Page 110 of Truthfinder’s Promise

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Jensen stood down the hall from Natalie’s room, listening to his sister cry and beg Meredith to let her stay. Every time he’d tried to get Natalie to open up about anything, she’d shut him down. Meredith met her for two seconds and his sister dumped all of her fears and worries in the woman’s lap. And Meredith had taken it and told her all the things Jensen had, except her words seemed to get through where his hadn’t.

He wished Nat hadn’t asked Meredith to let her stay. He wished he’d known just how isolated she’d felt. She’d always been a quiet kid, and getting her to talk was like pulling teeth. Unless, apparently, you were Meredith, and then she opened right up.

Had he gone wrong somewhere, that she hadn’t been able to tell him she didn’t want to go back? He’d thought she would want to go home, would want familiarity. He’d thought he was the selfish one for wanting to stay. And here she was, begging Meredith to be her knight in shining armor and knock him down.

He heard Meredith’s answer and winced. She wouldn’t realize Nat was going to take that as Meredith and Jensen are going to live happily ever after and I just have to convince them to do it here.

A few minutes later the door opened. Meredith stepped out, the sadness on her face shifting to cold fury in a blink. She didn’t see him, turning away and striding to his grandmother’s room. She knocked on it like she’d bust the door down if Rebekah didn’t let her in.

The door opened, Meredith disappeared, and all sound from within shut off. She was pissed and wanted to talk to his grandmother, and she didn’t want anyone to hear.

Rebekah King looked resigned, and that pissed Meredith off even more.

“You heard everything?”

Rebekah nodded.

“I need you to answer something for me. If you lie to me, I will know. She said she thought she made a dust devil once. Did she?”

Rebekah’s eyes closed briefly. “Yes.”

Meredith had guessed. But part of her had thought she was making connections where there weren’t any. “Her father was an Aspecter.”

“Yes.” Rebekah sighed and sat down on the bed. “My Amelia—Jensen and Natalie’s mother—she was always a wild thing. Never any use trying to hold onto her. She had Jensen when she was nineteen. Dumped him with me he was five and I let her do it because his daddy was a drunk. A few years later the man ended up setting the house on fire in a drunken stupor. Amelia made it out. Jensen’s father didn’t.

“She came home then, wanting Jensen back and I told her no. She got mad and took off and I didn’t see her again. Not until she came back with Natalie.”

Meredith frowned. “Jensen said she brought Natalie to him. That you were gone.”

Rebekah laughed. “Oh, she brought her to him alright. Brought her to him because I told her no. She came to me with a sob story about what Natalie’s father was. Got all teary-eyed and told me how he’d freaked out when she told him she was pregnant and then she went on the run, and how I needed to take Nat because I was the protector, and I could keep her safe.

“Damn fool didn’t realize I can’t make decisions that go against the good of the enclave. So I told her no, and then I didn’t go home. Took her a week to recognize her second option. So I stayed away on some bullshit business until my neighbor called to tell me that Amelia had dumped a baby with Jensen.

“And then I stayed away for a month so that when I came back, she’d already be his by law.” Rebekah’s face softened. “He’s a good kid. I knew he’d do it. Lord knows making him a parent at eighteen wasn’t fair. But as long as she was his and not mine then she was a part of the enclave and protecting her was my duty.”

Meredith tried to understand, but it was hard. “You made her think she was crazy. Do you know what it does to us to try to deny what we are? To not use Aspect?” Of course she’d felt like she never belonged. She hadn’t understood who she was. “What would it be like if you told a Shifter not to shift? It’s like only being half of what you are.”

“Better being half of what she is than being dead,” Rebekah snapped. “You heard Kait going on about half-breed children. What do you think would have happened to Natalie if she started making dust devils and windstorms every time she got in a temper?”

“That’s why you wanted this alliance so bad. That’s why you jumped on the first flight down here and pretended to like me.”

Rebekah nodded. “I wanted her to be safe. Legally safe. To not have to hide anymore. And now she doesn’t.” A small smile tilted up the corner of Rebekah’s mouth. “And for the record, I do actually like you.”

Truth could be annoying sometimes. “Did Jensen know? About Natalie?”

Rebekah shook her head. “Amelia was smart enough not to mention it after she struck out with me.”

“I’m going to tell him.”

“Yes, I imagine you will.”

“She needs to be trained. To understand there’s nothing wrong with her.”

“Then do it.”

Maybe I will. “Am I to take it that means you have no objection to her remaining in Seclusion?”