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Bailey had already knocked twice with no response at all, not that she actually expected one. Remi’s car wasn’t even here. After begging her to come so he could explain everything, he couldn’t even be bothered to be here.

“Hey, you looking for Remi?” Kiernan asked from his front door.

Bailey turned toward him and smiled. “Yes. He asked me to come by so he could explain a few things, and now he isn’t even here.”

“He’ll be back before long. Why don’t you come in and wait with us?”

“Where is he?”

“Brandt needed him. When Brandt needs us, we don’t keep him waiting. Remi asked me to keep an eye out for you, though.”

“You know what? I think I’ll just go on over to Tempest and Brandt’s house. If Brandt is with Remi, Tempest is alone and I could really use a little girl time.”

“Sounds good. If you change your mind, the door’s open here.”

“Thanks, Kiernan. Appreciate it.”

“You want me to take you over there?”

Bailey kind of thought it was a weird offer, since she was in her own car, but didn’t point it out. “No thanks, I got my car,” she said, gesturing toward it.

“See you later, then,” Kiernan said.

Bailey smiled and nodded, then watched as Kiernan opened his door and went back inside his house.

She watched for only a moment before she did exactly what she said she was going to do.

She got in her car and drove over to Tempest’s house.

When she got there, Tempest was standing at the foot of the steps waiting for her.

Bailey turned off her car and gathered her purse before getting out and walking toward Tempest. “Hey. I know you’re not waiting on me,” she said jokingly.

“Actually, I am.”

“How? I didn’t call to let you know I was coming.”

“Kiernan let me know.”

“Oh, I should have guessed that Kiernan would call you.”

“Yeah, something like that. Come on in, let’s talk,” Tempest said, looping her arm across Bailey’s shoulder.

Bailey slipped her arm around Tempest’s waist and together they went up the stairs. “I really, really tried to keep it all to myself.”

“Why? You know I’m here for you, don’t you?”

“I also know you’re ready to pop pregnant, and miserable.”

“That’s not going to change until I actually have the little critter. Until then, it’s just part of my new mystique,” Tempest said dramatically, raising her chin dramatically and fluttering her eyes.

Bailey laughed. “How are you feeling? Any updates about the due date?”

“That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. We aren’t really sure about the due date. We’re just kind of playing by instinct until the baby decides it’s time.”

“That doesn’t sound good. Is there something wrong?”

“Not with me, or the baby. We just don’t know how long it will take. But I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“For not being honest with you from the beginning.”

“About what?”

“Me,” Tempest said, opening her door and waving Bailey in.

Bailey stepped inside Tempest’s house and Tempest followed her in, closing the door behind herself. “Want some ice cream?”

“Ice cream sounds really good. But I’m more concerned with the fact that you’re confusing the hell out of me.”

“I have buttered pecan, vanilla, cherry vanilla, and chocolate. What kind do you want?”

“Why do you have so much ice cream?” Bailey asked laughingly. “And you’re skipping right over the hard part.”

“I’ll explain it, I promise. And the ice cream… I get it from my grandfather. Though he favors chocolate, and I love the vanilla and the buttered pecan. We used to share a bowl every evening when I was little. It’s not only delicious, it makes me feel closer to him.”

“Aw, I didn’t even think about that. You’re missing your family back home because the baby is coming soon.”

“I am. But I’m hoping they’ll come for the birth.”

“Of course, they will.”

“Maybe. My mother and father will, I’m sure. I’m not sure about my grandparents, but we’ll see.”

“Are they elderly? It’s hard for them to travel?” Bailey asked, trying to be understanding.

“Oh, they’re old, but that’s not the problem. They get around just fine; they’re just not much on leaving home.”

“Okay. But surely they’ll want to come meet your baby,” Bailey said, her reply showing her confusion.

“Maybe. Might not be possible. Here, have some chocolate,” Tempest said, handing her a huge bowl of ice cream.

“Thanks. Why wouldn’t your grandparents come to meet your baby?”

“Eventually, they would. I’d bring the baby to them if I had to, but it might be a little while.”

Bailey took a bite of her ice cream and watched Tempest thoughtfully. “That bothers you, though. I can see it.”

“Yeah. I’m hoping we can work it all out for them to be here. I want them to see my home, and to meet everyone in my life. I want to share a piece of my life with them.”

“Just tell them that. I’m sure they’ll make it a point to come. I don’t think it would be a big deal for them once they know what it means to you, especially if they can get around as well as you say.”

Tempest smiled at Bailey. “I love you, you know that, right? And what I’m going to tell you does not change me from who I was the day I met you, or who I’ve been since.”

“You’re my best friend, Tempest. I love you. But you’re making me a little nervous.”

“I’m sorry. I just know that this is really going to be a lot. I put it off for Remi to tell you, thinking I’d fill in my parts after, but he hasn’t gotten around to it, so it falls back on me, and now it looks bad because I’ve waited so long.”

“Tempest…”

“Okay, here goes. What I mean about my grandparents is that my grandmother is stronger than any other human woman I’ve ever met.

She’s level headed, courageous and has a soul as big as anything you can imagine.

She says each time she tells the story that my grandfather saved her, but the way he tells it, she saved him. I kind of tend to believe him.”

“Aw, that’s so romantic.”

“Yeah, but he means it literally. He’s a Gargoyle, so old even he doesn’t know exactly how old he is.

He is obviously not human. He’s got to be careful so that humans don’t see him.

Every human has always feared him, except for my grandmother.

She loved him when every other living creature feared him — except for Uncle Enthrall — he didn’t fear him, and neither did Uncle Lore, but that’s another whole story.

Let’s stick to the basics for now.” Tempest paused and took a bite of ice cream, her eyes closing while she savored the flavor before opening them again and smiling at Bailey.

Bailey just looked at her, stupefied. “I think I need to call Brandt. How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Nausea?”

“No. I’m good.”

“You just told me your grandfather is a Gargoyle. I’m calling Brandt.”

“Why? He knows.”

“And he doesn’t think it’s strange that you believe that?”

“He did at first, because despite everyone he’d ever met, no one in his family had ever met a Gargoyle.

But now he gets it. He met my Uncle Destroy when he came after me when I left during Christmas.

And then he met my grandfather himself — who by the way threatened to skin him.

Destroy just kept taunting him and not telling him where to find me. ”

“Destroy?” Bailey asked.

“Yes.”

“What kind of name is Destroy?”

“A Gargoyle name. My grandfather’s name is Carnage.

And I have another uncle named Murder, who’s also a Gargoyle.

Enthrall is a Vampire, Lore is, well, he’s one of the ancients, and is the most powerful being I know, other than my mother.

She took on most of his powers and all of his brother’s when his brother died so that the world would be balanced.

My father, though, is a Dragon. Well, a Dragon shifter.

He’s an original to be fair, so he has some of the healing tendencies that some of the originals did, but Remi doesn’t have the healing tendencies.

I do think that he’s got a touch of an Empath in him, though.

He’s very sensitive.” Tempest paused to focus on Bailey for a moment.

Bailey sat speechlessly staring at Tempest. Finally she reached for her purse, dug out her phone and started scrolling for Brandt’s number.

“Bailey, put the phone down,” Tempest said.

“I will. Just want to drop a quick message to Brandt,” Bailey said.

Tempest lifted a hand and gestured toward the phone with her fingers. The phone lifted from Bailey’s hands and floated across the room to land on the kitchen table.

Bailey’s gaze remained on the phone, though her eyes widened almost comically.

“Bailey, I am not human. My family, other than my grandmother, is not human. Brandt is not human. His family are all shifters. His mother is a human, his father is a Bear shifter, and he’s a Bear shifter.

Barron is a hybrid, his mother is a Dragon shifter, his father is a Bear shifter and while he shifts into a Bear, he’s got a lot of the traits of his mother, too.

Havoc and Hellen are Wolf shifters though their mother is a Lion shifter and I think Hellen gets a lot of her attitude from her mother, Analise is a Fox shifter, like her mother, Emmalyn is a Bear shifter like her dad.

Remi’s father is a Dragon shifter, and his mother is human. ”

“You’re honestly sitting here telling me none of you are human…”

“Most of us have a little human lineage in us, but we’ve got paranormal backgrounds as well. The thing I want you to remember is that we’re just as much people as you are. We just have a little extra umph.”

Bailey’s eyes moved over to her phone still lying on the kitchen table.

“I’ll give it back to you if you stop trying to call Brandt. He and the others are trying to save Hellen. They won’t answer anyway, and I don’t want him distracted while he’s doing something dangerous. Once he let’s me know he’s on the way home, if you want to contact him you’re welcome to.”

Bailey shifted her gaze to Tempest.

Tempest gestured toward Bailey’s phone and it returned to her hand.