Page 21 of The Monster's Mate

So Skiden stares back. “Something’s wrong with your teeth,” he says.

Sam closes her mouth, and the lump of her tongue swells her upper lip and cheek as she runs her tongue over them as if looking for bits of broccoli.

I can’t help but laugh. “He means because they’re smooth.”

She huffs out her breath.

“I meant the weird color. Matches your eyes,” he says, giving me a wink.

“Your teeth match yours,” Sam says, a little insulted.

“So they do.” He holds out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Sam hesitates only a split second before shaking his enthusiastically as if she doesn’t want us to notice she paused.

“Okay, that was weird too,” he mumbles. “This is what we do.” He taps her elbow with his opposite hand and when she raises it, he grips it with his right hand and wraps her hand on his forearm, then slides down.

“Oh. Well, uh, nice to meet you, Skiden,” Samantha says.

There’s something to their way of introduction—more touch makes her reservations toward him drop away.

“Samantha is my cousin,” I tell him. “The only person in the world that I have besides Isabel. Except, no one can know about Sam. Her parents—and her uncle—don’t like me much.”

“That’s brave of you,” Skiden says to her, and his voice is rich with warmth. It makes Sam blush.

“Aww. Well, I love her. I loved her the first day I saw her when she was two years old, all alone in the world, sucking her little thumb with those big, dark eyes and those perfect bow lips that must come from her momma.”

“How old were you?” Skiden asks, and he sweeps his arm to invite her to sit on the sofa. Huh, he’s somehow become the host of my home. And silly me, I don’t mind one whit.

“I was ten. A couple of times when I was a teen, I went to see her, but they wouldn’t let a minor visit without a parent. So, I watched her from outside the gates. When I turned eighteen, I was able to visit.”

“Every single month until the day I was released,” I say, smiling at Sam.

She was my lifeline.

“I didn’t know she was stuck being a chauffeur for my biological father, her uncle. She needed a favor, and he was a powerful man. So, she asked him to make sure the gardener of the group home where I lived never worked around children again.”

“It was a little tricky,” she says. “I couldn’t admit that I knew him from the home. They would all know that I visited Lucy. I had to ask the gardener to willingly leave and entice him to work for my family. Then I cried wolf, told everyone how the gardener creeped me out. Truthfully, I was a little old for his tastes. But once he was working for us, I got my uncle to send him to jail. I had to promise I’d work for him for ten years, though.”

“Instead of doing you a favor, he took you up on your offer?” Skiden asks. “Didn’t he assume the gardener was harassing his own niece?”

Samantha shrugs. “It doesn’t matter what he believed because it was worth it. It was through that driving job that I met Isabel. And she and Lucy were perfect for each other.”

“I’m glad they had each other.”

“I’m sorry I missed her,” Sam says, glancing at me. “Was she doing good?”

“She’s beautiful. And so happy. Getting to know River and she seems to be having a blast with Maman, Skiden’s mom. Oh, and she has a boyfriend. Skiden’s brother, who’s promised to give her babies.”

Sam blinks, shocked, and then a huge smile graces her face. “Well, good for her. But does that mean… she’s not coming back? You wouldn’t want to bring babies back here to live, would you?”

What a horrifying thought. The mood grows somber. “She doesn’t have any plans to return.”

“We’d like to find a way to bring Lucy with us. She told us she can’t enter the Match Program because she’ll be tracked,” Skiden says.

“No, she has to stay hidden,” Sam agrees. “My uncle’s way too powerful now. Besides, haven’t you heard? The program will be suspended soon. Until after the election is settled. I think they might allow one more for this year, if what I remember is correct. The last president had contracted for six.”

“We all keep under the radar,” I say, reminding her that she also has to be careful.

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