Page 52 of Zachary

Mom’s face turns to stone, and she stares down Grandmother. “You will support the plan.”

“I will not.”

“Yes, you will.” That’s Ronan. We all turn toward him. He hasn’t moved from his position on the couch, back straight, hands in his lap. His face is absolutely calm, unlike Zoe’s beside him.

“This is not your business,” Grandmother says.

“It very much is. Support the plan, Damaris. I care more about the people who want this resort than I do about you… or your reputation.”

Her eyes narrow as she understands his meaning. “Are you blackmailing me? You have no idea who you’re dealing with, child.”

Ronan laughs. “I know exactly who I’m dealing with. I know exactly what you’re capable of. Do you know who my brother is? Do you think he let me come here without a full background report on you and your council? It’s you who has no idea. You call me a child? I lived with monsters beyond your imagining forthousandsof years. They raised me. I did things that make me want to die of shame now.Youdon’t frighten me. Zac wants this resort, and it will be good for the village. You’ll support it, or I’ll destroy you.” He leans forward, making sure she can see how serious he is. “And I won’t regret it for a second.”

I’m certain it’s wrong—on many levels—for me to be so aroused by my almost-boyfriend threatening my grandmother. But Ronan fighting for me is the second-sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, the first being his kiss-swollen lips and passion-glazed eyes while we were fooling around on the couch today.

The face-off lasts for endless moments more, and then finally Grandmother gives a curt nod and turns away.

Later,after stilted goodbyes and promises to our parents that we’ll make time to talk, after I took Ronan home, cried on his shoulder for the lack of care my grandmother showed me, and then kissed him senseless for an hour… when I’m finally in my bedroom with the door closed, I pull out my phone and make a call.

“What?” Gideon growls.

“Love you too, Murder Baby,” I manage, but it’s lacking the usual teasing note, and he picks that up right away.

“What’s happened?” The growl is gone, replaced by the deadly operative ready to race to our rescue.

I sigh. “We’re fine,” I assure him. “We… I guess we should have called you before we did this. Joseph and Anna too,” I say in reference to his brother and sister.

“Tell me or I’m coming there to choke it out of you.”

So I do. I tell him all of it…well, most. Some he knows—he’s grumbled a few times about us not getting paid and the way Grandmother volunteers us for tasks. And I know Micah and Asher talked to him about my mood when he was here a few weeks back. I leave out what Grandmother did in the cave, just saying that Ronan threatened her. But he listens to the rest without interrupting, and then is silent.

“Are you mad? We shouldn’t have ganged up on her.” I cringe. Gideon’s always been Grandmother’s favorite, and he adores her.

“It was past time it happened,” he surprises me by saying. “I should have pushed you to do it before now, but every time I visit, there’s something else going on to distract me.”

“Really? You… think we did the right thing?”

“Yes. Zac, why do you think my parents and my siblings and I don’t live in Hortplatz?”

I shrug, even though he can’t see me. “Why would you? You didn’t live at the old settlement either. You did, but then you left.”

“Exactly. Joseph and I left as soon as we were old enough. My parents stayed until Anna was old enough, and then they left too. Because we know exactly what Grandmother’s like, and none of us are as self-sacrificing as the rest of you.”

I gape like a gutted fish. “You work for CSG. Your whole life is about the community of species!”

“But I make those choices for myself. If I lived in Hortplatz and had grandmother interfering every time she had a whim, the family would have been torn apart a long time ago.” It’s his turn to sigh. “I should have protected you better when I saw what she was doing.”

“Fuck you, I’m an adult. I can protect myself. And you, since you’re the baby here!”

He snorts, which, for Gideon, is a sign of hysterical amusement. “So, Ronan Draco, huh? I wouldn’t have picked that.”

I hesitate. This is the real reason I called. “That’s right. I forgot you know him.”

“Fuck, Zac, you suck at this.”

“What?” My indignance is not fake. Ido notsuck at this.

“If there’s something you want to know, just ask. I don’t have all day to talk about the guy you’re fucking.”

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