* * * * * *
For Adam and Sky the journey seemed to take forever, both of them missing the other part of themselves. They hadn't met before either, but they seemed to bond just over the fact that their mates had been taken and they were both in the same state of mind. It was easier for Adam when he didn't feel so alone, but he avoided saying that this might all be his fault. If his mother had done this just to try and turn him straight or whatever she seemed to think he should be doing, he couldn't help feeling responsible. On top of that he had unknowingly funded the research. Basically he had screwed with the lives of everyone there, and he needed to undo that as far as possible, just as much as he needed Jake back.
As the two chatted in the back of the car, Tom and Tilly were discussing other matters between themselves in the front. Tom wanted to know all about what had happened at the party and Tilly had been filling him in.
"So, do you think she'll help?"
"If she can, probably. She loves Adam and she wasn't at all shocked that he was with Jake. There is one thing though, I can't read her. I'm not saying I don't believe her, but I get the feeling there is something else she is hiding. Maybe it's just that she's been keeping her own secrets a long time."
Tom pondered that as they got to the house. Perhaps there was nothing to that, but even in the few months he had known her he had got to trust Tilly's instincts. They would just have to play this by ear and hope that if Dora was keeping any secrets they wouldn't be ones that would stop them finding Finn and Jake.
* * * * * *
As they got closer to the house Tilly encouraged Adam to try and speak to Dora. It would be interesting to see if he could do it, for starters, as he hadn't tried anyone but Jake at distance. The smile on his face told her that he had got through.
"She'll be waiting for us. Can I explain what's happened? She will understand I need to get to my mate."
Tom looked unsure when Tilly looked at him for confirmation, but then he shrugged.
"She's one of us, I doubt she'll help her daughter hurt any of us, especially not Adam's mate. Bare details though, I'd prefer she doesn't know about everything with the research, it's better that she thinks this is about your mother trying to 'cure' you or something."
There was another silence while Adam stared into space and he looked quite upset by the time he finished.
"She's really worried," he explained. "About me and about mum. She said that she didn't think mum was that horrified by it any more. What does that mean?"
"We'll be able to ask her face to face in a few minutes," Tom replied. He was wondering that himself.
It seemed like a long few minutes, but soon they were heading through the gates that Dora had opened for them. It was an impressive place, much like the Arcan house but better maintained, especially the grounds. Of course they didn't use their lawns and woods for commando training. Tilly noticed Dora was stood at the front doors, waiting for them and looking concerned even at a distance. By the time they reached her the expression of worry was very clear.
They all got out of the car quickly, Adam immediately going to his grandmother to give her a hug. He didn't give her long for the welcome though, not even bothering to introduce the others as they came up behind him.
"Do you know where she is? I need to get to Jake before anything happens. She seems to think he did something to me, but it's not like that and she needs to understand that I really love him."
"I think she is at the house in the Lakes. I can't be sure though."
"Where, exactly?" Tom asked, not wanting to wait any longer. Adam gave him a postcode and he went back to the car to put it in the satnav. They all heard him exclaim loudly. "Shit. That's right by where they got Jamie and Chris, it's got to be the place. I'm going to tell Sam so he can meet us there."
Dora started to speak to Adam again. "I am so sorry about this. I need to explain some things..."
Adam cut her off. "I don't have time now, I'm sorry. I'll come back and bring Jake with me, we can talk for hours, but not until he is safe."
"This is important Adam, it will help. Give me five minutes, I'm coming with you."
She turned around and headed into the house, not even acknowledging the others. Tilly was surprised, because this time she could feel a lot of emotion from Dora, and it was fear and confusion that came out strongest. She had no objection to hearing whatever was going to be explained, it would help pass the time even if it wasn't of use, but it was definitely important to the older woman. She had the feeling that some secrets Dora had been keeping for years were about to come out.
* * * * * *
Tom drove, the rest of them sat in the back. This was largely between Dora and Adam, but Tilly needed to know if there was anything relevant to their situation. Even if not, they were on their way to the house and Sam and the others were also heading that way so they could meet them there. They'd have to come up with a plan when they got closer, but at least they were getting somewhere now. Having Sky there wasn't ideal, but they would just have to keep her out of the action later. If necessary they would lock her in the car.
Dora didn't seem too keen to start talking, but actually it was that she didn't know where to start. There was so much she needed to tell Adam and she had no idea how he would take it all. There was one other thing she needed to do as well, the reason she had gone back inside, and she handed him a thermos that she retrieved from her bag. Adam didn't hide the look of disgust on his face very well, and she gave him an amused look.
"I know you hate the herbal teas I make, but you are going to drink it. We both are, as usual. Only this is a different one to usual."
Adam took a sip as she handed him a cup, and pulled a face at the taste. "You're right about that, it tastes even worse than usual too."
She smiled at him again. "I am sorry Adam. I've been lying to you about me for a very long time. I guess I've been lying to everyone ever since I met your grandfather. It wasn't allowed back then, we couldn't mate with a human and stay part of Were society. The Council rules were very strict. So I had to cut myself off and live as a human, and it was a very hard thing to do. I got used to keeping my wolf secret and under control, but I never stopped thinking about it. I used to tell you stories, when you were little, about werewolves, about my family. I thought you would just think they were fairy stories."
"You told me about you? I remember some of it, but I've found out a lot more since then."
"I know. Well, I didn't know, until your mother told me you had become obsessed. She didn't think it was a good idea for you to be reading those books and things. I used to tell her the same stories you know, but she thought it was all rubbish for a long time. Certainly it didn't have the same effect on her as on you."
"When? When did she tell you I was obsessed?" Adam asked.
"A couple of years ago. It was almost in passing, but she wanted me to discourage you if I could. She knew I was much closer to you than she was. I didn't want to, I didn't see the harm. Now I realise you had your mate during that time and that had made you even more certain you wanted to know about us. I wish I had known that, but then I can understand you not wanting to tell me."
Adam looked down at the floor, slightly ashamed. "I knew mother would go crazy if she found out I was with a man. I should have had more faith in you. If I'd ever dared bring him to meet you, you would have known what he was."
"Yes, I would. And I would have been able to warn you. Maybe tell you some of this a little earlier."
Tilly interrupted for a moment. "Is there any chance that she knows what you are?"
"Perhaps. I never made it clear it was me, but she knows there is Were blood in our family somewhere."
Tilly looked at her, surprised at the admission. "You know there are Council rules on that. They might have relaxed the rules on mates, but they don't let us go around telling people. Does she have traits like Adam does?"
Dora seemed more scared than anything else now, but Tilly couldn't help pushing her. It seemed quite possible that Adam's mother knew a lot about werewolves at the very least, and perhaps she knew a lot about the research too. Dora started talking again, but it was slow and cautious, and her eyes flicked between Adam and Tilly as she explained.
"I have four children... I was worried that they might show some traits, yes, so when they were young I took them to a friend of mine, another Were who lived human but had a lot more knowledge about these things. None of them had anything obvious, perhaps they healed slightly faster from cuts and bruises, but there was nothing that would mark them out as non-human. It was one of my fears, that I wouldn't be able to hide them from the Council if they were obviously part-Were, but I knew he would help me if that was the case."
Tilly took this kind of talk the hardest. She worked for the Council and she realised they hadn't always been progressive, but they weren't anything to be feared. It was all about keeping their existence quiet, not about restricting individuals except when they were a danger to humans. To hear Dora talk about them as though they would have taken her children away was very difficult, but she tried to understand that it had been a long time ago, before she was born, and things were different then.
Adam however was back to wondering how he had turned out the way he was.
