What he did, however, was look at Dominic with so much love on his face all her suspicions fell away. This man loved Dominic. There was no doubt in Meriel’s mind of this fact.

“Dominic!” He came off the porch and the two men embraced. It wasn’t until they stood back and Tom got a better look that he stopped and gaped. “What have you done?” Accusing eyes moved to Meriel, who startled, looked back to Dominic, who was as confused as she was.

“This is Meriel Owen. She’s my bond-mate.”

“You’ve ascended!” Tom began to pace and Meriel began to examine her surroundings better. She didn’t know what was going on with the guy, but she sure as hell wanted to be able to get away if this went south.

“Why are you acting this way?” Dominic looked back and forth between them. He looked so hurt and surprised, Meriel just took his hand and squeezed.

“Sir, is there a problem?” Meriel bent a little to see past the hands he’d put over his face.

“You need to go. Get away from here as fast as you can.” He looked around, alarm on his face.

That alarm jumped straight to Meriel’s belly.

“What the hell is going on?” Dominic stood taller, his hands on his hips, looking very authoritative. “You’re scaring Meriel and you’re really scaring me. I’m not going anywhere. Not until you tell me what’s gotten you so spooked. Let me help you.”

Meriel ached for him and hoped they could fix whatever it was that has spooked him the moment he saw who she was and they’d mentioned the bond.

Tom threw his hands in the air. “Get in the house. Now.”

Meriel let Dominic drag her into the house as she watched Tom close the wards up tight in their wake.

The house was warm and lived in. Comfortable. Overwhelmingly male. It also smelled really good, though Meriel wasn’t sure her appetite would come back after they found out what was going on.

Tom came into the house and locked the door in his wake.

She turned to Dominic. “Would you like if I went into another room so you two can talk?”

“You’re not going anywhere. I don’t know what’s happening, but you’re not leaving my sight and he’s going to tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m just surprised I guess.”

“Mr. Bright, it’s more than that. These wards around your land are not simple. This is decades of magick on top of decades of magick.”

“How do you know? What do you know about it? Clan witches don’t have the corner on the magick market. Unaffiliated witches can do wards too.”

“I’m Meriel Owen, next in line to run Clan Owen. This ward craft isn’t the work of a man who doesn’t know a lot about magick. It’s not sophisticated, but it’s very good and very strong. And the runes on his skin, those are also some serious protective magick. I’d wager you used some flesh and blood to bond them to his body.”

“My flesh and blood. I didn’t take it from anyone. Freely given and I’ve done no wrong to protect my boy.” Tom spun to glare at Dominic. “Clan Owen. You bonded with the goddamn next in line to a big, giant clan?”

“Yes. So if I’m full-council, what’s that make you?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “All right, it’s time I guess. Go drop your bags in your room and wash your hands. I made chicken and dumplings for dinner and had planned a bottle of wine to go with. I’m guessing we’ll need at least another bottle to get through the story.”

“I apologize for his reaction,” Dominic said as he pushed the door to his room open. Just as he’d left it, which always made him feel better when he came back home.

“He’s scared. Let’s find out why before we go getting offended or handing out apologies.”

She smoothed a hand over his bedspread and he watched her take in his childhood as she walked through the room.

Leave it to her to see past the window dressing and right into the heart of the problem.

“We’ll get through it. No matter what it is. He’s clearly worried for you. Scared even, at a few points. But the earth here respects him. His magick is accepted by the surroundings. The earth is rarely wrong.”

He hugged her tight and she hugged him back. “Thank you.”

“For what?” She traded her boots for the wool-lined slippers Tom favored for use inside the house.

“For being here. For making me see past all this emotion to whatever the hell lies beneath. It feels like I can get through it because you’re here.”

“I’m really only here for the chicken and dumplings.”

He grinned and took her hand. “You might actually mean that once you taste them.”

When they got back downstairs, Dominic had calmed considerably. Meriel had been the reason for it and he’d been glad she’d been there.

The kitchen was well lit; the table dominated one entire half, sitting in front of the windows fronting the water and the mountains in the distance.

“Perfect timing. Come on and sit. Get some food into you and a few swigs of something alcoholic and I’ll give you the story.” Tom began dishing up the food in large bowls and sending them toward Dominic and Meriel. “I apologize for the reception I gave you.” He looked up to Meriel, who nodded, accepting the apology.

“Just tell me what’s going on. We’ll work through it. Whatever it is.”

Meriel made a soft moaning sound when she got the first spoonful of food into her mouth. “I told you,” he said before digging in himself.

They ate in relative silence for a few minutes, but eventually Tom looked up from his food and sighed.

“You’re my nephew.”

Dominic blinked several times, surprised. “What?”

“A little over thirty years ago my brother came to my house. He had you with him. You were maybe six months old at the time. He and your mother had …” Tom licked his lips. “They were stuck. Worse, it was pretty clear Felix, that’s your dad, was close to turning entirely.”

Meriel sat straight up with a gasp.

“Yes, you’ve the right of it.” Tom looked down to Meriel. “He brought you to me and begged me to take you and run. To raise you far away and never look back. He was in a bad way. Your dad, he was big and bold. An excellent fighter. Smart. He had a big future but she was bad for him. Your mother that is. Was. Whatever.” Tom looked back to Dominic.

Meriel took his hand and squeezed.

“To be fair, Felix was bad for her too. They were all wrong together. They were so young.”

“You’re full-council too. What clan?” Meriel thought it might be a good idea to reach out to them.

“Not clan affiliated. We had a coven back home in Tallahassee. Our parents were active in it until they died. Anyway, he gave me some money and told me to go. He was worried about your safety. Said he was concerned about what she had planned for you. I took you and the money that very night and got out of there. I picked Bend off a map. I had some skills, used to be an Eagle Scout back in the day. Got some identification for us both and built a life.”

“Why did you lie to me about all this? You said they died.”

“You were about five when I got a call from your grandfather. Your dad wanted to meet. Wanted to see you. This was back in the day before caller ID or any of that stuff. I called the number he’d left and arranged to meet Felix in Chicago. He wanted me to bring you, but I wouldn’t promise. I didn’t trust him. Not after the way he’d left. Not after what he’d said to me. You have to understand, Dominic. If he’d turned, and I had every reason to believe he had, he’d be nothing but danger to you. I took an oath to protect you.”

Dominic looked shell-shocked, but he nodded at Tom’s words.

“I went but he never showed up. I waited another day, just in case. He didn’t contact our parents either. But while I was there, some bodies had been found in a local park. The description of one of the victims matched Felix. It just always felt like it was him. I think anyway. But I can never know for sure. So I got out of there and came back here. Your grandparents were killed just a few months later. I never saw any of them again and I knew it was just better for you if I kept your existence a secret.