I gave him a sharp look, realizing once again how different Jordan was from the man I'd thought he was.
"You should stay with me," Jordan said, as he started walking. "Safer that way. Don't worry, I have a huge house. We don't even need to see each other if we don't want to."
"Okay," I said, relieved I wouldn't be stuck in that prison-turned-house I'd shared with Mira. Although I might have some clothes there, at least, along with that nice shampoo they'd gotten me. I'd have to take a little detour there later, once I'd had a chance to rest.
True to his word, Jordan's house was massive, the kind of grand mansion you'd expect the Leo alpha to own. There was even a fountain outside, along with lush green grass that must cost a fortune to water in this climate. Like the other buildings, it was done in a Southwestern style, but it was the biggest one I'd seen yet, with balconies that looked over the entire village.
"This was my father's—Dixon's—house," Jordan said, as we approached. "I should probably burn it down too, but my mom likes it."
"What happened to your mom after that night?" I asked.
"She wasn't the most popular woman, as you might guess." He reached down and grabbed a key from under the mat. "I have no idea where she is now though. Nor my brother, for that matter."
Griffin, I remembered, my brain supplying the name of Jordan's little brother, who was also my half-brother. I wanted to meet him someday.
As we stepped inside the huge entryway with big pillars and pale marble floors, Jordan staggered a little and almost tripped. I caught him with my arm, and when my hand came away bloody, I realized he was much worse off than I'd realized.
"Are you badly hurt?" I asked, trying to examine him, but then my heart sank. Even if he was, there was nothing I could do about it anymore. I no longer had Ophiuchus healing powers.
"I'm fine," he said, feebly pushing me away.
“Come on,” I said, wrapping an arm around him to help him inside. “You need to rest up.” I also wanted time to sit down and think about everything that happened, but I had to get Jordan to bed first. I needed to remain strong, just for this time.
He directed me to the many guest rooms, telling me I could have my choice of them, and then we made it to his room. The place looked like such a typical Leo bachelor pad that I rolled my eyes, with black sheets and gold everything. The only thing that stood out was a raggedy little lion that I guessed had belonged to him as a kid, along with a collage of him and his brother when they were younger, riding dirt bikes out in the desert. I studied their huge toothy smiles for a moment, before Jordan shooed me out of his room, assuring me he was totally fine.
I took the biggest guest room in the house, because why not? The bed had hunter-green sheets that made me think of the Ophiuchus forest and a little seating area with a couple of old books and some fake flowers on the table. I imagined Debra in here setting it up and wondered where she was now, and if she was worried about her oldest son.
Well, I'd done my best to keep him safe, even though it had cost me everything I loved. I only prayed I hadn't made the wrong choice.
CHAPTER THIRTY
In the morning, I went to the house where I'd been held prisoner in the Leo village and recovered everything I wanted from the place. Jordan and I raided as much food as we could find in the village, filling the freezer and pantry with things that had been left behind by the rest of the pack. Then we settled in to wait.
There wasn't much to do, and we found ourselves playing board games or watching TV to pass the time. I wanted to wallow, but that wasn't an option. I wondered how the Ophiuchus pack and our allies were doing as they prepared for the Convergence, and felt a pang of longing, wishing I was back in Toronto instead of here with Jordan.
After a few days, we got an unexpected visitor: my mother.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as I opened the door for her. When a knock had sounded on the door, Jordan and I had both launched into defensive positions, ready to defend against anything and anyone. The last person I'd expected to see on the other side of the door was my mother. "How did you find me?"
"That tattoo on your finger," she said, as she breezed into the mansion. "It allows me to find you whenever I need to. Did you really think I would miss your birthday?"
I stared at her. Surely she remembered the date of my real birthday—or was she just as confused by time in this world as I was in Lunatera? "My birthday is in March."
She blinked at me. "No, it's not. Who told you that? Harrison?" She blew out a breath and shook her head. "That fool. No, your actual birthday is December sixteenth.”
Another thing he lied to me about. And for what purpose? Just to be horrible to me?
But then shock rolled through me, along with a pang in my chest If my birthday was today, that would mean I was really and truly an Ophiuchus. The thought only brought back the sadness and made it even more intense. I bit my lip to hold back tears and forced a smile. "I had no idea, but I'm glad you're here."
She wrapped her arms around me and I closed my eyes tight against the sting of tears and just let her hold me for a moment, before she pulled back. She was looking over my shoulder at Jordan, and flashed him a smile.
"Hello," she said, then smiled at me again. "Is this Kaden? I'm so excited to meet him finally."
Heat filled my cheeks, and I exchanged a wary glance with Jordan. "No, this is my brother. Jordan."
Celeste opened and closed her mouth a few times, obviously shocked by this knowledge. “Are the two of you still mates?”
"Unfortunately, yes. We tried to break the mate bond, but it didn't work. We need a full Sun Witch, apparently. But at least Larkin was able to mute the bond, for the time being, so neither of us really feel it.”
"I see." She studied Jordan for a few seconds. “You have Harrison's eyes,” she pronounced eventually. “For better or for worse.”
Jordan looked down, clearly uncomfortable with this statement. The look on his face was grim, but he didn't try to refute it.
Celeste shook her head and looked back at me. “How is Larkin doing? Is she settling into the human world well? I think about her every day.”
“Yes, she's fine. She found a place in the pack very quickly as a teacher, something I'm sure you're not surprised about. She's been training the shifters with Moon Witch blood to fight, and is staying with the Ophiuchus pack.” I paused and then added, "Don't worry. Larkin is more than able to take care of herself, she knows what she's doing.”
"But what are you doing here? In this empty town?"
"It's a long story," I said. "Maybe we should discuss it over some tea."
"I'd like that," Celeste said.
The two of us sat down in the kitchen and I told her everything that had happened. It felt good to talk it out, and my mother listened without judgment to the entire story. Jordan stayed away the entire time, giving us some privacy.
When I was done, she opened her arms to me once more, and I let her fold me into a hug. The first one had been brief out of necessity, but this time she let me stay as long as I wanted.