Where could they be? Why would she go after him? The flash of lights, the impact . . . “I was hit when I arrived. I had been in search of you and within minutes I was hit. I can’t remember what happened, but I was hit by something with two bright lights. A man came after me . . .” I frowned and put a hand to my head. The memories caused pain. “I managed to crawl to safety.” I turned to Anna. “I was drawn here. Something brought me toward you.”
Her face softened and she burrowed into me. “I felt it too. I knew I had to go out into the woods. I ignored it at the time, but looking back, I felt the Gravity too.” Her eyes widened and she smirked before turning to Marv. “So that’s why you were out of the barn again?”
Marv shrugged. “The longer I was in animal form, the more I forgot. But I could still sense my brother.”
“What are we going to do about Audrey? Do you think that family has her?” I asked.
“We have to hope we find her before they do,” Marv said grimly.
“And what about your m—Anna’s sister?” I asked him, feeling pity.
He grimaced. “We have to find our sister first.”
Anna spoke up. “We could go after Audrey and you could find my sister.” She paused, shaking her head. “Man, that sounds crazy to say.”
Marv frowned and looked to my mate. “You would do that for us?”
“Of course,” Anna said. “I’m part of the family now.” She lifted her chin as though she dared him to defy her.
I swept her into my arms and kissed her deeply. She smiled against my mouth.
“I need to find Faye. Now.” Marv glared at us, fists balled.
I pitied my brother. His drive to mate must be driving him mad. To have found his partner and then to lose her . . . the pain must be unbearable. The longer they remained separated the sharper the pain must be, like a metal spring being pulled taut; there was only so much time before it either broke or pulled them back together. I squeezed Anna tighter to me and she hugged me back. Her eyes met mine and she seemed to understand the magnitude of relief that swept over me.
“I love you,” she said. “It’s you and me now.”
“Forever.”
Anna stood and I followed. She turned toward my brother. “We are here to help. Tell us what you need. But first, put on some pants.”
17
Anna
I had been born with a family. I had grandparents, a dad, a freaking half-sister. Faye. I let my eyes wander around the living room, over my mate—as if that was an adequate word to describe how I felt about him and what he was to me—then over to my . . . brother-in-law? Warmth filled my heart. I had gained a lot tonight. But growing up as the only child of a single mother had been lonely, and I ached at the thought of what could have been.
I watched as Marv and Sam embraced, smiling tightly when Marv caught my eye. They headed to the porch. I did not follow them out. I was stuck right here with my mind racing. I needed answers. Why would my mother take me away from Stars Crossing? Why would she leave my sister behind? Was she given a choice?
“You wanna let me out of this cage?”
I spun around, almost tripping over my feet in my rush to the still-covered aviary. “Alf?”
“Unlock the cage, Anna.” I frowned at his lack of 1980’s slang and backed away.
“Sam?” I turned and ran for the front door just as Marv and Sam rushed back through.
“Don’t open it—” Marv shouted right as my trio of feline friends came flying down the stairs to hiss and spit at the cage. They never had liked Alf . . .
“What’s going on?” Sam pulled me into his chest, holding me tight, protecting me even though I could tell by the look on his face that even he didn’t know what was wrong.
“I have something to tell you.” Marv’s face was grim.
“Let me out, daughter of mine, and I’ll give you all the answers you are surely seeking,” came the squawk from the cage.
Ice filled my veins. My father was a parrot, locked up in my outer-space alien grandparent’s house in the middle of Nowheresville, USA. An involuntary and quite hysterical laugh escaped me. In one short night my life had become a comic book.
Happy fucking New Year to me . . .
My head swam as another wave of dizziness threatened to overwhelm me.
“Jean and your grandfather couldn’t bring themselves to neutralize him, even though he has broken every law we hold sacred.” Marv spat.
“What laws?” I asked.
“Mating without Gravity for one. He took what he wanted from the women of this planet with no regard or respect for our ways. Our kind are loyal. We mate for life and only when we are called to do so. He created enemies here by flouting our laws. He took many mates, then abandoned them. Sheriff Chuck Montgomery, for one, will not rest until he sees him dead. Your grandmother risked us all by keeping him alive, by hiding him in this house—”
“But how?”
Marv looked away, lost in his own memories. “Your half-sister shares a mother with your ex.”
The breath left my body in disgust until I did the family math and realized Charlie and I were not related by blood; we just shared a sister. Which meant that Mrs. Montgomery had, at some point, banged Alf the player parrot. Ew.
“Holy shit. I need to sit down.” I fanned my hand in front of my face. “I think I’ve had too much, Sam. This is just too much for me to deal with right now.” I squeaked. “My dad is a man-ho criminal parrot, okay? And your brother is a llama. You are an alien and, and, and—holy shit, Sam—I am half-alien parrot, for fuck’s sake! I need to sit down for a minute. Or maybe an hour. No, I need a drink. Or a nap. Or maybe I just need to— Oh my god! Are the cats my cousins, or maybe my aunties and uncles? What the hell, Sam?”
“No, they are just cats.” He exchanged a sideways look with Marv.
“Now is not the time to start telling me lies!” I shrieked as Roger, Spock and Jeff Bridges glared at the aviary from their position at our feet.
“Their lifestyle is not something we need to get into right now,” Marv shouted, gesturing to the cats. “Alf stays in the cage. I already know you won’t let me kill him and I have to find my mate!”
“God, I’m so sorry. I freaked out . . .” I was still freaking out, and probably would be freaking out for at least the rest of the month, but Marv didn’t need to know that. “You should go. Don’t let me stand in your way.”
“I will leave in the morning. I need time to gather supplies as well as regain the rest of my memories and stamina.”
“Okay . . .” I breathed. “Uh, I could make breakfast? Why isn’t Alf changing into a human-type form like you two did? But more importantly, am I going to turn into a bird?”
“Shape-shifting is just one of our inherent skills,” Sam informed me. “And your grandmother must have a ring hidden around here somewhere to keep him in the form he took last.”
“He’s trapped by a ring? That’s just flipping dandy—it’s so very Lord of the Rings. Do we have to find freaking Frodo and go to Mount Doom to cast it inside? Gah! Do I have inherent skills I need to know about?”