Zack flopped onto his chair.
Liz frowned. Not that she didn‟t appreciate the support, but she was responsible for discipline in this house. “I don‟t need
you to stand up for me.”
Morgan gave her a long, cool look. “You are female. This is between men.”
“I‟m his mother,” she said, indignant.
He held her gaze. “Precisely.”
She felt naked, all her weaknesses, all her failings as a parent, exposed.
An image sprang into her mind of Morgan, standing in the police station like a black-clad guardian angel, Emily clinging to
his leg.
At the table, Zack watched them with the focused attention he usually reserved for his video games. On any other evening,
after any other fight, he would be in his room with the door shut and music shaking the walls.
Liz drew a deep, careful breath.
“Can I speak with you?” she said to Morgan. “In the kitchen.”
His teeth flashed. “I am at your service.”
7
MORGAN FOLLOWED ELIZABETH FROM THE DINING room, a buzz in his blood. Amusement or annoyance or lust.
She walked with long, smooth strides, hips rolling, shoulders braced for battle.
If she was looking for a fight, he could give her one. He ran his tongue over his teeth. He was prepared to give her any
number of things.
She turned to face him, the yellow light from above the sink gleaming on her sleek mahogany hair. The pads of his fingers
tingled.
Anticipation, he realized. That accounted for the hum in his blood, the tightening in his belly.
He was immortal, but she made him feel alive.
She crossed her arms over her breasts. “You can‟t just stroll into Zack‟s life and start acting like his father.”
“I am his father. He is my seed.”
“He‟s not some test tube baby,” she snapped. “He‟s a person. He‟s my son.”
“My son, too.”
“Which means nothing without some kind of commitment.”
It meant everything if the boy were finfolk.
Morgan raised his eyebrows. “Are you asking my intentions?”
She stuck out her chin. “Towards Zack, yes.”
If he told her, she would throw him out. He shrugged. “I want to know my son.”
“Any relationship you have with Zack has to be his choice.”
He admired her determination to protect her family, even though he had no intention of being hampered by it. “And you
trust his judgment.”
She flushed. “No. That doesn‟t mean I trust you either.”
“Yet I have been inside you,” he murmured mostly for the pleasure of seeing her eyes flash.
“I was stupid then. I won‟t be stupid now. Not with my children‟s safety at stake.”
He was annoyed. “I do not prey on children.”
“I‟m not talking about physical danger,” she said. “But they‟re emotionally vulnerable. Zack is going through a difficult
time right now. I don‟t want you confusing him even more.”
“It may be I understand the boy better than you think.”
“If I didn‟t consider that a possibility, we wouldn‟t be having this conversation,” she said frankly. “But you don‟t really
know him. You don‟t see him as an individual yet.”
“Of course he is an individual. I only have one son.”
“Listen to yourself. „One son.‟ „The boy.‟ He has a name. You could try using it occasionally.”
He stared at her, oddly discomfited. Had he ever called the boy by name? He could not remember. Was not sure why he