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“I never went home. My mom said it would be too much for her to cope with.”

His hand covered hers and squeezed. “Then we’ll stay the night. The shock should’ve worn off by then, and hopefully they’ll leave us alone.”

“You have no idea.”

“Are your brothers coming, too?”

“I think they’ll all be there for dinner at least.”

“Great.”

He didn’t sound too rattled, but then he came from Fae royalty whose family gatherings were probably more terrifying and gory than she could even imagine. She stared out of the window at the rolling hills and the shady trees that covered them. By the summer, everything would be dry as dust and golden brown and ripe for a fire. Despite everything, visiting her parents was still an ordeal. How the hell was she supposed to have a relationship with the people who had dumped her in an all-year boarding school in Otherworld for empaths at the age of five? Sure, they’d done it to protect the rest of the family from the creatures who were magically drawn to her, but it still hurt.

And now she was bringing the Boy Wonder home with her…

“What do you want me to tell them about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Should I say you’re not human?”

“I am human.”

“About one percent, right?”

“More than that.” He clicked on his indicator and moved smoothly across the lanes toward the upcoming exit. “If you think they’ll be okay with it, you can tell them the truth.”

“I don’t know the truth.”

He glanced at her briefly, his black sunglasses shielding his eyes. “You know I’m related to Fae royalty. That’s usually enough to make people happy.”

“Maybe as one of your lame pick-up lines,” she grumbled. “My mom isn’t so easy to fool. She hates anything that’s different. She certainly hated me.”

“Hateis a rather strong word.”

“What else would you call it?”

“Fear? Worry? Love? Some people find it difficult to express their true feelings for those they love.”

She glared at him. “Is that a dig at me?”

“I thought we were talking about your mother.”

“So did I.”

“Well, let’s see how it goes. Maybe she’ll be so pleased to hear you’re going to survive that she won’t give a damn about me.”

“Humph. I hate it when you’re being nice.” She subsided into her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t sure what worried her most, telling her mom about her escape from madness or about her relationship with Vadim. If only they could avoid the party entirely…

* * *

“Ella!”

Her mom opened the door, and Ella submitted meekly to an awkward perfumed embrace. Her mom’s blond hair was short and spiky, her makeup perfect, and her velvet pantsuit emphasized her lean, well-exercised body. She always made Ella feel like such a frump. The house smelled of her mom’s overpowering floral scent. It always had. Apart from the addition of a pool, the sprawling ranch house in the neat subdivision of Walnut Creek her parents had bought in the eighties to house their growing family remained exactly the same.

“Happy birthday tomorrow, darling.”

“I brought Vadim. Is that okay?”