Page 26 of Their Shared Mate
Claire’s heart was breaking, and he’d barely begun. Clichéd responses annoyed him, so she didn’t bother saying ‘I’m sorryfor your loss.’ Instead, she asked, “How old were you when your mother died?”
“Eight. We all missed her horribly, but we developed a new routine.” He paused, clearly struggling with the memories her interest was unearthing.
How did an eight-year-old heal after the loss of his mother? She understood grief, but that sort of devastation was on an entirely different level. And Raphael’s tragedies had just begun. “How many years were there between your mother’s death and your brother’s murder?”
“Five.” He gazed off into the distance, his tone low and emotion thickened. “Dad remained strong and supportive through it all. He was an amazing man.”
He referred to his father in the past tense. She dreaded the next question, but saw no way around it. “Is he still alive?”
Raphael shook his head and looked at her. “I was told of his death during my captivity. I hoped it was another way of manipulating me, but the event was confirmed when Nuevo was liberated.”
The event? She didn’t have the courage to ask. Every question she’d posed so far had revealed something horrible.
Raphael’s lips curved into a tense smile. “I made that sound more dramatic than it was. There was no foul play involved in my father’s death. He succumbed to a nasty virus.”
“He still died,” she objected.
“Each incident made my bond with Gabriel stronger. I’m not sure I would have survived without my twin.”
She’d been close to Joel, but the relationship hadn’t been equal. She was the strong one, the one expected to solve problems and offer comfort. She couldn’t imagine having someone to shelter and support her. “Your background is harrowing, and that’s without your years at Nuevo. I would be curled up in the fetal position if all that happened to me.”
His smile broadened. “Maybe for an hour or two, but you’re stronger than you know. Most of us can withstand a lot more than we’re willing to admit.”
“There were a few good times in there too,” Victor pointed out. “High school was overshadowed by Charles’ death, but you enjoyed your years at Caltech.”
“True.” Raphael gradually relaxed as they moved farther away from the tragedies.
“Did you go to Caltech too?” she asked Victor.
He nodded. “That’s where a lot of us met.”
“Gabriel and I shared an apartment with two other science nerds,” Raphael resumed. “We had fun while still leaving time for our studies. The concept for our company was outlined in a university coffee shop.”
“I was a huge fan of Echo, Inc.,” Claire insisted. “With a haircut and a shave, I probably would have recognized you. I thought you guys were superheroes.”
Raphael’s brows arched and he looked at Victor. “Someone has been talking behind my back.”
“I told her about the company I used to work for.” Victor’s shrug was unapologetic. “It had nothing to do with you.”
“Right.” Raphael drew out the word to illustrate his disbelief.
Deciding that Raphael had been tortured enough, she turned to Victor and smiled. “Your turn.”
“My story is boring after all the shit Raphael has been through.”
“It’s not a contest,” Raphael insisted. “I would have loved my childhood to be boring.”
“I’m sorry,” Victor said earnestly, then focused on Claire. “I grew up in a suburb of Salt Lake City. I’m the youngest of five kids. My parents had been married for forty-eight years when my father passed away. My mother is alive and well and living with one of my sisters.”
“A large family in Salt Lake City, you know I’m going to ask. Was your family Mormon?”
“My mother was raised LDS, but my father was Baptist. We attended a nondenominational church in my youth, but I consider myself agnostic. I still believe in a higher power. I just find it impossible to believe that they care about us as much as my Sunday school teacher liked to think.”
She was surprised by his answer. Many, if not most, scientists didn’t believe in God. It was one more thing that they had in common. She too had retained her faith even as she filled her mind with scientific principles. “Did your captivity have anything to do with your reassessment?”
“What do you think?”
Sarcasm snapped through his question, so Claire moved on. “I think I’m done poking around in the past,” she concluded with a warm smile.
