19. Darcy

Chapter 19

Darcy

I smoothed the button-down shirt that Lyndon had found me that relatively fit me. It was the first time I'd worn a shirt since I'd been in this realm, and it felt . . . off. I'd never been one for fancy clothing, but after only wearing a pair of adjusted sweats for so long, the nicer clothes were weird.

But I was meeting Lyndon's mother for the first time, so I had to look presentable. She was sure to have doubts about me to begin with, so I wasn't going to make it harder for me to please her by looking bummy.

"Hey, my mom and aunt will be here in a few minutes. Mother hates traveling through portals or any other magical way, so they're driving up in a car. Maybe I'll be able to see if my wards work, since the twins are constantly bypassing them."

Lyndon walked into the room at the end of his speech and stopped dead on his feet. "Goddess, Darcy, you look . . . hot."

I grinned lopsidedly at him. "You think ssssso? You don't think it'sss too much? I want your mom to like me, but I don't want it to look like I'm trying too hard."

Lyndon walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me. As usual, I got goose bumps when his lips brushed along my neck.

"You look great, sunshine. It's not too much. My mom will appreciate the effort. I promise. She likes a little pomp and circumstance."

I tugged at the collar. Why were these things designed to be so close to the neck? "And ssshe knows I'm different? Ssshe won't be disgusted by me, will ssshe?"

It hadn't been Lyndon's intention, but the more he'd told me about this world outside his little plot of land, the more concerned I'd become. It really wasn't safe for any parahuman or anyone who looked different. And while Lyndon's mother and the rest of his coven weren't human, they could pretty much pass for them. It was the thing Lyndon had latched onto for so long, and I was worried what the rest of his coven would say. His cousins were amazing, and even his aunt, who led them, seemed to accept me without question, but still. There was a reason Lyndon had been avoiding me meeting the rest of his family, and I was half convinced it was that they'd be unaccepting about my differences.

But Lyndon waved that away and kissed my jaw. "Anyone who's disgusted by you isn't welcome in my house, even if they gave birth to me. I'm so sorry I ever made you feel that way. I was being an idiot."

"Ha. I won't argue you with there. But you ssssstill didn't answer my question. I don't want you to fight with your mother over me. It'sss amazing you have a relationship with your family. I don't even remember what my mother looked like."

"Trust me, my mother probably knows more about you than I do. She won't be disgusted by you. I'm sure she's thrilled that I won't be spending my life alone anymore. It was one of her biggest fears, that I'd die here all alone and surrounded by 100 cats."

I wrinkled my nose. Ugh, cats. "You don't own any cats."

"Yes, well, it's an old human joke. The crazy cat lady. It was to reference an older woman who wasn't married."

"Why was she crazy just because she wasn't married? Do all unmarried women own cats here?"

Lyndon just laughed and then kissed me. "That wasn't a saying among the humans in your realm?" I shrugged. If it was, I'd never heard of it. "I really don't have an answer to any of your questions. I guess back in the day, it was assumed something was wrong with you if you were in your 30s or older and unmarried. Some people probably still believe that, but it's not as common anymore. I have no idea where the cat thing came from."

Hmmm. "Please don't get a cat. Unless you really want one." I guessed if Lyndon was desperate for a cat, I'd be okay with it. Rafe had a cat, or, well, the cat had him, and that was fine. I'd never had any issues with Cat. But I was also convinced Cat wasn't entirely what he appeared to be. So maybe that was why he never creeped me out or got aggressive with me like normal.

"I don't want a cat, sunshine. And even if I did, I'd never get one if you didn't want one. Some of my coven has them, but we'll likely not even see them on a visit. Besides, we've completely lost the plot here. The point is, Mother won't hate you. She will probably bombard you with questions that are totally invasive and inappropriate, but she's excited. She is also thrilled to try a glamour on you. They are her specialty, but I think lately she's been bored. This will be an opportunity for her to flex her skills.

"Come on, let's go outside and greet them."

Lyndon took my hand, and I was grateful for the connection. Since we'd had sex, the bond had gotten stronger every day. Now I was able to feel him even when he wasn't in the room with me. We couldn't feel emotions completely yet, but I could tell when he was angry or frightened, and I thought he could do the same for me. It was such a weird feeling, but also amazing. I'd never expected to be connected so thoroughly to another person like that. When we were touching, it was even stronger. I could feel him pouring his confidence and lending me strength and calm when I felt like I was coming out of my skin.

I was able to breathe a little easier when we went outside. It was a beautiful fall day that reminded me a bit of home. Well, the human realm home. I used to walk around the trails in the woods on days like this. I wouldn't shift, just take in everything. As much as I loved summer, there was something about this time of year before it got too cold. Or even having consistent seasons in general. The monster realm didn't have those.

Soon enough, Lyndon's body stiffened. "They just passed the wards."

Okay, I could do this. I'd already met Aunt Belinda. The circumstances hadn't been great, but she'd been very nice, and she ran the whole coven. If she accepted me, surely Lyndon's mother would. Gods, why was I so nervous?

"It'll be fine, sunshine. Trust me."

I did trust him. It was almost hard to believe how easily. Even when Lyndon had been trying to get rid of me, I'd always trusted him.

The car pulled up and I straightened my shoulders. The twins were able to read my aura, whatever that meant. But they were able to tell if I was feeling any kind of strong emotion. If his mother could do the same, I was going to do my best to rein them in.

"Wait, I probably should've asked this before, but is your mother an earth witch like you?"

I had been kind of wondering about that. Lyndon seemed like an anomaly in his coven.

"No. That comes from my father. He was born into a different coven but joined my mother's after they met and realized they were mates. His coven has mostly earth-based powers. Mother's coven is more complicated than that."

That was the best answer I was going to get right now, and I was kicking myself for not getting more. The twins would give me all the details. I'd have to grill them another day.

Belinda got out first, looking elegant as ever. It was hard to believe she'd just been driving for the last three hours. I could sense her power as soon as she approached, just like last time. But she smiled warmly at us. "Hello, boys. Lyndon, it's so good to see you on your feet. You scared us all last time."

Lyndon smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Aunt Belinda. Thanks for saving me."

She waved him off. "You should thank your young man for that. All I did was stabilize you until he could do the heavy lifting."

I didn't have the time to get embarrassed by her praise before she ushered us both into a hug.

It was so unexpected, and the power that just circled around her was so strong that before I even realized what I was doing, I was sticking my tongue out and tasting her magic.

It was bitter. Strong, powerful. But bitter. Maybe that was why I'd never gotten into coffee. It was kind of what most magic, besides Lyndon's, tasted like.

Thankfully, if Belinda noticed my odd behavior, she didn't call me on it. As soon as she stepped away from us, Lyndon looked toward the car. "Are you waiting for a grand entrance, Mother?"

The car door opened. "Oh, hush you. I was texting your father. He wanted to know when we arrived and wanted confirmation that this wasn't some elaborate prank pulled by your cousins and you really did find someone."

Oh, I liked her. She was identical to Belinda, and I wondered if they were twins too. She was elegant like her sister, but there was something more homely about her. I didn't think it was just the faded jeans and loose sweater either.

Her magic was strong as well, but it felt more restrained and quieter. That wouldn't make it any less powerful though, and it was good to remember that.

"Come here, darling, and give me a hug. It's been ages since you visited."

Lyndon rolled his eyes but readily walked down the steps to greet his mom. He never let go of my hand, though, so I trailed after him, feeling a bit like a lost puppy.

Zelda kissed her son's cheek and hugged him warmly. For the first time probably in my life, I felt a pang of sadness realizing I'd never have that relationship with my mother. It had never bothered me before. That was just life. As a chimera, Rafe's upbringing had been very similar, and while his mate was human, Kennedy had a complicated relationship with his mother, so I'd never experienced this before. I could feel the love between the two of them.

Everything settled within me then. I'd already wanted what those visions had shown, but it was no longer just some wild dream. I would have it. And hopefully I'd have it with Lyndon. I wanted to give children that feeling I'd felt running through Lyndon and Zelda. I wanted them to be loved. To have a family they could count on no matter what. A family that accepted them.

I loved my job in my home realm. It was important work. But this felt like my destiny.

I was so lost in my head, I didn't realize when Lyndon and Zelda broke apart and she turned her attention to me until her thin arms wrap around me.

"Oh, Darcy, I'm so happy to finally meet you. I thought Lyndon would keep you hidden forever."

"It's been two weeks, Mother."

"Twenty days, Lyndon. You knew your mate existed for nearly a month and didn't tell me. I should be offended."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," I interrupted.

"Oh please, none of that. Call me Zelda. You're family now."

My skin heated, and I wondered what color I was. "Yes, Zelda," was all I managed.

"Now that you've embarrassed my mate, can we go inside and see if you can glamour him?"

My mate . It was the first time Lyndon had said the words out loud to anyone, and I loved it. I could easily get addicted to him calling me that.

Zelda clapped her hands and sized me up. "Oooh, yes please. This is so exciting. I hope you're a challenge, honey. I'm so tired of doing basic glamours." She all but skipped into the house.

Both Belinda and Lyndon rolled their eyes but followed her in.