Page 97 of The Alien's Private Redemption

Her accent got thicker the deeper they drove into the mountains and she tried to hide her embarrassment from Zoric. She'd worked hard to drop the worst of it when she'd joined the Marines but some of it stuck no matter where she went.

The trees and rocks pressed closer to the truck and an unnatural hush fell over the cab. While they'd been talking for hours on the highway, neither of them seemed inclined to so much as breathe heavily as they got further into the forest that climbed up the mountains.

Finally, with almost ten minutes to midnight, they pulled into a clearing that had been invisible from the road. There was acabin in the middle of it, with rusted tools in the yard, and a warm yellow light glowing in the window.

A woman, almost the spitting image of Angela with maybe a little more silver in her hair, opened the door. Warm light spilled out from behind her onto the porch and Angela found herself returning the smile she could barely see across the front yard.

"Hey, Mama!" she called, stepping out of the open truck door. "Did you miss me?"

"Angel!" her mama shouted, and rushed out of the house to pull her into a hug. "Oh, Angel, I was so worried about you. They kept you buried so deep, I couldn't see what was going on."

"I'm alright, Mama," Angela said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm alright. And I have someone I'd like you to meet but we need to make a call before it gets too late."

Her mother pulled away and looked over her shoulder at Zoric. Surprise and fear crossed her usually unflappable mother's face, before she turned back to her daughter.

"You're cutting it mighty close if you want an answer soon."

"I know," Angela said. "I took the shortcut, too. So maybe he'll be awake a little later."

"You can try. It's on my dresser. Hurry if you're going to try tonight."

Angela nodded and hurried into their house. Behind her, Zoric had been stopped by her Mama, with a "Not so fast, young man. We're going to have a talk."

The mirror she'd been looking for was on her mother's dresser, like she'd put it down only a few minutes earlier. Picking up a pin from the cushion that was sitting next to it, Angela pricked her finger until a drop of blood welled up, then she tapped it three times against the glass. The blood smeared against the glass, then disappeared as the silver backing turned black and a familiar, ageless face appeared.

"Angela," he said, obvious pleasure in his voice. "I had not thought to hear from you again so soon! Your mother told me you had extended your time in the Marines."

She nodded and bit her lip. Somehow, she wasn't surprised her mother hadn't told him about the legal issues. They never liked to bother him with unimportant things.

"I did but I'm back visiting Mama for a few days. I brought someone to meet here, and you, and I have a favor to ask."

"A boy?" he asked. "I hadn't thought you'd find one out in the world."

"Not exactly a boy," she said. "And I don't think I would have found him anywhere else."

"And what is this favor you want to ask?"

"It's hard to explain like this," Angela started.

Her uncle's eyes turned green and she stared. "Then show me, Angela, descendent of the witch of the forest, let me see through your eyes what you cannot speak."

With those words, her mind relaxed, and Angela showed him everything that had happened over the last few months. Fear, anger, uncertainty, and love flowed through her in a rush she couldn't control.

Before she met Zoric, she would have had no idea what was happening. Now, she felt foolish for not realizing the truth all along.

When the story was out of her, his eyes changed, and softened. "My poor Angela. I do not know who is hunting you but I can the pain you have been in. I will be there tomorrow at dusk and we will discuss if your Mate is truly worthy of you."

"What about the rest?" she asked.

His eyes darkened. "We will discuss that, too."

Chapter 24

Zoric didn't know who was more intimidating, Angela's mother or her Uncle Saul.

By the time they were finished with him, he felt like he'd been dissected and put under a microscope, with parts of his entrails burned for good measure.

But he hadn't missed the tenderness in Saul's manner when he embraced Angela. He'd held her eyes for a long moment, his hands to either side of her face, and she'd sagged in relief. Something had moved through her like a cleansing rain and Zoric could feel the cool breeze that rippled out from them.

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