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Ylara smiled and reached for her hand. “That is a headstone, sweetie. That is what happens if we don’t figure this out in time. That is in one of your visions?”
Baola crawled into bed and hugged her. Ylara sat there and kept her arm around her goddaughter. She fell asleep and didn’t wake up until there was a commotion downstairs.
Baola woke up, and she smiled. “He’s here.”
Ylara tensed, but she listened to the riot of words, which meant no one was getting punched.
Baola said, “You have to be here for this to work. Don’t worry, you still look gross.”
Ylara chuckled and stroked Baola’s hair.
Thuds of masculine feet approached her door, and there was a knock. “Ylara?”
Riithan’s voice.
“It’s not locked.”
He came in and took a few steps into the room before he stopped and stared at her. “Oh, Ylara.”
She waved at him. “I know. I look like hell. You can gawk and go. Also, you can let Khytten know how to counteract the effects of your venom.”
“Your mark should have protected you.” He frowned.
She stared at him. “When you rejected me, I had the mark removed. There’s nothing left.”
He started shaking. “I... don’t know what to do.”
She shrugged. “That’s all right. Oh, this is my niece Baola. Baola, this is Riithan.”
Baola kept her arms around Ylara. “Hello.”
He saw her. “You were at the wedding.”
“Yes, sir. I left after the first dance.”
“Your mother is Lyric?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look like her.”
Baola laughed. “I was adopted by my mom. Khytten birthed me. All of my family is adopted. We were all rejected or left for dead.”
Riithan frowned. “Ylara? You don’t have family?”
“I have an excellent family. They were just assembled slowly over time. My birth parents died in a car accident. I went into care and was placed time and again until I found Mom, and she found me. She found me and Brittany and Lyric. And then Lyric found Baola.” Ylara croaked the family tale. It was standard when folks found out that they were all adopted.
Riithan stood there. “How many placements?”
Ylara rubbed her forehead. “Seven between the ages of four and thirteen. Why?”
“Why were you moved?”
“Ah, they tended to have natural children after I arrived, so I was never needed after that. They were done with me, and I had to leave. So, back to the group home to wait.” She chuckled. “No more waiting for someone to choose me and reject me.”
Baola muttered, “Auntie, you need to fight.”
“I am, baby, or I would be dead right now.” She stroked Baola’s head.
