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“Oh, Josh.” She drew in another deep and much-needed breath. “Did you cry?”
“Yes,” he said slowly. “A lot at first. I don’t cry much anymore, except tonight, with you.”
He seemed so serious and maybe a thousand years old as he looked at her. “Did you cry, Mom?”
Tears filled her eyes. “Yes. Often. Every night for months and months. Oh, Josh, I can’t believe you’re here and I’m trying not to cry all over again.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m here, Mom. And I’m not going away. I’m here.”
Oh, God, her son was comforting her when she should be comforting him. She turned more fully toward him, so that she could pull her boy back into her arms. She held him for a long, long time, his thin arms holding her as well.
When Adrien appeared in the doorway, his expression solemn, she shifted to telepathy. Will Daniel come for us? Are we safe here? She had her son back and didn’t want to lose him again.
Daniel doesn’t matter now. He may come after us and if we have to, we’ll go into hiding as several of the Ancestrals have done. But Lily, I promise you, I’ll do whatever I need to do to protect you both.
Josh’s gaze shifted to look at Adrien as well. “Is this your home?”
Adrien nodded. “And yours and your mother’s as long as you need.”
Josh looked back at Lily. “I had someone with me, Mom, someone who took care of me. I think she might be in trouble, too.”
Lily smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “Tell us.”
“Her name is Claire. Mr. Kiernan called her my caregiver and she helped me a lot. We lived in a small house at the back of Mr. Kiernan’s property. I just hope she got away okay.”
“What do you mean?”
“She said she was going after a vampire named Lucian. She told me to be brave, then she left the house. I heard the dogs go after her, but I think she got away. She said she was going all the way to India to find this vampire.”
Lily stared at Adrien once more. Adrien opened his hands and shook his head. I have no idea what this means.
Josh put his finger on Lily’s single-chain beneath the double one. “Claire had a chain like this. She was wearing it when she left.”
“You mean it looked just like this one?” Lily held it up and Josh peered closely, examining it.
“Just like it. She said she got it from Mr. Kiernan’s safe.”
Lily’s brows rose. “Then she must be one clever young woman.”
“She is,” Josh said, smiling. “She’s a lot like you, Mom. You’d like her.”
“Oh, I have no doubt of that. She took care of you. For that, I owe her everything.”
He glanced at Adrien. “Do you think you could help her? I saw what you did when they tried to kill you. Claire told me a lot of things about vampires because she said she’s been around them for years. You have a lot of power. Could you help her?”
Adrien nodded. “I think I know where’s she’s headed. You see, Lucian, the one she’s after, is my brother.”
Josh’s eyes brightened. “He is? Then you can help her.”
“I’ll do what I can. I have powerful friends who can go to India and watch for her.”
Josh released a deep breath. “That would be great. I’m really worried.”
“I can see that.”
Lily understood then that her son had formed a critical bond with Claire, another mother–son relationship. She gave his shoulder another squeeze. “We’ll both do what we can to see that she’s watched over, to find out what happened to her.”
Tears filled his eyes. “Good.” He pressed his fingers to his eyelids. “She took care of me.”
“I know.”
Lily had to work all over again not to become enraged by all these circumstances that had brought so much pain into her son’s life. But once more, she took her emotions in hand. She could give vent to her feelings about the situation later. Right now, however, Josh needed her just to be his mother, to be there for him, to make him her priority for as long as needed.
She remained quiet, therefore, and let him deal with what he was feeling, in whatever way was necessary. That he wept again, this time probably for having lost Claire, didn’t surprise her.
After at least another hour, with Josh leaning against her shoulder, he said, “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I can’t, either, but somehow we made it, and now you’re here, too.”
Josh sat up, pulling away from her as he looked around. “What is this place? This must be one of the cavern systems that Claire told me about. It is, isn’t it?” He shifted toward Adrien.
“Yes, in South Africa.”
Josh nodded. “I’d like to know more about your world.” How old he sounded, but then he’d lived a lifetime and if anyone understood what that was like it was Adrien.
Lily watched as Adrien pulled up an ottoman and sat down in front of her son, answering question after question, anything Josh wanted to know, leaving very little out. Josh often referred to Claire and all that she’d done for him and told him during his time at Kiernan’s home.
One day she’d want to thank the woman for what she’d done for Josh, because it seemed to Lily that single-handedly Claire had saved her son.
When Josh’s questions finally stopped, at least for now, Adrien had his housekeeper prepare a light meal of one of her fine soups and homemade breads.
Lily ate as well, as did Adrien since it seemed to them both that otherwise Josh wouldn’t have eaten. The housekeeper had prepared him a room, and when Josh’s eyelids grew heavy and he was weaving in his seat at the dining table, Lily finally agreed it was time for bed.
But she hated to let him go. Now that she had him back, she didn’t want him out of her sight. She tucked him in and sat in the chair next to his bed until he was sound asleep. She would have stayed there as well, but she needed to be with Adrien as well, to talk everything over with him and plan their next steps.
We won’t be far, just down at the end of the hall. Adrien cupped her face with his palm. This compound is well hidden and fortified for security. We need to plan where to go next, and he needs to sleep after all he’s been through.
Lily shifted her attention to Adrien. The new double-chain intensified what she sensed from him. She felt his love and his appreciation for her as Josh’s mother. She also felt his profound gratitude that she’d donned the second chain.
