Page 20 of Omission: Part 2

“Go on. I’m here.”

“Being so young, I don’t remember much, but I’ve never forgotten the way she ran with me in her arms, nearly falling multiple times while begging me to keep quiet.”

“It’s time to play the silent game, young one,” Maman whispers, her breathing labored. “The winner gets a special treat after dinner.”

“Can I have a chocolat?”

“Chef Ninon may have given me one, but you have to beat me to earn it. Can you do that?”

“Oui!” I squeal. So excited.

“Quiet, ma cherie.” Although her tone is chiding, Mom’s smile is sweet. Always playful. “You don’t want to lose so soon.”

“And I remember winning that chocolat, being so excited once we reached the building with a large yellow door a little while later. Mom was so happy, her entire being radiated excitement until we stepped inside and found Father was waiting for us. And you know who was beside him? Who helped track her down?” It’s rhetorical, but Leonardo whispers a lownoanyway. “Beside him, once again abandoning his daughter, was my grandfather, both men very angry.”

“How did he find you? Where were you?”

A small shrug. “No clue. Don’t remember anything after that.”

“What do you mean?—”

Sitting up, I meet his stare while placing a finger over his lips. “I have no other memories from that day or most of my earlier years, to be honest, but when I woke up and Maman came in to help me get dressed, she wasn’t the same anymore. Queen Amelia became quiet and subdued after that, almost nonexistent, while Larue grew in power, as did Ruben. He treated her as if she were lower than dirt. He didn’t care about the woman who raised him, and now I know why. Sadly, it all makes sense.”

“I’m sorry, precious one,” Leonardo says while giving my finger over his lips a few soft kisses and nips, then he lowers it. Places our now entwined hands over his stomach and gives it an affectionate squeeze. And through it all, not once does he lose eye contact with me, letting me have clear access to his misplaced remorse. To an agony that matches my silent one. “I’m so sorry I didn’t come for him sooner. I could’ve?—”

“Not your fault, Leonardo. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

“I vow to make this right. I’ll give back what’s been taken from you.”

Not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, because I do, but alarm bells are going off in my head and I swallow hard. My eyes narrow. “What do you mean by that, Leo? What haven’t you told me?”

“I need you to understand that they cannot hurt either of you again. Ruben and Larue are dead, just like Silla will be soon enough.”

She nods, then tilts her head to the side at my wording. Her expression is more curious than worried. “Tell me. Whatever it is, I’ll be okay with you by my side.”

“Amelia isn’t dead, Anaya. Your mother is alive, and I vow it on my life that I will find her.”

7

LEONARDO

She just looks at me.

No emotion. Not a single sound.

It’s as if she’s comatose, refusing to fall apart, yet her breathing’s harsh and her posture rigid.

Anaya’s on my lap but lost inside her head, and I hate that I’m the one who hurt her this way. But I refuse to lie to her, much less continue to keep my mate in the dark, when reuniting with her mother will bring her so much joy in the end. Right some of the wrongs committed against her.

They both deserve some happiness after what those animals put them through.

“Talk to me, precious one. How can I help you work through this?”

For a few minutes, she stays still while my hands rub up and down her arms, then down to her thighs before starting the process all over again. My mate’s side of the bond is quiet, not a single vibration or emotion, but I understand that the shock is holding her captive.

From sadness to hope, to anger, and then elation at the possibility.

It’s a painful kind of happiness I can relate to. I understand the years of pain and know how the hole left in your heart by a loved one’s departure changes you, but having the chance to see them—to physically feel those you lost once again—is a blessing many are never given.

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