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  He could cook, too? I almost pinched myself. “Sure. I should be home in an hour.”

  “Perfect.” Charlie whooped in the background and my eyes brimmed with tears. “I think your boy is excited.”

  “Sounds like it. Will you remind him about his homework?”

  “Already done, Mom!” He yelled. How did he hear that? Charlie always claimed he could hear things he shouldn’t be able to, but I’d written it off as an overactive imagination.

  “Okay, I’ll see you guys soon.”

  Jared told Charlie to run and let Sherri know, then he lowered his voice. “Taryn?” I loved hearing him say my name.

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For having a little faith in me.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I opened my mouth to reply, but stopped myself.

  “Are you still there?”

  I nodded and then chuckled. “Yes, I’m here.”

  “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You didn’t. I’m just not used to smiling so much.” I glanced at the clock. “I better get this deal done. See you soon.”

  I placed the phone on the cradle and grabbed my Offer to Purchase form and pens. Ray and Damian were chatting when I came in and sat down.

  Ray stood. “I still have a couple of things to finish and I need to be home in time to tuck the kids in.”

  “Thanks Ray.” And I meant it. I owed him for sticking around until Damian Severino was out of the building.

  We hammered out the details in just over a half hour. I double-checked the form and collected the pens. “I’ll submit this first thing in the morning and let you know when we hear back from the owner.”

  “Thank you.” He waited, but I didn’t extend my hand. I didn’t trust myself not to burn him.

  I stood up and forced a smile. “Sorry for keeping you late, but I think it’ll be worth it when you own that amazing place on the lake shore.”

  He got up and nodded. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  He left the building and I finally released the breath I’d been holding.

  Ray came up front. “So what happened?”

  I shrugged. “I got a strange vibe. I think he wanted to invite me to the Masquerade.”

  “Madison said you’re going this year.”

  I nodded and turned to face him. “I am.”

  His eyes widened and I laughed.

  Ray shook his head. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard you laugh before.”

  “Hopefully, it won’t be the last.”

  He smiled. “I’m going to head home. You can lock up?”

  “Yes, I’ve got it.”

  Ray left and I locked up behind him. I’d never been in a hurry to get home before either. I tried to stay within the speed limit, but the blue tinge of the halogen headlights on the car behind me weren’t helping. I angled my mirror, and prayed he’d go straight every time I made a turn. But he never did. In fact, I couldn’t shake the feeling this guy was following me.

  By the time I pulled in my driveway, I half expected the car riding my tail to follow me, but it continued down the street. I got out and watched the taillights fade into the distance.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  I turned to find Charlie and Jared at the door, smiling, and my knees wobbled. Never in my best dreams did I imagine I’d see my son so happy, and an incredible man who knew my secret and made me dinner anyway.

  “Hi, guys.” I grabbed my purse and my attaché and headed for the house.

  My house smelled amazing. “Wow. What are you guys cooking?”

  Jared grinned. “Charlie said his favorite was mac and cheese, but he’d never had it baked with bacon. Had to change that.”

  “Smells delicious.” My stomach grumbled in agreement.

  “And Mom, I’m cooking the green beans!” Charlie carefully stirred the long green beans with garlic in the frying pan.

  “Thanks for making dinner, you two. I’m going to get changed. Be right back.”

  “Okay, Mom, but hurry because the timer will beep in five minutes.”

  Charlie grinned up at me, and it took all I had not to kiss his cheek. After the incident with my client this afternoon, I didn’t want to chance hurting my boy.

  In my bedroom, I kicked off my heels and stashed them in the shoe hanger on the back of the door to my walk-in closet. Once I had comfy sweat pants on, I labored over which top to wear. It’d been so long since I tried to impress a guy, I was sorely out of practice. Sweat pants was probably my first mistake. I finally opted for a slim fit black t-shirt and went in the bathroom to brush my hair.

  A tap on my bedroom door made me freeze. “Yeah?”

  “Can I come in?” Jared’s voice warmed me all over, and not in a fireball kind of way.

  “Sure.” I came out of the bathroom, still brushing. “Everything okay?”

  He nodded with a slow spreading smile. “You are so beautiful.”

  Heat flushed my cheeks as I lowered the brush and glanced down at my sad choice in outfits. “You don’t have to say that.”

  He came a little closer. “I actually came in to let you know we have two minutes to say hello, but you distracted me.”

  I looked up at him, puzzled. “We already—”

  His lips fused to mine before I could finish. I moaned into the kiss, instinctively sliding my arms around his waist. My tongue tangled slowly with his, making me ache for our bodies to do the same. Gradually, he lightened the kiss, resting his forehead against mine. “Hello.”

  “Hi.” Sexy was a serious understatement when it came to Jared. I smiled and forced myself back a step. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  He shook his head. “Only when you pulled away.”

  “I burned someone today.”

  Concern lined his face. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  I shrugged, walking the brush back into the bathroom so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes. “I’m all right, and I think I pulled free before he had a visible wound.”

  He came over to fill the doorway of my bathroom. “What the hell happened?”

  I looked at his reflection in the mirror. “It shouldn’t have been anything major, but he was giving me a creepy vibe, asking about my personal life, and then he touched my hand and the fire lit through my veins. It all happened so fast, I couldn’t stop it before I burned him.”

  His shoulders tensed, his mouth a hard line. “Does he know it came from you?”

  “I don’t know, we didn’t talk about it, but I saw him checking it out as we were leaving.”

  He reached for my hand in spite of my confession. “Can you pinpoint what set it off? Were you scared?”

  I thought back and shook my head. “Not really scared, but the questions threw me off. I was backed into the corner of the kitchen and when he touched me…”

  “You defended yourself.”

  I raised a brow. “Slapping him would’ve been defending myself. Burning his hand… If I hadn’t yanked mine away so fast, he’d have blisters I couldn’t explain or worse. I didn’t want to burn him, it just happened. Like your shirt, and your jeans last night. I’m dangerous.”

  “I just walked right in here and kissed you, and not a burn on me.”

  I sighed. “True, but I don’t know why.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Maybe because you trust me. Maybe your power swells when you’re threatened.”

  Another knock interrupted us. “Mom? Jared? The oven is beeping.”

  Jared kissed my forehead. “We’ll talk later.” He hustled out with Charlie.

  I stared at my reflection. Jared didn’t know the whole story, not yet. And when he did, was I prepared to see fear in his eyes?

  Chapter Twelve

  Jared

  Taryn and Charlie loved the bacon mac and cheese, and the kid did a great job on the green beans with garlic. Tank kept his head on my lap, sensing my tenseness in spite of the light table conversat
ion.

  Adam and Aren had been canvassing Lake Tahoe for most of the day, trying to track the jaguar, but they’d found nothing. Probably because that asshole had to be the client Taryn burned today. He’d been with my mate, asking her personal questions.

  Tough to focus when my wolf instincts were on high alert. I wanted to take her and her son to my place and keep them safe, hidden. Not realistic, but my wolf didn’t give a shit.

  “Time to brush your teeth and get ready for bed.” Taryn stood with her plate and came over to take mine.

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  She shook her head. “You cooked, I’ll clean up.”

  “And Jared can read with me!” Charlie chimed in.

  I glanced at Taryn. She shrugged and headed for the kitchen. “You should ask him first, Charlie.”

  He ran over to my chair. “Will you? I’m a good reader.”

  “You got it.”

  Charlie raced off to change and brush his teeth, and I went into the kitchen, leaning against the counter while Taryn rinsed dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Her hair was down, her business clothes traded in for sweat pants, and she’d never looked sexier to me.

  She caught me staring and almost smiled. “What?”

  “Just admiring the view.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not much of one right now, I’m afraid.”

  I didn’t touch her, yet, but I wanted to. Reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, I grinned. “I like your hair down.”

  She didn’t pull away. I held my breath as she tilted her head back, closer, her lips almost brushing mine. My heart pounded in expectation of a heated kiss.

  “Charlie’s waiting.”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “I suspected from the first day we met you had a sense of humor hidden in there someplace.”

  “He gets twenty minutes of reading time, then it’s lights out.”

  “See you soon.”

  She smiled at me and I caught myself wishing I could freeze time and hold this moment. Taryn with her auburn hair framing her face, hands soapy, and a grin that showed the warm spirit she kept hidden from the entire world. Seeing her guard down, showing who she really was inside, stoked my anger. What or who had caused her to become the cool Ice Queen?

  I headed back down the hall. I’d never been to Charlie’s room, but it was easy enough to follow his scent. He sat at his desk, writing furiously in a journal.

  “Hey, buddy, homework?”

  He laughed and shook his head, keeping his attention on the page. “Nope. This is my notebook for my mom.”

  I came a little closer. “What kind of notebook?”

  He finally peered up at me. “We write to each other at night. Sometimes we share secrets, sometimes she just tells me Mom stuff like how she loves me.”

  Another sharp emotional jab to my mid-section. This little journal was their ritual, her way of hugging and kissing her little boy goodnight without touching him.

  Charlie filled the silence. “Tonight I told her she should let you cook more often.” He grinned. “And we should get a food and water bowl for Tank for when he visits.”

  I mussed his hair. “Tank would like that.”

  He finished his writing and put the pen in the middle before he leaned the cover closed. “I’ve been reading The Phantom Tollbooth with Mom. Have you read it before?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He climbed into bed with the book and pointed to the chair at his desk. “Mom usually sits over there.”

  Instead of sitting beside her boy. This had to end. There had to be a way to control the fire. I’d figure out something.

  I took the chair and noticed a second copy of The Phantom Tollbooth at the foot of his bed. “This one is for me?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, we swap paragraphs except when Milo talks. I always get to be Milo.”

  “Got it.” He gave me the page number he left off on, and we got started. Charlie hadn’t been exaggerating about his reading. He nailed it every time. Twenty minutes flew by. I hated to stop him.

  “I think it’s time to call it a night.”

  Charlie put his bookmark in and yawned. “Okay. Jared?”

  I came over by his bed and knelt down. “Yeah?”

  “You make my mom different.”

  “Different how?”

  He shrugged and pulled his covers up a little higher. “I think she might be happy.”

  “I hope she is.” And I meant every word.

  He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’m happy, too.”

  I met his eyes. “So am I, Charlie.”

  He smiled and surprised me with a hug. I held him tight, closing my eyes and memorizing his scent. There was so much I wanted to tell him and teach him.

  First, I had to tell his mother he was a werewolf.

  I found Taryn on the couch in her living room. She had a fire going in the fireplace, the warm light shining on her face. I sat beside her, but I resisted touching her. Surprising her was probably a good way to get burned and I was pretty sure it would be tough to bounce back from that considering the afternoon she’d had.

  “Charlie’s a great kid.”

  She nodded. “So many days I’ve been tempted to give up, but he smiles and I keep struggling.”

  “I still don’t think it has to be like this. You won’t hurt him.”

  She glanced my way. “Did you see the scar on his arm? I…I did that.”

  I sighed, and focused on the fire. It was too hard to face the pain in her eyes. “It wasn’t always like this, right?”

  She shook her head. “No. In fact, I went to a special boarding school for girls with…gifts. Brightwood was pushing me to make my power stronger. My hands would get hot, I could heat up coffee or whatever, but as I got older, they thought I could ignite fires with my mind. For a while I tried, but nothing happened. There was some kind of disconnect.”

  I reached for her hand, relieved to find it cool. “What changed?”

  A single tear spilled down her cheek. “We should go outside. I can’t trust myself in here.”

  “Okay.” I helped her up with me. The deck wasn’t finished, but there was plenty of it for us to walk on. I even had the railing up on the north side. We leaned against the rail, staring at the water.

  “I try not to think about it, because sometimes it wakes up the fire.” Just like my panic attacks. I filed the detail away for later as she went on. “Charlie was born premature. He and his twin brother, Trevor.”

  My heart stuttered hearing her mention Charlie’s twin.

  “They gave me all sorts of checklists and warning signs to watch for in preemies, but the boys seemed healthy when I got home. They weren’t even super tiny like the preemies you see in the NICU. I wasn’t quite eighteen yet, but I had a job in a coffee shop and a sweet landlady who took care of the babies for me while I worked.”

  “Your parents didn’t help out?”

  She shook her head with a sad laugh. “No. When they found out I was pregnant and dropping out of Brightwood, they demanded I get an abortion. But I refused. I thought Noah and I would get married, white picket fence and all.”

  I gripped the railing so tight that the wood moaned. “But Noah left.”

  She wiped her eyes, nodding. “It was crazy. We were in love. Or I thought we were. But the second I told him I was pregnant, he accused me of sleeping around. He was sure it couldn’t be his baby. He let me stay in his apartment until the end of the month, but he was gone that night. Nothing I said made any difference.”

  I forced myself to let go of the railing and ran my hand up her back. “If I ever see him, I’ll kick his ass.” She almost smiled through her tears. “Is that when the fire started?”

  “No, I worked, rented a tiny studio apartment, and got ready for the baby, but then they told me there were two. And if that wasn’t enough, they arrived early, so I didn’t get much time to prepare. My landlady gave me a crib.” She pulled in a shaky breath. �
�I loved them so much. I used to cover them both in kisses.”

  Heat was building under her shirt, but I didn’t stop her. Not yet.

  “I wanted to tell the world that Charlie and Trevor were here, but my family was gone, their father was too, so I sent one birth announcement to Sylvia Severino. I had no idea that would end up saving me and Charlie.”

  Severino. Nero. Could Sebastian have had a sister inside Brightwood? My mind whirled. “Was she your friend?”

  Taryn shook her head. “She was the principal of Brightwood.”

  I stared into the darkness, sliding puzzle pieces into place. Not Sebastian’s sister. Could she have been his mother? It would make sense.

  “She helped you?” Taryn remained silent. A loud pop echoed a few feet away. Sparks ignited on a small pine tree. I touched her back again and yanked my hand away. Hot. Burning. “Taryn. Taryn, talk to me.” I caught her chin, singeing my fingertips. “Look at me, Taryn. Focus.”

  She shivered all over, but her gaze finally met mine. “I…can’t control…it.”

  “Yes, you can.” I had to drop my hand away, my pulse racing. Like a panic attack. That had to be it. Maybe she could talk it down like I did with anxiety. It was a psychic ability. Mental. It was all I had. “Breathe. Think about the water. Breathe. Long and slow. Count backwards.”

  Her shoulders rose and fell. I kept my eye on the tree. The wet wood smoked but no open flames. Good sign.

  “You’re doing it.”

  She took in a couple more controlled breaths and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. It came on so fast.”

  I pulled her into my arms. She was still hot, but not burning up. “Nothing to be sorry about. You called it back. We’re going to figure out how to contain this.”

  She stared up into my eyes. “I could’ve…”

  Her words died away as my attention shifted to the trees. I raised a finger to my lips, signaling her silence. Someone was out there. I took a deep breath, digesting the scent. Human. Not anyone I recognized.

  But why would someone be hiking after dark without a flashlight? I didn’t like it. Taking her hand, I led her back inside and locked the door behind us. We turned off the lights, and the fire in the hearth cast long shadows on the walls.

  She kept her voice low. “What’s wrong?”