“How did David die?” Maddy looked like she was both desperate to know and terrified to find out.
Kenneth rubbed at the gray stubble on his cheeks. “I don’t know how the royals found out about your father and me. Things happened so fast. We didn’t really have the time to figure that part out. People started asking around about us-strangers, shifter strangers. We knew exactly what was happening. We had been forewarned, after all. All David could think about was Gabriella and the baby in her womb.” He looked at Maddy and gave her a sad smile. “He was young, but he was fucking brave. You guys were his only concern. One day, there was a frantic knock on my door, and I found your dad and Gabby on my front door step. David was…Jesus, he was so panicked. He said some shifters had located them and were chasing them. Gabby was crying and holding him. He pushed her to me and told me to save her. Three cars came roaring into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I didn’t even think about it, just took Gabby with me and ran.” Kenneth’s eyes welled with tears. “We could…uh…hear the fight. Then the gunshots. It was over fast.”
Maddy put a hand to her mouth and looked like she wanted to cry. I stood and walked to her side, putting my hands on her shoulders. I didn’t know how to comfort her. Maybe I couldn’t.
“Anyway,” Kenneth went on, wiping at his eyes. “I helped your mom hide. She was due to give birth any day. She was terrified, and rightfully so. She talked about getting the baby somewhere safe. David and Gabby knew I helped get unwanted shifter babies to different homes. The rumor was I sold the babies, but that was always bullshit. All I did was help people who didn’t like going through the traditional channels, either because of legal reasons or safety issues. She begged me, absolutely begged me, to get her baby to a family where she would be safe. A well-off family who would give her a good life. Where she would be loved.” He looked at Maddy again. “You need to know that this was not an easy decision. She cried for days once she’d decided.
“I found a couple who wanted a baby girl. Made contact with them, posing as a social worker, and let them know I’d meet them at an adoption agency in downtown Tampa. Your mother and I were holed up in a motel on the outskirts of town when she went into labor. I got her to a hospital and she gave birth to you. She held you, Maddy, she did. She held you so long and cried so hard that I truly believed she was going to change her mind. I could tell how much she loved you the second she looked at you. You need to know that. Your parents loved you more than life itself. Your father died to protect you and your mother. And your mom gave up every ounce of her own happiness to make sure you were protected. If you learn nothing else, I need you to know that.”
Maddy nodded. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and I knew she probably didn’t trust herself to speak.
“After about an hour and a half, Gabby kissed you on the head one more time and handed you to me. I took you to your new parents, posing as a social worker, and vanished before the adoption agency could get any more info on me. Your mother died about nine months later. She had heart issues and needed a transplant, but there was no match. I don’t know if I believe that. I think she died of a broken heart, not a sick one.”
After a few moments of silence, Sebastian spoke up. “Alright, the bloodline of Edemas? Is it true what the legends say? Is that really why the royals are trying to kill Maddy?”
Kenneth nodded. “The bloodline is real. Maddy and I are true descendants of Edemas.”
A question that had been nagging at me for weeks resurfaced. Now was the time to ask it. “There were obviously people who survived the slaughter of his family. In all these years, have there been any dormant shifters who mated with a shifter? Brought the bloodline back to prominence?”
“The royals are very thorough. Anytime there’s even a mention of a living descendant, they take care of it. There have been dozens of people throughout history who were probably killed because they were only thought to be descendants. They’ll kill a hundred innocents if it means getting one descendant of Edemas. Most of the lineage were killed before they ever got to their adult years. They never even had a chance to mate. Of those few who did get to that age, I’ve never heard of anyone reactivating the dormant blood. That’s why Maddy is in so much danger. If she really is fated to an alpha, then the odds of her reactivating Edemas’s bloodline are greater. The blood has been so diluted over the years, no one really believes she’ll become a werewolf like Edemas. A shifter? Probably. The royals are too scared, and they want that treasure Edemas left behind. I think that’s what all this is about.”
“Wait,” I said. “What could be valuable enough to kill kids and babies? It sounds like these royals are powerful enough as it is. Why do they need more money?”
Kenneth shook his head. “It’s not that kind of treasure. Legend has it Edemas left behind a vial of his own blood. That he hid it in a vault a few days before the revolt that killed him and his family. It can only be opened by one of his descendants. One drop of that blood could reawaken even the most dormant of genes. It would create a whole new line of werewolves. It can give them a one-way ticket back to power, and the throne.”
“Holy shit,” Sebastian muttered.
“Do you think the story is real?” Maddy asked.
“The vial of blood?” Kenneth shrugged. “The royals think it’s true. That’s all that matters. It’s why you and I are in so much danger. Speaking of, I’ve told you all I know. It’s time for me to go back into the shadows.”
“Can’t you stay with us?” Maddy looked hopeful, but I knew it would be a bad idea.
Kenneth seemed to know that as well. “Can’t stay in any one place too long. I’ll meet up with you all again. I’ll get you a time and place. We can discuss more at that point.”
At any other time, I’d have thought he was being paranoid. After hearing that story, I knew his paranoia was based on legitimate fears. He’d survived this long by doing things his way. We needed to let him do his thing.
He got up to leave and Maddy gave him a hug. Kenneth looked awkward at first, then he seemed to relax and patted her on the back before departing.
I took Maddy out the back door. I didn’t think she’d be in the mood to talk to anyone, even Abi, after that story. She seemed a little shell-shocked, so I let her sit in silence as we drove. I was worried about her. I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if I’d heard that story about my family. She sat in the passenger seat, staring down at her hands. Maddy had never been this silent before. By the time we got home, I wondered whether she was in shock or something. It would have been better if she was sobbing or expressing her sorrow in some way. The stoic, blank stare was starting to freak me out.
We finally got inside and I sat on the couch with her. I held her for a long time, wondering if I should call Doc to come take a look at her. Then she finally spoke.
“It’s so sad,” she whispered.
I nodded. “I know.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“David died for me. Gabriella had to give me away. I can’t imagine how sad she must have been, or how scared David was. I…it’s…” Maddy started crying. Deep, broken sobs rocked her entire body.
I put my arms around her tighter as she cried into my chest, the tears soaking into my shirt. “It’s gonna be okay.”
She cried for several minutes before getting herself under control again. I grabbed tissues so she could wipe her face and blow her nose. I ran my fingers through her hair and looked into her eyes. “Well, one good thing came from this. We know why the royals are after you. That gives us an advantage. I promise you, with all I have inside me, I won’t let your parents’ sacrifices go to waste. Come on, let me put you to bed.”
I guided her to our room and got her tucked away. She was asleep before I was even able to get the covers over her. I looked down at her for several seconds before stepping over to the window. I looked out into the dark night and wondered what it would be like to die for the people you loved the way her father did. To give away the most precious and beautiful thing you would ever have the way her mother did.
I knew they were dead, but it didn’t stop me from speaking to her parents at that moment. “I’ll keep her safe,” I whispered. Hoping that somewhere, somehow, her parents heard and believed me. I would keep her safe, and if I could, I’d stop the royals’ hunt on the bloodline forever.
MADDY
The next afternoon, Luis returned home. Once Kenneth had revealed himself to us, there was no reason for him to stay out on the road. He was a little pissed when he got back.
“That sneaky asshole,” Luis had hissed. “I was right on his tail. I would have had him in another two or three days.”
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