Page 81 of Starting a New Life

There was only one person I could think of who’d get mad if I got sick.

One person whose parents had flown in to meet me.

Jet lag.

The shifter had been talking about being jet-lagged.

Fuck.

I felt the blood draining from my face as the realization hit. Nerves tightened in my gut, and the coffee I drank turned into acid.

“Yes. I don’t think Gray would be impressed if I got you sick. Then again, he might not be impressed with me either way, seeing as I sneakily weaselled my way into talking to you.” She winked at me. “I’m sorry for that, by the way. I really only wanted to get a coffee when I came downstairs, but when I saw you… the opportunity was just too good to pass up.”

I swallowed, the lump in my throat making it hard to breathe.

“It’s… it’s okay,” I managed to say, then held out my hand to her. That was the polite thing to do, wasn’t it? I mean, yeah, I was trembling and everything, but shaking your mate’s parent’s hand when officially introducing yourself was what you did. Right? “I’m Nix. Phoenix. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you too.” Gray’s mom took my hand and shook it carefully, her skin incredibly warm, just like Gray’s. “I’m Wendy. I really hope you can forgive me for roping you into having breakfast together.”

I sipped at my coffee, needing a moment to work things through. It was still awful, but the scalding hot liquid running down my esophagus kinda helped me focus.

“I don’t mind,” I said, surprised that I actually meant it.

“Good. You can tell that to my son when he comes barging out here in about thirty seconds. I’m pretty sure I just heard his car pull up.”

I smiled when I realized she was right. The pull was getting stronger, Gray’s aura shifting from happy to nervous as he came closer, obviously letting either my scent or our bond guide him.

“Nix? What are you doing out… wait, Mom?”

I couldn’t help but laugh as Gray came running over, glaring at his mother just like she’d predicted. “What did you say about waiting until he was ready?”

“It’s okay,” I said, reaching for him before I could consciously make the decision to do just that. “We met in the kitchen, both looking for coffee. Then she offered to make pancakes to prove hers are better than your dad’s.”

Gray’s eyes widened, a bewildered look on his face as his eyes darted between his mom and me. Seeing them next to each other, the resemblance was obvious. He had her thick black hair and the same nose. The shape of his eyes matched his mom’s too, even though the colour was different. If I’d been a bit more awake and less focused on the fact I was talking to a shifter, I’d have realized their similarities way earlier.

“Sit down, Gray,” Wendy said, nodding to a third chair standing a couple of feet away. “Let’s have a quiet family breakfast. I’m afraid the peace won’t last. Your dad heard something about a pack possibly trying to abduct one of our own to force you to hand over your mate. Did I gather that correctly? He was rambling a bit. Pretty upset. But he said you already had a plan. Something about connecting people to the barrier. I’d like to volunteer. Anyway, that’s for later. Tell me, Nix, how do you like the pancakes?”

I stared at Gray’s mom, then quickly shoved a piece of pancake into my mouth, chewing thoroughly, the fluffy texture pure heaven.

“Best ones I’ve ever eaten.”

Gray laughed, finally pulling up the chair right next to me. I breathed a sigh of relief when he put an arm around my shoulders, my mind finally quieting down, the tension draining from my body with every second I felt Gray’s warmth seeping into me.

“You look like hell,” Gray whispered, pulling me even closer until the armrest started digging into my ribs.

“Didn’t sleep well,” I admitted. The without you here part went unsaid.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, casting a quick glance at his mom before focusing back on me. “Next time I’m sleeping at my house, you’ll come with me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. A statement that probably should’ve had my hackles rising, but instead, I felt nothing but relief. I sighed, resting my head against his chest and closed my eyes.

Maybe there were shifters who weren’t all bad.

Maybe I’d never been able to find them because they were all hiding up here, in a small town near the Pacific Coast.

God, I really hoped that was the case.

Chapter 18