The Dragon's Fate - Roxie Ray Page 0,59

space.”

“I can give you time and space,” I said. I just hoped and prayed that in time she didn’t decide to leave me for good. She got out of the truck, and my chest ached harder the farther away she got.

I remembered one more thing I hadn’t told her and jumped out of the truck as she shut the door on her car. “Bri!” I called.

She heard me and rolled down her window. “Yeah?”

I jogged over. “One more thing I almost forgot. Not intentionally.” I held up my arms.

With a tight smile, she nodded. “Accidental forgetfulness is forgivable.”

“Now that you know about all this, I can tell you, our clan witch said she gave Hayden a necklace?”

Bri’s brows furrowed, then her eyes widened in recognition. “The dragon. That old lady on the beach was a witch?”

“Well, Sammy’s not an old lady. Or she could be, actually, but she doesn’t look like one. She probably had a spell on to look like an old lady. Anyway, the necklace will protect Hayden from Damon. Make sure she wears it, okay?”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. “Well, I don’t think she’s taken it off. She wears it under her shirt because she says it feels warm and comfortable there. But I don’t know how I feel about her wearing something that has a spell in it.”

“You have my word, if you can still trust it, that there are no known problems relating to any of Sammy’s protection spells. I’ve never even heard of them going wrong. I have heard of them helping immensely. I’m not a witch or a scientist. I can’t say that the spell absolutely positively will not affect Hayden in any way. But I promise you I would eat my shoes if it did. I trust Sammy with my life and yours, and Hayden’s.”

She stared at me for a long second, then nodded. “I’ll risk it. She can wear it.”

I patted the top of the car and watched her pull out of the parking lot. My heart wanted to follow her, and the tugging in my chest made it feel like it was trying. But knowing that Hayden would wear the necklace made me feel marginally better.

Over the next few days, I knew I had to make peace with the choices I made. The first was my mother. After giving myself a couple of days to process, I went to see her and was incredibly relieved when she didn’t turn me away.

She was busy in the kitchen, cooking dinner, and it gave her an excuse to keep her back to me. A sure-fire sign that she was still terribly upset with me.

“I’m so sorry, Mom. After dropping the Bri bombshell on you, I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell you about Porter reaching out to me. I know now that was a mistake.”

“I’m not a child, Jace,” she said. “I can handle two bits of bad news at one time.”

“Not necessarily bad, either one. But the thing is, Mom, you knew about Porter? And you never told me.”

She sighed and finally turned to face me. “I never mentioned him because I wanted to protect you. I didn’t want you to know that your dad chose his first son and his mother over you and me. I didn’t want to build resentment between you and your brother even if I was envious of them for a while. Out of sight, out of mind. And I didn’t think Porter would ever find out about you. It’s been decades.” She sighed and put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry for not telling you that you had a brother. I’d wanted no further parts of your father’s life and Porter was the final connection to him.”

“Don’t forget that my father abandoned Porter and his mother as well. It wasn’t just us.”

She nodded. “I couldn’t say I was surprised when you told me that. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, even Porter’s mother after she forced the same outcome on us.”

“She’s dead,” I told her. “That’s why Porter knows about me. She told him on her deathbed.”

Mom moaned. “That poor child.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. Porter was hardly a child. But if Mom felt sorry for him, she’d accept him and maybe we could eke out some sort of relationship.

Over dinner, I updated her on what was going on with Bri. Her ex, the custody threat, and me telling her everything, as well as her reaction.

Mom bopped