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“They are,” Evan said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. “And we have this.”
He handed the paper to me, and I unfolded it, scanning the contents. My eyes widened as I read, and for the first time, hope outweighed my dread. “Is this what I think it is?”
Evan nodded. “Rosalind agreed to drop the custody suit. We should have a formal letter in the mail soon.”
I nearly collapsed against him in relief. It’d worked. The Hawthornes taking Sofia was no longer a threat. But Evan didn’t seem as thrilled as I’d expected. His relief seemed mixed with frustration.
“That’s a good thing,” I said, frowning as I studied his face.
He rolled his shoulders. “It is, but now there’s so much more for us to deal with. We can’t just ignore what we’ve discovered.”
“Can’t weget the police involved now? This doesn’t have to be our responsibility.”
Evan's gaze met mine. “That was the plan, yes. But now the key witness is dead.” He shook his head. “The authorities have chalked the explosion up to a gas leak. Tomas isn’t being held responsible for the men who died. We have Jax on our side, and we can try to charge him with kidnapping, but there’s no way to know if Tomas has the cops under his thumb, too. We have to play our cards close to our chests if we have any hope of bringing him down. One more wrong turn…”
The tension was overwhelming. “Does anyone know if the serum worked on anyone? What if there are successful cases your witnesses aren’t aware of?”
Jax shook his head, looking grim. “I thought of that. From what I found when I was digging, there were no records of any successes. In the last exchange, my father mentioned altering the serum, but that's all I know.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” But then I wondered why he wanted this in the first place. “What could he possibly gain from creating something like this? What game is playing? And who in their right mind would volunteer in the first place?”
Sebastian leaned back in his chair with a hard expression. “You'd be surprised how many humans want to become shifters, Mariah. They crave the power that comes with being a shifter, and there are plenty of people who’d pay big money for something like this.”
“So, that’s it? It’s all about power?”
Sebastian and Evan exchanged glances again, and I wondered what they weren’t saying.
“We have to find a way to stop him,” Evan said. “That’s what we have to focus on. Tomas can’t get away with this.”
Sebastian nodded. “We’re going to do everything we can, son. But for now, we need to wait. Tomas has gone dark. We have to play our hand very carefully.”
“I don’t like playing these waiting games,” Evan said, frustration evident in his voice. “We need to be prepared for his next move.”
“Patience and vigilance,” Sebastian said. “We keep our eyes and ears open and make sure everyone is on their guard at all times. For now, I suggest we all get some rest. It’s been a long few days.”
“I could use it.” Jax put a hand over his face.
“I agree. Let's get some rest,” Evan said. “Jax, you can take the guest room down the hall.”
“I’ll show you the way,” Abi offered.
Evan took my hand then, pulling me to my feet, and leading me upstairs to our bedroom. When we were alone, I glanced up at him, searching his dark, wary eyes.
“You look exhausted, and not just physically.” I was genuinely worried about him. He may have remained strong all this time, but it had to have gotten to him. To discover such atrocities…
“I'll be fine,” he said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “But I’m ready to wash the grime off and call it a day.”
“Let me help you.” I went up on tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before leading him into the bathroom and turning on the shower, adjusting the water temperature until it was just right. I undressed him first, then myself, and we stepped under the warm spray together, the soothing jets seemingly washing away some of the tension in his muscles. I carefully washed Evan's body, keeping my touch both gentle and tender, giving him exactly what he needed.
“Thank you,” he murmured into my ear, wrapping his arms around me. I simply smiled and pressed my lips against his in a sweet, lingering kiss.
Then we dried each other off and slipped into bed. Evan pulled me close, and I curled into his embrace, fitting perfectly against him. For the first time in days, I thought I might be able to sleep well.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” I whispered against his chest. “Please don’t ever do something so risky again. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you.”
“Believe me, one near-death experience is enough for this dragon,” he said as he tightened his grip.
Plenty of challenges might still lay ahead, but I took comfort in his arms, and in the unbreakable bond growing stronger each day. Evan fell asleep quickly, but I’d been wrong to think sleep would come easily for me. I lay there for a long while, staring at the ceiling as I struggled to make sense of it all. Eventually, knowing sleep wasn’t coming any time soon, I climbed quietly out of bed. Maybe a cup of tea would calm my lingering nerves.
