Page 77 of Guardians of the Pack

‘That’s a bummer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything so – unisex.’

‘Yeah, I know. I’m dying to buy myself some pink trackies for future emergencies. Black is not my colour.’

‘It’s draining on your skin tone,’ Jess teased.

I grinned. She knows shit-all about skin tones, though in this case she wasn’t wrong. I’m vampiric pale, and black just washes me out.

Movement by the fire made me start. It was Gato. He was stretched out in front of the fireplace, but he lifted his head before giving his tail a tap-tap in a hello. He lowered his head back to the ground.

‘Hey, Gato! Feeling lazy? I don’t blame you. It’s late.’ I went over and stroked him, and he gave me a big lick before settling down again. I was tempted to use my piping skills to have a chat with him, but I was tired. Besides, Jess was here for a reason and I knew what it was. It was time to grab the elephant in the room by its tusks.

‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Hit me.’

‘Sit down.’

‘It’s that bad? I spoke to an ogre and he said my mum was dead.’ Speaking the words out loud made me feel a little sick. My whole life, I guess I’d felt a vague resentment towards my birth parents because they’d abandoned me. They hadn’t wanted me. Whatever their circumstances had been, that’s what it came down to. But if my mum were dead maybe she hadn’t left me by choice, and I’d been resenting her for something she hadn’t done.

I sat down, faced Jess and tried to still my hands. I blew out a breath. ‘Do it fast, like ripping off a plaster.’

‘Both of your birth parents are dead. I’m sorry.’

I nodded. ‘Sure, that’s fine. You know, it’s funny. You and I have grown so close, maybe on some level I already knew that I’m an orphan like you.’ As I spoke, a huge lump took up residence in my throat. ‘It doesn’t matter. I have Mum and Dad and Ben. I’m so grateful for them.’

I had to stop talking because my voice broke. My eyes filled with tears, then Jess was by my side, hugging the hell out of me. A sob escaped me. ‘I don’t know why I’m crying. I didn’t even know them. It shouldn’t matter.’

‘Of course it matters, Luce. Being raised by Sandy and Dennis doesn’t negate the fact that Maria and Luca were your parents.’

‘Maria and Luca? Those were their names?’

‘Yes. Maria and Luca Alessandro.’

I froze and stared at Jess, eyes wide. ‘Alessandro?’

She nodded. ‘I checked and double-checked. You’re Maxwell’s cousin. Luca was his uncle.’

My brain was trying to focus on the facts rather than giving in to the heartache that was trying to overwhelm me. ‘I don’t understand. They’re fire elementals. Did I just get born Common? Is that why they didn’t want me?’

Jess shook her head firmly. ‘They wanted you. Lucy, they loved you. I managed to get some pictures for you. Do you want to see?’

I nodded because I couldn’t speak. She went to her rucksack, pulled out a buff-coloured file and riffled through it before she pulled out some photos. They were grainy, clearly copies. They showed a blonde, curly-haired toddler in the arms of a beaming mother. She was laughing, and she had my nose and my chin. I’d inherited my pale skin and blonde hair from my mother. She was cuddling me, and the love that beamed out of the picture hit me in the chest. The image wavered because of my tears and I struggled to keep it together.

‘She loved me,’ I sobbed.

‘She loved you,’ Jess agreed, hugging me tight.

I cried until my tear ducts were running on empty, then I took a shuddering breath, ‘I’m all right now.’

‘No, you’re not, but one day you will be. Ready to meet your dad?’ she asked gently.

I nodded.

Luca Alessandro looked like Maxwell: a shade older, a few more lines, but the family resemblance was striking. In the picture, Luca was helping me to ride a bike. I had a helmet on, a wide grin, and my legs were clamped to the pedals of a pink bike that had streamers behind it. My father was standing behind me, beaming with pride. He had clearly pushed to start me off.

I thought the tears were gone, but I was wrong. More of them coursed down my face.

There was a soft knock on the door. I recognised it and managed to nod at Jess. She looked dubious but called, ‘Come in!’

Greg had a smile on his face, which disappeared instantly at the sight of my swollen face. He crossed the distance between us with almost vampiric speed. ‘Hey, sweetheart, hey now.’

---