Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 131137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
“Shaya’s always had my loyalty.”
“And he has mine,” Shaya told her father, leaning against Nick for a few seconds.
“You believe he deserves it?” It was a genuine question from Stone.
She nodded. “He hurt me, but he had his reasons for not claiming me—good ones. It’s complicated.”
Stone sighed, grumbling, “It always is with male shifters.”
Nick noticed his mate’s smile of amusement and gave her a mock scowl.
“What about you, Taryn?” asked Stone. “If anyone’s as protective of Shaya as I am—other than Nick here of course”—said with so much patronization that Marcus almost choked on a laugh—“it’s you. Is he worthy of her?”
Taryn snorted. “No one’s worthy of Shaya. But she’s right—he had his reasons for not claiming her initially. He’s proven over and over that she comes first. Also, he’s totally whipped, if that makes you feel any better.”
Nick scowled at the blonde. “I’m not whipped.”
“Of course you’re not,” placated Shaya, patting his arm, “you’re just well trained.” She laughed at his low growl. Turning to her father, she said, “I wanted to tell you, I have an interview for a mediator position. If I get it—”
“You’ll get it,” insisted Nick with utter confidence.
“—it’ll mean I get to go traveling. Maybe I’ll even see some of the places you used to tell me all about when I was little.”
Stone’s smile was genuine this time as he took Shaya’s free hand in his. He gave Nick a small nod, which could be translated to “I’ll accept you for now.” It might not be a gushing reception, but it was enough to lift her spirits. Then Gabrielle went and spoiled the moment.
“Traveling? Have you not learned anything from watching my relationship with your father? Mates shouldn’t be separated for long periods at a time.” She looked at Nick then. “You’ll soon have an idea how I’ve felt all my life.”
“I’ll be going with Shaya,” Nick told her, barely refraining from snapping at the woman. “Where she goes, I go.”
“Nice idea,” said Stone.
Gabrielle turned to her mate, spluttering. “You never took me with you.”
“I couldn’t have taken you into war zones, despite that it was an appealing idea at times. Then you’d have known what suffering really is. And maybe you would have stopped being so self-centered and paid attention to our daughter.”
Gabrielle gasped in outrage, but it was Shaya she snarled at. “It’s difficult to give attention to an ungrateful, inconsiderate—”
“Enough,” said Nick quietly, his voice still filled with authority. Gabrielle’s eyes widened. “No one speaks to my mate like that. Not even her mother. In my opinion, though, I shouldn’t have to order her mother not to do so.”
“You don’t know what it’s been like for me,” claimed Gabrielle. “You don’t know how hard it is to lose one child and then find that the other is selfish and—”
“One more insult,” rumbled Nick, “and you leave.”
Shaya rubbed her jaw against his upper arm, hoping to calm him. “I’ve never asked you for anything, Mom. But I’m asking you now…if you can’t be happy for me, if you can’t be part of my life without trying to hurt me, leave me alone.”
“Trying to hurt you?” echoed Gabrielle, her tone incredulous, but Nick was aware the female knew what Shaya meant.
“You displaced your guilt onto Shaya.”
Gabrielle gawked at Nick. “Excuse me?”
“You were heartbroken when your other daughter died in the womb—of course you were. You felt responsible, felt guilty. But you couldn’t handle the weight of that guilt, so you transferred it onto Shaya. And she’s carried it all her life, and you let her. The times you left her alone in the house…you did that because that was what your mate did to you, left you alone. You wanted someone else to suffer. All your life you’ve escaped your own pain by dumping it on Shaya. No more. As she said, if you can’t be in her life without hurting her, you need to leave it.”
Gabrielle spluttered again and looked at her mate, expecting him to defend her. He didn’t. Nick knew it wasn’t because the guy feared him; it was most likely that he knew Nick was right and that Shaya deserved better than what Gabrielle had to give.
“Well, what will it be?” Shaya asked, her voice strong.
Gabrielle averted her gaze, concentrating on a spot on the wall. She was quiet for a minute. “When is your mating ceremony?”
“In a couple of days.”
Without looking at Shaya, she said, “We’ll be there.”
Shaya knew that was the equivalent of Gabrielle saying she was backing down and wished to stay in her life, but it wasn’t the “sorry and I love you” that she would have preferred—not that she had expected, or would ever expect, to hear that, but a girl could dream.
Abruptly, Gabrielle rose to her feet and headed for the doorway, where she waited as Stone said his good-byes to Shaya and Nick.