“So I raised you here and kept you suspicious of clans to keep you from the public eye.”

Meriel snagged another dumpling.

“My parents’ death wasn’t of natural causes. It was suspicious. But I couldn’t ever get there to see for myself. I believe Felix is gone, that connection we once had is empty. But Gloria? Your mother? I don’t know. I couldn’t take that risk.”

“How can you know if she wasn’t trying to find me because she’d cleaned up?” Dominic pushed from his chair and moved to go stare out the windows at the stars.

“Gloria threatened my parents multiple times. Felix had faked your death and for a while she believed it. But in the time before I went to Chicago to meet my brother, your mother came to my parents’ house. She watched them. Came around later with a friend my mother insisted wasn’t a witch at all, but a mage.”

Dominic could hear Meriel’s intake of breath at his back.

“I’d know a lot more about what I should be upset over if you hadn’t raised me to hate and fear clans.”

“He had to.” Meriel came to him, putting her head on his shoulder. “Don’t you see? He brought you out here and protected you. Changed your name and raised you to keep you away from any situation where you could be identified. If she’s alive somewhere now, she might know about you. We didn’t make a big deal out of the ascension, Mr. Bright. But certainly I’m next in line so I get photographed at events. My finding my bond-mate and news of the ascension would be pretty common knowledge in our world.”

“If she came to the door with a mage”—Tom paused—”it could mean she was working with them to get her fix. It’s not entirely unheard of.”

Meriel turned to him. “Right now there’s a rise across the county of magical thefts and the mages are part of it. They’re working with what looks like human supremacy organizations to track us. I learned just this morning that one of their victims, a woman lucky enough to escape where they’d been keeping her and bleeding her magick dry, that the mages and some turned witches had told the humans what they were doing was exorcising the demons from their captives.”

Tom blinked several times. Shock turning him pale.

“We have no reason to think my mother was one of them.” Dominic went to sit.

Tom sighed heavily. “Yes, we do. I know this day has been a challenge, Dom, but we have every reason to believe your mother, if she’s alive, is one of them. If she was on the verge of turning — as close as Felix was when I last saw him and I am sure she was — the only way she can survive is to steal magick. The only way she’d be alive today is by harming people. Pain, death, emotional torture and theft. That’s how their magic works. They can’t earn it like you and I do. Turned witches have lost their connection to the earth. They have no natural power left at all.”

“She could have gotten herself straight again.”

Meriel took his hands and made him look her in the face. “No, she couldn’t have. There’s no cure once a witch turns. At the very best you can hope she’s off far away and using animal blood. Or that she did indeed die at that park. She would not mean you any kindness if she’s alive today.”

“You don’t even know her!”

“No, I don’t. But I know witches and I know how this works. I’m sorry, Dominic, but your uncle was right to keep you away from them. God, what if I’ve put you in danger? I need to get Nell searching for your mother.”

“If I’d have known any of this, we could have avoided it.”

“I did what I thought was best. You’re alive today. For a while I wasn’t sure if you’d make it through your little phase down south. But once you got to New York I knew you’d find your way in the world and back here. I had to trust that. I couldn’t risk you as a child and I don’t want to risk you now either.”

“There’s no reason just yet to panic.” Meriel turned back to Dominic. “I’m asking your permission to have Nell do some research on your parents. I want to see what we can find out.”

Dominic scrubbed his hands over his face. “Fine, go ahead.” He turned back to his uncle. “I had a bond-mate out there somewhere and you never told me. I could have completely missed out on this amazing connection I have with Meriel.”

“I didn’t come from a world of council witches. Sure, I knew of bond-mates and all that, but I had no way of knowing you’d be their equivalent of full-council. I made mistakes, Dominic. But I did everything I did for you.”

Meriel remained at his side, stroking a hand up and down his back.

“I know.” He went to Tom. To his uncle, and hugged him. “I know.” And he did.

But he didn’t know how to move forward. Didn’t know what to think of all this. He was filled with a sharp longing for his parents. Anger at Tom. Love for what Tom had given up. He just couldn’t let go of that ember of hope that maybe his mother wanted him and had been searching for him his whole life.

DOMINIC had been asleep for some time, but Meriel found herself restless and headed downstairs.

She nearly jumped from her skin when Tom spoke to her from the dark of the living room. “I’m sorry to startle you. Can’t sleep?”

“No. Not really. He’s out though.” Thankfully.

“You understand.” It was a simple statement. “He doesn’t though. I worry he’s going to entertain some idea that she can be saved despite whatever the facts might point to. He’s a boy who grew up without a mother. I thought, you know, for a while I thought I might find someone. Marry. Give him a mother he so desperately needed. But I was worried about how I’d explain my past to them.”

“I know he loves you like a father. I know he’ll get over his anger and eventually understand what you did.” It had to be hard for this man to have given everything up for his nephew. “You gave up your whole life for him. Thank you for that.”

He poured her a cup of tea and followed with a healthy dollop of whiskey. She took it gratefully.

“I had a shit life anyway. Lived in my parents’ basement. Had a crappy job. I liked to think I’d have gone to college but the chances are, I never would have. He gave me a direction. I love this life. It’s solitary, but if I need company I can seek it out. I’ve been dating. Her name is Rona and she works down at the bank. I work the earth, I’m out in nature. I made mistakes with him, I know, but I don’t regret this life.”

“He’s a good man because of his father. And that’s you. I’m worried about the exposure.” She explained to him about the new ideas she wanted to institute, the new training and increased communication between witches of all backgrounds and paths. Gave him more detail about the mage attacks, including the one on Dominic at his club earlier that week.

“I hope she’s dead. I should feel bad about thinking it, but I do. She poses nothing but a threat to him. She’ll hurt him for fun. The only thing that’ll matter to her when it comes to her biological connection to him is that it’s easier to steal magick from someone you’re related to by blood.”

“You can? If I hook you up with one of the people in my clan, would you share all your knowledge of these mages? We don’t know enough. I don’t want that to hurt us.”

“Of course. I only know because I felt like I had to research to keep him safe. I asked around. Spoke with my parents about it. Gloria’s family was useless. They’d disowned her even before Felix showed up with Dominic. Her sister.” He looked up, eyes bright. “She went missing twenty years ago. God, I wonder?”

An icy-cold finger of dread traced up her spine. “Wonder if she was drained?”

Tom nodded. “I wonder if he would stay here for a while? Keep his head down?” He shook his head. “No. He won’t run.”

“He’s got a business. One he built on his own. He won’t abandon it. And I’m going to be frank with you. This is my land. Where I stand right now is Owen land.” She called energy forth and held a ball of light in her palm. The wind kicked up just a bit outside. “I am strong here. I know what they feel like. I’ve got their scent. I won’t run and neither will he. If we can’t beat them on our own ground, hiding won’t help.”