The European Shifter the elders had mentioned. "My dad, right?"
She finally looked at me directly. "Yes. I always told you that he went through the transformation with me—but he didn't."
"So you went through it alone and survived?"
"No, I had a friend. Michael. He went through it with me, but we both knew we were never destined to be mates. And I'd met your father—"
"But he wouldn't go through it with you. So he was what? A total and complete loser? Why did you even love him? And what has that got to do with—"
"He was human."
I didn't think a nuclear bomb going off in our living room could have destroyed me more effectively. Black dots danced in front of my vision, and I realized that I had stopped breathing. I wasn't sure I wanted to start up again. But my body that had betrayed me during the last full moon betrayed me again. I dragged in a deep breath.
"You didn't think…you didn't"—I'd lost my ability to form coherent thoughts, to speak words—"that was worth mentioning before now?"
"I was hoping that you'd never have to know, that you'd inherited my genes, that you'd shift. Especially as you got older and your one dream was to be a Dark Guardian. I didn't want to take that away from you if I didn't have to." She reached for me. "Baby, I—"
"Don't call me that'" I screamed, slapping her hand away. I started to pace around the room. "I'm not a baby. I'm finally a Dark Guardian—but I can't shift. All the work I've done, all the preparation…"
"I know. I know how badly you wanted this. I was hoping during this recent trip to Europe that I'd find Antonio, in case you needed him."
I spun around and glared at her. "Why would I need him now?"
"I thought you might need someplace to go. As you neared your time, I never sensed…" Her voice trailed off.
"That I was a Shifter?"
She nodded with shame.
"That's just great, Mom. I always thought you were there for me—but when I needed you the most, you weren't. How could you not tell me?"
"I was ashamed. A human. No one knows. I never told a soul."
If my own mom was ashamed that she'd hooked up with a human, how did she feel now that she knew for sure her daughter was human? Wouldn't every Shifter's reaction to me if the truth came out be horror? They wouldn't want me. I was no longer one of them.
"I had a right to know." I headed for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To deal with this the way I've dealt with everything lately—alone."
I felt mean as I trudged toward the Sly Fox. I knew eventually I'd forgive her. We'd talk, and fall back into our odd family roles: Me being the strong one and Mom worrying about things that couldn't be changed. But for now, I was angry, and hurt, and disappointed. In her. And in myself.
My birth date wasn't wrong. My genes were. I was a Static. I was never going to change. And I knew that I couldn't confide what I considered to be a horrible situation to anyone. It wasn't just a reflection on me, but on my mother. Hadn't that been evident in her words as she'd told me about my father?
Whatever Connor might have been feeling last night with our kiss, he'd probably wash his mouth out with soap if he discovered he'd been kissing a Static. I knew I would.
Twilight was settling in. Tarrant was like a little tourist town with cheesy souvenir shops, bed and breakfast inns, and equipment rental places that ran along the main street down the center of town. I wasn't in the mood to deal with tourists so I kept to the back streets that lined the woods. Eventually I'd reach the Sly Fox, which had been built at the edge of town so when it had live bands, no one in town was disturbed. I would meet up with my friends, get lost in the chaos, but until then my mother's revelation was burning itself into the back of my brain.
My head hurt. So did my heart.
Why hadn't I figured it out? Our kind mated for life. Guys didn't just leave. But like all societies, we had those who didn't conform. I'd thought of my father as the ultimate bad boy who didn't want to be tied down. While it had hurt that he hadn't hung around, I'd fantasized him into being some lonely hero-type. I felt like such an idiot.
I turned down the road that would lead me to the Sly Fox. Connor should be there by now to meet with Lucas. I had a desperate need to see him. I didn't plan to repeat last night, but maybe we could just talk. I could no longer pursue any sort of relationship with him or with any Shifter.
Tomorrow I'd return to Wolford. I'd explain to the elders that I couldn't serve as a Dark Guardian. I wasn't sure yet if I'd tell them the reason. I wasn't even certain my mouth could form the words.
I'm not a Shifter. I'm a Static.
But that fact didn't change the threat to Shifters. I could still help them somehow. I didn't want to walk away when they were in danger.
It was ironic that I wanted to be involved in destroying the one thing that could lead to my salvation. I nearly stumbled over my feet with the thought.
Was what they wanted really so selfish? Or were we the selfish ones? Why not share what we were with the world? If a serum would make me become like all my friends, would I allow it to be injected into my body?
In a heartbeat.
I heard a twig snap. I was too lost in my own thoughts to be alert.
I twisted around just as someone grabbed me, snaking a massive arm around me so I could barely move. I felt a sharp pinprick in my neck. My body instantly went limp and my eyes started fluttering as I struggled to keep them open, as I tried to figure out what had happened.
Then I saw green eyes and brown hair and a triumphant grin. They all came together to form a face I recognized. Mason.
"Don't fight it," he said, almost gently.
But I did. Bio-Chrome was here' I tried to yell for help, but my mouth wouldn't move.
Then the world went black.
The headache that I'd had after I left my mom was ten times worse when I woke up. I wanted to rub my temples, but my hands were tied behind my back. I could feel hard plastic biting into my wrists. And that's when I remembered the needle prick and the other pain: Mason.
My eyes sprung open. I was slumped with my back against a tree, the scent of the rich earth filling my nostrils. I could see plastic-looking things around my ankles. This was so not good.