had been missing for longer than anyone in the room had been alive, except for Faelan, and Sean said after all the trouble, they at least deserved to see the thing they had been willing to sacrifice their lives to protect. Shay scooted closer, wishing she could touch it. After Sean disappeared with the book, the warriors discussed the vampires and demons, what they might have learned from the book, and what they planned to do with it. Shay leaned against Cody, content but tired.
“Ready for bed?” he asked.
“Ready for home. Take me to Virginia.”
***
Tristol moved closer to his sleeping prisoner, studying the man’s height, the size of his muscles. The capture had gone surprisingly well for such a powerful warrior. If this part of the plan worked, Tristol would bring his beloved race back to the glory they had once known, before their maker had abandoned them. He closed his eyes, remembering the soft, golden voice close to his ear, the stories of grandeur that could all be his. He would focus on strengthening his army now and find Edward’s emerald later. With Malek dead, Shay and Bree would be safe, giving Tristol time to figure out what secrets the sisters held. It was possible that neither of Edward’s daughters knew about the emerald. Edward may have hidden it. When Tristol opened his eyes, he saw the prisoner’s eyes were open, his dark gaze violent before it became shuttered. If this one proved worthy, the first prisoner could be destroyed. He had grown dangerously strong, killing several of his vampires.
“Bring him food,” he called to the guard. “I have to leave. The Dark One has summoned me.” Yet again. It was growing tedious. “Keep the prisoner a secret. No one can know he’s here. Increase the experiments.”
***
“Why are we here?” Shay asked, following Cody up the ladder into the hayloft. It was the first time she’d seen him since they arrived this morning. She had slept a great deal, trying to adjust to the time difference.
They sat cross-legged in the hay, like they used to do as kids.
“I found something I want you to have.” He handed her a picture. It was a birthday party. Shay’s hands trembled as her eyes swept quickly across the scene. A woman holding a little girl, about a year old, while a man stood beside them, laughing as the woman wiped icing off the little girl’s face. Shay could see Nina in the background, much younger, smiling, and Matilda, her hair a different shade of red than she wore now. Shay’s heart tightened, and she looked away from the man and woman, avoiding the rush of emotion choking her. She absorbed the other details, the cake with pink and green icing reading
She felt Cody’s hand touch her shoulder. Taking a breath, she let her gaze return to the couple and the child. Shay’s eyes stung as she searched her mother’s face, the hair color, the nose and smile, so similar to her own. Her cherished black-and-white obituary photo hadn’t given those details.
Shay’s green eyes—and Bree’s—had come from the man. Edward was tall, handsome, his hair dark. Shay wondered if her interest in dark-haired men had started long before she met Cody. A tear rolled down Shay’s cheek, dropping onto her mother’s face. She blotted her mother’s face and imagined a light, flowery perfume, and the sound of a man’s deep laugh.
“Where did you find it?” she asked, drying her eyes.
“It was in an old book locked up in the basement. I think my dad had it with him the night they left Scotland with you. We think there may be some more things hidden in a safe deposit box. Marcas is checking. I’m sorry, Shay. I wish I could change things. I didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t be together until I was finished with my duty. There was too much danger, and it wasn’t my place to tell you something the clan had decreed must be kept secret.”
“You tried to protect me, I know that now, so did the clan. I’m sorry I didn’t know my real parents, but you did what was best. And look what I gained.”
“Nina, surrounding me with love, giving me a home. Your family, uprooting their lives to protect mine, taking care of me.” Shay put the photo aside and touched Cody’s chest, where his heart was beating strong. “And you. What would I have done without you?”
“But I wasn’t there for you, Shay. I should have made you understand how I felt about you. If I could do it over, I think I’d tell you the truth and let the chips fall, but I can’t honestly say for sure.” He shrugged one broad, beautiful shoulder. “Forgive me?”
“If you’ll forgive me for believing the worst of you when I should have known better. If I hadn’t been so stressed, believing something that wasn’t true, maybe the baby would have lived.”
Cody brushed a kiss on Shay’s forehead. “The baby will always be part of us. We won’t forget him.”
Shay nodded rubbed the small sword branded on Cody’s wrist.
“Before we can move to the next step, I need to know for sure that there’s nothing between you and Jamie.”
“Just friendship. I didn’t intend to, but I used him as a substitute for you. Every man I’ve gone out with has been a substitute for you. I’ve hurt Jamie.”
Cody smiled. “I think Jamie’s found something to ease the pain.” Cody cupped Shay’s chin. “I love you, Shay. I always have. I always will. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow old with you.” He pressed a finger to her lips, stopping her from speaking. “And that’s a serious consideration, because warriors live a long time.” He grinned and dropped his finger. “So if you’re going to get tired of me by the time I’m ninety, I need to know now.”
“Are you proposing to me?”
“I am.”
“Don’t I get a mate mark?”
“Sometimes women don’t get one, but I think this is yours,” he said, and her neck tingled where he touched her birthmark. “It’s darker than it was when you were a kid.”
“You think that’s my mate mark?” Her fingers brushed his as she tried to feel the mark.
“I do. Will you marry me, Shay? Will you be mine… forever?” A hint of shadow darkened his eyes. “Will you trust
