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It’s good to know my mate feels possessive over me, but I won’t play games with her.
"Enfys is…” I pause, managing to keep a straight face, although not without some degree of effort. “My mother."
"Your…?" Kiki's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and then she laughs. Just like that, the tension dissipates. “She’s your mother.”
“What about you?” I ask. “Tell me about your family. Do you have any siblings? Crazy aunts and uncles?"
Kiki's smile falters, her eyes taking on a distant look. "No. It's just me now. My mom passed away when I was young, and my dad died a few years back. Heart attack."
My own heart clenches at the pain in her voice. "I'm so sorry, Kiki. That must have been difficult."
She nods, fiddling with her straw. "It was. I have a step mom. We get along alright I guess. Or wegotalong until I had to cut contact. Out in the world. Um, thehumanworld, I was in WITSEC."
I frown. "WITSEC?"
Kiki sighs, her shoulders slumping. "Witness protection. It's a program that provides protection for witnesses who testify against criminals. In my case, I testified against a dangerous drug cartel. And let's just say they aren't too happy I’m still on the planet."
I know all this, of course. Olwydd looked into her background just after she arrived, but still, a growl rumbles in my chest at hearing her say the words. At the thought of anyone threatening my mate. "So, you had to go into hiding?"
"Basically. New identity, new location, the works. I've been living as Maria Garcia for the past year, hopping from one location to another."
The thought of Kiki, my brave, beautiful Kiki, living in constant fear, always looking over her shoulder, is unimaginable.
She shrugs, but I see the weariness in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders.
"It is what it is. I don't regret testifying, but I do miss my old life."
I reach out to cup her cheek silently vowing that as long as I'm breathing, no one will ever hurt her.
She leans into my touch, and we just hold each other's gaze until she seems to remember herself and she breaks the spell.
"So, how about you?” she tilts her head, curious. "You got a father?"
I smile, memories of long ago flooding back. "My father was kind and hardworking. He was much older than Enfys. He passed about fifty years ago."
"Fifty years?" Kiki sputters. "How old was he?"
"Around two-hundred and eighty, give or take." I shrug. That's a pretty average lifespan for our kind.
"Two hundred and eighty!” Her mouth drops open. “How old are you?"
"Seventy-five."
"Seventy-five," she repeats faintly. Her hand goes to her forehead and she rubs it as though she’s wiping away a smudge of dirt. "Seventy-five. Holy shit, I'm dating a geriatric."
I snort. "Hardly. Seventy-five is young for my kind. We live to be about three hundred or so."
Kiki leans back in her chair, clearly trying to process this information. Her eyes are as wide as saucers. Her hand trembles and she appears quite shaken.
“Are you alright, Kiki?”
"I…I…uh, I need a drink. Gimme that." She motions to my stein of Giir.
I hesitate. Giir is strong stuff, even for Sasquatches. "I don't know if that's a good idea. It's pretty potent."
But she's already reaching across the table. She takes a healthy swig before I can stop her. The effect is instantaneous.Her eyes bug out and she starts coughing, sputtering. Her face turns an alarming shade of red.
"Holy...paint thinner..." she wheezes. "I’m…on…fire..."
