Page 85 of The Safest Place She Knows

Lya covered hereyes as Allor moved swiftly through the house. When they were inhis room, he sighed. “Sorry to sweep you away, but privacy is goingto be scarce in the den. The door isn’t locked if you areworried.”

“No, notworried. Very glad to be finalizing things with all three den mateson the same day.”

His fingersopened the tie of the dress. “Getting things solidified is usuallywise.”

“Can we try thevenom before we get too far along?”

His eyes lookedhot. “Of course.”

He carefullyleaned in and scraped his teeth along her shoulder. She felt ashivering heat moving from the scrapes to her limbs and jumped him.She heard his startled laugh before things went molten hot, andthen she stopped listening.

Lya’s body washumming and throbbing pleasantly, and she was back in the livingroom with damp hair and Allor under her in the chair.

Tamara lookedat the files that were on the tablet Ford had sent. “What is thisone? Biography?”

“Oh. Don’twatch that one,” Lya sat up and murmured.

Tamara set itup and played it.

Lya watched abiography of her that included the alpha attack, news clippings,and shots of her in physiotherapy learning to move her broken limbsagain. Tamara was mentioned as the child was born thirty-eightweeks after the attack.

Lya looked atTamara and was stricken. “I never meant for you to be part ofthat.”

Tamara clearedher throat. “I used your phone and called him. He edited me in. Idon’t want you hiding who you are anymore. It’s stress you don’tneed, and I know Grandma was worried about what the neighbourswould think, but I don’t care. Noh, Venka, and Allor don’t care, sowe are all good. You can be in the light, Mom. And I am not asecret anymore.”

Lya inhaled andexhaled slowly. “If you are sure, I am not hiding you.”

Tamara got upand hugged her. “I know. So, new starts all around.”

“How old areyou? Thirty?”

“Nearlythirteen, Mom. You should remember. You were there.”

Lya laughed. “Iwas, indeed.”

Allor huggedher and said, “You went to mechanic’s classes in high school?”

“Yes. I am verygood. It helped me keep a day job to support the household. Thingsgot more complicated when my mother got sick, but we managed untilshe died.”

The coverage ofher circus training was fun, and then, there was Zelle. Theyflipped, contorted, and did some flying work.

Tamara gasped.“Is that a friend of yours?”

“Yes. That’sZelle.”

“She’sstunning.” Tamara was staring at the paused image of Zelle and Lyaleaning against each other, eating ice cream cones.

Lya laughed. “Iknow. She’s completely oblivious to it unless she’s feeling frisky.In that case, she has a very specific type.”

Venka looked ather and then back at the screen. “You have attractive friends.”

“Yes, and sheis just as sweet in person. Wait. You met her.”

Tamara paused.“Oh, shit. That was her? She looked kind of greeny-grey.”

“Just goes toshow you that even in an adult woman, pregnancy can be hard onyou.”

Noh hissed indisapproval. “It’s even worse when you have an alpha who wouldsolve the problem.”

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