She didn’t change her name or her appearance or anything. In this day and age, it would have been easy for you to track her down but you didn’t. Not only that, but if that’s how you felt, why in the hell did you disown her in the first place? My mama died believing her family—her own parents—not only hated her but me as well. She died believing that you didn’t love her all because she made a fucking mistake when she was sixteen gods-damned years old!”
Eliza, Mia’s mother, gasped at the language Emelise was using in front of Eulalie. “Shame on you, cher, speakin’ dat way to your elder.”
Emelise gave her a dark look. “My mama raised me to stand up for myself. Respect is something that has to be earned; it’s not just given out willy-nilly. I think I deserve to know the truth; I deserve to know why my mama was disowned just because my father isn’t a shifter.” Her hands were balled into fists at her side and a soft, angry growl slipped past her gritted teeth. She forced herself to take several deep breaths to calm down and regain control of both her anger and her leopard.
Eliza started to respond but Eulalie held up a hand. “No, Eliza, she’s right. She does deserve some answers. Why don’t we go talk in my home. If I’m not mistaken, Mia’s gone into labor. Maybe all dis excitement was too much for her babe.”
All eyes went to Mia who was staring at her lap. Her pants were drenched and her face was strained from a sudden contraction. “I’ve been havin’ back pain all day… I thought it was normal,” Mia murmured once the contraction eased.
Gage was at her side immediately. “Let’s get you into da bedroom. Eliza, fetch Sabine. Lily, help me get Mia comfortable.” When no one moved from where they were, he snarled. “Move!”
His snarl broke whatever hold was over the women and Eliza ran out the front door. Emelise looked at Mia then looked to her grandmother. “You’re right, we should move this conversation elsewhere. Mia needs to be able to focus on bringing her baby into the world; she doesn’t need us stressing her out.”
“I’ll come find you when the baby is born.’ I don’t want to leave Mia’s side until then,” Lily said to her friend.
