Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,261

a narrow corridor.

The smell of cooking food grew stronger the further we went and the sound of laughter drew a smile to my lips. This place wasn't just a house like the one we'd grown up in - it was an honest to fuck home. And I found I really liked the idea of my mom being here.

"Don't tease me, Kitty," Hamish Grus's rumbling voice carried to us from beyond the door at the end of the hall. "You have me drooling over here and I'm going to need a taste."

I wrinkled my nose, wondering if Geraldine's dad was fucking one of his staff then wondering why the fuck Geraldine was still walking right towards the door where the sound was coming from.

"You'll spoil the anticipation," Mom's voice came next and my frown deepened.

"You know I can't wait, I am such an impatient porcupine," Hamish groaned.

"Open your mouth then," Mom said with a soft laugh and I growled, shouldering past Geraldine with every intention to rip her father's head off. My mom had come here to escape lecherous old men, not fall prey to another one.

I threw the door open ahead of me, snarling loudly just as my gaze fell on my mom where she stood beside the oven and Hamish Grus who was sitting in a chair next to a wooden dining table laid out for five. He was a big man, thick with muscle with a shining bald head, a black handlebar moustache and bushy mutton chops which were certainly a choice. Though somehow he managed to pull the look off with an air of ‘I don’t give a fuck’.

He was leaning back in his chair and had his mouth open and Mom tossed him a bite of bread which he caught between his teeth like a dog, grinning widely as he chewed.

While I tried to figure out what the fuck I was witnessing, Mom turned to look at me with a squeal of excitement and darted across the room to pull me into a hug.

I remembered a beat too late to hug her back, smiling as she squeezed me tight and trying to adjust to the difference in her since she'd been freed from Father's control. My chest tightened at the thought of all of the years we'd missed out on. All of the love I'd been lacking while he kept her from me and my heart ached at the thought of it.

Xavier appeared beside me and she released me to hug him next before falling into a tirade of 'look how big you both are', 'oh and so muscular too', 'my tiny babies are bigger than me now', 'oh look how perfectly you shimmer in the light, Xavier', and so on. We just drank it in, grinning at her and letting her fuss and fucking loving it even while we pretended to groan and downplay her compliments.

She looked good. Damn good. Her complexion was richer, her eyes bright and full of life and her long, dark hair spilled down her back in waves. I'd never seen her looking like anything aside from the plastic perfection Father expected and it only made me realise how little we'd gotten the chance to know the woman she truly was. She was at home here, wearing a green apron over a sweater dress with a pair of fluffy socks on her feet and a smile bigger than I'd ever seen on her.

While we stole her attention, Hamish and Geraldine set to work dishing out a huge pot of stew with bread rolls, butter and bottles of wine with a homemade label which said they were made from the Gobblesome Grus Grapes which I was guessing indicated home brewed.

Mom ushered us to sit down at the round wooden table and we all filled our own plates, not a servant in sight. And from the easy way Hamish handled himself in the kitchen, I got the impression that that was the way it was here. It clearly wasn't like he lacked the funds for staff, but he seemed content to keep his home for his family and I found I really liked that.

"Thank you for this glorious and most splendiferous meal, Kitty Cat," Hamish said, smiling warmly at my mom as she took a seat beside him and beamed proudly.

"You know I was only able to cook it because you taught me, Hammy," she teased, smacking his arm playfully and batting her eyelashes before turning to watch me and Xavier take a