Page 60 of Wanderer

“I can do that,” said Keeley, who changed her mind at Tatsuya’s look. “Or maybe I’ll let the fire chief do it.”

“No offense, Keeley, but Calder is trained to deal with fires like these. You’ve never dealt with dragonfire.” He pocketed his phone and watched the reunited family.

I went into autopilot and directed people toward the cars. Riley’s mom, Molly, clung to Paxton, and Corbin to Riley, so I made sure they were all riding with us. For such a quick journey, it didn’t matter that Corbin was in the passenger seat on Riley’s lap.

The kid was cute. Full of stories of traveling on a plane and things his nana had told him about his father and uncle. It was a good sign that he was happy to talk to us. Considering who his parents were, and what was sure to have been a rough upbringing, he was well adjusted.

City Hall was bustling when we arrived. Debra showed us straight into the mayor’s office, where Hestia went about the introductions we’d neglected to do. The young metamorph mage seemed content to stay with the brownie who was feeding him sweet treats. He was fascinated by Cian. Speculation was that the bodach and brownie had finally made their relationship official over Christmas.

I tuned in to hear Hestia say in a sad voice, “Unfortunately there is no one here capable of working with your needs. There is another sanctuary in Westhaven, though, that has the people we would need to restore your shifting and heal you fully.”

“I’ve heard rumors that Fen has gone there,” Paxton said. “So, if you’d be okay with it, Riley, I’d still like to go. Maybe I could take Mom with me, and once she’s ready, we can come back?”

There were sounds of agreement, but all I could focus on was Riley. His sadness bled into our bond. “Ry?”

“Mom, Pax, I want to stay here. Gareth has his life here, and I’m finally making friends. I want to see you healthy as much as anything, but I have to think of him.”

Molly looked at her sons, then at me. “Of course you do. You have a life here.”

“What about Corbin? Will he go with you?”

Of course, that was his main concern. Riley had only just found out he had a son. It would break his heart to lose him so soon.

“It’s fine, Riley, we can go to Westhaven—”

“I can’t stay here,” Eason cut in, glaring at me. “Our agreement is fulfilled. Since I know the healers in Westhaven, I’ll accompany Molly and Paxton there.”

Without another word, Eason stalked from the room.

“Corbin needs to stay with you, Riley,” Molly whispered in the stunned silence that followed Eason’s sudden departure. “The boy needs his father and help from the goddess.”

Twenty-Eight

Riley

“Are you being serious right now?” I demanded.

Mom gave me the most patient look she could muster. Considering everything she’d been through, she was handling things so well. I really needed to cut her some slack. “Give me a chance to explain everything.”

“Please do,” Hestia said with that smooth politician’s voice that she used to get her way. “I’m sure everyone wants to make a plan to move forward in the best interests of the child.” I caught her glancing toward the reception area where I could still hear Cian and Debra entertaining my son.

My son. I had a child! My mind was completely blown.

Having a biological kid had never been on my radar. For a start, I didn’t want my child to grow up on the run like I had. My childhood wasn’t terrible, since Mom and Pax did their best to give me normalcy, but always being on guard was exhausting. I never really had friends, my schooling was spotty at best, and I missed out on a lot.

Would life be easier for Corbin in Greyhaven? I shook my head. Of course it would. Here, in town, he’d grow up alongside all sorts of supernaturals and learn how to use his magic safely. He’d go to school, make friends, do activities, be safe all the time without worrying about running.

“There wasn’t a lot of time to gather things when the curse broke, but I grabbed the letter Mira left for Riley to explain everything. Boyce nearly caught me with it. He was furious that Mira had hidden Corbin away from him for four years. He tried to change his name to Arthur, but Corbin won’t answer to anything else.”

“Okay. Do you have the letter now?” I asked, nervous about her answer. I felt sick knowing Mira had assaulted me, resulting in a baby. When I looked at Corbin, though, I saw myself at the same age. I didn’t hate him for how he came to be. Mira’s actions were disgusting, but Corbin was an innocent child. My son.

With trembling fingers, Mom held the thick envelope out to me. “I haven’t read the one for you. She told me to read the others.”

Gareth paused my hand as I reached for it. “Do you want me to read it out? It might be easier.”

“Yeah, please.” Gar knew how much I struggled with reading and stepped in without letting anyone know about it.

Mom handed it to Gareth instead. He opened the envelope carefully and pulled out several sheets of paper. I caught Corbin’s likes on top of one page. Mira had left detailed instructions on how to care for our child.