Chapter 8
Eight
Miles
It'd taken two weeks for Nash to find something, which made sense considering how old the case was.
Over the last two weeks, the three of us had settled into a routine of sorts. Mateo and I were still working on our individual projects, and Duckie alternated between joining Mateo and me. Sometimes, he went flying around the town on his own.
Duckie got along great with everyone, but especially Paxton and Alex. He'd gone to visit Alex a few times, and I had no idea how those two communicated without either me or Mateo there to interpret, but Duckie hadn't asked us to join him, so we hadn't suggested it either.
Nash had replied the very next day, and once I'd given him all the details, he'd told me he'd look into it, but I hadn't heard from him since. Until now.
Nash: I have some info for you. Call me if you have a moment.
"Hey, guys? I need to duck out for a moment," I said, though neither of the men even glanced my way, too busy arguing about the kitchen backsplash to pay me any mind.
While Neel and Paxton weren't related by blood—their dads were mated to each other, making them stepbrothers—at this moment they were acting very much like siblings. Or an old married couple.
Neel's dad, Memphis, had adopted him as a baby after his mom's death, while Paxton had joined the family as an eleven-year-old after Memphis had met his mate, Orion. Pax was only six months younger than Neel, but he acted like he was older, which got on Neel's nerves.
They'd argued over every decision when it came to the interior of their B&B, and the name, and the chef, and the prices.
If I didn't like the work so much, I'd have quit a long time ago.
But I wanted to realize my vision of this place, and I wasn't going to let their bickering stop me from doing it.
"Guys!" I shouted, making them pause long enough to turn to me. "I need to take a call. I'll be back in a few minutes, and if you haven't come to a decision by then, I'm making it for you. Got it?"
Pax blinked at me, while Neel nodded, and I left the room, going out into the backyard and walking far enough away that Pax wouldn't be able to overhear. While Neel was human, Pax was a griffin like his father, and had the enhanced hearing that came with being a supe.
I called Nash, pressing my phone to my ear as I glanced up at the dark sky. The clouds were so thick I could barely tell the sun was up somewhere behind them. The weather had been like this for a few days now, and it would continue until the rest of Cam's siblings hatched.
The last eighteen months hadn't been easy for Cam's dads as they watched over their five eggs.
Dragons were protective by nature, and when it came to their eggs, their instincts went into overdrive.
Veron, the first of the dragon babies, had hatched almost three months ago, which meant it was time for the rest of them to arrive.
It was supposed to happen any day now, and the weather was enough to tell me how anxious Raiden—the storm dragon who watched over this town—was.
William must have been the same, but at least his feelings didn't affect the whole town.
I imagined our trees would've started to wither or shed leaves if they did, since Will was an earth dragon.
"Miles, you're just in time. I was about to head out," Nash said into my ear, pulling me out of my musings.
"Hey, Nash. Thank you for looking into this," I said, holding myself back from demanding what he'd found.
"It was no problem. My contact found someone who worked on the case back then."
"Yeah? What did they say?"
"It was an armed robbery, like you said. The culprits shot the couple, stole the valuables. They suspected they also kidnapped their child, but the thieves never admitted to it. The kid is still missing. The mother visits the police station every year to enquire about him."
"Wait, what? His mom's alive?" I blurted out, leaning back against the fence to steady myself. Fuck. All these years, Duckie had thought his parents were gone...
"Yeah. They shot the father three times, but the mother was shot once, and the bullet missed her heart."
"Which gave her shifter healing time to kick in."
"Exactly."
"Fuck. Do you know where she lives?"
"Yes. I'll text you the address. It's a house in the same neighborhood as the one the family lived in before. I think she's still waiting for her son."
"What about the culprits? Do you know what happened to them?" I asked, hoping they'd been caught.
"They were arrested a few days later when they tried to pawn some of the things they stole. They got life with no chance of parole, and they were killed two years ago in some prison gang fight."
"Wow, okay. I need to tell Duckie. Nash... thank you. Truly."
"You're welcome, Miles. I'm glad I could help. I have to go now, but let me know if you need anything else."
"Of course. Thanks again."
Ending the call, I rested my head against the fence, tilting my head up just as a big droplet splashed onto my face, then another, and another until it was pouring.
I stood there for another few moments before hurrying up to the back porch.
I shook out the water in my hair, breathing in the scent of wet soil and oncoming lightning.
The buzzing of my phone was enough to confirm my suspicions about the sudden change in weather even before I saw the text in the clan group chat.
Cam: They're hatching! My siblings are coming!
Congratulations were as immediate as the rain, and I added my own in the mix before heading inside.
"You heard?" Neel asked, shooting me a grin as he typed on his phone.
"Yep. That display out there told me before I even checked my texts," I said, waving toward the crackling sky.
Thunder boomed through the house, loud enough to make my heart jump, and I hoped Duckie was doing okay. This was his first time experiencing Raiden's power, and I hoped he wasn't afraid.
Still, I decided to check in with Mateo, glad he had his phone on him today.
Me: Where are you?
Mateo: On our way home. Cam and Micah left to go see the hatching.
Me: Got it. I'll be home soon. I have news.
"So, did you guys make a decision?"
It took them both a moment to remember what we'd been talking about before Neel nodded. Once I'd ordered enough tiles for the backsplash, I left them with a few more choices to make, escaping before they could start up another argument.
Mateo had dropped me off this morning before going to the haunted house, so I'd have to figure out how to get home on my own. I could fly, but I didn't want to risk it in this downpour. Walking would be far safer, even if it's slower.
I started heading toward home, keeping my head lowered as I tried to stick to the edge of the sidewalk, using the trees lining it as shields from the rain.
A car honk right by me made me jump, and I turned my head to see our car idling beside me, Mateo waving at me through the window. Thank fuck I wouldn't have to walk all the way back.
Duckie
"Duckie, can we talk? There's something I need to tell you," Miles said, and I nodded, curious what he wanted to say.
After we'd come home, Miles had gone upstairs to shower and change while Mateo made us some lunch. He'd made sandwiches, and cut mine up into tiny squares so I could eat them. It had made me want to give him a hug.
Miles had been quiet throughout lunch, which wasn't unusual for him, but this silence had felt weighted, and this was why.
What if he was going to tell me he was tired of waiting? What if he wanted to give up on me? I knew we were fated mates, but that didn't guarantee we'd end up together. What if I'd messed up my chance with him by not getting over the fear holding me back from shifting?
"Hey, hey, stop worrying. It's a good thing. I promise," he said as he sat down beside me on the couch, reaching out to cup the spot where my wing met my body. I gazed into his warm brown eyes and found only reassurance.
Okay, okay, I said through the bond, and he smiled.
Miles glanced over at Mateo, who nodded in encouragement, and I wondered if Mateo also knew whatever Miles wanted to tell me. They hadn't talked about it out loud, or I would've heard them. Had they discussed it through their bond?
"That day at the dads' house, when you told me about your past, I asked a cop friend of ours to look into it. I'd hoped I'd find something that could give you some form of closure."
I blinked, surprised. He'd done that? For me?
What did you find? I asked, wanting and not wanting to know at the same time. What if those horrible men were still out there? Would I ever feel safe enough to shift? Maybe I was better off not knowing.
"The men who did it are dead. They were arrested not long after that night, and they were later killed in prison."
The breath whooshed out of me, taking all my fear and anxiousness with it. They were gone. The men who had haunted my nightmares for all these years were just... gone.
Thank you, I said after a long moment of silence, because they were the only words I could formulate. It didn't feel quite real, though I knew Miles wouldn't lie to me.
"There's more," Miles murmured, and Mateo got off the armchair he'd been sitting in and perched himself on the coffee table, bringing him closer to me. He didn't often look so serious, and I wondered what could be bad enough to put that look on his face.
What is it? I urged when neither of them spoke, and Miles leaned forward to peer at me.
"Duckie... your mom's alive."
I stared at him, uncomprehending, as his words circled around in my head. Alive? How could my mom be alive? I'd seen her body, hadn't I?
While those men had carried me out of the house, I'd seen my parents lying in a pool of blood, seen the bullet holes in their bodies.
And if she was alive, that meant... that meant she'd been on her own all these years. Did she think I was dead? Or had she been waiting for me while I was too much of a coward to go back home?
Fuck, I... I needed to get out of here. I needed to breathe.
Instead of saying anything to the two men watching me with concern, I took off, glad they always left the windows open as I flew out into the sky, not caring about the still-pouring rain as I tried to breathe.
Mom was alive. She was alive. She was out there somewhere. Somewhere I could go see her. What would she think of me? Of the way I'd lived my life these past years? Would she be sad, or disappointed that I'd let fear control my life?
Mom and Dad had been fated mates, and I couldn't even imagine what it was like for her to lose Dad. I'd only known Mateo and Miles for a few weeks, and I already couldn't bear to think about losing them.
As if thinking of them had summoned them, I sensed them behind me, though they kept their distance. They didn't try to talk to me, or get me to come back, only flew behind me, watching out for me as I dealt with the sickening mix of feelings inside me.
I wasn't sure how long I flew, but the rain had stopped at some point, and my feathers were almost dry by the time I returned to the house, my body starting to ache from the unusual amount of exertion.
Hopping up onto the couch, I settled in the middle, feeling a smidge calmer when Miles and Mateo huddled into me from both sides, still in their owl forms. Their clothes lay in a crumpled heap on the floor at the foot of the couch, abandoned when they'd chased after me.
We were quiet for a while, and I loved how neither of them said anything. They let me think, let me be.
Can we go see her? My mom? I asked after what felt like hours, and Miles rubbed his head against my neck.
Of course. It's not a long drive, but if you want to get there faster, I can ask Rhiannon if she's free to portal us. She's a warlock, and she can get us there in seconds, Miles promised, making it more real.
Whatever you want, Mateo repeated, and I nodded. I wanted to see my mother. I had no idea what I would say to her, or if I'd even be able to talk to her with me in this form.
The men who'd scared me into hiding were gone, though. Could I get past my fear, now that I knew they would never be able to hurt me?