Page 129 of Monster Daddies

His eyes also went wide as he tripped over his own foot, but I caught him and kept him upright as I tried to help him walk faster. “Your mother?”

Well, at least I knew he was processing what I’d said.

“Yes. She’s… persistent and nosy and I’m supposed to say well-meaning according to my father.” I disagreed with thatassessment but I’d promised to include it. “I’d say run but somehow I think she’s tracking us.”

Alton swallowed hard and walked slightly faster. “Um, is that a skill your people are good at?”

“No.” I knew he meant magically good at, but I shook my head. “Our species is good at blending into our surroundings and something about our magic effects how humans see us. Most of the time it gives us a more animalistic look that is supposed to have been a combination of magical and evolutionary adaptation.”

Magic was fascinating but generally unpredictable.

My mother on the other hand was very predictable.

“What are you up to?” She must’ve been running because the crazy woman was nearly out of breath as she came power walking around a curve and caught up to us on the trail. “Oh, you have company. That’s nice.”

And not a surprise at all based on how she was studying Alton.

She pretended otherwise, though, as she smoothed down her bathrobe of all things and smiled widely at Alton. “I’m Ramina. It’s nice to meet you…?”

She was as subtle as a bull as she turned the statement into a question to get his name.

Alton must’ve been shocked by the nearly seven-foot female charging at him in her bathrobe, but he didn’t show it. It was probably the ridiculousness of the situation but he managed to hold out his hand and smile as he blinked at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Did he know she’d been hinting for his name?

“Mom. Are you alright?” She looked ridiculous as she shook his hand like they were meeting over tea. “Are you lost?”

Where was my father?

She rolled her eyes like I was being silly. “Oh you. I was just out for a walk.”

In her bathrobe and my father’s shoes?

How had she found us?

“It’s a lovely evening for that.” Alton looked like he’d fallen back on customer service manners and I couldn’t help picturing him asking her if she’d found everything she’d been looking for. “It seems easy to get turned around, though.”

Exactly.

“Do you need help getting pointed in the right direction?” Because she couldn’t have thought tracking me down was a good idea. “Is Dad out with you?”

She’d clearly slipped her keeper.

Before she could figure out a way to answer that, my father decided to help, running up behind her. “For fuck’s sake, woman. Those are my shoes.”

Great.

My father was at least wearing real clothes to go with my mother’s slippers. Alton was just blinking at them like he’d never seen a Bigfoot in a flowered bathrobe or bunny slippers before.

It really was amazing we didn’t make the news more.

“I found Malik.” She said it like it was a surprise. “He’s out for a walk too. With a… friend?”

Alton was still just blinking, so I decided it was my problem to solve since they were my crazy. “I’m sure you’ll understand that we can’t stay around and talk. Have a nice walk, but you might want to do something about your shoes or you’re both going to end up with blisters.”

Sometimes I wondered how I was related to either of them.

I wasn’t sure if Alton would move on his own, but I was grateful when all it took was stepping back from them for his legs to start working. He managed to wave in their direction but hedidn’t seem sure what to say because he was very quiet… quiet enough for us to hear what she said as we walked away.