Kindra stepped into the living room and found Anthony and Gerard there. Gerard smiled coldly. “What did you find?”
Her only choice to keep them out of her head was to make it clear she was on their side. And the only way she knew to do that was to give them what they would need to find Cora and Anders.
She held up the registration and insurance information from the car outside the empty house. It belonged to Druciela Blackwood, who had an address in Edenton, Washington.
“Cora isn’t there. Neither is whoever she showed the house to. I’m sure it was a witch. However, I have a place to start. I know who the car belongs to, and where the car is registered.”
“No loyalty to Cora?” Gerard asked.
She smiled coldly, though her stomach sank. “My loyalty is to my family, as it should be.”
“You considered Cora a friend. You were distressed when I mentioned you would become what I am.” Gerard moved closer.
“Too late to wish for things I can’t change. And a new home, a new face, a new start sounds perfect.” Her stomach churned to say it, but what choice did she have? She needed time to figure out what to do for her son.
“You’ll find it’s easy to move on when you take that approach.”
“I needed a bit to accept the inevitable. But I love you and I’ll follow you wherever we wind up.”
He nodded. “Good, because I believe Edenton will be the perfect place to settle. There is a large werewolf pack, and one of the enforcers fits Anders’ description. Mark Wellings.”
Of course he would change his name. He’d tried to convince Kindra to run away with him, become someone else. And she almost chose Anders, and that life, but Gerard swayed her. She’d been so terribly weak. Could she be strong now? Whatever happened to her, she needed to give her son a chance to have a real life, not the fake one she’d lived the last fifty years.
Edenton. That must be where the blond woman was from. And now they were werewolves and mated. He cared for her, and she him. She missed that. Gerard craved Kindra, but it wasn’t the same as what she’d once felt for Anders.
Her head was a mess. Some parts felt real, others not even slightly. She spent an hour in that empty house, reaching for her real memories, the real feelings. She’d been weak, letting other people push her around. Anders was the only one who ever accepted her for her, and never tried to change her. Not until he wanted to run away with her, and even then, he wasn’t trying to change her.
Regret filled her, but she had to force it down and pretend nothing was wrong. It wasn’t as easy, but Gerard needed to believe. So did Anthony, and the rest of them.
“Now what?” she asked.
“We convince Valen to check out Edenton. We want him to look around, find out who lives there, what types of Others. Numbers, and what the town looks like. He can’t know the whole story, so if someone suspects him, he has nothing incriminating to tell.”
Nodding slowly, an idea started to form. But she had to ask. “What about Cora? Seems the person checking out the house was from Edenton. Perhaps Anders has figured something out and he’s now looking for us, and for a way to stop you.”
“Stop us,” Gerard countered.
“Us,” she repeated. Though now that her head was clearing, she wanted to pull away from Gerard, even if it cost her life. She couldn’t let that monster destroy Anders again. And she wouldn’t lose her son when he changed into something else. Not to mention the coven. She wouldn’t be responsible for the death of all of them.
To change the subject, she asked, “Hungry?”
“Starving,” Gerard answered.
* * * *
Robert watched Gina and Mark leave. Then he turned to Druciela. “You should both stay in Liz’s cabin. It’s isolated from the rest of the world. You will be untrackable.”
“I’ll go with them,” Morrigan offered. “Besides, I have a feeling Druciela will be able to help when Gina is ready to give birth. There are things she’ll need to know first.”
Cora shook her head. “You make it sound like that might only be days away.”
“It will be days away,” Morrigan answered. “This isn’t a normal pregnancy. She is not just a werewolf, but this birth will make her whole again.”
“I don’t understand,” Cora answered.
“You don’t need to, but perhaps you can learn with Druciela?”
“You can call me Dru,” she offered.
Cora smiled sadly. “Will she let me help? Gina?”
Dru nodded. “She will. And she’ll accept you more quickly than you’d think. She just needs a bit of time. That’s all.”
Cora glanced away. “I should have listened to him all those years ago.”
“But you were afraid?” Dru asked.
“Yeah, I was.”
Morrigan smiled. “So prove to them both you not only believe Mark, but you want to be there to help when things get strange for both of them. Because things will be.”
“What are you talking about?” Dru asked.
“I can’t give the future away. I can only help you prepare for it,” Morrigan answered.
Robert held out his arms. “Touch me and we can go. You’ll both be safe, and Morrigan can teach you what you need to know.” Though he seemed perplexed.