Page 133 of The Immortal’s Mark

“That’s good, I guess.”

She nods. “Your father was so charming when we met.”

Her gaze drifts to the treeline. A happy smile curls her lips. “And so easy to love once I got to know him.”

My heart clenches. “Then why did you leave?”

Her smile falls. “I had no choice. Ben’s father was relentless in his search for me.”

He was?

“What would have happened if he had found you?”

What was so bad that it made her abandon her husband and child?

Her lips press into a hard line, and pain flickers over her face. “He could’ve forced me back to the clan, and he would’ve taken you, too.”

A chill slides down my spine.

“I’d masked my powers.” A haunted shadow falls over her features. “I thought we were safe, but I was wrong.”

Sadness weighs on my chest. “What happened?”

“Someone from my past saw me at a store in Augusta,” she says, naming the capital of Maine. “She was a witch I knew in childhood. The moment she saw me, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she told the Nightsbane leaders of my location. I knew they would come for me.”

Her voice drops, as does her head. “So…I left.”

The words land heavily between us.

I don’t know what to think.

I understand her fear of returning to a controlling clan, but I can’t shake the idea that she could have done something else. There had to be a way for our family to stay together.

Why didn’t she try to stay with us?

Before I can ask, a loud crash erupts from inside the house, louder than any sound from the interrogations so far.

We both jump to our feet.

“Stay here,” my mother orders.

“It’s probably nothing,” I argue, even as my pulse spikes.

“Regardless. Don’t move. Please.”

She waits for my answer.

With a frown, I give a reluctant nod.

Then she disappears back into the house.

I step back until I’m pressed against the patio railing. I look down the backyard. There’s nothing.

Another crash sounds.

Louder.

This one is followed by shouts and the clear sound of fighting.