Page 59 of Siren in the Rain

On my shoulder, Haku flaps his wings and then nudges my chin with his head. “Master Shae? Are you okay?”

My body can’t stop trembling, and I let out a shaky breath that I didn’t realize I was holding.

My mother’s still alive? How can that even be possible?

Coral studies me with sad eyes. “I’m sorry this is such a shock. I thought you knew how death worked among our kind.” She shakes her head. “We should have realized how bad things were becoming when Bryce wouldn’t even let Tempest bring you to the Silverstorm Island to visit us after you were born.”

“We realize now that he wanted to erase our existence from your life,” my aunt adds, clenching her hands into fists in her lap.

A big, warm hand rubs circles on my back, and I lean into Griffin, not bothering to think about what my actions mean right now. All I know is that I need his warm steady presence to keep me grounded.

“If…” My voice cracks. “If my mother is still alive, she’s probably being held captive somewhere, much like I was.”

Coral frowns, anger sparking in her eyes. “You’re right. We must investigate your father and stepmother in greater depth, find anything that will give us a clue as to where Tempest could be.”

I turn my attention to Dallas. “Can you help us? If my mother’s still alive, then we need to find her and save her.”

“There’s no way Tempest would have abandoned her son,” Coral adds. “Not even for that worthless man who was unfortunately fated to be her mate.”

“We’ll put as many of our resources into investigating this case as possible,” Dallas agrees. He crosses his huge, muscular arms and strokes his beard in contemplation. “There’s a disturbing pattern here that I don’t want to ignore.” He turns his gaze to me. “If Margaret and your father have kept both you and your mother captive for so long, who’s to say they haven’t done it to others?”

I freeze, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

There could be others?

Griffin whines low and anxious, obviously distressed by this idea.

Cal’s expression turns dark. “Dallas is right. No doubt they saw the potential to keep using vulnerable Otherkind to fulfill their own greedy desires.”

“Otherkind have many abilities and unique powers that humanity can never attain themselves,” Ruby adds softly. “The trafficking ring we’ve been investigating for months has opened a window into a grim underworld full of unscrupulous folks willing to enslave and exploit Otherkind for their rare abilities.”

Griffin growls deep in the back of his throat, his tail bristling in outrage.

For some reason, I reach out and stroke his thigh before giving it a gentle squeeze in a silent effort to help him calm down.

I realize my mistake when he stares at me with startled amber eyes and an open mouth.

“Uh—” I start to say.

Before I can figure out what to add to that, he busts out into that toothy grin of his, rocking the sinfully hot dimple I can’t ignore.

My cheeks warming, I yank my hand back and look away.

Gah! Get a grip, Shae!

Harper gets to his feet in a graceful movement that reminds me of a dancer. I don’t know if his fluid elegance is a characteristic of vampires in general or Harper in particular. He remains the most mysterious member of MEOW Squad for me, but I admire how composed he always seems to be.

He gifts my grandmother with a shallow bow. “Thank you for coming here and speaking with us. I believe our next course of action is quite clear, so I’m afraid I’m going to excuse myself while I begin working on tracking down every bit of information I can about Margaret and Bryce, starting with records of any real estate or other properties they own or manage. There’s no time to waste.”

Coral inclines her head in response. “Thank you for contacting us. We are so grateful for this long-awaited reunion. We thank you, and all your team, for saving my grandson.” She turns to Emma, who’s stayed silent the whole time. “Young Potion Master, we must express our deepest gratitude for the role you played in ensuring Shae could finally escape from that awful prison of Bryce’s making.”

Emma waves one hand as if to stop them. “Oh no, I hardly did anything. Honestly, I wish I could’ve done something much sooner.” Her shoulders slump and she flashes me a guilty look. “But I’m ashamed to say that I was scared to go against Margaret.”

Her words produce an unexpected twinge of pain in my chest. “Em, I don’t hold anything against you. You were stuck between a rock and a hard place. All that matters is that you risked your own safety and helped me in the end. I’ll owe you for the rest of my life.”

“Shae.” Her eyes glisten with tears.

Dallas stands and claps his hands together loudly. “Okay, MEOW Squad! We’ve got work to do. I think this is the perfect opportunity to let Shae talk alone with his family, so let’s adjourn to the planning room.” He turns a meaningful gaze at the reluctant Wolf Boy clinging to me. “That includes you, Griff.”

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