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Abi stared at me. “Is that safe?”
“He's confident in his skills, but it does make me nervous,” I said. But Evan and Jax seemed to think it was the best course of action. "We don’t want to expose Tomas’s activities to the government yet.”
“Tomas.” Abi spat the name like venom, a low growl rumbling in her chest, and I felt that same wave as her dragon flared within. It took me by surprise. I’d only ever sensed Evan’s before, up until Jax came home last night. Was this yet another new development?
Abi sighed. “I’m sorry. Sometimes my emotions get the better of me.”
“Same,” I murmured, wondering if my own feelings as a shifter would always be more intense.
Abi patted my hand. “Why don’t you go take care of things? You don’t need to worry about me. I just needed a moment. I’ll go get some baby cuddles now and be just fine.”
I smiled, taking her up on the offer, but later that night, while Evan and I lay in bed, I thought about Abi’s reaction to Tomas.
“Abi and I talked for a bit earlier today,” I said, and Evan’s arm tightened around me. “She's hurting so much, Evan. She wants Tomas to pay for what he's done.” I told him about our conversation. “I’ve never heard her like that.”
“Yeah. I’ve been able to sense the vengefulness in her growing lately. She’s been biding her time, letting us figure things out now that you’re a dragon, and now with the baby…” Evan sighed. “But I can tell she’s getting antsy. She wants justice for Sebastian.”
“We all do.”
“Yes, we do.” Evan was silent for a while after that. Finally, he let out another heavy sigh and pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. “Mariah, I swear to you, we will make Tomas pay for everything he’s ever done. To you, to me, to everyone in my family. But we need to be smart about it. We can't just rush off into battle without a plan.”
I knew that, but part of me was just as anxious as Abi to see that happen. The uncertainty and the not knowing seemed like the hardest part. When would we make our next move? When would Tomas?
My hand instinctively drifted to my abdomen. As much as I knew Evan was right, we were up against the clock, and time was already ticking down.
Chapter 7
Evan
The door to my office creaked open, and Jax slipped in with a manila folder clutched in his hand. He closed the door behind him. I could immediately tell from the set of his jaw that he had news for me, and it wasn't going to be good.
So far, he’d had no success in finding any information about shifters reproducing with humans. There were simply no records. It was entirely possible Mariah hadn’t heard Tomas correctly, but something in my gut told me this mattered.
I leaned back in my chair as he approached my desk. “What have you got?”
“Forged documents for Mariah.” He slid the folder across the polished mahogany wood surface. “In case you’re worried, no one will suspect anything.”
“I’m not.” I picked it up and opened it. Inside were all the necessary fake records to make Mariah's transition into our world as seamless as if she’d always been a part of it.
“There's more.” Jax’s voice was tight, and my eyes flicked back up to meet his. He shifted his weight, the lines of tension bracketing his mouth. This wasn’t simply about his lack of progress on the genetics front.
“Spit it out.” I braced myself for whatever was about to come next.
“Mariah's mother is dead.” Jax dropped into the chair across from me, dragging a hand through his hair.
“Fuck,” I muttered. While Mariah’s relationship with her mother was nonexistent, that didn’t mean hearing she was dead would be easy. It seemed like life just couldn't give us a break lately. Mariah was already grappling with so much change.
“How did it happen?” I had to know. “When?”
“Now, that’s the crazy part.” Jax leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees as he angled his head. “She was murdered… by shifters.”
“What?” I blinked, not sure I’d heard him right. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
The implications of that made my blood run cold. Just how deep did all of this go?
“Evan?” Mariah stood in the door of my office, her face twisted with worry. “Is everything okay? I felt you…” She trailed off, still seemingly uncomfortable with the way she could now sense my emotions. It did take some getting used to. Mariah glanced between Jax and me. “What’s going on?”
