The Last Dragon Rider (Book 1 of Rider Series)

Chapter 57

My mother's face turned grave when I said that, and she slowly nodded. She didn't say a word about that but cleared her throat and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Is that Toran's shirt?" she asked and turned her direction to the shirt in my hands while she changed the subject.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said and nodded in confirmation. "Do you need me to work on it, Mama?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

She hesitated before she gestured for me to follow her to the counter while she walked that way, and I did just that. "Let's see what he had been up to first before I say something else, my child," she said, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and scowl when she said, "my child," even though I was her child.

"Do not roll your eyes at me, Marini," she warned and looked at me with something in her eyes that I couldn't put my finger on but didn't like for some reason. "You are my child, are you not?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded, knowing full well where this conversation was going to go. "Yes, Ma'am," I said, bitterly. "I am your child."

"Then why shouldn't I call you "my child," Marini?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I didn't say a word and shrugged, biting back a small grimace, and my mother smirked and dipped her head closer to her chest, amused.

"Hmph," she said, biting back a small chuckle. She gestured for me to place the stuff on the counter, and I did what I was told to do. "Did Maron get me something to use to eat the food?" she asked, and I nodded in confirmation.

"There is a fork in there, as well," I said and moved the food toward her and placed the shirt beside it. "Go ahead and eat it before we look at the shirt."

My mother shook her head and bit back a small sigh. "Let's get the shirt looked at so that you can go and then I will eat the dessert," she said. "You still have business to attend to, Marini."

I bit back a small chuckle and shook my head. "I don't have anything else to do, Mama," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, growing serious. "I have something else going on later this evening so..." I shrugged and grimaced.

My mother frowned and pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't say a word while she stared at me with something in her eyes, and I couldn't help but feel slightly nervous and unnerved.

Finally, she sighed and shook her head, pursing her lips in annoyance. "Just stay safe, Marini," she said softly. She grabbed the shirt from where I had placed and looked at me when I made a small noise, and amusement flashed through her eyes.

She cleared her throat to hide a chuckle and looked at the shirt instead. "We are going to do this first, however, before I eat," she said and unfolded the shirt, and a look of shock and nervousness appeared on her face when she saw the claw marks on it, and I knew that she knew what caused them.

'Werewolf,' she mouthed silently, confirming my suspicions, before she quickly folded up the shirt, hiding the claw marks before she looked around with wide eyes and looked very nervous.

"Mama?" I asked and cocked my head while I furrowed my brows with a small frown on my face. My whole body was tense, and my heart started to pound faster and harder in my chest, my throat closing just a little. "What is it? What's wrong, Mama?"

"Who saw this, Marini?" she asked, not answering my question and stuffing it back into my arms. Her voice was hard and cold, and I couldn't help but hear a trace of fear in it. "Go ahead and put that back in your basket."

"Bu-"

"Now, Marini," she said, interrupting me with a raised hand, silencing me. She scowled and narrowed her eyes while she stared at me. "Who else saw it?"