TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 260

Two hundred and sixty

Lisa POV

“Who would’ve thought your presence and this bowl of chicken would give me a spike of happiness?” I said to my

mom.

She laughed as she unpacked the takeout bag while I folded another piece of crispy chicken through the cream, making sure every bite was coated before bringing it to my mouth.

I shut my eyes as my teeth sank into it. A contented sigh escaped me.

“It’s emotional torture,” my mother said, smiling as she watched me eat. “I can’t imagine being pregnant, isolated, and not even having your favorite treat.”

I pointed a piece of chicken at her.

“Don’t make me relive those memories.”

She laughed again, and before long we drifted into talking about random things.

We were in the safe house now, if that was even the right word. It felt more like protected isolation.

The comfort didn’t come from the place itself, because there wasn’t much of it. It came from knowing we were safe behind locked doors and thick concrete walls while whatever was happening outside stayed outside.

I was happier here than I’d ever been in the chapter house. My mother had somehow made the place feel lived in. She’d spread a rug across the floor, Joanna had reinforced every entrance with additional locks, my mom convinced Kieran to bring every blanket he could get his hands on, and someone had mounted a television against the partition wall.

I still wasn’t allowed to have my phone. That annoyed me more than I cared to admit. But having my mom here softened the frustration. We ate together, watched television together, and talked until we ran out of things to say.

She returned after microwaving the rice and set the bowl beside me before moving around the kitchenette. I picked up the remote and flipped through channels, hoping something worth watching would appear.

“They still haven’t announced Luna Catherine’s death,” I said.

My mother glanced at the television before looking back at me. She didn’t seem eager to talk about it either.

“It’s their choice whether they announce it or not.”

“But why did Evangeline kill her?” I asked, tearing another piece from the chicken.

Mom shrugged.

“We don’t know the motive, but she’s going to regret it for the rest of her life.”

As much as Evangeline had made my life miserable, I couldn’t imagine living with something like that.

She had loved her mother, or at least I thought she had.

My thoughts drifted to Kade. He would have to carry this forever.

“What’s Cameron saying about all this?”

“The last thing Kieran told me was that he’s supporting Kade’s decision to keep Evangeline’s name out of it.

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They’re trying to present everything as self-defense.”

Kade had been with Evangeline the night before everything happened. If anyone knew how broken she’d become, it was him.

“What about Alpha Marcus?”

My mother rested against the counter.

“I don’t even know if he’s been told yet. But honestly…” She exhaled. “If I were him, I’d probably feel relieved that the woman who kept him trapped was finally gone.”

My heart skipped. Would Alpha Marcus finally be free from Dominion?

The thought carried me back to the years I’d worked as Luna Catherine’s personal shopper. Back then, I thought they had the perfect marriage. He adored her and never disagreed with her. If she wanted something, she got it.

I used to envy that kind of devotion. Now I wondered if any of it had been real.

His own sister and her children were barely allowed into the Alpha House. Whenever she complained that Luna Catherine controlled her brother, I’d dismissed it as resentment. I thought she was bitter because her brother had chosen his wife over his family.

Now, I wasn’t so sure she’d ever been wrong.

The remains of the chicken sat on the table while I drifted in and out of sleep on the couch. The television murmured in the background until the keypad beeped beyond the reinforced door.

“Wake up, Lisa. You have a visitor.”

I pushed myself upright, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

I’d expected Cassidy. She was safe now. If anyone should’ve come, it should’ve been her. Instead, Joanna stepped inside carrying a basket of fruit.

“Oh, look at you, eating whatever you like,” she said with a grin, her eyes landing on the chicken bones and half- empty glass of juice.

She’d caught me.

“I could smell fried chicken before the door even opened. So that’s why you acted as if we were trying to poison you back at the chapter house.”

I laughed.

“Don’t blame me. Pregnancy makes people lose their minds.”

She chuckled and set the basket on the counter before greeting my mother with a hug.

The conversation slipped into familiar territory, from my sleep to the baby and ordinary questions, which almost made me forget why she was really here.

“How’s everything out there?”

Joanna seemed pleased.

“The Meridian never saw Catherine’s death coming. I didn’t either.” A smile tugged at her lips. “But I’m not going to pretend I’m mourning her. The woman deserved exactly what she got.”

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My mother and I exchanged a glance. Something about Joanna felt rehearsed, like she was circling the real reason she’d come.

“And Cassidy?”

“Cassidy’s fine,” Joanna answered. “She sent her greetings.”

I looked at her.

“Just her greetings?”

She smiled.

She was hiding something.

“That’s actually why I came.”

A knot formed in my stomach.

“Don’t work yourself up. It’s not bad news.”

I nodded slowly.

“As you already know, Evangeline killed her mother. Cassidy got her out before Meridian could, and we brought Evangeline into our custody.”

The words settled over me like cold water.

“We had to get her somewhere safe.”

For several seconds, I couldn’t think of anything to say. Joanna spoke as though this were the most natural decision in the world.

“So…” I finally managed. “She’s one of the Daughters now?”

Joanna laughed. “Not even close. No Daughter in her right mind would simply throw open the doors to someone from Meridian.”

My mother and I exchanged glances. Nothing about this felt real.

“We’re protecting her,” Joanna continued. “That’s different.”

“Why?”

“Because Meridian wants her dead now. But before we move forward, we need to know where you stand.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

She held my gaze.

“Do you want her dead?”

My eyes widened.

“What? I’d never wish that on anyone.”

She pointed at my stomach.

“Even after what she tried to do to you and the baby?”

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we hunted and sty

My mom and I exchanged a glance.

“I’m not a killer.”

“Then we’d like you to see her.”

“What? How can you even ask me that?”

I couldn’t imagine sitting across from Evangeline. I couldn’t imagine looking into the eyes of the woman who’d tried to destroy my life. I turned toward my mother, expecting her to object. She stayed silent. It didn’t surprise me. Everyone seemed to know everything before I did.

“Aren’t you supposed to be protecting me?” I asked.

Joanna remained calm.

“This is part of protecting you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“For the victim and for the person who caused the harm, the truth has to be spoken aloud. Her confession becomes evidence against Meridian.”

I stared at her. None of it made sense. They wouldn’t let me have my phone or let me speak to Cameron, yet they wanted me to face Evangeline.

“What if she has a weapon? What if this is a setup to get close enough to finish what she started?”

Joanna didn’t hesitate.

“She wouldn’t dare. You’re under our protection now. Meridian is hunting her now. If they find her before we do what needs to be done, she’ll die.”

“If it helps,” Joanna said more gently, “you won’t be sitting with her directly. There’ll be a glass partition between both of you. We only need you to hear her confession.”

I looked at my mother for help.

“I think you should do it,” she said quietly. “So much has changed already. If this helps bring everything to an end, then maybe it’s worth it.”

“It doesn’t make it any easier.”

She reached over and squeezed my hand.

“And Cameron?” I asked. “What does he think about all this?”

“This isn’t about Cameron,” Joanna said. “It’s about you and the woman who wronged you.”

She stood and glanced around the apartment one last time, making sure everything looked as it should, then let herself out.

“We’ll move you tomorrow afternoon. Be ready.”

Silence settled over the room. I couldn’t get over the strangeness of how everything seemed to be turning out.

My mother held my hand.

“Do I really have to see her?”

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“If they believe this is necessary, then I think you should put aside your fear and hear what she has to say.”

I let out a slow breath.

“Did Cameron agree to this? Does he even know about the Daughters?”

She smiled faintly.

“He’s met Cassidy, but he doesn’t know the Daughters are the ones protecting you. I’m sure he’ll figure it out soon.”

I leaned back against the couch. I still didn’t understand the Daughters. Everything had seemed so simple before. Meridian was evil, and the Daughters protected people. Now the woman who had tried to kill me was sleeping under the protection of the same people who had saved my life.

“My fear makes sense,” I said, and my mother agreed. She squeezed my hand again.

“Anyone looking at this from the outside would feel exactly the way you do. But they’ve been fighting Meridian for years. They know things we don’t. For now, let’s trust them a little longer.”

D

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