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This is Hannah: the woman who kept me locked in a lonely house, and warned me away from peoplejust like me.
“And my father was Blessed?” I ask, ignoring Gran.
Reyes nods, looking pained. “It was my fault, actually,” he says. “I was leading protests in San Antonio, and they took all three of us. Your mom got away.”
“She came straight to us,” Pa says. “And we tried to keep her safe, but she went right back to him when he got out, changed into a monster!”
“Abe,stop!” Gran says.
Silence falls over the five of us, and I swallow hard to keep myself from crying. There are already tears streaming down my face; I don’t know why I’m trying.
“And then they had me,” I conclude.
“They did,” Reyes says. “And you were with us for two years.”
I remember the bluebonnet photos. They must have been taken between here and San Antonio. And my grandparents…
“You kept my locked away to keep me away fromthem,” I say, looking at Gran with wide eyes.
“They killed our little girl,” Gran says.
“No,” I say. “The Heavenly Host killed my mom—and you blamed the wrong people.”
I can’t even stand to look at Pa right now; as far as I’m concerned, he’s become the devil himself, the barrier to the rest of my family. I don’t know when I’ll be able to talk to him again, but there’s one thing for sure: I’m not going back to Dallas with them.
In fact, I don’t think I’m going anywhere at all.
I look at Reyes, fully convinced in the blink of an eye. “I want ot stay,” I say.
“No!” Gran says.
Reyes takes a measured look at Gran, then at Pa. It’s almost like he’s warning them to let me choose—and I appreciate that, after all this time, I’m being trusted with my own destiny. Finally, he settles back on me, as Mateo squeezes my shoulder.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” he says. “Even to make a home here if you’d like.”
I feel my chin tremble, and I swipe at a tear that bursts down my cheek. “And Elijah?” I say.
“On that, the pack has to decide,” Reyes says. “But Peaches can take you to see him.
He gestures as he says that, and I realize the sunny redhead is still standing in the kitchen, pretending not to listen to us. She waves awkwardly, then gets back to whatever it is she was doing.
“I want to see him,” I say.
I stand up abruptly, avoiding Gran’s horrified stare. I can see the look in her eyes: the look of a woman who’s seeing the worst moment in her life all over again, losing someone she loves.
And I can’t bring myself to have any sympathy for her.
I wonder if my mom felt the same way.
“Please, Charlotte,” she says. “Come with us. These people aren’t—”
“They’re my family,” I say, “and I deserve to get to know them.” Then I look over at Peaches, who’s taking hesitant steps out of the kitchen. “Can you take me to Elijah?”
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “I’ll take you to your mate.”
And the two of us leave together, with Gran and Pa far behind.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
