Page 20 of Spark (Damselverse #2)
Chapter twenty
Zara
I t took several days, but the mother cat finally let me pet her. Just a small rub behind the ear, but she let me make contact.
Maybe Nolan is right. Perhaps we can rehabilitate her.
She still keeps her distance, but whenever one of the kittens comes towards me, she stays back.
The kittens are extremely playful and curious, getting into all kinds of chaos. The boy currently plays with one of his toys as I dangle it above his head.
Soon, his sisters get involved, and now all three kittens jump into the air, trying to catch the little fluffy toy that hangs off the string.
I laugh every time they flip into the air, and they really are cute. I’ve already given them names, too.
The kittens are Blaze, Ember, and Enya. The mother I have named Seraphina.
They have names that all pertain to fire in some way. I’m sure Nolan will be pleased when he returns home later.
He just had to head out to the shelter to do some work.
Dacre is MIA, and I am seeing less and less of that Alpha lately.
My heart sinks. Maybe he isn’t happy about my lying in the end after all. Even if he did say he was fine about it, he has still kept his distance.
I don’t want things to be tense between us. He saved my life. I owe that Alpha everything.
There comes a knock at the door. I expect the kittens to scatter, but they’re too engrossed in the toy to take notice.
Seraphina keeps calm, but her ears do jerk toward the sound.
I clear my throat. “Come in.”
Finally, the door opens, and Xavier pops his head inside the room. “Hey there, love.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “Hi.
I’m glad things haven’t changed between us. In fact, things have improved since I have been honest with them.
“Wait… or should I call you Zara now?” he asks with a smirk.
My answering laugh echoes through the room. “Either is fine with me.”
He smiles and steps inside, shutting the door behind him. Now he crosses his arms, leaning against the wall. “And there I was, thinking you hated being called Love.”
I did. At first. But the name has grown on me. Besides, he makes it sound so hot with that accent.
Which reminds me…
“So, what's England like? I’ve always wanted to go—”
“Shit.”
Well, he wasted no time there. “It can’t be all that bad.”
He sighs. “Trust me, love. It is pretty shit. It rains all the fucking time. Especially in Northern England. When it's winter, it’s fucking shit. When it’s summer… It's hot as Satan’s ball sac.”
A bark of laughter escapes me, and all the cats jump.
Xavier hikes a brow. “What did I say?”
“Satan’s ball sac? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Brits complain when it's cold and then when it’s hot. That’s all you need to know. But in all honesty… It’s a good place. It was my home after all. “
I meet his gray eyes. “Do you miss it?”
He shuts his eyes. “Sometimes, but I have a pack here now. I still keep in contact with my family there.”
“With your parents, you mean?”
His adoptive parents.
“Yes. And my sister, too.”
My eyes sparkle. “You have a sister?”
He nods. “After they adopted me… mum got pregnant. That was after she was told that she couldn’t have kids of her own.”
“What’s her name?”
“Xaylee.”
“With an X… like yours?”
He grins, showing his teeth. “That’s right.”
Wow. I’m learning so much about him—the Wolf’s twin.
Their differences couldn’t be any more paramount. Xavier came from a good home, and when he talks about his family, there’s no missing the sadness in his eyes.
“Xaylee is just a year younger than me. As a result, we're pretty close."
“Well, I would love to meet her one day.”
Xavier chuckles. “Perhaps you can. She comes here sometimes. She loves to travel.”
A sigh leaves me as I start thinking about my own family. As I wiggle the string, the cats jump again.
Xavier guffaws. “Fuck… that was hilarious.”
“I know. I’ve already given them names.”
His brows raise. “Care to share?”
I smile, pointing at the boy. “That’s Blaze. The little girl here is Enya, and this one is Ember. And the mother is Seraphina.”
Now I direct my hand toward the mother. She’s pretty relaxed now that she's realized Xavier means no trouble, yet she remains on high alert.
Hopefully, I can have her purring and sleeping on my lap one day.
My grandma was always good with cats. She would have had her purring in seconds.
“So, Zara… do you have family? Other than my bastard twin, of course.”
I wince when Xavier mentions the Wolf, then sigh. We can’t just go on as if he doesn’t exist. Sooner or later, we need to talk about him.”
“I… I did… a grandmother.”
Xavier’s eyes burn molten as his face becomes as hard as stone. “What happened to her?”
My eyes sting, and I turn away so I can wipe away a tear. “She… died.”
I don’t tell him that the Wolf killed her. Well, he never specified what he did with her. But it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
Xavier is absolutely still. After a few moments, he approaches my side, sitting down on the floor beside me.
His hand reaches out, grabbing my own. His thumb caresses my knuckles. “Zara… there is something you need to know.”
I wipe another tear, looking up. His eyes are focused on something I can’t see as a low growl vibrates in his chest.
Surprisingly, the cats don’t sense the threat. The kittens just continue playing while the mother watches.
The Alpha turns his head, meeting my eyes. His face cracks. “Nolan didn’t want me to tell you. But you have a right to know. Dacre went to spy on my brother… and he saw something.”
My heart pounds, and I stop wiggling the ball and string. The kittens still bat at it regardless. “What… what did he see?”
My hair rises on end.
“An Omega. One about your height and build. Only difference was that she was some years older than you.”
His words don’t register at first. When they finally do, I lick my lips, asking, “Such as… a lady in her seventies?”
He nods, face grave.
My head spins, but then I get to my feet, marching out of the room.
Xavier is right behind me. “Zara.”
Once I find the phone that Nolan bought for me beside my nest, I dial his number.
It's time I got to the bottom of this.
If there is the slightest chance that my grandma is still alive, then I am going to take it.