Together As Mutants (Book Six)

Chapter 49: Mother, Mother

When the stealth cycle pulls up in front of Taylor's house, she realizes she made a fatal error. There's a shiny black Ford SUV that she's never seen before sitting in the driveway, far too fancy and far too expensive to belong to her tía, tío, or papá.

"Someone's got money," Raphael mutters.

Taylor yanks her helmet off and hops out of the cycle, tossing it into the back as Raphael follows her out. She paces on the sidewalk, staring at the house, dreading what waits inside. Her mamá is probably right behind them. They have only minutes.

"You have to go," Taylor says.

Raphael snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not a chance."

She groans. "Raph, you don't have to. Please, I'll...I'll introduce you to my parents another day. Or never. What if your patch runs out?"

"I'll keep an eye on it."

She looks back at the house, hands flexing, and he reaches out to hold hers. She closes her eyes, wishing more than anything that his hand was the wide, three-fingered grip she's become so used to.

"Tay, I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone," he says firmly. "So deal with it."

She looks back at him and, once again, wishes he was looking like himself. Sure, he's handsome like this, all tanned and muscled with his spiky auburn hair, far more palpable for meeting the parents, but...she wants him to be him. He's comforting that way, far more real to her.

Behind them, a cherry red Ferrari Spider drives up, parking itself behind the stealth cycle. Taylor grips Raphael's hand tight and tugs him after her, heading up to the door before she runs into her mother again.

"Dios me dé fuerza," she mutters to herself.

Raphael squeezes her hand in silent reassurance.

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Taylor throws the door open to find that Carmela is already there, her brow pinched in deep-rooted annoyance. Already, Taylor can hear that the house is noisier than usual.

"I'm guessing..." Carmela starts.

"She's right behind us," Taylor cuts her off. She casts a quick glance at Raphael. "And he's here."

"You're a welcome sight, Raphael," Carmela sighs. "Can't say the same for the others..."

The teens follow Carmela into the living room, immediately finding five strangers lounging on the furniture. It's like looking at a runway set-up, the models waiting for their cue. Muttering to herself, Carmela moves to the kitchen to join Jack and Héctor in hiding out, but Taylor finds that she can't get herself to move, just staring at the stupidly gorgeous family spread out before her.

There's two boys and two girls—the older boy looks like he could be Taylor's age, possibly older, and he has tanned skin and perfectly combed and styled brown hair. Diamond studs glitter in his earlobes, catching the light every time he shifts in place, gazing down at his phone. The two girls look almost identical—they have the same dark almond skin and rich brown hair as their brother, but one has a high ponytail and the other has a half-up do. They're seated on the floor, playing with the other little boy: Taylor assumes it's a boy, as he's wearing a blue-striped sailor shirt, but truthfully, he can't be more than a year old and babies at that age can be hard to tell at a glance.

Then, the man, the unfamiliar adult. He talks on the phone, pacing a little with one hand resting on his pressed khaki pants. He somehow looks important and professional even when wearing a button-up shirt and leather sandals, sunglasses nestled in his gelled hair. He nods and speaks rapidly in Spanish to the person on the other side of the line, stroking his goatee and nodding.