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“I think I have one,” Miri said in barely a whisper.
My eyebrows shot up, her tone alarming me. “Oh?”
“Let’s see what else we can find out about my family, my ancestors,” she pressed, rising from her spot to join Endora and me behind the computer. “Show me how to use this thing properly for once.”
“My pleasure, Little Mouse.”
I patted my lap for her to sit, and she perched gently on my knees as I extended my arms toward the keyboard, showing her how to type into the search engine.
“Everything we need to know should be here, but I’m warning you now—some of what you learn might be unpleasant.”
Mirielle grimaced. “My whole life has been unpleasant. It’s nothing new.”
I pulled my arms back and turned her to face me. “I’m doing my best to change that for you,” I told her earnestly.
Her face softened. “I know. And I’m grateful for that. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Zen.”
“Ahem!” Endora coughed indiscreetly. “I’m still right here.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back toward the computer.
“No one asked you to stay,” I said, but I didn’t order the enchantress to go.
I needed her there to help us on this quest to end Agnan. And as much as Endora infuriated me at times, she was on our side.
“I don’t understand how Audrina managed to escape,” Endora said, peering over our shoulders, reading over the same information we took in. “The Order of Souls performed a full massacre…”
She hesitated, hearing how insensitive her words must have sounded to Mirielle’s ears, but my mate didn’t flinch. “She was just a girl. How old was she?”
“Eleven,” Mirielle read, scanning the article in front of her from the history archive I had found. “Her body was never recovered from the fire set to the castle, but she was presumed lost. Oh. She must have been so scared.”
My forearm snaked around her waist, and I drew her against me. “I see where you got your courage from,” I told her softly. “You are your mother’s daughter.”
She turned her fiery mane to look at me, our eyes locking as we bonded in the sorrow of our lost families. But we had one another, and no one would ever take that from us.
“How did she manage on her own?” Endora commented. “So young, with no resources, no money?”
Mirielle broke our gaze and shook her head. “I don’t know, but I do know she met my father young. He was seventeen, and she was sixteen when they met. They told me that story often.”
“They were lucky they found one another.”
“I wonder if they were mates,” Mirielle said wistfully. “I hope so.”
“I’m sure they were,” Endora told her with uncharacteristic sweetness. “And that would also explain the anomaly in your DNA.”
Both our heads whipped up, causing us to clonk them together. “Ouch!” we groaned in unison. “Sorry!”
Laughing, I kissed her cheek, and we again turned back to Endora, cocking our heads but carefully this time, ensuring we didn’t bang them together.
“What about my DNA?” Mirielle asked.
“The anomaly. If your parents were mates, that explains it,” Endora said.
My eyes narrowed. Was she telling Miri a sappy story to make her feel better, or is this true?
“Why would there be something off in my DNA if my parents were mated?” Mirielle asked with rightful suspicion.
“Children born of unique love are built differently,” Endora explained, but her black eyes were still fixed on the computer, her weathered hands moving the mouse along. “I’m not saying that’s for sure the reason for the discrepancy in the blood sample, but it could be. It also likely has to do with you having blood from the Original family. I never even thought to test for that.”
