Grayslake: More than Mated: Secrets to Bear (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF

rather."
    Lira rolled out of bed and leapt at the door. "Sorry, I guess I was more tired than I realized. Let me rinse my face real quick, I'll be down in a minute."
    Nancy smiled up at her and said, "Not a problem. Memaw is settling in and eager to meet you."
    Lira dashed through the bathroom and headed downstairs, a little frightened about the meeting Magda had set up.
    She walked into the parlor and saw a tiny woman with a turban, lounging. The woman radiated calm warmth and her voice was like warm honey drizzling over a crisp apple. "Child, sit with me. It's a bit of a shock to see how much you look like your mother."
    Lira sank, speechless, onto the settee that was next to the woman. What should she say to this woman?
    The woman gathered Lira's hands in hers. "I’m Grace. Please, feel free to call me Memaw. I wish we'd gotten to know you sooner."
    "How do you know Magda?"
    "I'm getting ahead of myself. Magda was already friends with your mother when they left Grayslake."
    "What do you mean, when they left Grayslake?"
    "I mean, this used to be where Magda lived too. There was an accident and they didn't want to be here anymore."
    "But if my mom had family here, why would she hide me from them?"
    Grace sat back and sighed, rubbing her forehead. "She blamed her clan for the accident. And she wasn't wrong. There was a lot of anger and confusion at the time."
    "What accident?"
    "Your mother, Magda, and the two men they were with ran off the road in a terrible car accident one night. Both men were killed."
    "Was one of them my father?"
    "I believe so, yes. How old are you?"
    "I just turned 25."
    "Then yes, he was. Your mother must have already been pregnant."
    "And the other man, that must have been Stuart."
    "How did you know?"
    "Magda still talks about him. She said she's never met another man like him and she won't settle."
    Grace sighed heavily and turned away. Lira thought she saw the glint of tears in her eyes but when Grace looked back, her eyes were dry.
    "No one knew your mother was pregnant. I don't know that it would have changed anything. Some people were very angry she was choosing a partner from outside."
    "So, this is a pretty insular place?" She tried to say it lightly, but a sick dread was building inside of her. It didn't sound like this was going to be much of a refuge.
    "It used to be very insular. It is still a small town but life moves forward. It's not the old ways anymore, and I'm glad. The old ways took from a lot of people."
    " Who was my mother? Who was my father? Do I have family here worth meeting?"
    "Very straight forward. Just like your mother." Grace picked up her tea cup and sipped slowly. "Your mother was part of the Abrams clan. Your father was a lovely man who got lost here and met your mother. He was a human."
    "Uhhh, of course he was human, we're all human."
    Grace looked Lira in the eye without breaking her gaze. "No dear, that isn't accurate. Your mother was a shifter. A bear shifter, to be precise."
    "A wait what? What the hell are you talking about?" Lira thought to herself, "Well, great Magda. You hooked me up with a bunch of crazy people. This is only slightly better than dealing with Ethan." Well, no one was vandalizing her car. Yet. "Are you trying to tell me my mother turned into a bear?"
    "Yes, that is precisely the case. Magda is also a shifter. I realize this is quite a surprise."
    "Grace, I'm sure you think this is all true, but I should really get going. I have a very long drive ahead of me." Thank god she'd napped for so long. She could get a lot of miles between her and this crazy assed town.
    "Stop being ridiculous. Nancy! Nancy, I know you are listening in, get in here."
    Nancy popped through the door. "I thought your hearing was going, Memaw."
    Grace sniffed regally at her. "There is no reason Lira should believe me, so if you could show her, Nancy."
    "But Memaw, if she's not part of us..." her voice trailed off and her eyes darted around nervously.
    "Don't be ridiculous