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“Your sister will be so excited to see you.”
That perks him up. “Melia?”
I nod. “She’s with some friends of mine right now and your Ya-Ya.”
A smile overtakes his face so big that he winces from the way his eyes squint.
I raise my hand and hover it in front of his face, but he looks at it in fear.
“May I heal you?” I ask.
He looks up at his dad, who I suspect nods, before returning his eyes to mine.
“Will it hurt?”
“Not at all,” I tell him.
“It feels like you're drinking hot chocolate or warm tea. Instead of sliding down your throat it tingles all over, like a warm hug or a fresh towel out of the dryer,” Loukas supplies.
“Okay,” he agrees. Slowly and gently, I place my hand on the side of his face.
Just like Loukas, there are so many more injuries than I can see. There are bruised ribs and scraped knees, but it’s his internal trauma that has me almost gasping.
So much pain and hurt inflicted on such a young boy. A growl threatens to slip from me at the thought of his mother—the monster who did this to her own son—but I swallow it down, not wanting to scare him again.
Just like with Loukas, I don’t even try to heal his trauma. Even though it’s hard to leave it all there, it’s a discussion I need to have first with Loukas and then with Zach.
“Damn it, Skarlyt, I told you to stop doing that.” Alaric’s growl rings out from the front porch.
“Why would I stop when you make it so fun?”
“Fun for you.” He growls again, and I can hear him stomping up the stairs.
“Exactly,” Skarlyt says with a chuckle.
“Pearl,” Alaric greets me as he walks in the door.
“Alaric,” I say, dipping my chin in respect for the alpha. He may not be my alpha, but I respect him as a fellow leader. “I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Loukas, and his son Zach.”
The two men stare at one another, seeming to have a battle of alpha strength. Neither of them blinks nor moves. My eyes flicker back and forth between them, shocked to see Alaric act anything less than welcoming to someone new.
“That’s enough, you two,” Skarlyt says, interrupting their staring contest. “You’re both big, strong boys.”
The two blink and look away at the same time.
“What was that?” I ask.
“I haven’t met an alpha as strong as me who I haven’t already considered family in a very long time,” Alaric admits, stepping forward.
“Me either,” Loukas agrees, and the two clasp forearms.
When they release, Alaric looks down at Zach.
“It’s nice to meet you, Zach.” He reaches out his forearm to Zach the same way he did for Loukas. Instead of clasping it, Zach’s little hands tremble as smoky magic begins to bleed from him as he stares at Skarlyt.
“Zach, this is my friend Skarlyt,” I say, stepping over to Skar and linking my arm with hers.
“She’s a pain in the butt, but she’d never hurt you,” Alaric finishes obviously seeing how scared he is.
