Maeve went rigid. "Shit," she hissed. "That's Aunt Livia. We were going to walk down and watch the parade together."
My mother swept in with a blast of autumn mountain air. The smell of her perfume hit before the wool of her coat even cleared the door. Shopping bags bulged from both arms. Probably more parade snacks and whatever else she'd decided the house needed in the last hour. She shut the door with a crisp click and tip-tapped past the knocked-over flour, barely even blinking at the mess.
I didn't wait. "Mother. I saw two girls today that Caden says are mine. They were with Tash, a woman I knew seventeen years ago. Do you know anything about humans and dragons having children together?"
Her entire body froze. Mom never froze. Her poker face could make a dragon shifter rethink a bet, but the color drained out of her cheeks, leaving her skin pale against the sharp black of her coat. The shopping bags sagged from her fingers, then thudded to the tile.
She stared at them, lips parting like she couldn't catch her breath. "Caden says they're yours?" she whispered. "Caden?"
I tried not to snarl at her. "Yes. Caden." Our dragons had senses about these things that were stronger than any DNA test.
"She came to the house," Mom said at a level so low it was quieter than a whisper. If I hadn't had dragon senses, I wouldn't have been able to hear her. "Years ago. She wanted to see you, and I told her you weren't home."
I gripped the counter so hard the metal bit into my palms. Caden surged up, hungry for every detail.
Mom wrung her hands, twisting her rings. "She said… she said she was pregnant. With your child." She looked up without seeing me. "I told her it wasn't possible. We all know dragons and humans aren't fertile, except in some old wives' tales. So I tried to send her on her way."
She hesitated. "She wouldn't leave. She insisted the baby was yours." Mom's hands shook. I'd never seen them do that, not once, not even when Dad died. "I gave her money to start over somewhere else. I thought—" She finally looked at me, and the pain there knocked me sideways. "I thought whoever really got her in trouble had to be a terrible person. Anyone would want you as a father for their children, you know that? It made sense. She had to be lying. Or it could've been she'd had sex with youand another man and honestly thought it might be you."
Maeve just stood there, rooted to the floor, eyes huge and mouth shut. Even she was out of smartass commentary.
Mom's phone buzzed, sharp and insistent, but for once she didn't even glance at it. She slid it into her pocket, fingers still trembling, and went on. "I thought she'd be safe if I helped her. She looked so young. I didn't want her to suffer, not on the off chance she was there because she truly believed you were the father." Her head bowed. "I paid her off."
Rage poured through me, fast and bright. Caden howled, a predator denied, and the heat inside me shot up so high I could almost taste scorched sugar.
I flexed my hands, knuckles popping. "You didn't think toaskme?" My eyes lit up with dragon fire. I could see it reflected in the steel drawers and the glass cases. The kitchen grew hotter, actually steaming.
Maeve started backing up. She nearly tripped over a rack of cookies, sending a couple of peanut butter blossoms skittering to the floor. "I just remembered I left, er, something. In the oven. In Nashville." She ducked out, feet pounding down the hall, the swinging door flapping behind her.
Mother didn't move, but her arms curledtight around her middle. She'd shrunk, just a little, but I didn't miss it.
"I made a decision," she said, small and flat. "I thought I was protecting you. There are hunters, Chance. There always were. I didn't want a stranger showing up here?—"
"You paid her off, and you didn't tell me." My words came out as shredded as my emotions.
She winced. "I thought it was best. You were barely more than a boy. The Order was sniffing around. Damon?—"
I cut her off. "You still should've told me."
She nodded, quick and jerky. "You're right. I'm sorry. I never imagined—" She gave a little laugh, empty as a broken eggshell. "It doesn't matter what I imagined. Clearly, I was wrong."
The silence built, smothering me. At the front end, Maeve hustled a customer out the door, but everything sounded muffled under the pressure in my head.
Caden wanted out. He wanted to shift, to hunt, to claim what was his. I almost let him. The only thing keeping him in check was the grief and misery on Mom's face.
Both of us were angry, but seeing her crushed like that worried me.
She tried to recover, straightening her lapels likethat would put her back in charge. It wouldn't. "I have the paperwork. When I get home, I'll send you her name and the address I had for her back then."
I barely heard her. The only thing bouncing off the inside of my skull was the image of those girls at the parade.
I stepped into her space, crowding her so she had to tilt her chin up to meet my eyes.
"You broke her heart. You broke mine." I sucked in a breath. I couldn't stand to look at my mother right now. "Leave."
Mom faltered. She'd never looked so lost, not even at Dad's funeral. I thought she might argue, but she swallowed her pride, gathered her bags one by one, and walked out.
My hands shook, and my shirt stuck to my back with sweat. I braced myself over the sink. Caden paced under my skin, but he was finally settling. Somewhat.
