Natalie, who was preparing dinner, heard the doorbell. She opened the door and looked at Jacob in surprise. Her first thought was: 'What a handsome boy. No wonder Lydia doesn't want to break up with him.'
"Mom!" Lydia called out, a note of irritation in her voice.
Natalie came back to her senses and looked at her daughter. "Oh, sorry, sweetheart. I didn't see you there."
Lydia pouted, and Natalie smiled before looking back at Jacob. "You must be Jacob."
Jacob offered a polite smile. "Yes, ma'am. Nice to meet you. Now I know where Lydia got her beauty."
Natalie's smile widened. "You're sweet. Come on in."
Jacob and Lydia entered, and Natalie closed the door behind them. Jacob handed her the luxurious box of chocolates.
"You didn't have to bring anything, but thank you." She said, accepting the gift. She then looked at her daughter. "Take him to the living room. I'm almost done with dinner."
"Do you need some help?" Jacob offered. "I can't cook, but I can help set the table."
"Sure." Natalie said. She turned to Lydia. "Take your coat off and come help, too."
Jacob and Lydia helped set the table in the dining room and brought out the dishes. Once the food was served, the three of them sat down to eat. Jacob was polite and complimentary, praising Natalie's cooking, which made her smile genuinely.
After they finished dinner, they moved to the living room. Natalie sat opposite them, her demeanor shifting from hostess to concerned mother.
"Jacob," she began, her tone careful but firm. "You seem like a nice kid from what I saw tonight. But I've heard that you're dating my daughter and another girl. Is that true?"
"It's true." Jacob said, meeting her gaze without flinching. "I love Lydia, and I also love Allison."
"Well, I know you're just kids and… trying things." Natalie said, choosing her words. "But I can't allow my daughter to date someone like you. You're just going to break her heart eventually. So, I want you to either break up with Allison and date only Lydia, or break up with Lydia."
Jacob shook his head gently. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't want to break up with either of them. Actually, I can't. The three of us are bound by something deeper than just love."
Natalie's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Jacob and Lydia exchanged a look. She sighed. "I guess it's time to tell her the truth." She turned back to her mother. "Actually, Mom, I'm not just his girlfriend. I'm his wife."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Natalie said, a flush of irritation coloring her cheeks. "You're sixteen. You're not allowed to get married."
"Let's forget about the marriage thing for a second." Lydia said, steering the conversation with deliberate calm. "Tell me, Mom. Do you remember why you put Grandma in a mental hospital?"
"Why are you asking?" Natalie's voice held a note of defensive caution.
"Just answer the question."
Natalie sighed, the old pain briefly shadowing her face. "Because Lorraine had a severe mental illness. She used to scream and said she could hear voices and see people die. She was found near dead bodies, and when the police asked her what she was doing there, she said she didn't know how she got there."
"Grandma didn't have a mental illness." Lydia said. "She had supernatural powers."
Natalie began to look genuinely worried. "Sweetheart, you're scaring me. Please tell me you're just joking and you don't actually believe what you just said."
"I'm not joking, Mom. Grandma was a supernatural creature called a banshee. Banshees are harbingers of death. They can predict mortal danger and have a connection to the supernatural spiritual world, and that makes them hear voices and..."
"Lydia, stop!" Natalie cut in sharply. "If this is a joke, it is not funny. And if you really believe what you're saying, then we need to get you some help."
Jacob's voice spoke directly in Lydia's mind. [Yeah, like putting you in a nuthouse like your grandmother.]
Lydia rolled her eyes at him before focusing back on her mother. "I can prove it. But don't freak out."
"How would you prove it? And why would I freak out?"
"If I were a normal banshee, I wouldn't be able to prove what I just said." Lydia explained. "But I'm not. I'm something more. So just watch…"
Then, in front of the stunned Natalie, Lydia's eyes glowed white. Her hair turned snow-white, and her skin grew pale.
She gave her mother a moment to process the transformation.
Natalie stared, her mind racing for a reasonable, scientific explanation—makeup, contacts, a trick of the light—but none fit the instantaneous, profound change she had just witnessed. "How?" She finally whispered. "How did you change the color of your eyes, your hair, your skin?"
"I already told you. I'm a banshee, and I can shift. I can also control sound… and I can teleport. Watch."
Then, Lydia disappeared from her place on the couch.
"Lydia? Where are you?" Natalie asked, her voice tinged with alarm.
"I'm behind you, Mom."
Natalie turned to find Lydia standing calmly behind the couch she was sitting on. "How? This doesn't make any sense."
Lydia walked around and sat next to her mother, taking her hand. "Mom, the supernatural creatures from mythology—like werewolves and vampires—are real. Magic is real." She looked at Jacob. "Jay, show her."
Jacob lifted his hand. A flame burst from his palm, shaped itself into a small bird, and flew a silent loop around the room before winking out of existence. Then, he shifted. His eyes glowed a fierce gold, claws extended from his fingertips, and his teeth lengthened into sharp fangs. A low, resonant growl rumbled in his chest.
Natalie flinched, and Lydia squeezed her hand. "Don't be scared. He won't harm you."
"Are you sure?" Natalie breathed, eyeing the creature her daughter called her husband. "He's growling like a beast."
Lydia smiled softly. "Well, he is a beast. But like I said, he won't harm you."
Jacob and Lydia shifted back to normal. For the next while, Lydia patiently explained the basics of the supernatural world to her mother, answering her stunned, hesitant questions.
Finally, Lydia said. "Mom, do you remember the cannibal family they found in Beacon Hills a few days ago?"
"Yes," Natalie said, her voice quieter now. "What about them?"
"They were a cannibalistic creature that survives by eating humans. They're called Wendigos."
Natalie absorbed this, the horrific news story taking on a new, darker meaning. "And I assume there are more creatures like them?"
"Yes," Jacob confirmed. "Just like there are good humans and bad humans, there are good supernatural creatures and bad ones. And, of course, there are pure evil ones like Wendigos."
Natalie let out a long, weary sigh, as if the weight of an unseen world had just settled on her shoulders. "Let's… let's not talk about evil things anymore." She waved a hand as if to physically clear the air of dark thoughts. "Let's talk about you two. Tell me about this… marriage of yours."
Lydia said. "It's called a mating bond. It's an intense, instinctual, and irreversible supernatural connection—far deeper than just love. We can't break up, not for life. And we can't harm each other."
"And he has a mating bond with Allison, too?" Natalie asked.
"Yes." Lydia confirmed. "And not only her. There's a third girl, Malia."
Natalie's eyes widened. "What? How many girls is he going to have?"
Lydia shrugged, a gesture of weary acceptance. "I don't know. It's what he is; he can't help it. All I can do is make sure he doesn't bring a bad girl into our home."
"Are you really okay with this relationship?" Natalie pressed, searching her daughter's face. "Are you happy?"
Lydia's smile was radiant and genuine. "I'm more than happy, Mom. I love him, and I love Allison and Malia, too."
Natalie raised a brow. "You love the girls, too? Are you…"
"No, it's not what you think." Lydia said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just that since the three of us have a mating bond with Jay, we also have a connection with each other. We love each other like sisters, but… more than sisters. It's hard to explain, but there is nothing sexual between us."
Natalie let out another long sigh, the last of her resistance seeming to drain away. "I see. Well, as long as you are happy, that's all I want. And you should focus on your studies, too. Don't forget about that."
"I won't." Lydia promised, her smile softening.
Natalie turned her gaze to Jacob, her expression shifting into one of maternal sternness. "Take care of my daughter, kid. And give her a proper wedding when you graduate from college."
"I promise I would never make her sad." Jacob said, his tone solemn and respectful. "As for the wedding, as long as she says the words, I will hold any kind of wedding she wants."
Lydia looked at her mother hopefully. "So, Mom… are you okay with me being with Jay?"
"You said there's nothing I can do to break you up." Natalie said with a wry smile. "So it doesn't really matter if I'm okay with it or not." Then her expression softened, and she reached out to touch Lydia's cheek. "But as long as you are happy, sweetheart, then I'm happy for you, too. You have my blessing."
Lydia threw her arms around her mother in a tight hug. "Thanks, Mom."
After they broke apart, Lydia studied her mother's face. "What's wrong? You look sad."
"I was thinking about Lorraine." Natalie admitted, her voice thick with regret. "She was telling us the truth, but we didn't believe her. We locked her up in a mental hospital and got her killed."
"No, Mom." Lydia said firmly, taking her mother's hands. "You didn't get Grandma killed. You didn't know about banshees. She herself didn't know what she was. Besides, it was Dad who took her to Eichen House, not you."
"If your father knew the truth, he'd be devastated." Natalie murmured.
"Then let's not tell him." Lydia suggested. "He's already out of our lives and moved away from Beacon Hills. Let him be."
"But I think he should know the truth." Natalie said, a glint of something sharper in her eyes.
Lydia rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. "I know you hate him, Mom. But telling him the truth will break his heart."
Natalie's smile turned wicked. "I know. That's why I want to tell him the truth. I really want him to be miserable for the rest of his life."
'Women are really petty and evil.' Jacob thought, wisely keeping the observation to himself.
Lydia chuckled. "Just let the poor man be. Please. For me."
Natalie relented with a theatrical sigh. "Fine."
Jacob stood up. "Time for me to leave. What about you, Lydia?"
"I'll spend the night here with Mom." Lydia said. "There's so much I want to tell her."
Jacob's voice spoke directly in her mind. [Don't tell her about us killing people or that I'm a dragon.]
Lydia's mental reply was instant. [I'm not stupid. I know what to say and what not to say.]
Jacob looked at Natalie. "It was nice meeting you, ma'am."
"You can call me Natalie." She said, offering a genuine smile. "And it was nice meeting you too, kid."
Jacob returned the smile, then he retrieved one of his remaining seven vials of Mirakuru from his pocket dimension and handed it to Natalie. "Here. This is my gift to you. Lydia will explain what it is."
Natalie took the vial, looking at the glowing green liquid with curiosity before turning to her daughter for an explanation.
But Lydia, who had drunk the Mirakuru herself, knew exactly what it was. She jumped up and kissed Jacob deeply. "Thanks, love!"
"You're welcome." He said, smiling against her lips.
"Did you give it to Allison's parents, too?" Lydia asked, pulling back slightly.
"I'm planning to." Jacob said. "But I haven't decided when yet. So don't tell Allison I gave your mom one first."
Lydia's smile turned mischievous. "Okay. I'll wait until you give it to them, then I'll tell her that you gave it to my mom first."
Jacob pinched her nose playfully. "Are you trying to get me in trouble?"
Lydia winked. "Yep."
Jacob shook his head with a fond smile, kissed her one last time, and said. "Alright. Good night, ladies." With that, he left.
After the door closed, Natalie looked at the vial in her hand, then at her beaming daughter. "What does this green liquid do to make you that excited?"
"After you drink it," Lydia explained, her voice full of excitement, "you will become incredibly strong, have supernatural healing, and you will never get sick again."
Natalie's eyes widened. "Isn't this thing too precious? It must be very expensive. And does it not have any side effects?"
"No, it doesn't have any side effects." Lydia assured her. "And don't worry about it being precious or expensive. If Jay gave it to you, then just drink it and don't worry about anything else."
"Okay." Natalie said, still looking at the vial with a mix of awe and trepidation. She moved to open it, but Lydia stopped her.
"Wait! Let's go to the bathroom first and get in the bathtub. You'll sweat a lot."
The two of them went to the bathroom. They filled the bathtub with hot water, and then Natalie, with a final deep breath, drank the contents of the vial. She immediately felt a spreading warmth from her core. Soon, she began to sweat profusely. She quickly got into the tub. Lydia stripped off her own clothes, climbed in, and lay back in her mother's arms, and they started talking about the supernatural side of the world and about Jacob.
---
Jacob drove back home, had dinner with Malia, and then the two of them watched a movie. Eventually, they went to Jacob's room, where they fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
To be continued… 😊