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Chapter Ten
Maxim
Willow’s parents greet me with a warmth that makes me hope even harder that my father hasn’t been permanently damaged by his long association with Cam.
Because Dad would love these people. I don’t have Diana’s gift for reading auras, but from the moment Willow’s mom pulls me in for a big hug and her dad slaps me on the back with a grin, I know I’ve won the in-law lottery.
“Thank you for loving our baby girl,” her mom—Wendy—says, pulling back to gaze up at me with teary green eyes the same color as Willow’s. “And don’t even try to deny it because I can see it all over your face. You’re crazy about our Willow.” She nudges her husband—Harvey—in the ribs. “Isn’t he, honey? It’s just like that day in the park when we first met. You remember? How your friends teased you for having hearts in your eyes?”
“I do,” Harvey says, his grin widening. “Still have ’em forty-two years later.”
Wendy laughs, beaming as she wraps one arm around her husband and one around her daughter, squeezing them both tight. “I’m so glad we get to be a family again. Who would have imagined? I feel so lucky.”
Willow, who was already a little green around the gills, looks like she’s about to lose our very expensive lunch. “Well, Mom, the truth is…” She pulls in a breath, but I cut her off, wanting to take this blow for her.
She’s certainly taken enough for me.
“The truth is, we’re in a hard spot,” I say to Wendy. “My pack is in danger and we’re pretty sure you’re the only person who can help us.” I briefly explain the situation, pushing boldly ahead when I mention Wendy’s pack gift, pretending I don’t know she’s apparently kept it a secret from her husband for their entire, very long, hearts-in-their-eyes marriage.
By the time I’m finished, Wendy is the one who’s green and Harvey has gone so pale I can trace the path of the veins on his round, bald head.
“I’m so sorry,” he says in a tortured voice. “But we can’t help you. There must have been some misunderstanding. Wendy doesn’t have a pack gift.”
Willow catches her mother’s gaze with a meaningful look.
Wendy shakes her head and swipes a trembling hand across her upper lip. “No, I don’t. I thought I might have had one, once, but it was a mistake.”
“No, it wasn’t, Mom,” Willow says, her eyes beginning to glow, causing both her parents to stumble back a few steps. “You have a gift and you’re going to use it to save the North Star pack. And Dad will forgive you. He loves you too much to hold a grudge.”
“Is that what I…” Her father trails off, glancing between Willow and myself before pointing to her eyes. “We haven’t had a Pathfinder Parallel side in decades.”
“You’re not Parallel side anymore, Dad,” Willow says, her eyes still bright. “And you won’t be ever again. You’re going to live with us.” Her voice hitches as she shifts her attention my way. “So you can spend lots of time with your grandbaby.”
My heart stops for a second and my stomach does a series of acrobatics that none of my other internal organs appreciate. “Do you mean… Are we?”
She nods, tears replacing the glow shining in her eyes. “Yeah. We are. I mean, I should take a test to be one hundred percent sure, but I…saw him, Maxim. It’s a boy. He’ll be born next summer.” A shadow passes over her face, but before I can ask her what else she saw, her mother bursts into tears. “Oh, Willow, baby, I’m so happy. And so sorry. I’m so sorry, Harvey. I was just so afraid. I never told anyone. Well, almost anyone.”
She continues to cry as Willow and Harvey huddle around her, murmuring comforting assurances that it’s all right, they understand, and that there’s no reason to hide now.
“Maxim and I will protect you, Mom,” Willow says. “We promise.”
Wendy swipes at her eyes. “That’s not what I’m worried about, honey. That was never what I was worried about. I was afraid someone would use you to get to me. That they’d hurt you or Dad or Kelley in order to force me to do what they wanted. Can you imagine if Victor had the ability to make people forget things?”
At the mention of her sister’s name, Willow looks sick again, but she doesn’t hold back. She explains what’s happening to her parents gently, but thoroughly, pulling no punches.
To my surprise, neither of them seems overly shocked by the revelations.
“We lost her years before she ran away,” Wendy says. “The first time she brought Bane home to meet us…I knew things would never be the same.”
“And that the two of them wouldn’t end well,” Harvey adds in a pained voice. “I knew that boy would be the ruin of her the day I laid eyes on him.” He glances up at me. “I’m sure you’re grieving him, but your brother wasn’t right, Maxim. There was something missing in him, something people shouldn’t be born without.”
“I agree,” I say, my throat going tight as I realize that Harvey’s right. I am grieving Bane. Not the man he became, but the boy I remember, the one who was just my big brother and my friend. “But hopefully it isn’t too late to bring Kelley back to you. Willow’s going to—”
Willow puts a hand on my arm and subtly shakes her head, but it’s too late. Her parents aren’t fools and they’ve already had a glimpse of her gift.
“You’ve seen something, haven’t you?” her mother asks. “About Kelley.”
Willow nods, misery clear on her face. “I’ll tell you about it on the way back to the city. But we should go. We don’t have much time. Kelley’s going to attempt that ritual with the sword I mentioned. Tonight. We’ll have to move fast to be ready to face her in time.”
