Page 91 of Radiant Shadows

Arya was a siren? I knew she was a chimera and, therefore, was somehow able to shift into a harpy as well as a mermaid, but she hadn’t said anything to me about being a siren.

“Why didn’t she tell me?” I wondered out loud, feeling wounded even though I’d been keeping plenty from her.

“I advised her to keep it secret,” Caesar informed. “The prophecy is highly confidential information. The less people knew about it, the safer she would be.”

“But I’m not just people,” I argued. “I’m her best friend. We used to tell each other everything.”

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t tell her that you were seeing Caesar,” Kai commented in a playful tone.

“Kai!” Caesar hissed at the same time I called out, “Dude!”

“What?” he asked, clearly not realizing the giant, feral cat he just let out of the bag.

With the greatest reluctance, I dragged my guilty eyes to Gram.

“I thought I sensed your presence in her room one night,” she accused, narrowing her eyes at Caesar. “Is it common for shifter teachers to prey on prospective students? Or do your tastes only target rose-eyed witches?”

“Gram!” I blurted, every inch of my face burning in mortification.

Caesar put his fist over his heart. “I can assure you that it wasn’t like that. I am an honorable man, and I tried so hard to fight the pull I felt toward her. But I am in love with your granddaughter.”

My eyes widened, and my breathing halted.Holy shit, did he just say the “L” word?

He turned his meaningful gaze to me. “In fact, I believe I have imprinted on her.”

“What?” Gram and I asked at the same time.

“I’ve been considering it for a few weeks now, and it’s the only rational reason I can think of for my feelings,” he said. “It explains why it’s so difficult to be away from you, why I couldn’t resist you, even though I knew it was…taboo. And I somehow always know how to find you. But whether or not I did, that doesn’t change my devotion to you.”

The room was silent for a long moment, my embarrassment and guilt at being outed completely overwritten by the flood of gratitude and love I felt for him. Imprinted? To me? Seriously? How the hell did I get so lucky?

“How long has this been going on, Shea?” Gram’s stern question snapped me out of my starstruck trance.

“Um… A month, maybe?” I replied skittishly.

“And how do you feel about him?” she countered. “Just this evening, you told me you were in love with your vampire. You’re the reincarnation of his deceased wife, for goodness sake!”

“What?” Caesar asked, and I cringed.

Great. This was so not how I wanted him to find out. A whole lot of shit was hitting the fan tonight. It was a veritable shit shower for everyone.

“Wow, Shea, a vampireanda gryphon,” Aunt Janette said, giving me a thumbs up. “I approve.”

“You’re not helping, Janie,” Gram scolded.

“Ugh, fine,” I said, jumping off the couch and planting my feet firmly. “Yes, I’m Alice reincarnated. I only found out, like, an hour ago. I haven’t had time to process it.”

Then I turned to Gram. “And yes, I’ve been secretly seeing both Caesar and Julian, and I didn’t tell you because, well, Ireally wanted to avoid allthis.” I waved my hands in a wildly exaggerated circular motion. “But I love them both so much, sometimes I think I’m going to explode because my frail human body can’t possibly contain it.”

She eyed me quietly, and I couldn’t read what thoughts or emotions hid behind her shrewd stare.

So I just kept talking. “What we have is undeniable and inevitable. You saw yourself that I am Julian’s wife come back, and I believe Caesar when he says he imprinted on me, which is a topic I’m only beginning to understand. The three of us were cosmically drawn together, and I’m so done trying to hide it or fight it. So there.”

My chest was heaving with my heavy breaths by the time I was finished, and I took a moment to gauge the reactions around the room.

Caesar had on the sweetest, most touching smile, staring at me like I was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever seen. Gram was still scowl-frowning between me and Caesar, slightly resembling a pretty toad. And Kai just looked slightly fidgety while he pretended not to notice that hungry stare Aunt Janette was giving him from her perch on the arm of the couch.

Finally, Gram sighed. “This is just…a lot, Shea.”

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