Page 74 of Ensnaring the Siren

His mom nodded, eyes growing distant. “I was out for a night swim. My then-boyfriend was on shore when I got yanked under. I thought it was a shark at first. Until I didn’t.” Her grip tightened. “It dragged me behind some rocks on shore. By the time my date found me, it was done. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

He wanted to yell, scream, punch the dashboard. He wanted to hug his mom, too, but she was so stiff and tense, he didn’t think she’d appreciate being touched right now. If that fucker was still alive…

“Grandma Greta took Lorelei in after she was born and raised her.” Her leg began to bounce. “I couldn’t keep her, and not just because of what happened, but also because I sincerely thought she was a monster. I’ll never forget those eyes. Such a terrifying shade of green. And the teeth and claws…Your grandmother believed me when I said I’d been assaulted, but not what by. Same with your father, until, well, the merfolk studies were released. My therapist hadn’t believed me until then either.”

Angry tears stung his eyes. Anger for his mom. Anger at his mom.

All these years, he thought he never saw Grandma Greta, even over the holidays, because of her demanding job and a strained mother-daughter relationship. But in truth, it was because she was busy raising his secret older sister. His secret mermaid, possibly flesh-craving, older sister.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was weak, strained.

“Because it’s my business. Mine.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she slapped her palm against the steering wheel. “I’m more than just your mother. I’m my own damn person and rehashing what happened is extremely painful, especially when no one else believed me when I said a freaking merman did it. And you’re my child. My son. When and why would you ever have to know your mother was raped unless it happened to you too?”

Another wave of hot tears wet his cheeks, rage curling tight in his gut. “Is he alive?” He’d find that vile, oversized fish and kill him.

“No.” His mom exhaled heavily, her hands falling to her lap. She looked so drained, the lines around her eyes and mouth deepening. “Lorelei talked to Undine and the other merfolk about it. Lorelei’s got distinct tail and fin coloring, so they were able to piece together who her…father…was, and he’s been long gone, it turns out. Undine’s and Nireed’s mothers tore him apart.”

He let that sink in. The anger, the relief. As much as he would’ve liked to kill the fucker himself, it was better that monster wasn’t still in this world, hurting people for the last thirty-something years. “Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I hug you?”

She began to sob, shoulders quaking as she nodded, reaching for him. He enveloped her in his arms and hugged her tight, not caring a fucking whit that the car’s gear shift was digging into his leg.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too.” She squeezed him fiercely, protectively. “So, so much.”

They remained like that for a long while.

Sniffing loudly, she eventually pulled away, wiping her eyes. “I could’ve made something up, but try to understand I wasn’t in Lorelei’s life, and I never planned to be. I was hurt and scared, and when you were born, that feeling increased a hundred-fold.” She took his hand, cradling it in both of hers. “All I wanted to do was protect you. I’d have nightmares of you two swimming in the lake together or at a pool party. And every time, they ended with her transforming into a monster and killing you.”

His gut twisted in sympathy for his mother, so desperate to put the past behind her, but it never allowed her to forget, did it? These nightmares, the thalassophobia, now her son demanding answers. One way or another, circumstances dredged up the truth time and time again, and for most of her adult life, the people she loved and trusted most never believed her.

That must have been maddening.

He was still angry and upset. If he hadn’t been eavesdropping, he might’ve gone his entire life never knowing he had a sister. In a family as small as his, that shit mattered. One day, when his parents were gone, he’d have no one left. There was his dad’s alcoholic brother, but with the self-destructive lifestyle he lived, he would probably be gone too.

Maybe Lorelei would’ve defied their mom’s wishes and tracked him down. Her wanting to meet him certainly sounded earnest and genuine, and the thought brought some comfort.

“I’m sorry I kept her from you.” His mom stared at their clasped hands. “If it makes you feel any better, I only told her recently.”

It didn’t, but that wasn’t something he wanted to argue about. He’d much rather move forward and give her the comfort she needed. The apology would have to be enough. “It hurts,” he said, squeezing her hand. “But I get it.”

“Thank you for understanding. I know none of this was easy to hear.”

Silence fell between them.

There were so many things Reid wanted to ask her. Why are you back in Lorelei’s life if you thought she was a monster? What changed? How long have you two been meeting up? And why would you tell her about me, but not me about her? But it all sounded too aggressive and accusatory, especially with how prickly he still felt.

“You seem close,” he said finally, hoping it would get her talking.

“Trying to be. I’ve a lot of time to make up for.”

“So not a monster after all, huh?”

“No more than your Nireed.” She smiled. “Definitely someone worth knowing.”

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