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  “Are you injured?” Mom asked.

  “No.”

  “Then why are you walking so slowly?”

  “I’m taking my time. There’s nothing wrong with that,” I snapped.

  “You’ll feel better once you meet him. You’re going to like him. You two have more in common than you think.”

  “I thought I got most of my traits from you.”

  “Most.” She smiled. “But not all.”

  “You better move it. My promise to wait like a good boy might not last forever.” Jared nudged me.

  “Oh, it’s going to last.”

  Mom laughed. “Are you sure you two aren’t involved?”

  “No,” we both said at once.

  That made her laugh harder. “Well then maybe you should be. The tension between you two… well let’s say I haven’t seen worse.”

  “We’re just friends, if even that.” I didn’t want my mom jumping to any conclusions. “We’re helping each other out.”

  “Mm hmm.” She glanced over her shoulder at us. “You look good together as friends anyway.”

  “Isn’t having one daughter engaged this week enough?”

  Mom smiled. “More than enough. I like Toby.”

  “He loves her.” No one could deny that.

  “And love’s more than a little bit important.”

  “She’s a princess now. Crazy, huh?”

  “You’re a princess too.” Mom gave me a knowing look.

  “Not like that.”

  “Not of an organization like The Society, but of this Clan.”

  “But no one’s going to call me that.”

  “After your display on the boat?” Mom laughed. “I wouldn’t think so.”

  She knocked on a door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She smiled at Jared before the door slowly opened.

  “Good luck.” He winked at me.

  I frowned. “You better be here.”

  “This attachment is actually quite amusing.”

  “Of course you think so.” I blinked a few times, trying to prepare myself and followed my mom inside.

  “Welcome home, Taliana.” A man I assumed by his clothing and polite address was another guard held open the door. “And who may I ask is this?”

  “This is Vera. My daughter.” Mom grinned.

  “Astrella?” He leaned in to me, and I stepped back. “I remember you.”

  “Do you?” Mom looked between us. “She looks very different now.”

  He grinned. “Very different. I can’t believe she’s back.”

  “Uh, I don’t remember you.” I didn’t remember anything about Norco Island. I glanced around the stone walled and floored entryway. I could see straight through to what appeared to be a formal sitting room.

  Mom and the guard laughed. She looked at me. “You were far too young to remember.”

  “Great.”

  “Does Gareth know she’s home?” The guard asked.

  Mom shook her head. “Not yet.”

  The guard nodded. “He’s going to be thrilled.”

  “I know. Would you please call him in? Don’t tell him who I have with me.”

  “Absolutely.” The guard walked off.

  Mom put a hand on my back, and I let her lead me into the large sitting room. “You can have a seat anywhere.” She gestured to a couch and a love seat.

  “I’ll stand.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “Very sure.” I always felt more secure when I was standing. I didn’t like anyone looking down at me or getting the mistaken impression that I was weak.

  “It’s going to be fine.”

  “So you say. You have no clue how this is going to go. You’re ambushing the man.”

  “He’s not the type to feel ambushed. I assure you it’s going to be fine.”

  “Taliana?”

  Mom and I both glanced as a tall, broad man walked into the room. His eyes first set on her before moving to me. I forced myself to remain calm.

  “Astrella!” He took long strides over to me. “You’re back.” He pulled me into a bone crunching hug.

  “Why are you calling me that? Why is everyone calling me that?” I probably should have been concerned with the reunion, but it was easier to focus on the fact that people were calling me by the wrong name.

  “Because it’s your name.” He stepped back and put his hands on both of my arms. “And it’s really you.”

  “I’m Vera.”

  “Yes, I know your mother changed your name, but that’s not who you are. You are Astrella.” He raised his chin.

  “No offense, but giving your sperm to create me doesn’t give you the right to tell me what name I need to be called.”

  He chortled. “A little fire cracker just like your mother.”

  “Mom says I’m also like you.”

  “I’ll be outside if either of you need me.” Mom started to back up.

  “Already? You’re leaving already?” I glared at her.

  “Yes. You two need to have this conversation alone.”

  “Mom!” For the first time since I was a kid I called out to her for help.

  Gareth touched my arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

  I crossed my arms. “Speak for yourself.”

  “What are you so afraid of?” He studied me.

  “What makes you think I’m afraid of anything?” I watched as my mom slipped out through the door.

  “Your body language and your expression.”

  “I’m annoyed, not afraid.” I crossed my arms.

  “No, you’re afraid and trying to cover it with annoyance and anger. That’s two different things.”

  “Listen, I only came back here to help a friend. I won’t be in your way long.” I eyed the door. This was a huge mistake. I couldn’t handle facing my father.

  “In my way? I’ve been waiting to see you again— well, since you left. We have years to catch up on.” His eyes bore into mine.

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m not looking to bond.” I stared at my hands while trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in my chest. He was just a man. There was no reason to make the reunion into something it wasn’t.

  “I never said we had to bond, but you need to learn about where you come from, and what you are.”

  “I know I’m a bear.”

  “You’re more than an ordinary bear. We’re different.” His voice was filled with pride.

  “Different how?” He had my attention. My time with Murphy had proved to me how little I wanted to be part of a pack—but they didn’t call themselves a pack here. Mom and Casey kept calling them a clan.

  “It’s easier to show you.”

  “Then show me.” I shifted my weight.

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “You said it’s easier.”

  “You’ll understand in a few days.”

  “I don’t have a few days. I already told you I have to help a friend.” I straightened my shoulders.

  “Is this friend the Pteron outside?”

  “How did you know?” I glanced around. Was there a window I didn’t notice?

  “Word spreads fast.”

  “Yet you didn’t know I’d be here?”

  “Word of security risks spreads quickly.”

  “Jared isn’t going to do anything.”

  “So quick to defend the boy.” Gareth’s face fell into an unreadable line. “Interesting.”

  “We are going to help each other.”

  “What’s he going to do to help you?”

  “That’s none of your business.” Jared didn’t know it yet, but when he lost the bet he’d be helping. I needed the money to start a new life.

  “If the Pteron behaves he’ll be in no danger here.”

  “Behaves? What does that even mean?”

  “He knows what it means.”

  “Men are weird.”

  Gareth smiled. “Are we?”

  “Yes. You say things that sound
so deceptively simple and expect women to go along with it. I don’t know what you’re used to women doing, but I’m not like that.”

  “Your mother doesn’t just go along with what I say. You and I both know that.” His words sunk in.

  “She hurt you pretty bad.”

  “Pretty bad? That’s a nice way to put it.”

  “But she did it for the right reasons.” She’d done it to save Casey, and despite my mixed feelings about everything that happened, I was grateful for the sacrifice my mother made to save my sister.

  “Yes. But a right reason doesn’t make something easier to handle.”

  “That’s true.” I ran my hand over my shorts.

  “It is. But what’s done is done. All we can do is move forward.”

  “And what does moving forward mean? At least when it comes to you and me?”

  “It means getting to know each other. We are connected whether you want to recognize it or not.”

  “But you don’t know me. I’m a stranger.”

  “You are my daughter.” He squeezed my arms lightly and leaned in close in a way that would get most men a kick in the groin from me, but I knew he didn’t mean it to be intimidating. He was trying to wake me up. “And I am your father.”

  “By birth, yes.”

  “I am not going to try to undermine whatever relationship you’ve developed with Chris, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let him get in the way of us developing our own. You are the eldest, which means one day this whole clan will be yours. I have a lot to teach you.”

  “Whoa. Slow down there.” I shrugged out of his embrace fairly easily, meaning he wasn’t trying very hard to stop me. “Who said anything about me taking over anything?”

  “The leadership passes through the bloodline. All of this will be yours one day.” He spread out his arms. “If you can step up to the challenge.”

  “Yeah, I’m not really a ‘step up to the challenge’ kind of person.”

  Gareth laughed. “You really are something else.”

  “I hear that a lot.” I took a seat on the couch. Weak looking or not, I was too tired and overwhelmed to stand any longer. Besides, I didn’t really care what he thought.

  “What’s with the Pteron?”

  “Jared?”

  “Yes.”

  “He needs to find his mom.”

  “And he thinks he’ll find her here?”

  “Mom’s met her. I’m hoping that helps.” I stared down at my lap.

  “I’m sure your mother will help any way she can.”

  I glanced up. “She helped Mom.”

  “Oh.” He looked pensive. “It’s a small world isn’t it?”

  “At least in terms of paranormals.”

  “It’s almost miniature if we limit it to that, which is why we have to be so careful what we do and say. Nearly everyone we meet at one point will come back into our lives in one way or another.”

  “Why do I sense there’s a lesson in that line?”

  “Because there is.” He smiled. “Are you hungry? Have you eaten yet?”

  “Just because you’re my father doesn’t mean you have to worry about me eating.”

  “No, it doesn’t mean I have to, but I want to, and it comes naturally.”

  “We need to be clear on something first.”

  “And what is that?” He stepped back, giving me some much needed breathing room.

  “I’m not staying here to take over or anything like that. I’m here for a visit.”

  “That is what you’re saying now. We’ll see what you’re saying in a few weeks.”

  My jaw dropped. “A few weeks? Not a chance.”

  “Is there somewhere else you’re supposed to be?”

  “I already told you. We have to find Jared’s mom.”

  “And how long has she been missing?”

  “Years.”

  “Exactly. There’s no race. Besides, your mother may have an idea of how to find her, but I can assure you it’s not going to be instant. Nothing is.”

  “Didn’t you just say the paranormal world is almost miniature?” I stuffed my hands in my back pockets.

  “It is, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find people who don’t want to be found… or who others don’t want to be found.”

  “It’s definitely one of those.” Whether Jared’s mom was hiding or had run off, it wasn’t going to be easy to find her.

  “It’s important you take your time. Entering dangerous waters takes preparation.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “I have no doubt.” He nodded a few times. “But you still need to prepare. When you start thinking you have nothing left to learn you’re most vulnerable to get hurt.”

  “What were you saying about eating something?”

  He laughed lightly. “I thought you’d come around to that.”

  “I assume you have enough food for Jared?”

  “Absolutely, but I am going to have to meet him first.” There was a twinkle in his eyes.

  “I guess that is unavoidable.”

  He held out a hand. I considered ignoring it, but then I changed my mind. There was no reason to annoy him unnecessarily. I accepted his hand and stood up.

  I waited what felt like forever for Vera to come out. I’d been all about giving her time, but the longer I stood there the more I wanted to take a page out of her book and run. I shouldn’t have been there. I didn’t belong with a bunch of bears, and how could I be sure I could trust them anyway?

  I gazed around at the bustling courtyard below. It was filled with people all dressed simply in mostly cotton clothing. In some ways this place felt like time had stood still. Clearly they had modern conveniences, but they still seemed to be operating on an old system. The stone buildings looked more like ancient ruins than houses, but I suspected they were quite comfortable inside. Although Norco was the polar opposite of where I’d grown up, there was something about the simplicity that appealed to me.

  “You didn’t make a mistake.” Taliana pulled me from my thoughts.

  “If I wasn’t a Pteron I’d worry you were reading my mind.”

  “No, I’m not a mind reader, but I do have a bit of a knack for reading people.” She held out a cup made out of some sort of wood. “You look like you could use this.”

  “What is it?” I glanced into the cup. It was only filled about a quarter of the way with a brown liquid.

  “It’s a liquor we make here. Be careful with it though; it’s potent.” She brought a cup to her lips.

  “I’m a Pteron, so alcohol doesn’t really get to me.” I accepted the cup.

  “This will.”

  “Do you usually drink in the afternoon?” I brought the cup to my nose and smelled it. It smelled strong and strangely both bitter and sweet.

  “Not always, but this isn’t an average afternoon now is it?”

  “I suppose not.” I brought the cup back down.

  “You don’t trust me.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then why aren’t you drinking it?”

  “I’ve been burned before.” Tiffany had done a number on me. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever fully trust my gut instincts again.

  “I assume you don’t mean that literally.”

  I shook my head remembering my time in the cave and my first taste of the feeling of hopelessness. “No. Not at all.”

  “I assure you it’s safe, and you might need something to take the edge off. I can only imagine how crazy this experience must be for you.”

  “It’s been a rough few weeks.” I studied her before bringing the cup to my lips. A sip wouldn’t hurt. The liquid was warm and bitter, but with enough of a sweet aftertaste that I went back for another sip.

  “I told you it’s good.”

  “Very good.” I held out the cup. “Thanks.”

  “My pleasure.” She glanced at the still closed door.

  “You’re worried.”

  “Just curious how they�
��re doing.”

  “He’s going to be nice?” I’d assumed it, but Taliana seemed more nervous now.

  “Of course he will be. It’s Vera I’m worried about.”

  I smiled. “She can be a little bit tough, but if I had a daughter I’d want her to be that way too.”

  “Are you as against having children as Vera?”

  “Having children?” I coughed on my third sip of the liquor. “That isn’t something I’m worried about.”

  “You’re young.”

  “Passing on my family line isn’t high on my priority list.”

  “If my hunch is right about who your mom is, then you at least have some genes worth passing on.”

  “I’ve heard she was a good woman, but I don’t know her.” I barely remembered her. All I had were wisps of memories of dark hair and a beautiful smile.

  “I’m going to do anything possible to make sure you get the chance.”

  “Why?”

  “I already told you.” She put a hand on my arm. “You saved my daughter. For that I will forever be grateful.”

  “Are you used to being back on Norco yet?” I moved the conversation off me. It was always easier that way.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Meaning?” Taliana had left before Casey was born and didn’t come back for nineteen years. The return had to have been intense.

  “Meaning I settled back in. This is my home, but I’ve missed my girls. I’ve missed my best friend.”

  “Chris, right? Vera and Casey have talked about him.”

  “He’s never going to come back.” She stared down at her hands.

  “Because he’s afraid of Gareth?”

  “Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Chris is a brave man. He wouldn’t fear for his life. Instead he’d worry that his presence would upset Gareth and make things worse for me.”

  “He loves you.” Love was generally behind heroic actions, but not always.

  “Yes, and I love him, but not in a romantic way.”

  “But he loves you in a romantic way.” It was so much easier to talk about someone else’s feelings.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How is that possible? Didn’t you share a bed with him for eighteen years?”

  Her cheeks flushed slightly. “He never laid a hand on me in anything but a comforting way.”