Page 30 of This Blood that Bonds Us

Aaron looked down for a moment while tracing over my knuckles with his fingers. His eyes lit up a few seconds later. “We do know how they found us last time. You went to the hospital.”

“For an animal bite.”

“Exactly. They had to be looking for specific things in police reports. Kilian must have connections to get that kind of information. You know, my mom works at the hospital . . . maybe we could stage something that would get their attention.” Aaron glowed with enthusiasm at his new idea.

“Okay, so they find us, and then what? We have to make sure we’re prepared. Give ourselves an out, in case . . . they aren’t friendly.” I didn’t blame Presley for not believing in the plan. There was a good chance it could be a disaster, but it wasn’t justthe best option because of resources, it was the fastest one. Every day the twins spent in that place, worried me more. I’d been there for Luke’s panic attacks, and I’d seen the look of silent desperation and fear in both of their eyes when Akira showed up to take them.

“What if we went to the city to do it?”

“Do you think your mom would be able to help us with something like that? Maybe go with and make sure we can actually get out of the hospital once we go in. She could make the police report.”

“Only one way to find out.” Aaron’s smile grew wider. It was good to see him smile again.

We were scheming once again. We’d started long ago in the parking lot of a grocery store in Blackheart. Only now, the stakes were much higher than before and we had no safety net. No one would bail us out and burst through the church doors to save us. It was the three of us—and one of us wasn’t on board with the plan.

Presley never mentioned it, but I think, like Aaron, he had a lot of guilt surrounding Thane. I’d assured them both more than once there was no way we could have known. Will didn’t even know, and he’d known him the longest. We all wished things had gone differently, but we had to move forward, and I was confident finding The Legion was our only way to find their brothers.

Everything was blue. It was on the accents of the porcelain dishes as I set the table, the linen napkins, and even the little numbers on the cabin doors of the village. That color was apoised ink stain on our bright canvas turning everything that had once been bright yellow, muted and murky. Even the sunrise was mostly gray and covered in clouds.

“Kimberly, do you want to start chopping the vegetables for the salad while I cut up the meat?” Vera asked beside me.

“Yeah, of course.” I’d offered to help in the kitchen because I wanted to get to know Vera better. Plus, Aaron needed some time alone to talk to Presley. He wanted to try to get him on board with our new plan. We would ask for Vera’s help tonight, and it would be easier if Presley agreed.

Vera clearly knew what she was doing as she pulled the meat from the butcher’s paper and plopped it down on the cutting board. I watched intently as she cut away at the fat with quick, clean precision.

She noticed me watching and smiled. “We’ll use it all. I’ll show you. If you want to get started, you can chop the onion and julienne the carrots.”

“Right.” I grabbed the carrots and rinsed them thoroughly under the water. I didn’t know the first thing about how to cut carrots. The only cooking I’d ever done was in my dorm room microwave. Though I once had a foster mom who liked to bake, it wasn’t my thing.

I grabbed the knife and carrot with determination and only a little intimidation.Julienne must be a special kind of cut. Suddenly, I’d wished I’d watched more cooking shows so I knew what that meant. I brought the knife down to cut. Did I need to peel them first?

“Are you okay, hun?”

I must have been staring at the cutting board for longer than I thought.

“I-I just don’t really know how to cook. No one ever taught me growing up.”

“Oh. Don’t worry. I can show you. My mom is the one that taught me everything.”

“Were you close?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. Not when I was younger, though. I moved away at eighteen and lived in Texas. Which is where my mom was from, but she moved to Brooklyn for a job and loved the city. When she got sick, I moved back. We put down our grudges, and I, of course, got pregnant. We moved in together. She helped me at first when she could, but her health declined quickly. I ended up taking care of her and my boys. Their father wasn’t much help. She died before Presley and Aaron were really old enough to remember her. And Luke and Zach, they didn’t know the real her . . .” She bit her lip and paused cutting the meat. “I’m sorry. I’m talking your ear off.”

I smiled because I could see where Presley got his enchanting stories from. Presley could make anything into an elaborate story, and I loved being his listening ear.

“No, I want to know.” There were a lot of things I wanted to say. One being, she’d created the most important people in my life. I needed to know more about their family. “Their . . . dad, what was he like?”

“He was very charming. But his mouth got him in trouble. He drank too much. He’d spend all our money. I thought I was in love, so I kept giving him more chances, and he wasn’t worth any of them.” The corners of her lips tugged upward. “My mom begged me to have the boys keep our last name. She never married either. It was her father’s name, and she was so proud of it. I was stubborn. I almost didn’t listen, but when the day came in the hospital, I signed their birth certificates and gave them the Calem name. Their dad protested, but I never regretted it. Now I really don’t.”

I couldn’t imagine him. I wondered if he was tall like Luke or dark haired like Zach. How he’d been able to give up his family over and over again, especially this one, I’d never understand.

“What about you . . . Does your mom know about all this? You don’t have to answer if that’s too personal. I just wondered if she’s out there worried about you. It sounds like my boys are the main culprit that pulled you into this, so I can’t help but feel a little responsible.”

“I don’t have a mom. I was put in foster care when I was four years old. She abandoned me. I just say I don’t have one. I aged out at eighteen.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t have to worry. If you need anything, you have me. But I won’t try to mom you. Don’t worry. I’ll try not to, anyway.”

“I don’t mind,” I said with a smile. The boys had her smile, and I couldn’t help but stare. I was in awe of her and her warmth. She had an aura about her that made me want to sit with her a little longer, like I wanted her to teach me things.