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“Is he still alive?”
“Aye.”
“Are you from Scotland?” he asks, noticing my brogue.
“I was. A very long time ago.”
“Thank you, Elsie.”
“For what?”
He wraps thin arms around his legs. “For being kind to me. It’s been a long time since someone has been kind to me.”
I’ve never related to someone more in my life. “You deserve kindness, Alexander. You realize that, don’t you?”
“I don’t know,” he whispers. “I’ve done…”
“No,” I interrupt. “Today is a new day. What you did, you did to survive. You didn’t have a choice. That was the person you were. You’re not that person anymore, Alex.”
He looks up at the shortened version of his name. “My mother used to call me that.”
“Would you prefer me to call you Alexander?”
He shakes his head. “My real mother called me Alex.”
“You remember her?”
“I do.” He wipes a tear. “She was beautiful.”
“Where did you live?”
“Chicago,” he answers. “I’d like to visit their graves one day.” His voice is barely audible.
“When you’re ready, we’ll go,” I promise. “For now, let’s get you cleaned up. Maybe one of my T-shirts won’t swallow you completely.”
“You smell like the lady,” Alex says, blowing bubbles off his hand. Chill bumps immediately cover my skin.
“What do you mean?”
The small boy shrugs. “Like fire, I guess.”
I slide closer to the edge of the bathtub. “Alex, what did the lady look like?”
Deep blue eyes turn in my direction. “She had hair like yours. I only saw her once and from very far away. Mother kept my sisters and me away from her. She didn’t want her to know we were special.”
My mind is a whirlwind of emotion. Dark hair and smelled like fire doesn’t exactly narrow down the search. “Was her name Marnie?”
“I don’t know. I never heard her name.” He sinks below the water, adding a soft pink color to the bubbles. My mind races as my heart aches for this child. His intelligence and ability are the only thingsseparating him from the children in chains. I build an imaginary wall around my thoughts and play through the nightmare he’s lived. Watching him blow bubbles toward the tile wall, I silently vow to protect him with my life.
THIRTEEN
back to the crescent city
The three ofus sit in the living area of the beach house, mindlessly staring at the television. Alex has been next to me since getting out of the tub and sliding into an oversized T-shirt. I’ve kept my thoughts guarded, and I suspect Amelia is doing the same.
The sound of a car pulling under the house draws our attention. Alex sits up quickly. “They’re back.” He races out the front door, meeting them on the stairwell with Amelia and me behind him. “Did you find them?” he asks the lycan.
“No,” Topher answers for the group. The four of them are filthy, wearing rags for clothes, and covered in blood. “I’m sorry, bud.”
