Penny heaved a long sigh. “I didn’t go with him because I already knew your stepfather. Howard and I had…an understanding. We’d planned to finish college and then get married. I never thought I’d meet anyone who would make me betray him, but then I met Ross. I fell hard in love with him. I’d never felt like that before, and to be honest, I never have since.”
Iona had always known that Howard Duncan was her stepfather, but she’d grown up calling him Dad and loving him as much as she loved her mother. Howard had done all the dad things, like attending Iona’s soccer games, and teaching her to drive, and surprising her with a car on her eighteenth birthday. He hadn’t minded that Iona wasn’t his real daughter and was the child of a shapeshifter.
He’d loved Iona for herself, and that was all there was to it. Howard had been a wonderful man, and the family’s grief at his death had lasted a long time. They still grieved him.
“Mom, you can’t stand here and tell me you never loved Dad.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Penny flushed. “Of course I loved Howard. You know I did. What I had with Ross was different. But I knew I couldn’t give up my entire safe life to be with him. I was too scared and ashamed. I didn’t know at the time that I was pregnant with you. So I told Ross I could never be his mate.”
Iona imagined the Feline Shifter asking Penny to be his mate, looking at her like Eric looked at Iona. Intense, protective, compelling—telling her what would happen and willing it to be so.
“What did Ross do?” Iona asked softly.
“He took it hard. But in the end, he understood. He said he’d fooled himself thinking I’d go off with him.” Penny shrugged. “And then he disappeared. By the time I knew I was going to have you, I had no idea where to find him.”
Iona thought some more, processing this with the knowledge—or half knowledge—she’d grown up believing. “Mom, you didn’t marry Dad until I was five.”
Penny heaved another sigh, old regret in her eyes. “I know. I told Howard the truth, all of it, when I found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t lie to him. He was very, very angry—he had every right to be—and he went away. I thought it was over for good. I had you on my own and didn’t meet Howard again until five years after that.”
“I remember.” Iona recalled with precision, though she’d been such a small child, meeting Howard for the first time. She remembered how his kind eyes had widened when he’d looked at her, how he’d crouched down to hold out his hand to her.
She’d liked his blue eyes and his smile, how gentle he’d been with her. Howard and Penny had sat up well into the middle of the night talking, not only that first night, but many subsequent nights.
Finally, Iona had said, in front of both of them, “Mom, why don’t you and Howard get married? He could be my dad, and he wouldn’t have to drive home at three o’clock in the morning.”
Penny had been embarrassed, but Howard had said that Iona was very smart. A few months later, Penny and Howard had married, and a few years after that, Nicole had come along. They’d been one smiling, happy family.
One smiling, happy family with a daughter who had to turn into a panther every so often or go crazy.
“If you decide to go to Eric,” Penny was saying, releasing Iona’s hands, “I’ll understand.”
“I haven’t decided anything.” Iona took a step back. “I don’t want anything about what I am to blow back on you.”
“I can take care of myself, Iona.” Penny smiled. “Have for years.” She glanced again at the line of cars. “Nicole is waiting for you. It’s her day—let’s be happy for her.”
“Iona!” Nicole was shouting from the limousine. “Come on!”
“Go,” Penny said sternly.
Iona let out her breath and kissed her mother’s cheek, her emotions still swirling, and scurried away to pile into the back of the limo amid satin skirts and too many flowers.
The reception at the Bellagio was in one of the grand ballrooms. The food was good, and Iona caught herself taking helping after helping. Even Clay stared when the tray went by and Iona shoveled another ten canapés onto her plate.
She told herself she was upset by her mother’s revelations, trying to reconcile what she’d learned today by stuffing herself. But she knew that wasn’t quite true. She’d been hungry like this all week.
Nicole should be the one wanting to eat, with the baby. Iona wasn’t anywhere near pregnant, unless Shifters could be impregnated by kissing. And touching. Licking, biting…
She shivered and popped a canapé into her mouth, whole. No, Shifters made babies the usual way. She’d been shown that when she’d held Eric last night, the pulses of his seed spilling over her hands.
Shifters made babies—cubs—with sex. The mating frenzy, Eric had told her, shutting themselves away from the world and making love like crazy, not coming out for days.
Then what was the matter with her? Iona’s metabolism was burning up, and she was so hungry.
She polished off her canapés and grabbed another handful while Clay was giving his best man’s speech. After that was dancing. Iona had a tissue at her eyes for Nicole’s entire first dance with Tyler. Nicole was so beautiful, so happy. She even smelled happy, the scent of her perfume and excitement overlaid with the scent of her pregnancy.
Iona’s skin itched as she cried, and she had to force herself not to scratch. What the hell had Eric done to her?
Dancing helped a little. Iona did her obligatory dance with Clay, then she whirled around the floor with her friends, male and female, working off her restlessness. She hoped to exhaust herself so she could sleep tonight, but it didn’t work. She just got more hungry.
Finally, as twilight darkened the wide desert sky, Nicole and Tyler left for their honeymoon. Iona joined the throng behind the hotel, and Nicole threw her bouquet.
The bouquet of roses and baby’s breath flew up into the air, tumbled end over end, ribbons streaming, and landed right in Iona’s hands. She squeaked, jumped back, and dropped it.
Laughter echoed among her friends. “Don’t be afraid of it, Iona,” they said. “Take it, girl!” “You’re next, you know it.”
Iona picked up the bouquet with trembling hands, smoothing the ribbons. “I’ll keep this for you, Nikki.”
Nicole laughed, kissed Iona’s cheek, and waved good-bye. She was going. Off to Hawaii to lie on a beach, while Iona carried on without her.