Page 47 of Siren in the Rain

“Use the puppy-dog eyes,” Cal coaches me from across the room where he’s still sprawled out on a sofa, his arms behind his head as he watches us.

I decide to give it a whirl.

Shae immediately covers his eyes with one hand and holds another palm toward me. “Gah! Stop with the eyes.”

I grin, my canines popping out over my bottom lip. It’s good to know this works on more than just Cal.

Harper clears his throat delicately. “Ahem. If we could get back to business?” He focuses on Shae again. “We’ve also had some people covertly trailing your father, stepmother, and stepsister for the past week.”

Shae freezes beside me but appears to be listening.

“As we suspected, they have quite a number of people out looking for you.”

A bitter laugh escapes Shae. “They don’t want to let their cash cow and personal punching bag go.”

His words make my heart hurt and I can’t hold back a faint whimper as my empathic senses pick up on his pain.

Harper inclines his head. “So it would seem. They have made a public announcement that Bella Divine’s World Tour plans have been put on ‘indefinite hiatus’ while she ‘focuses on her health.’”

“No doubt my stepmonster will use this as an opportunity to try to sell more of her products.”

Harper’s lips twitch. “A very likely possibility from what I have gleaned of her personality and behaviors. It’s fairly clear your stepmother is the mastermind behind this operation. Your father and stepsister mostly do what she tells them.” Harper’s eyes become shadowed with sadness. “I’m afraid your father doesn’t seem concerned about your absence apart from fear that it might expose all of their illegal actions. I’m sorry to have to be the bearer of such bad tidings.”

Shae crosses his arms over his chest in a defensive posture I’ve come to recognize, and I send all the soothing vibes my power can muster in his direction. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t surprise me one bit. It’s been pretty evident to me for the last fifteen years that my father doesn’t care about me. I suspect he only kept me alive because my stepmother realized she could make a profit off of me.” He shrugs in a jerky fashion. “When I escaped that house, I cut ties with everyone there as far as I was concerned. I don’t have any plans of ever going back or attempting to have any kind of relationship with any of them. They can rot for all I care.”

I whine a little, unable to hold back my distress at Shae’s sad words and the knowledge of all that he’s endured. “We’re your family now,” I tell him. “We’ll be here for you, always.”

He gives me another odd look that’s a mixture of exasperation and, dare I say, fondness? Shae reaches up and, for the first time, pets the top of my head. “Thanks, Wolf Boy.”

This is the first true gesture of affection that he’s given me and I can’t help but let out a very unexpected, “Awooo!”

Shae freezes and stares at me, mouth agape, while everyone else around us starts to crack up.

“Oh my god! I haven’t heard one of those in ages,” Ruby says, clutching her stomach.

“Those are the fucking best,” Cal agrees. “Totally made my day, bro, just so you know.”

“No one can top Griffin’s overall level of captivating charm,” Harper says matter-of-factly and takes another sip of his tea.

I hunch my shoulders. “Guuuyyysss! You’re embarrassing me.”

“No… fair. I… fucking can’t… even… with you,” Shae sputters, his cheeks going red.

“Sorry. I got a little too excited when you pet my head,” I admit, flashing a sheepish smile.

“You two are just so stinkin’ precious,” Ruby says with a little squee.

Sensing my opportunity, I gently grab Shae’s hands. “Let’s go on a date!”

Shae gets a panicked, vaguely cornered look on his face, and I beam, then hurry on before he can say anything. “I’ll take you somewhere fun. Have you ever been to an amusement park before?”

I notice that he hesitates, a gleam of interest in his eyes.

“We’ll go to Pacific Park. We can go on rides, play games, and eat corn dogs and cotton candy!” It’ll be fun and romantic.

Cal and Ruby simultaneously facepalm.

“What?” I ask, confused.

---