Page 165 of Piece You Saved

Kade grips my arms and guides me back to the kitchen. “Come sit, angel. This looks like it’ll be a long conversation. And a painful one.”

As we step into the kitchen, Detective Morgan, Sam, Aden, and Dariel retreat from it. They must have spoken about this when I was upstairs with Harley, because they don’t say a word as they leave. Only Kade stays with me. When I sit at the dining table, the older woman and man sit opposite.

The woman studies me for a beat, her gaze focusing on the bites on my throat. In the same soft, musical accent I think is Irish, she says, “I hope these men weren’t responsible for those?”

For the first time in what feels like forever, I lift a hand to sweep my hair over my neck, embarrassed. “No. It was… well. It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s dead.”

She nods firmly. “Good.”

There’s just enough bloodthirstiness in her tone that I’m not the least bit surprised when Kade says, “I think I like her.”

She eyes Kade for several seconds in silence. “It’s been some time since I met a wolf.”

I stare at her, suddenly tongue-tied. “What?”

“A wolf,” she says slowly. “There’s a special name, isn’t there? What do they call themselves again?”

The man beside her clears his throat. “Shifter, Niamh. And you might’ve just asked the man himself. Less rude.” He smiles apologetically at Kade and warmly at me. “I’m Liam, your grandfather.”

“Grandfather?” I squeeze Kade’s hand under the table so hard it has to hurt. He squeezes back a little more gently, but it reassures me in a way few things ever have.

Liam heaves a heavy sigh and turns to glare at the woman beside him. “You’ve done this all backward, Niamh. Now we’re starting at the wrong place. I should—”

“We agreed I would do the talking.” Niamh glares back. “As if I didn’t have to listen to you complaining about your reclining seat on the plane until I had to stick in my earplugs just to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.”

Before I can ask about what plane, Niamh sits up straighter. “Now, where was I?”

I glance at Kade, who seems as fascinated by Niamh as I am. “You know about shifters.”

What I want to know is more about Mom, but I have a feeling I need to build myself up to that.

Niamh nods firmly. Something about her no-nonsense attitude makes me feel like we’re having the most normal conversation in the world. “The world isn’t as small as you’d think, dear.” Her gaze lands on my hair-covered throat. “Not that the cretin who went to town gnawing on your throat knew that.”

Kade barks out a laugh, “Cretin? That’s a new one.”

Liam blows out a heavy sigh. “It isn’t to me. You have no idea how much I wish it was.”

Niamh glares at Liam.

“How do you know about shifters?” I ask before they can descend into an argument. “I’ve never met anyone who knew about them before.”

Niamh refocuses on me. “Oh, that’s easy, dear. It wouldn’t have made a blind bit of difference how many times the cretin bit you because you’re descended from Fae. We know about most supernatural beings in the world, even if they don’t know about us.”

I stare at her. The words went in, but they must have floated in through one ear and out of the other. “I’m what?”

“Sweet lord, Niamh, you’ve come at this all backward. Let me.” Liam stretches a worn, blue-veined hand over the table. After a beat, I take it. “There’s not much power in our line anymore, but we keep to our study, and we pass our knowledge to our children so they know where they come from. Years ago, your mother fell in with a wrong man. A bad man.”

Niamh takes over. “Evilis what Iwan was. Wouldn’t give her any peace. She thought he would harm us, and the foolish girl took off to start again. She came here, to America.”

“From Ireland?” I ask hesitantly, hoping I haven’t gotten their accent wrong.

Liam aims a scowl at Niamh. “You see how badly you’ve confused the gal?Backward.” He turns back to me, and his expression softens. “Yes. Ireland. A small village in Donegal. You must visit one day so you can meet your cousins.”

My vision turns misty. “I have cousins?”

Niamh smiles. “You do, Saige. You have a whole family back home waiting to meet you.”

I remember the lack of information about Mom, and how Rylan sent Nathan to discover why, no matter how many times he bit me, I remained stubbornly human. “Mom didn’t have any paperwork. Is it because she was in the country illegally?”

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