Not wanting him to grill me any longer, I saw some gloves sitting near the furnace. I raced over and grabbed them before jumping on the truck bed. I slipped the gloves on as protection to grab an iron post. I wasn’t sure if it would work, and I stiffened as I reached for the iron. I closed my eyes and took hold, waiting for it to drain me.
“Sadie, what are you doing?” Donovan yelled.
When nothing happened, I opened my eyes and grinned. “Helping.” I got to the edge of the bed and jumped to the ground. “If I use the gloves, I’m good.” I glanced at Egan. “So we only need a thick barrier like these.”
“That makes sense.” Egan smiled with relief. “Even if we have to use a shirt, I’m down.”
Two sets of footsteps headed in our direction, and I heard someone take a large gasp of air. “Oh, my God.”
I tensed, and my eyes landed on two older shifters.
Chapter Sixteen
Winter looked identical to the older lady staring at me. The only difference was the wrinkles around her eyes and the gray highlights in her light blonde hair. She even had her hair pulled back in a ponytail as Winter did. She was taller than me by two inches, which wasn’t surprising. I was more of a petite shifter.
The older man beside her was striking. He had all-gray hair except for a spatter of brown throughout. He towered over the lady, but his warm topaz eyes made him seem less intimidating.
“Mom,” Winter warned, giving her a stern look. “We talked about this.”
“No, you talked.” The older lady ran over to me and pulled me into a strong hug. “I pretended to listen.”
With all of the warmth and comfort it provided, her embrace caught me off guard. Next to Donovan, I’d never felt so safe. Even with the iron pole between us, it didn’t feel awkward. My instinct to drop the iron and return the hug almost overwhelmed me, but that would have injured her and my feet.
The older man chuckled. “Darlin’, she’s holding on to something. You ought to let her go.”
“Oh, yeah.” She released her hold as her light blue eyes filled with tears. “It’s just … I never thought I’d see you again. Yet, here you are.”
Donovan slowly walked closer to me, letting me know he was there. He gave us a wide enough berth, not impeding on the moment.
I placed the iron down, and then removed and dropped the gloves, feeling no desire to step away. It was odd. I didn’t feel any resistance or hesitation with her. “I thought I’d never meet you.” I wanted to get to know her. It alarmed me.
“You saw plenty enough of me the week you were born.” She patted my arm. “Not even that deadbeat alpha could keep me away.”
“He tried?” It shouldn’t have surprised me. He was the controlling type. Having them around would have lessened his influence over Winter and me. “I guess that’s not shocking.”
“That day we thought you died …”
“Mom, now isn’t the time or place.” Winter gestured to our group of people. “We’re unloading the iron.”
The older lady looked at me. “Then why don’t you come take a short walk with Feng and me. I’m sure they have plenty of hands to help them.”
“Uh … okay.” I couldn’t say no. “If that’s okay with all of you?” I glanced at our group, not wanting to leave them shorthanded.
“Yeah, we’re good.” Donovan smiled at me encouragingly. “Take all the time you need.” Just don’t go too far since the fae could show up at any time.
Of course. His support meant so much to me. I won’t be gone long.
“Hey, I get to go too, right?” Roxy pouted and headed over to the older lady. “I’m Roxy, her best friend. Well, more like a sister.”
“I figured that was you with that red hair.” The older lady laughed. “I was there the day you were born. Your red hair was the prettiest thing I’d seen before Sadie here was born.” She hugged my best friend too. “And my name is Sherry, but if what you say is true, I guess Grams is in order.”
“All I heard was that I’m joining you three.” She motioned to Feng, her, and then me.
“Nope, not happening.” Lillith hurried over and grabbed Roxy by the arm. “You’re just trying to get out of work. You get to help. Give her a second with them.”
Roxy rolled her eyes and begrudgingly grabbed more iron. “So not fair.”
“Come on.” Sherry chuckled as the three of us took off toward the woods.
We walked in silence until we were far enough away that the others couldn’t hear us.
Sherry stared at me, examining my face. “Your hair didn’t change one bit.”
I felt like I was under a microscope. I tried not to flinch, but it reminded me of Tyler and how he’d examine me before an event to ensure I looked the part.
“You’re freaking her out.” Feng took his wife’s hand and pulled her a few steps away from me. “You’re staring at her like she’s a statue.”
“It’s just …” She sniffled. “I’m afraid she’ll disappear.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Even if I’d wanted to, that wasn’t an option. I was safest here. The last thing I needed was for Tyler and the fae to attack me at the same time. “But it does put your pack at a bigger risk because of the fae.”
“You’re worth it.” Sherry patted her chest. “Don’t think for a second you aren’t.”
“Winter told us you were at a university,” Feng said, taking control of the conversation. “What were you going to school for?”
“Undecided.” I hadn’t thought very far ahead. “I just wanted to get away from Tyler.” As soon as the words had left my mouth, I wished I could take them back. It told them way more than I’d meant to.
“To think you were alone with him for eighteen years.” Sherry shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “You must be a very strong woman to have survived it.”
“It’s not like I had a choice.” I sounded more bitter than I intended, but sometimes, the truth wasn’t all sunshine. “I thought he was my father and my mother was dead.”
“Still, he didn’t break you.” Feng shook a finger at me. “That means a lot. Winter struggled those nine months with him.”
“She seems pretty strong.” I had a hard time believing that. “I’m sure she managed better than you imagined.”
“Oh, sweet girl, she didn’t.” Sherry rubbed a hand down her face. “I wasn’t sure she would make it through the pregnancy.”
She had to be exaggerating. “What do you mean?” I’d seen how much hell she gave Titan.
“Well, your father …” Feng paused and lifted a finger. “Your real father became her best friend and confidant. She’d never been that close to someone before.”
“We warned her,” Sherry interjected. “The fae can be very alluring and charming when they want to be. That’s what makes them dangerous like a vampire. But with them, it’s worse because they’re much more powerful.”
“But like any young, foolish, headstrong girl,” Feng continued, “she didn’t listen.”
I loved how they told the story together. They had to be fated mates who’d been together a long time. It was how I pictured Donovan and me long into the future—if we ever made it that far. “I know how it ended, with Rook dead and all.”
“Yes, but your mother was racked with guilt.” Sherry’s eyes filled with pain. “She blamed herself for everything. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t think she would’ve made it nine months, but she loved you before she even felt your first kick. It gave her time to plan her escape … to save you.”
I almost lost it at the absurdity of that statement. “That didn’t go over well, now, did it?”
“It’s easy to judge others when you aren’t the one having to make decisions.” Feng lifted a brow with disapproval. “Who knows what you would’ve done. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.”
Wow, his disappointment hurt. How had that happened so fast? “You’re right, but growing up with no mother and an overly critical father … it wasn’t easy.”
“And her waking up each day, trying to live a somewhat fulfilling life while blaming herself for Rook’s death and her daughter’s …” Sherry wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me near. “Try that for a change. She thought Tyler killed you because he’d found out you weren’t his.”