Sighing, I pull the phone back out of my pocket. My eyes scan the screen until I find Bianca’s number and hit the dial. I place the phone to my ear, and she answers after the first ring.
“Finally, Thaddeus. Why didn’t you answer?” she asks, and I can hear the concern in her voice.
“Sorry, I am dealing with Amara kidnapping my mate,” I snap back.
“She is fine; she is asleep with Amara,” Bianca tells me, worrying me even more. I don’t like the idea of them sleeping in the same bed.
“What did you call for?” I ask, already tired and wanting to get this conversation over with.
“I actually called about Evelyn.”
“What about her?”
“I recognized her scent, and so did your father.”
“So, what’s bad about that?” I ask, growing confused.
“How old is Evelyn?” Bianca asks me, making me wonder where she is going with this.
“Twenty-one, why?”
“Where were you twenty-one years ago, Thaddeus?”
“Geez, Bianca, I don’t know. I don’t keep track of every place I go,” I tell her. As much as I love and respect Bianca, she’s starting to annoy me with the stupid questions.
“Well, I will answer that for you, then. I couldn’t recognize where I had got her scent, before your father recognized her as well.”
“And?” I ask when she goes quiet.
“You destroyed the town just outside of Parse. Your father and I were tracking you. We were trying to catch up to you as you decimated that town.”
“Your point, Bianca? I ain’t got all night.”
“Fine. We heard a baby crying amongst the rubble when we came through that town. Your father and I dug through it and came across a man and a woman – dead. It was some old house on the outskirts of the town. We only stopped when we heard the cries. Since the man and woman were both dead, we took the baby. We took her to a convent and left her in a basket in front of the small cathedral.”
My blood runs cold as her words set in. What are the chances of coming across a baby, and not just any baby, but my mate?
“I am certain that baby is Evelyn, Thaddeus. You killed her parents, and that is how she ended up in the foster system. We didn’t find any information on her parents, not even ID. We are pretty sure they were squatting in the house because there were no belongings, and she was naked, in a towel like she had just been born a couple of days before. How she survived is beyond me because her parents were crushed to death. The only thing that wasn’t destroyed was the crate we found her in.”
“You’re saying I killed her parents?” I ask. The realization slowly sinks in. I am responsible for my mate’s life, everything that has happened to her leads back to me and my doings.
“Yes, Thaddeus. We haven’t told her, but she may be suspicious. When talking to her, your father and I asked her a few questions, and I think she knows something is up. But I thought it would be best coming from you.”
I shake my head before I realize she can’t see me. “No, she doesn’t need to know. Nothing good will come of her knowing.”
“Thaddeus?”
“No, Bianca. I won’t lose my mate because of something I didn’t realize I did!” I snap at her and hang up the phone. I can’t listen to more, can’t let her talk me into this madness.
As I turn my gaze, I see that Ryland is watching me. The feeling in my gut sinks as I meet his eyes. He has heard everything.
“You can’t keep that from her. She has a right to know what happened to her parents,” Ryland growls at me.
“No, she doesn’t need to know. She survived just fine without them,” I tell him.
“I can’t believe you can even say that. Look what happened to her, all because you threw a tantrum twenty-one years ago,” he snaps at me. I growl, warning him. “You tell her, or I will. I can’t live knowing we are lying to her,” he snaps and turns his back on me, walking out of the room.
“Where are you going?” I shout after him.
“To get our mate,” he snaps back, and I follow after him.
I am responsible for everything. Is this my karma? Give me a mate that is going to hate me? Will she still want me after knowing the truth? I follow Ryland upstairs and watch him pack a bag. “Why are you packing?”
“Because you know your parents will make us stay for a bit,” he mutters matter-of-factly.
“No, we are getting her and coming home,” I tell him.
“And what if she doesn’t want to go?” he asks, facing me.
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