Siren's Call

Turn the Corner

Embry couldn't help but walk over and glance into the living room, a worried expression on his face. Everything seemed to be going okay in there, but you couldn't always tell with his mother. She was smiling now as she spoke with Freja's mother and grandfather, easily believing that Ingrid was Freja's older sister.

While the Havsfru hadn't been all that happy to introduce herself as anything other than Aleksander and Freja's mother, even she had understood the necessity - there was no way humans were going to believe that she was old enough. They had then concocted a story about her and Aleksander living in Sweden for the last several years with some other relatives for... reasons. Embry only hoped his mother didn't get too snoopy with that.

Now that he was thinking about it, maybe they should have come up with a more detailed story. And he was now realizing that it was probably time for him to come clean to his mother about everything - being a shapeshifter, the imprint and Freja's family.

He should have told her before now. That would have made this first gathering of their families a hell of a lot less stressful.

"This isn't going to work. She knows we're lying. It's too soon," he stated, sensing Freja at his side.

"It's fine. Mama knows how to be around humans even though it's been awhile. And she knows the story well," Freja whispered to him. She studied them a few moments. "I think they're getting along well."

"Yea, well, Mom is good at hiding what she's thinking," he replied.

His mother looked over at him at that moment and he turned, walking back over to Astrid, who was in front of the stove, cooking.

"You know we do not need your help," she said, a small smirk on her face.

"I want to help," Embry said a bit too eagerly, causing the old woman to chuckle.

Though now that he was really looking at her, he noticed she had fewer wrinkles. It had only been a couple weeks since Michael had given her and Oscar back their true forms and already they were both appearing and acting younger, more spritely. Had been going out for long swims, though never venturing too far from their home. He made a mental note to ask Freja about it later.

Shit. One more thing to come up with a story for. Unless he finally told his mother the truth. Why hadn't he told her back when Sam gave him permission? Oh, right that whole business about his birth father. But now was not the time to think about that.

"Help me with the table," Freja said, getting his attention.

He turned to the island and took a stack of plates that she handed him. Aleksander was perched at the island watching them and still not quite comfortable enough to join the conversation in the living room.

While he was adjusting to life on the land, the younger Havsfru still had trouble with some things as he hadn't been all that exposed to it before. And he was still coming to terms with the fact that everything he previously knew about himself was a lie. But thankfully, he and Freja were becoming closer, the two of them often spending hours alone or with their mother, getting to know each other. And Embry had to admit that the more he got to know him, the more he liked him.

But at the same time, it was less time he spent with Freja. While Embry wanted to spend all of his time with her, worried that Sven could still show up and try something again, he knew that he needed to give her this time with her brother and mother. Besides, they had the rest of their lives together.

He and Freja worked quickly and by the time they had the table set, Astrid was informing the others that dinner was ready.

They all settled around the table, with Tiffany and Oscar at the opposite ends. Embry sat next to his mother, with Freja next to him and then Aleksander. Ingrid was opposite him while Astrid was next to Oscar.