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After a round of good-byes and hugs, people began to teleport away.
Ian approached Carlos with a sheepish look. "Sorry about the punch last night."
Carlos shrugged. "I deserved it."
"Aye." Ian grinned. "That ye did. Toni told me about yer trip. I wanted to wish you good luck finding yer mate."
"Thank you. Fernando should be arriving in New York in two days. He'll help you take care of the children."
Ian nodded. "I expect you to come see them before ye go." He stepped back, grabbed Phil by the arm, then teleported to the school, taking the werewolf with him.
Carlos grabbed his duffel bag. The room was clearing out fast. "I need to hitch a ride to the townhouse."
Emma approached him. "Caitlyn will be driving there soon, and I hate for her to be alone after the confrontation she had with her father. Do you mind accompanying her?"
Carlos gritted his teeth. How could he say he wanted to avoid her when it was his job to train her? But he needed to avoid her. Every time he came near her, he ended up touching her. And liking it too damned much.
Emma regarded him curiously. "Are you all right? You seem a little tense."
"I'm fine," Carlos growled. "I'll go with her."
Chapter Nine
"I'm not a monster," Constantine mumbled, his face buried in his mother's sweater.
"Of course not." Shanna held him tight and nuzzled her cheek against his mop of blond curls. "You're my brave little boy."
Tears sprang to Caitlyn's eyes as she let herself into the nursery. How could Dad say such hurtful things in front of his grandchildren? But it was just as much her fault for confronting him in front of them.
Sofia sniffled, all alone in the rocking chair. "Why doesn't Grandpa like us?"
"He doesn't know you." Caitlyn rushed over to gather the little girl in her arms.
"He's known me since I was a baby," Constantine grumbled.
"I'm afraid he's blind in some ways," Shanna told him. "But it's Grandpa's problem. Not yours."
Sofia wrapped her little arms around Caitlyn's neck and gazed into her eyes. "You're not like Grandpa."
"No." Caitlyn smiled, her heart swelling with love. "I've been all over the world and seen thousands of children, so I know a little angel when I see one."
"Like me?" Sofia asked, her eyes wide.
"Yes, like you." Caitlyn kissed her niece's brow, then hugged her tight.
Shanna smiled at her over her son's head and mouthed the words Thank you.
Caitlyn nodded. "I still have some questions."
"I'm sure you do." Shanna glanced at her watch, then set her son on the floor. "Tino, you only have about ten minutes to play with your new toys before it's time to go to school."
"Oh." Constantine grabbed his new fire truck off a shelf. "Sofia, you want to see how the ladders work?"
"Okay." The little girl squirmed in Caitlyn's arms, so she set her down.
Shanna opened a side door. "My office is in here. We can keep an eye on them until Radinka comes."
"Radinka?" Caitlyn followed her into a waiting room.
"My assistant. She was at the party last night. You probably met her."
Caitlyn lifted her shoulders in confusion. "I've met a ton of people lately. I can't keep them all straight." Except for Carlos. He definitely stood out.
"Radinka is my lifesaver. She watches the kids when I have a patient." Shanna left the door open, then motioned to some chairs in the waiting room. "Have a seat."
Caitlyn sat in a chair where she could see into the nursery. "I'm sorry I talked to Dad in front of the children," she whispered. "I should have realized - "
"Don't blame yourself." Shanna sat beside her. "Dad is always one inch away from blowing his top whenever he comes here. It was actually a relief when he didn't show up for the party. Tino was free to be himself."
"It worries me how hateful Dad is toward your friends and your husband."
Shanna squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you're able to accept them."
Caitlyn took a deep breath to steady her nerves so she could pose the question she'd wanted to ask since she was nine years old. "Why did you leave all those years ago?"
Shanna gazed into the nursery with a faraway look in her eyes. "I didn't want to go. Dad said I needed some real school records in order to get into college, but I found out later that it wasn't exactly true."
"He told me it was your idea, that you wanted to leave."
Shanna shifted in her chair to face her. "I didn't want to go. I was miserable without you, and I couldn't understand why you never responded to my letters."
Caitlyn's throat constricted. "You wrote to me?"
"Yes. You never got my letters, did you?"
"No." Caitlyn shook her head. "And you never got mine." Tears threatened to escape. All those years of pain and loneliness and now she knew who had caused it - her own father. "Why did he make you leave?"
"I wondered that for years." Tears glimmered in Shanna's eyes. "I thought I must have done something wrong. I felt like I'd been kicked out of the family."
"I'm so sorry." A tear ran down Caitlyn's cheek. She felt a twinge of guilt that she'd doubted her sister. She'd been selfish, too, only considering her own pain, and never imagining what it had been like for Shanna.
"A few years back when Dad found me, he admitted the truth." Shanna snorted. "I guess I did do something wrong when I was a teenager. After years of blocking psychic power from Dad, I developed a lot of strength. Whenever he tried to control me, I would erect a psychic barrier that he couldn't penetrate."
"Dad was trying to control you?"
Shanna hesitated, frowning at the carpet. "Did you ever wonder how Mom always remained so calm? Even when Dylan broke a leg skiing, she was steady as a rock. No emotion, no fears."
Caitlyn shrugged. "That's just the way she is."
"Like she's muffled in a cocoon of blankets? Cait, maybe you were too young to remember, but she wasn't always like that. When I was little, she was full of laughter and always had a hug for everyone."
"Mom?"
"Yes. But she'd also freak out over things. She hated living abroad and was always begging Dad to bring us back to the States."
Caitlyn frowned. "I don't remember that."
"You were just a baby. And then, all of a sudden she changed. She became calm and controlled." Shanna grimaced. "Dad's control."
Caitlyn's heart lurched. "What exactly are you saying?"
"Dad has been using his psychic power to control Mom. Or as he puts it, he's been helping her for her own good."
"No," Caitlyn whispered.
"I'm afraid so. And when he discovered he couldn't control me, he was worried that I'd mess up his plans."
"That's why he sent you away?"
Shanna nodded. "I know it sounds terrible. Well, it is terrible, but it's the truth. He admitted it to me."
Caitlyn shuddered. "Poor Mom."
Shanna sighed. "I think there may be more to the story. I've asked Mom, and she doesn't have any memory of the summer before I left."
"You think Dad wiped it?"
"Yes. I don't know why."
Caitlyn rubbed her brow. This was worse than she'd ever imagined. But when she thought back to all the times her mom had reacted - or rather, not reacted - to the normal stress of their daily lives, she knew it was true.
Anger boiled up in her. It was bad enough that Dad had separated her from her sister, but how dare he turn their mother into a robot!
She jumped to her feet and paced across the floor. More tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't every day that you found out your dad was an utter ass**le. Part of her didn't want to believe it. But she'd always known he was a control freak. And deep inside, she'd also known that something was wrong with Mom. It had been impossible to connect with her on an emotional level.
That was why Shanna's departure had devastated Caitlyn so much. She'd depended on her sister for love and companionship.
And Dad had purposely sent Shanna away. Tears streamed down Caitlyn's face, and she angrily brushed them aside. "I can't believe you still talk to Dad. Or even allow him on the premises."
"I understand your anger. I felt it, too. But I've had a few years to adjust. I understand now that I have to involve Dad with our lives so he can see how good the Vamps are."
