Page 49 of The Bookseller and the Alpha (Witch Twins #1)

Calypso

My shuddering breaths eased. With a gentle touch and a few words, Luc had taken the anxiety away.

After he restarted the car, he turned on some soothing music and although he’d taken his hands off my face so he could drive, he kept touching me regularly, brief touches on my wrist or my thigh.

And I didn’t spiral again. Somehow he was keeping me grounded with those little touches.

With his words. “You’re perfect,” he’d said.

I committed the warm tone of his voice to memory.

But when Luc turned the car into a tree-lined driveway, even his Alpha voodoo couldn’t stop my nerves beginning to flutter again.

I tried to give myself a pep talk. I could do this.

He wasn’t bringing me to meet his parents, not in that way.

I was only here because we need his dad’s help in decoding the journal.

That was all. I could fly under the radar and everything would be fine.

When he pulled the car to a stop, I looked around in surprise.

This was not the sort of house I expected the former President to live in.

I expected a grand mansion with a whole pile of bedrooms, a pool and a tennis court.

If not more. Instead, I saw a cute timber cottage with a wraparound porch and an attached garage.

It was small and at least one hundred years old.

While it had been lovingly maintained, there was nothing flashy about it at all.

“Your parents live here?” My voice betrayed my doubt.

Luc’s lips tipped up in a smile as if he could read my mind.

“They lived in the Palace because it came with the job, but it wasn’t the lifestyle they wanted for themselves.

As soon as mum stepped down, they moved here.

” One of his large hands moved to cover mine and he squeezed it gently. “Trust me?”

Swallowing, I nodded. It was true. I did trust him.

I barely blinked and Luc was out of the car, moving at Shifter speed around the hood to open my door.

As he helped me out, I looked towards the house, seeing an older man waiting on the porch.

His hair was threaded with grey but there could be no doubt that he was Luc’s father.

They shared the same nose and chin, the same build.

Before I knew what was happening, Luc threaded his hand into mine and was tugging me forwards.

I moved forward automatically, still processing what I could see in front of me.

My steps faltered. Luc’s dad shared Luc’s height and he was clearly a strong man, despite his age.

And I recognised him. I had seen photos of him on every copy of Introduction to Magic I had ever sold.

This was Simon Renfrew. The world’s foremost authority on magic and a retired Professor at the Witch College.

No wonder his dad was going to be able to help with the journal.

Luc hadn’t shared anything about his parents.

I knew who his mother was, because it had been national news when his brother followed their mother’s steps into politics.

And Luc had told me that Bastien Bowden was his brother.

In Shifter tradition, they had their mother’s surname.

But otherwise, the topic hadn’t come up.

And I’d never seen photos of Luc’s parents together.

During his mother’s Presidency, she only ever faced the press alone.

Shifter news stations wouldn’t print personal stories about the President without permission, because they understood and respected Shifter rules.

Non-Shifter media respected that a breach of a Shifter’s privacy could lead to being disembowelled with six-inch-long claws.

Which was a pretty big disincentive. So Shifter public figures had much more privacy than humans.

Paparazzi didn’t follow them around. But that wasn’t the only reason my head was spinning.

Simon took an eager step forward, the movement lacking the fluidity and grace that characterised his son’s movement.

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit . Luc’s dad was absolutely, totally, one hundred percent human.

I mean, he had to be. Shifters couldn’t cast magic.

Shifters were inherently magical creatures.

Their magic gave them speed, strength, regeneration and the ability to shift.

Obviously. But they couldn’t cast magic.

Only humans had that type of magical power.

Luc’s mother had been the Council President as the Shifter party representative for three terms and her mate was a human mage.

Altogether, this information was a revelation.

It was as though my whole world had tilted.

The butterflies in my stomach were turning cartwheels of joy.

Sudden hope was a jolt to my system. The doubts I’d harboured about Luc’s intentions started to fade.

I mean, yes, there was still the shock that he wanted me , but the fact that I was human—maybe it wasn’t the problem I’d thought it was.

I stopped moving. Even as I tugged on Luc’s hand, he was already turning to face me, keeping himself between me and his father.

He didn’t know what the problem was but as his father was the only other person around, his instincts told him to protect me.

I wasn’t sure he even knew he was doing it.

Instinctively keeping himself between me and any potential threat.

The butterflies in my stomach danced with joy.

His brows drew close, his frown fierce. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Nothing’s wrong. But I didn’t know.”