Page 12 of Fighting for Her Heart
“Hey,” Ryker nods toward Zuben. “Sidebar?”
In a blink, the two of them are all the way across the field. Axe and I exchange a quick look, and then we follow, leaving Mom turning in circles, trying to spot the four of us.
“Careful what you say in front of her,” Ryker says to Zuben as Axe and I arrive.
“In front ofme?” I ask.
“No, your ma.” Ryker turns to me. “Sorry, little dove, but I don’t fucking trust that witch.”
“Why not?” Ryker shakes his head. “This whole scenario smells fishy—our coming out of that well, your ma showing up not long after.” He starts counting things off on his fingers. “The witches taking back Octavia’s powers; the witches being not only fine, buthappyyou were in the dungeon, and then furious when they thought you were killed.” He takes a deep breath. “Not to mention your mom asking spot on questions. Something doesn’t add up. She could be in on it.”
“Nora is Ember’smother,” Axe growls. “Why would she purposefully expose her to danger?”
“I agree with Axe.” I slip my hand into his massive one. “I’m sure Mom would never do anything to hurt me, but…” I look down. “You guys should all know something I found out tonight. Turns out, she’s not my birth mother.”
“But she raised you, correct?” Axe squeezes my hand.
I nod. Clearly he was listening in on my conversation. And I’m glad that he seems to have softened his distrust of Mom.
“Nora is the one who protected you as a child,” Axe continues. “In my clan, when cubs were orphaned, other shifters would always step into their parents’ place, loving the cubs as their own. Humans do this too, don’t they? Adoption? It is the way of nature to protect and love children. If she raised you as her own then she is your mother.”
I nod, grateful that Axe gets it. Nora is my mom, even if she didn’t give birth to me. Until recently, I didn’t have the faintest notion that I ever had another one.
“Nora’s my mother in every way that counts,” I reassure Ryker. “I love her. And she loves me.”
“I tend to agree,” Zuben says. “Regardless of the family connection, Evanora is a Keeper of Darkness and, as such, she is our natural ally in protecting the Illuminant.”
“You some kind of witch expert, now?” Ryker scoffs. “Did you see her membership card for this dark witches club you claim to know so much about?”
I’m not used to seeing Ryker so distrusting, although I realize I don’t have that much experience with how Ryker behaves when he’s not trapped in a prison—or whisking me off to New York for dinner.
“I do not believe that keepers of magic carry membership cards.” Zuben holds up his hand. “And before you say it, Idounderstand that you were using sarcasm.” He sighs. “But as much as I don’t agree with your complete distrust of Evanora, I still believe that we should relocate as soon as possible.”
“Nice.” Ryker shakes his head. “So you agree with myconclusion, just not myreasons.” Puffing his chest, he gets into Zuben’s face. “Do youalwaysneed to be right? Is it some kind ofsicknesswith you?”
Their conflict twists inside me. “Guys.”
“Ember decides,” Axe says firmly, his voice deep and commanding. “She is the one in danger. She knows this witch best. The three of us can offer counsel, but Ember decides.”
Ryker backs away from Zuben, and all three of them look expectantly at me. I’m grateful to Axe for saying this, but it also feels like a huge weight has dropped onto my shoulders, sinking me several feet into the ground.
“What’s it gonna be, little dove?” Ryker asks. “It’s not that long before dawn.”
“Don’t pressure her.” Axe growls, and then turns toward me. “Trust your gut.”
Without thinking, I put my hand on my belly and breathe deeply a few times, trying to sort out all the conflicting arguments I’ve heard, not to mention other ones that have been spinning around in my head since we came out of that well—especially since Mom showed up.
I do get what Ryker’s saying about coincidences and a lot of things not adding up—at least not in a way that satisfies Zuben’s need for verifiable explanations—but I do feel safe here. I really do. Safe at my childhood home, with my mother and the three men I love.
Things happen for a reason, don’t they? Good things and bad things. Even coincidences. I have to believe that. It feels as if the universe has somehow brought us all here. I don’t say that out loud. I think Axe is the only one who might also understand this gut feeling.
I’ve started to dream of a future with these men—not only Axe who has pledged his life to me—but with all three of them. And for that future to unfold, we can’t constantly be on the run.
“I get what you’re saying.” I look between them as the four of us stand in a tight circle at the edge of the field. “There are so many uncertainties right now, but I don’t want to run again. Not yet. And I’m definitely not ready to leave my mother so soon after finding her.”
“There you have it.” Axe nods his head toward me, and then looks between Ryker and Zuben, as if trying to confirm a consensus. “Let’s tell Nora before she—”
“Before she doeswhat?” Ryker asks gruffly when Axe stops mid-sentence.
