A rock dropped in my gut as Anthony handed the little blue baby over to Riley. “This is going to be a nightmare.”
Anthony chuckled. “You’ll get through it. I’m happy that Riley will be able to have some of her family back in her life. She’s told us a lot about you and some of the cousins on her father’s side. She wouldn’t be able to have much contact with them, and they could never see Linna. But your side could.”
“What are we going to do about my dad?”
“We’ll sort it out,” Alexander soothed. “Let’s get going.”
He’d had a witch take us to North Carolina, but from there we would use the portal Riley had in the basement. We all trooped down to her finished basement. It was more like an entertainment wing, but they’d converted a closet into a portal room and had a witch install one that could take us anywhere we wanted to go, provided at least one of our number had been there before.
“I think everyone here, except Roan and Jen, has been to the Tennessee house. Roan and Jen, please hold hands with someone who knows where we are headed.”
Alexander grabbed my hand, and Anthony grabbed Roan’s with a smile. We stepped through the portal and into a living room.
A man met us there, and Riley spoke with him at length before we all trooped out to a horse barn where a luxury SUV was parked beside stalls full of beautiful horses. “How much money do you people have?” I asked.
“Jen, you’ll soon find what I said about money is true. We have more than we could ever spend, and if ever an Unseen creature has need of it, they’ll have it. The Sárkány were given a small amount to get them started, but we have kept tabs on all of them and check in with them frequently. If they run out, we will provide, and probably teach them about financial management.
I shook my head and got into the SUV as Riley and Anthony buckled the twins into car seats. “The car is spelled to not wreck. Other cars would sort of bounce off of it. It’s not, however, spelled to avoid police, and being caught with two babies out of their car seats would be bad.
The drive was tense, and thankfully only took about forty five minutes. “All that time, the kids were that close to you?”
Riley sighed. “Yeah. I’m still not completely over it, and I don’t think I’ll ever be. Elias was doing what he thought was best, but it still cut my kids out of my life for five long years.”
She turned and glared at Alexander. “You have to make changes so something like that doesn’t happen again. And, when human women get pregnant, their babies are taken from them! It’s barbaric.”
“I’m doing what I can,” he said. “I’ve been working with the best witches to develop a spell so we can tell humans, but they can’t reveal us to other humans. It’s tricky because there are so many loopholes we have to think of. We have to make sure they can’t hint or indicate in any form or fashion.”
“That would be preferable to this, though that still seems extreme.”
“The ramifications of being found out are too severe. We’ve made it for thousands of years without the humans knowing. Times are changing, and it’s getting harder and harder to hide, but we will find a way. We must,” Alexander’s speech was moving. They wanted to survive. Humans were a trigger happy lot. They’d kill first and research later.
I was surprised to realize I was beginning to think of humans as them and not us. My new life was settling in, even in my mind.
We pulled into my mom’s driveway, and I sighed. The garage was closed, but I knew Dad would be at work. He was an accountant and never missed work. The emergency had to be extreme for him to take a day off. “Let me go to the door and make sure Dad isn’t here.”
Riley nodded from the driver’s seat. “I’ll get Linna swaddled so we can hide her face.”
Roan squeezed my arm. “Just wave when you’re ready for us.”
I took a deep breath and got out. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my legs had shackles on them; the walk to the front door was so difficult.You can do this. Maybe she’ll surprise you and be more understanding than you expect.
Stopping at the bottom of the three stairs leading to the door, I looked up at the house I’d grown up in.Yeah right. Suck it up, buttercup, this is gonna blow.
I plunged forward and hit the doorbell before I lost my nerve. Brookie, Mom’s Chihuahua, began to bark incessantly. I’d forgotten about that dog. She loved Mom and me, but hated everyone else. She’d have to be put in the upstairs bedroom.
My mom’s face appeared in the glass beside the front door and lit up in delight. “Jenieviere!” she said as she opened the door. “I’m so happy to see you. What a nice surprise, come in!”
Brookie ran out and yapped at my feet. Normally she’d hush as soon as she smelled me, but she kept barking, a line of fur on her back straight up at attention.I bet she can smell that I’m changed. I’m surprised she doesn’t smell it on Mom.
“Mom, is Dad home?”
“Of course not, dear, please come on in.” She finally noticed the SUV. “Who is in the car?”
I turned and waved at them, and they piled out, Roan holding Michael and Riley with a bundled Linna.
“What’s going on, Jen? Is that Riley?” Mom’s jaw dropped and she ran forward. “Riley, darling it’s so good to see you. You look wonderful!”
“Hello, Aunt Kathryn. It’s good to see you, too.”
