Page 112 of Coerced

“Nah. It’s just a last name. Don’t know anything about the Russian culture or language. Grew up in a mostly Irish neighborhood, where my mom ditched me with anyone’s nan who would take me for the day. What about your m—”

I stopped myself. He might not want to talk about his mom anymore than I wanted to talk about mine.

“What?”

“I’m being rude.” I shook my head. “It’s not my business.”

“Are you wondering about my mom? I never knew her. She handed me off to her parents after I was born, and none of us have seen her since. Oma is my mother in every way that matters.” He frowned and stared into the distance. “I have a theory that our fathers ruin our mothers. It’s rare to hear of a nephilim’s mom having a normal, human life after we come along.”

“Do your grandparents know what you are?”

“No. My warden, Paul, got in touch with them when I was five. He posed as my biological father and offered them child support payments, which they appreciated. They live paycheck to paycheck, and a grandson unexpectedly dumped in their laps strained the budget.”

Okay, so maybe he did understand about scraping to get by. That made me revise my opinion of him.

He went on to say that, as he got older, Paul gave him the rundown on nephilim and visited a few times a year. When Rome finished eighth grade, Paul told the family he wanted to enroll his “son” in his alma mater for high school, then college.

“They saw it as a golden opportunity for me, so off to the Sanctuary it was.”

When I first saw Romein Willem Aalders’s scowling face at my bed, his size and icy eyes intimidated me. Of course, I was a little frightened by everything at that time, which added a layer of menace to my perception of him. But I was learning he wasn’t cruel or brutal and, while he carried himself with confidence and utter surety, he wasn’t arrogant or boastful. In fact, he seemed modest and down-to-earth.

Oh, girl. Be careful. Be very careful with this one.

We reached the edge of the field and I looked around, but didn’t see any no trespassing signs. I tramped through the waist-high weeds to a relatively flat spot and laid the bow case on the ground, then hunkered down in front of it. As I opened it and prepared the bow, he changed the topic to one I’d been dreading.

“I’ve been yammering on and on about myself. Sorry about that. What about you? Where are you from?”

“Ocean City, Maryland.”

“Ah. So you also know what it’s like to have your hometown invaded by tourists at certain times during the year. Do you still like the beach or are you over it?”

“I love it. Beachcombing, swimming, surfing. The surfing’s not all that great, unless a storm comes through.”

“Same with Lake Michigan. Good for boating, though. Opa started teaching me to sail as soon as I could walk. Do you have a family?”

“None I care to ever meet again,” I muttered. “My mother should never have been allowed to have a kid. I’ve been on my own since I was sixteen.”

“That must have been rough.” He laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

It startled me for a moment. I’d become unaccustomed to being touched. The warm weight of his palm was oddly comforting and I glanced at his big hand. It was a nice hand, broad and steady and rough with callouses. A hand strong enough to do what needed to be done and carry what needed to be carried.

As if he would ever wanna help carry my burdens.Get your mind right, girl!

“It is what it is.” I stood and moved away. “You wanna try this thing or should I?”

“You do it.”

I shot off a few arrows and announced the bow worked as good as new, as I’d known it would.

“Good work, Mira. You know, the armory wardens are going to wine and dine you until you join them.”

“Yeah, right.” I started to pick up the arrows.

“I’m serious. Divine metallurgy is a field with a high demand and few suppliers. You could name your salary.”

“That would be a nice change,” I admitted and packed up the bow case. “I wouldn’t mind having a steady income to rely on. How long do you think it’ll be before you return to the Sanctuary?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “But you’re coming with us until we do, whether you want to or not.”

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