Page 16 of Meet Your Maker: Part One

A sting rises behind my eyes in the wake of a surge of profound relief. It’s her. My beautiful girl, born of wild magic, woven into my fate as ifClothoherself, with the threads ofAnanke, had set her there with deliberate, unshakable purpose.

I inhale deeply, letting her scent wash over me. It’s a symphony of everything I’ve missed—sunshine and salt air. Beneath the scent marks of her shifters, her own unique fragrance lingers—a delicate blend of honey and brined olives.

A smile tugs at my lips. Even in this half-awake state, one thing is certain: I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Sunday stirs beside me, blinking sleepily before stretching, her muscles protesting the long stillness. “That was the best nap I’ve had in ages.”

“Tell me something,” I murmur, my voice still thick with the haze of death.

Her fingers trace lazy patterns on my chest. “What do you want to know?”

“Anything. What did you do today?”

“Well,” she begins, her voice teasing, “I defended your ass from an impetuous jaguar. It was quite the spectacle, I must say.” She pauses, a sly grin spreading across her face. “And then, after that excitement, we had a rather important meeting. We decided who’s going to rule over the WRE.”

I stiffen a little at that, but she doesn’t pause, continuing to pet my chest absently. “And then we found about a hundred rags soaked with turpentine hidden around the castle. I do believe Roxana was ready to torch the place if things didn’t go her way.”

A cold anger settles over me, the purge of her court still a fresh wound. So senseless, these fits of temper, so unnecessarily destructive. “I assume they were removed and disposed of properly?”

She nods, her hair tickling my skin. “Mishka was a big help. He sniffed out the ones hidden in the eaves. The sun could have set them off.” She pauses, a hint of pride in her voice. “He’s got an even better nose than his daddy.”

“And he is Ben’s, correct?” I ask, trying to keep my tone casual.

She laughs—a sound as sweet as spring rain. I’m drunk on her. If she were anyone else, it would be concerning. “Yup. He was hiding behind a furnace in Volga, eating scraps and being raised by vampires. So, get ready to become his new favorite person.”

“He came to me when I was… briefly lucid, in Roxana’s chambers. Isn’t he rather young to be shifting?”

Her sigh is heavy, the light in her eyes dimming. “He’s eight, but he looks younger—malnutrition will do that. And, he’s been through some trauma. He started shifting to escape the wolfpack that took him in.”

Her voice trails off, and I reach for her hand, squeezing it gently. “We’ll take care of him,” I promise.

Her smile is blinding. “That’s part of what we need to figure out. He needs to go to Greenbriar. Daddy and Cady have everything ready for him, and the girls can’t wait to meet him.”

“Who is Cady? I thought your stepmother was JoAnne.” My monster helpfully provides an image of her stumbling in her heels.

She exhales a heavy breath. “I have so much to tell you. And I will… just as soon as you get up. Do you need to eat?”

The offer stirs my dark passenger, pushing against my skin, teasing me with visions of a long, indulgent feeding. I dismiss them, forcing my focus back. I need to stop acting like a newborn, all cock and fangs. “Perhaps later? I took quite a bit last night.”

“Well, I feel great, and Shadow’s around here too, if you prefer them.”

I open my mouth to protest, but she cuts me off. “Oh! I forgot to tell you. When they came through the bond to Hibernia…”

“When they what?” I sit up, curiosity igniting. “I assumed they fled the castle through the shadows.”

She pauses, and I feel her hesitation through our newly strengthened bond. She doesn’t want to talk about this. “I guess Roxana was hurting them,” she says, her voice dropping as if speaking quietly could shield Xavier from the reality of their ordeal.

Cold dread knots my stomach, the assault of my own memories crashing in—stumbling through those hallways, wracked with the same pain, and then, the moment they disappeared from the bond. I inhale deeply, grounding myself in the jaguar’s scent still lingering on her shoulders.

Then, I lower myself back down, letting her drape across me once more. We lie there, clinging to the comfort of touch, as if holding each other might keep the darkness at bay.

Her fingers trace the faint scars on my chest—the last traces of a boyhood accident. “We don’t know exactly what happened, but near as we can tell, they walked across the blood bond that you and I share,” she says, marching her fingers across my skin before pausing. “And then I was able to pull them through… somehow.” Her voice trails off, lost for a moment. But then she finds her way back to me. “So, they were sort of reborn… and without the addiction to venom.”

“So, Xavier is cured?” I hear the disbelief in my voice, the skepticism, but she nods. I let that sink in, trying to wrap my mind around it. Then, after a moment of hesitation, I ask the next impossible thing. “And now… you and Ben… now, we have a child?”

Her pride flares across our bond like a Roman candle. “Exactly. I knew you’d understand.”

I’m lying down, but I still feel the need to brace myself. “Have you heard from my chyld or your brother?”

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