She blinked rapidly. “You mean, like, on T.V.? I don’t watch the news. It’s always depressing stuff. Murders and assaults and war.”
“There was a recent story about a woman who drugged her six-year-old son, shoved him in an oven, and tried to burn him alive.”
Talia’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“Her effort didn’t work so well. Turns out his skin’s impervious to fire.”
“He’s one of us?”
“She seems to believe he’s a changeling. That’s why she put him in the oven – apparently, it’s a surefire way of exposing a changeling child. He’s six.” Knox watched realization dawn on Talia. Fear flashed across her face. “You didn’t ask my permission, Talia.”
She licked her lips, shoulders curving inward. “I-I knew you wouldn’t give it to me.”
“Why did you do it?” asked Tanner.
Talia snorted a laugh. “Are you kidding? Look at this place. Look at me. Kids need love and security and all that jazz, right?”
“You could have tried to improve your situation,” said Tanner.
Talia shook her head hard and glared at the floor. “I couldn’t have loved him,” she mumbled. “I wanted to. I just couldn’t.”
Something about the way she said it made Harper guess, “You were raped.”
Talia flinched.
“You should have told us,” Knox said through his teeth. “We would have taken care of the situation.”
Talia looked at him, eyes wet. “There wasn’t anything you could have done. The son of a bitch was human. I took care of it myself.”
“You killed him,” said Harper.
Her eyes flared. “Hell yeah, I did. It wasn’t anything he didn’t deserve.”
Harper wasn’t going to argue with that. “You didn’t abort the baby, though.”
Talia shrugged, briefly averting her gaze. “He hadn’t done anything to anybody. Wasn’t his fault. But I’m not, you know, maternal. Never wanted kids. Still don’t. Which is a good thing, really, considering I ain’t straight.” She jutted out her chin. “Judge me for giving him away if you want, but he wouldn’t have had a good life with me.”
“He didn’t have a good life with the humans,” Knox pointed out. “What happened to their biological child?”
“It was on life support. I had the midwife from our lair – Sella Monroe – exchange the babies. He wouldn’t survive among demons. They’d see him as easy prey.”
“There’s nothing weak about your son,” said Knox.
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“He’s powerful, Talia.”
She shook her head. “I swear to you, there wasn’t even a slight aura of power around him. I couldn’t sense his demon. I might as well have been holding a human baby. Ask Sella, she’ll tell you.”
“Maybe the power and his demon stayed dormant for a little while – there’s no way to be sure.”
Talia sank into the saggy couch, as if her legs were too weak to hold her up any longer. After a few moments, she spoke. “So he’s okay?”
“He’s fine. He’s staying with Wyatt and Linda Sanders at the moment.”
Sensing where this was going, she began shaking her head again, eyes wide with panic. “I can’t take him. I wouldn’t make a good mother. I don’t have anything to give him.”
“He has nowhere else to go, Talia.”
“The Sanders will keep him. You know they will. He’ll be happier there.”
“Talia —”
“I can’t take him.” Her words broke on a sob. “Don’t ask me to. Please. I can’t.”
Knox exhaled heavily. “All right. But I can’t guarantee that people won’t realize you’re his mother. He looks like you. You might even find that he pays you a visit someday.”
“He’ll hear enough to know I’m not what he needs,” she mumbled.
“Take care, Talia. We’ll let ourselves out.”
As they walked down the stairwell, Tanner said, “I went in there prepared to be pissed at her.”
“She genuinely does believe she did right by him.” Harper sighed. “If all she’d have been able to see was her rapist whenever she looked at him, then maybe she did.”
“Are you leaving McCauley with Wyatt and Linda?” Tanner asked.
Reaching the front door, Knox held it open. “If the arrangement is working for all concerned, yes.” Once in the Bentley, Knox said, “Levi, we need to make a pit stop at the Sanders’ home.”
“You got it,” said Levi. “Is Talia the kid’s mother?”
“Yes.” Knox quickly told him what was said and then pulled out his phone and dialed Wyatt’s number. “I have some information for you, but I don’t want to speak of it while McCauley’s nearby. Meet me at the end of your front yard in ten minutes.” When Wyatt agreed, Knox ended the call.
“Do you think they’ll want to keep McCauley?” Tanner asked.
“Linda will,” began Harper, “but I’m not so sure about Wyatt.”
When Levi finally parked at the bottom of the Sanders’ yard, both Linda and Wyatt were waiting there, expressions grim.
The moment Knox and Harper slid out of the car, Linda stepped forward and asked, “What is it?”
“We have the identity of McCauley’s mother,” Knox told her. “It’s Talia Winters.”
For a moment, an odd look crossed Wyatt’s face. Then it was gone, and he blew out a breath. “He looks a little like her. How did I not see it?”
“Have you come to take him?” asked Linda, voice shaky.
“Talia doesn’t believe that her home is the best place for him,” said Knox.
“I’d have to agree,” clipped Linda. “She’s a hooker.”
Harper arched a brow. “She’s a stripper, which is different.”
Linda lowered her gaze. “You’re right, of course. I apologize.”
Yeah? She didn’t sound all that apologetic.
“We’d be happy for him to stay here,” Linda told Knox. “I’m sure McCauley would be fine with it.” Hearing their landline ringing, she said, “Excuse me.”
Once Linda was inside the house, Knox turned to Wyatt. “How has McCauley been?”
“Not an ounce of trouble,” replied Wyatt. “Almost painfully polite. You wouldn’t think the kid had been through a traumatic experience. He never talks about his human parents or what happened to him.” He shrugged. “Maybe he’s in denial or something, I don’t know.”
“Your mate loves him,” said Tanner.
Wyatt gave him a weak smile. “She loves that she has someone to love.”
“I’m going to be honest with you,” began Harper. “If you ask me, there’s something not quite right about that kid.”
Wyatt sighed. “I know what you mean. Something about him rubs my demon up the wrong way. But he’s just a kid, and – whether he’s traumatized or not – he’s been through something awful.”
Harper raised her hands. “If you’re happy for him to stay here, we won’t interfere with that. But you have to be sure, Wyatt. Because even though the kid freaks me out a little, I don’t want him to have to bounce from home to home. He needs stability.”
Wyatt gave a slow nod. “I agree. I’m happy for him to stay with us.”
Well he sure didn’t look happy about it. Harper figured he was doing it for his mate’s sake. Noticing movement in her peripheral vision, Harper looked to see McCauley staring out of the living room window. She waved to him, forcing a smile. He waved back, but the move was almost mechanical.
“All right,” said Knox. “He can stay with you if you’re positive that it’s what you want.”
“I’m certain,” Wyatt told him.
Knox nodded and then ushered Harper back into the Bentley as he spoke to Wyatt. “I’ll check in occasionally to make sure this arrangement is working for everyone. I trust that if you have any problems, you will call me.”