AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why don’t you have a seat?” I motioned to the chair next to Jax. That only made her frown deepen.
“Have you found something?” She settled in next to him.
“We have some news about your mother.” I hesitated, and I was sure she could sense it.
“What is it?” she demanded. “Did you locate her?”
Jax looked at me, then back at Mariah. “Your mother… she passed away, Mariah.” He paused. “I’m so sorry.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, a mixture of grief, anger, and resentment clouded her face. I could sense the emotions coiling inside of her, like a snake ready to strike, ready to sweep out and overtake her before she knew what’d happened.
“Go on,” she hissed, her voice colder than I expected with the heat of her emotions lapping at me like flames.
Jax glanced my way again. I grimaced, my chest feeling tight. This wasn’t the reaction I’d anticipated, though lately I wasn’t sure what to expect from my mate.
I nodded for him to go on, and Jax cleared his throat. “It was about fifteen years ago.” Jax glanced at his phone, then named the exact date. I did a quick calculation in my head. That had to have only been a couple years after Mariah’s mother disappeared from her life for the last time.
Mariah didn’t say anything, but I could still sense her emotions whipping around like the winds of a storm. On the outside, she looked perfectly calm. Too calm. I wasn’t sure how she was keeping her reactions at bay. She was making a valiant effort at a poker face, even though she had to know I sensed what was going on inside her.
“Mariah, you don’t have to hide your feelings from me.”
Her head snapped up and her eyes blazed, a flash of anger crossing her face before she quickly reined it in. “I’m not hiding anything, Evan,” she said tersely. “I’m fine.”
I didn’t believe it for a second. “I can feel what you’re feeling. It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with anything you’re experiencing right now.”
“I said I’m fine.” But this time a wave of anger pulsed out of her, and her fingers dug into the arms of the chair.
Clearly, she wasn’t. It was more than a little concerning that she was pretending she wasn’t affected. It was devastating news, no matter what her relationship with her mother had been, but I didn’t want to push, either. She needed to deal with this in her own way.
Mariah took several breaths and closed her eyes. When she looked at us again a moment later, she seemed composed, though I still sensed the tension radiating out of her.
“I need to know,” Mariah said, her voice wavering slightly. She cleared her throat. “What happened to my mother?”
Jax exhaled. “She was murdered by a dragon shifter.”
I could tell he hadn’t wanted to say it, but at the same time, what choice did we have?
I watched Mariah as she shook her head slightly. “A shifter? But… why?”
That was the million-dollar question.
“I’m not sure,” Jax responded. “The man, Leonardo Steel, was arrested and convicted. Unfortunately, he never talked, at least not that I could find any records of.”
Which meant they didn’t exist. “Where is he now?”
Jax glanced at me. “Still in prison.”
I watched Mariah carefully, wondering how she would react to the news that her mother's killer was still alive, but she didn’t say anything.
“Mariah?” I ventured. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. Am I?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Honestly, I don’t know how I feel. But what really matters here is how this will help us find out more. I have this shifter blood inside me, but my mother isn’t alive to tell us anything useful. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
I leaned back in my chair, a bit surprised by her reaction when I thought of Sebastian and the ache that never quite went away since I’d lost him. Every time, it was like being gutted all over again. Despite her flaws, she was still Mariah’s mother. The fact that Mariah was shoving aside her feelings made my heart ache for her even more.
“Jax, could I speak to Mariah alone, please?” I didn't take my eyes off my mate.
“Of course.” He slipped out of the room, and I watched Mariah to get a better read on how she was really feeling.
