“I can have her there in minutes,” Ryker chuckled, and it was like I could see Dakota stiffening with a silent snarl.
“Peace, Dakota, he hasn’t hurt me,” I promised softly before he said something to piss off the vampire. Riff quirked his brow, as did Char while Ryker appeared pleased. I don’t want to know.
“If he does, I’ll kill him myself,” Dakota swore darkly, and I sighed. Ghostly laughter filled my ears, while an arm wrapped around my shoulders, and Ryker stared past me at what I could only assume to be Jaxy’s ghost. He smiled while his features softened with sorrow and affection in his eyes. How close were they?
“I’m sure you will, Dakota,” I sighed, not wanting a pissing contest to start. I was too drained for that, emotionally and mentally.
“She’s all right, I promise,” Ryker murmured and, unbidden, a fuzzy memory filled my mind.
“She stumbled into the side of the playground. We were playing tag, and her foot caught the edge of the sidewalk,” Jax murmured in his soft, musical voice. “Poor tyke hit her head and is trying to be tough.” The memory burst into sudden clarity, and I saw him standing a few steps away, his hand on the purple slide above his head while he observed me with worried eyes. I sat on the gravel at the base, holding my head while fighting tears. Father said I needed to be resilient, and not such a baby.
“Ah, let me see, Angel,” Ryker’s voice was so tender I sniffled and did as he asked. Kneeling beside me, he tilted my chin and gently touched the spot on my forehead that ached. I whimpered when his light brushing of it made it hurt worse for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, bunny, but I wanted to make sure nothing feels broken. Angel will have a decent bruise and a headache, but I don’t believe it’s something to worry about. Tyger used to hit his head like this all the time, and he’s fine.”
“Oh, that makes me feel so much better,” Jaxy drawled sarcastically. “Tyger is fine, so automatically bunny will be too. You’re an absolute idiot!”
Shaking his head, Ryker met my worried, tear-filled eyes with a gentle smile. “You’re all right, I promise,” he murmured tenderly, holding his arms out for a hug, and I burrowed into his embrace. “We shall keep any tears that leak from your eyes a secret between us, okay? No one else needs to know, little one.” Giving in, I cried into his shoulder while he stroked my hair and squabbled with Jax, who insisted he was an idiot for dismissing my head injury. “You would be a helicopter parent, Jax. Relax, kids do worse to themselves all the time and end up fine. You have to let her stumble and fall, so she learns to pick herself up. If you coddle her, she will rely on you or someone else for the rest of her life. Regardless of what she is, Angel needs to stand on her own. Even if it pains you to watch her do it. I checked it, her eyes are focused, and she’s not screaming in pain. There’s no reason to believe this is anything other than a bump. If it swells, then we will take her to a doctor, all right? Molly knows I won’t let anything happen to Angel, or else she would insist on coming along for our playdates. Molly is also aware I’m used to toddlers. They seem intent on proving how indestructible they believe themselves to be and appear quite startled to discover they aren’t.”
“I still think we should get a second opinion,” Jax argued with a soft huff.
“Uncle Jaxy isn’t listening, bunny,” Ryker murmured, and I sniffled while raising my head to look at the grinning vampire. “You should tickle him.” Giggling, I squirmed until he released me so I could chase after Jaxy, who chuckled and skipped backward out of my reach.
Uncle Jaxy? Was that just what I called him, or was it true? Heh. Did I dare try to convince myself I wasn’t related to him even though I looked identical to the man? But he was a werewolf, and I’m human. So how could we be related? Not to mention, Ryker’s voice was full of warmth when he mentioned mom’s name, so he must have known her as more than just my mom. He said he was present at my birth, so how did he know mom before I was born, unless Jax did? They must have been siblings, right? But, how could a human and a werewolf be in the same family? Step siblings? Mom rarely spoke of her family, that I remember. But I know grandma ran away from her family after they forced her to marry a man who raped her.
Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore, and, after a ‘hunting accident,’ she ran away, meeting the love of her life along the way. This happened when mom was three, but the man never treated her different from his other children. Shock stole my breath while I tried to dig further into my head, chasing the memories just out of reach. The information wasn’t in her voice. It was Jaxy’s! I’m on the verge of solving the puzzle, I know I am! Groaning under my breath when my head pounded, I focused, trying to force myself to remember what Jax told me so long ago. I pictured him in my mind, with that same heartthrob grin Dakota had, while his lips moved to impart the story of mom’s family and where I came from.
“… Angel? Angel!” I barely registered someone calling my name since I was so focused on grasping the answers to my questions that were a hairsbreadth from reach.
“I would like to point out I am indestructible, thank you very much,” Tyger scoffed, his voice cutting through
