Zachary felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. They were almost to where the map had said that Persephone would be.
He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID.
Ruby.
He smiled as he swiped his screen to answer the call.
“Hey, Ruby, I was just about to call you with an update.”
“Where are you?” she whispered into the phone.
Zachary frowned at the time he was hearing from Ruby.
“We are a few hours away from the cafe. Why, what’s wrong?” he asked with concern.
“Your mother is here!”
Zachary swerved on the abandoned road, losing control of his truck for a moment when he heard what Ruby told him.
“I’m sorry, did you just say that my mother is in town?”
“Yes, she’s here at the cafe with me right now.”
“Has she said what she’s doing here?”
Ruby let out a heavy sigh and said, “All she’s said is that she’s been trying to get a hold of you.”
Zachary sat quietly for a moment.
It was true, his mother had been leaving him messages to get in contact with her, but he hadn’t thought it was anything important.
“Well, I can’t talk with her right now. It will have to wait until after,” Zachary told her.
“After what, Zachary?”
Zachary was quiet for a moment. He didn’t know how much he wanted to tell Ruby, especially with his mother close by.
“Vita has been taken and we may know where she is.”
“Tell me where you are going, Zachary,” she demanded.
Zachary looked over at Deak to offer his opinion. Deak lifted his hand to be given the phone.
“Ruby, I make sure Zachary will be safe,” Deak said in a calm voice.
“Deak, I want to know where you are taking me…” Ruby stopped herself before finishing that sentence.
Deak smiled.
“I know, Ruby. I promise to keep him safe. I just need to get to Vita.”
“Don’t get me wrong. Deak, I’m glad you are helping Vita. but what if something happens to both of you and I don’t know how to find you?”
Deak nodded his head in understanding.
“I can’t tell you much, all we know is a name Persephone. That’s all I can give you.”
He could hear her sigh through the phone.
“That’s enough. Zachary’s mother is here, so if I don’t hear from either of you by morning, I’ll hunt you both down myself.”
Deak laughed.
“Ruby, you are a funny woman. I’ll be in touch with you once I have Vita in my arms,” Deak promised.
Deak ended the call and handed the phone back to Zachary.
“What did she say?”
Deak looked over at Zachary and smiled.
“She’s very protective of you, even though she’s scared to give you heart. If she does not hear from us by morning, she’ll hunt us down.” Deak chuckled.
Zachary shivered at the thought.
“So, your mother is back in town, yes?”
“That’s what Ruby said,” he answered with a shrug.
Zachary didn’t understand what would be so important that his mother would fly across the Atlantic and come back to the town she fled so many years ago. He hoped she wasn’t here to start any trouble.
Ruby closed her phone and walked back out to the front of the cafe. She was relieved that it was almost closing time.
“Were you able to get in touch with him?” Madeline asked as she continued to sip her tea.
Ruby looked at the older woman. She was confused. When she and Zachary were dating back in high school, it seemed his parents were unhappy with them being together, as if they wanted to keep the Warren line pure.
“Something on your mind?” Madeline continued.
Ruby straightened herself up, squared her shoulders, and lifted he chin.
“I don’t understand why the sudden change in how you feel about me,” Ruby told her.
Madeline placed her cup of tea down on the saucer.
“Please, allow me to explain,” she said as she motioned for Ruby to take a seat with her once again.
Before she did, Ruby walked over to the door and locked it, flipping the sign from open to closed.
She then walked back over and took a seat at the table.
Madeline looked at her with a kind smile.
“A lot of things have changed since you and Zachary dated back in high school. It is true that my husband was not happy with the relationship, and even though my husband and I had a difference of opinion on the matter, I never stopped him from trying to break you two up. I apologize for that. After my husband passed and the coven broke apart, I decided to leave. I always hoped that you two would find a way back into each others’ lives.”
Ruby just sat there dumbfounded.
She couldn’t believe the confession she just received from Zachary’s mother.
“Zachary is out currently helping a friend from your coven.”
Madeline was surprised to hear this.
“I wasn’t aware that he was in contact with any of the remaining members,” Madeline confessed.
“Her name is Vita. she is a part of the LeMarquis family,” Ruby explained as she continued to watch Madeline and her reactions.
Madeline nodded as she finished her tea.
“I was in London when I heard the news about her family. Vitaline had become estranged from the family before they died.”
“Zachary helped her through some tough times.”
Madeline smiled.
She was proud to hear that her son was still helping others.
“Did he say anything else, dear?”
Ruby stayed quiet for a moment; she wasn’t sure just how much she wanted to tell Madeline. As much as she confessed that she secretly rooted for her and Zachary, Ruby wasn’t sure that she could trust the woman who just came back into her life.
Ruby tapped her fingers on the table as she contemplated whether or not to tell her anything more.
“He thinks Vita has been taken and they are on their way to retrieve her,” Ruby admitted.
Madeline looked at Ruby with concern laced in her eyes.
“Why would she be taken?”
Ruby shrugged. She didn’t know anything else about what was happening, which only made her worry more.
“Who else was with him?”
“Deak.”
Madeline looked at Ruby with questioning eyes; she had heard that name before but couldn’t put her fingers on where.
“Who is this Deak fellow?”
Ruby knew that she needed to tread lightly on this subject. Even though Deak was related to the power-hungry Lycan King, Fabian, Deak was different. He had become a friend and didn’t consider him to be other bloodthirsty Lycans she had come across.
“Deak is actually the nephew of the Lycan King.”
Madeline’s eyes widened and were about to say something before Ruby interrupted.
“Please, before you say anything, allow me to explain.”
Madeline nodded.
“Deak helped us with learning the knowledge about who the Lycan King was after. He risked his life to protect us from his uncle.”
Madeline leaned forward in her seat. “You know who the Hybrid is?”
Mated to my Bully (Book 1)