Page 52 of The Monster's Mate

“Show up. Announce your presence loud enough so everyone is aware that you live here on Pimeon with your daughter, River. I think her looks will be enough, along with an introduction as his granddaughter to cause the other backers to remove him as candidate. If not, you can always announce that her DNA be entered into a world-wide database for a parental match.”

“What does this do for Lucy?” I snarl. They don’t seem to be concerned enough that a sweet female lives alone and is terrified.

“We hope it’ll be enough for them to leave her alone once they realize it wasn’t Isabel living in the house and working within the walls of the commune. To stop the ‘accidents’ from happening. If not, we’ll have to keep her safe another way.”

“I won’t let my mate go alone,” Bronan says. “I want to go.”

“Me too,” Tiran says.

“I should come too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen little Lucy,” Maman says. “Such a dear child.”

“Good thing we brought a larger pod this time,” Mikhail says. “Though we won’t be able to visit Lucy. We can’t have her compromised in any way.”

Maman frowns, then slowly nods.

“So, you’ll rule while I’m gone?” Bronan says.

I nod. “Then I’d like to take a trip back. Stay with Lucy and make sure she’s okay after the drama.”

“We can pick you up afterward and bring you back with us. But it’s very important to stay out of sight.”

It feels like forever before they return, though it’s the same day. I can’t wait until I can get there and make sure for myself.

In the meantime, I distract myself with the Tiiblets and the plan for Isabel’s nursery. I coordinate a party of males to head to the Adroki village to pick up volunteers. I show them the book I borrowed from Lucy’s house—the one that Isabel had kept for so many years, always thinking that she would be able to read the book to the baby she never found.

This should be a huge surprise, though I won’t be around to see the amazement on Bel’s sweet face. I’ll be well on my way back to Earth, with a detour to drop off the Adroki Tiiblets.

Finally, I head out to the yard to see the Britonian shuttle fly in. One by one, my family emerges, smiles on their faces.

“Did it go well?”

“Marvelous!” Maman says. “We watched the whole thing from the video-cam that Mikhail has set up in the pod. Isabel and River were superb. Isabel’s patron was there and River introduced herself as his granddaughter.

“When Uncle Duke saw us together, he turned white as a sheet,” Bel says.

And suddenly there’s a ringing in my ears.

Uncle Duke.

I’ve heard that before. Fuck, it was Samantha who referred toherUncle Duke.

“Bel,” I snap. “How did you meet Lucy?”

Everyone stops talking at once, but I’m barely aware of the heads that turn toward me because I talk to Bel but I’m so focused on River. My darling sister-in-mate who suddenly looks familiar.

“Wh-when my father threw me out of his house, he was throwing a party for Uncle Duke. Uncle Duke ordered his limo to take me home. Samantha was the driver and she listened to me crying. We got to talking, I told her I was shunned and she said her cousin Lucy needed someplace to stay too. That she had her own secrets.”

It dawns on me what those secrets are.

“Skiden? What’s going on?” Mikhail asks.

I’m still stuck staring at River. Her forehead. The way she smiles with the left side of her mouth that turns up higher than the other side. I’d always assumed it was the scarring but there’s one other person who smiles like that.

Someone with her eyes. Her nose. They have the exact same shade of inky darkness to their hair—much darker than Isabel’s.

“They know that Isabel has been here on Pimeon now?” I ask.

“Yes. We wanted Lucy to be safe instead of a target for the accidents happening around the commune.”

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