Chapter 18

Katherine POV

I sat on my bed, scrolling through my phone and watching the notifications flood in. The photos of me with Lance at that upscale Portland restaurant were spreading faster than wildfire. My stomach tightened as I imagined Mary's reaction when she saw them. A mother enraged that her daughter was seen with her ex-boyfriend—a nightlife celebrity and ancient vampire, though she only knew the former.

My phone buzzed with another message from Jasmine.

Jasmine: \[Who is he??? Everyone's talking about it!\]

I sighed and typed back: \[Hey Jasmine. Just got home, saw your messages. Can we talk tomorrow at school?\]

Jasmine: \[Can you just tell me who he is? Simple answer.\]

Me: \[My mom's ex-boyfriend. My favorite one, actually. That's it.\]

Jasmine: \[He looks really young.\]

Me: \[Those are questions I don't want to answer. I'll tell you everything tomorrow. Goodnight.\]

I tossed my phone aside and grabbed my shower caddy. The hot water barely lasted five minutes, but it was enough to wash away the day's tension. When I returned to my room wrapped in a towel, Mary was sitting on my bed, reeking of alcohol.

"What do you want?" she slurred, her bloodshot eyes narrowing.

I clutched my towel tighter. "What the fuck were you doing with Lance?"

"We had dinner downtown." Her lips curled into a provocative smile.

"You know I hate that bastard."

"And you know I don't." She swayed slightly, words tumbling out in a drunken cascade. "I like him. I like him more than any man you've brought home. So fuck you. You can't stop me from seeing him."

Her palm connected with my cheek before I could react, striking directly across my self-stitched wound. I felt the sutures tear, warmth trickling down my face as blood began to flow. The FIRE ability surged beneath my skin, heat coursing through my veins as my fingertips tingled dangerously.

Blood dripped onto the worn floorboards as I stared at her, narrowing my eyes while fighting for control.

"Get out of my room. Now." My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

"You deserved that," she muttered, wobbling on unsteady feet.

I grabbed her wrist, careful to restrain my true strength, and pushed her toward the door. Once she stumbled across the threshold, I slammed and locked the rickety door behind her.

Pacing the cramped space of my bedroom, I focused on my breathing, willing the FIRE inside me to subside. When I could finally think clearly, I dragged the first aid kit from beneath my bed, pulling out needle and thread.

"What do you want?" I asked without turning toward the window, sensing Caspian watching me.

"Making sure you're okay. I saw the photos. I know who Lance is. Figured Mary would lose it." Jasper climbed through my window with elfin grace, retrieving a small mirror from my dresser so I could see to repair my stitches.

"I was actually out there a while. Just waited until you calmed down. Don't need you FIRE-ing me into a million pieces."

"She's lucky I didn't do that to her," I muttered, my fingertips still faintly glowing.

Jasper leaned against the wall. "Why is Lance in Portland?"

"I don't know. He says he came to see me. But he mentioned he wouldn't be free until after seven tomorrow evening. Makes me think he'll be busy at his nightclub until then."

"You know you need to be careful. You don't really know why he's in East Portland."

I threaded the needle with practiced efficiency. "You think I didn't consider that during dinner downtown? I know his timing in Portland is too convenient."

"Mary doesn't know what he really is? That he's an ancient vampire?"

"Mary doesn't even know what I really am. How would she know who he is?" I started carefully restitching my cheek.

"I don't know. Maybe she pays more attention to her nightclub boyfriends than her daughter."

"Don't worry. She knows nothing about the supernatural world in Portland."

I tied off the last stitch and cut the thread. "Will you try to find out why he's in Portland?"

"I will after I get back to the elf safehouse. I'll contact Daisy." Caspian helped me put away the first aid kit in my closet before we spent some time discussing the Portland Northern Pack situation. Eventually, he slipped back out the window, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Rain tapped against the glass as I pulled out my sketchbook, pencil moving almost unconsciously as Samuel's face took shape on the page. I recalled seeing a different side of him today—his usually stern features softening when he looked at me, his brow unfurrowing as he relaxed in my presence.

It was somewhat comforting to know that Samuel didn't seem to reject the idea of me being his mate, even though I had to pretend I didn't know about our connection. I knew Alpha Griffin would try to keep the triplets away from me, especially thinking I was just an ordinary East Side girl, but that seemed more impossible now than ever.

I couldn't help worrying about Lance's appearance in Portland. His timing—right when I was here to protect the triplets from the Pure Blood Alliance—couldn't be coincidental. I remembered how Lance had dated Mary to get close to me years ago, and wondered if his interest in my mother had only ever been a way to monitor me.

My MIND ability told me that Lance didn't fully understand my true identity, but I still couldn't figure out why he was in Portland now, or how he knew about my connection to the triplets.

Either he was here to work against me, or he thought my presence in Portland was coincidental and wanted to protect me from the Pure Blood Alliance. I would need to find out what Lance knew and where he stood in Portland's supernatural community—and I couldn't rely solely on Caspian's investigation.

I had to do this myself.