"Where on Earth have you been?" my mother shrieked the moment I stepped into the hotel room.

Coleen and Jessie were sat on a sofa in front of the TV screen, watching the two of us, the first with wide eyes, and the second with a scowl. In the background, my father had his back to us, staring out of the window as he spoke on the phone.

Directly in front of me, my mother was glowering.

She was a relatively small woman who'd become somewhat rounded over the last few years. She was tanned with dark brunette hair that scraped her shoulders, and large blue eyes. Like always, she had that sort of look, like she'd once been very beautiful, but age and stress was slowly wearing her out. My parents were certainly no spring chickens. Mum had been in her mid-thirties when she'd had Cameron. These days, she was nearing sixty.

"Well?" she insisted furiously.

I rolled my eyes. "I was making friends, Mum," I shrugged. "You know, meeting new people, experiencing new things."

"Alone?" she snapped.

"No, Mum," I glared back. "I don't know about you, but I find it very hard to make friends when I'm on my own!"

"Don't raise your voice with me, young lady!" Mum shouted. "Your father and I have been out of our minds with worry!" Dad glanced over his shoulder, shooting me a look that clearly warned me he'd been doing no such thing, before turning back away again.

"Then stop trying to control every part of my life," I replied through my teeth. "I met some new people, decided to check out Central Park and the Empire State Building, and since I'm more than capable of looking after myself, I figured there wasn't a problem."

"Oh, so that's it, is it?" she glowered. "Now you're eighteen you think you're old enough to do what the hell you like?"

My eyes narrowed. "Sure. Something like that."

For a second, Mum stared at me, stunned. Then she let out a frustration yell and turned for backup. "Peter, would you please talk to your daughter?" she groaned loudly, and Dad's shoulders sagged. He looked younger than Mum, despite being five years older, with dark hair flecked with grey and wise, brown eyes. As always he was dressed in a sharp suit with a soft expression.

"Sara, cut the girl some slack," he mumbled, holding the phone away from his mouth. "She wanted to see some sights and meet new people, she did, and now she's back. Leave it at that, ey?" Mum glared furiously at him, but he just turned away again and returned to his conversation.

"Am I the only one who cares about our only daughter?" she shrieked, spinning around melodramatically and stalking out of the room. Dad barely looked up.

"Nice going, Des," Jessie grumbled as I sank into the armchair beside her and Coleen. "She's been freaking out!"

I felt my cheeks flush. "It's not my fault she's a control freak. I was perfectly safe."

"How do you know that?" Coleen frowned. "You didn't even know that guy, Des! What were you thinking?"

My lips pursed tightly. "It's a long story."

"Good job we have time," Jessie scowled.

"Later," I dismissed, eyeing Dad as he hung up. Before Jessie or Coleen could argue, I jumped back up and hurried to pull my father into a hug.

He chuckled affectionately in my ear. "Hey, honey," he smiled. "Had a good day?"

That was what I loved about my father. Mum freaked out about invisible dangers and Dad liked to see me actually living my life. For the first time, I beamed widely. "It was brilliant, Dad," I breathed, and his eyes widened.

"Oh? Well maybe you can tell us about it," he smiled kindly. "Over dinner, mind. Let your mother calm down for a while." My smile wavered and I hurriedly debated my options as his own expression straightened. "Des? Are you alright?"

I cast an awkward glance back at Jessie and Coleen. "I need to talk to you," I mumbled at him. "Alone. It's important."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise for a moment, but nodded slowly and cleared his throat. "Erm, girls? Could you leave me to talk with my daughter for a few minutes please?"

Immediately, Coleen nodded and leapt to her feet. "Of course, Mr. McKenna," she smiled politely. Jessie rolled her eyes irritably behind her, but dutifully got to her feet and followed my best friend out of the room.

"Now," Dad smiled warily. "What's wrong?"

Get it over with Des, I told myself, biting my lip hard. Just blurt it out and get it over with. Closing my eyes tightly, I forced myself to say it with a grimace.

"I found my soulfinder."

Dad blinked, straightening out in astonishment. Slowly, I opened one of my eyes a fraction. Fear crept through me like an ice cube sliding down my spine, but slowly, my father's face relaxed. "That's . . . that's brilliant, honey," he muttered, and something like grief flashed through his eyes as he forced himself to smile. "I'm really happy for you. That's who you've been with all day?"

I nodded, gulping hard as I straightened my expression out. "His name is Yves Benedict."

Dad lifted an eyebrow. "Benedict, huh? I know his parents. Nice people."

I hesitated, scanning his expression. I knew he was trying to be happy for me, which is more than I could say from how I knew my mother would react, but I could see him forcing himself not to overthink anything. Suddenly, I was praying they never, ever met Thea.

"Well, congratulations," he smiled sadly, pulling me into another, tighter hug. "I can't wait to meet him."

My eyes suddenly burned. "Mum's going to hate him."

"Oh, hey," Dad scolded gently, pulling me back and frowning down at me. "Of course she won't! He's part of the family now, Des, she understands that."

I pulled a face, blinking the tears away. "Are you sure?" I asked quietly. Dad's face fell.

"Des?" a voice suddenly called. "Mum? Dad? You guys here?"

Dad and I hurriedly put our faces straight as we turned to see Cameron stood in the doorway, with Margo hanging onto his neck and Oliver stood by his feet. My eldest brother was tall and strong, with a shaved head and hazel eyes. Oliver looked a lot like him, apart from his dark, curly hair and baby face, and Margo closely resembled her mother, Laura, with wavy blonde hair and shining, chocolate eyes.

"Des!" she squealed happily, squirming in Cam's hold and I smiled easily, rushing forward to scoop my niece into my arms.

"Ready, Dad?" Cameron asked. "The table at the restaurant is booked for six."

Dad cleared his throat, nodding. "Sara!" he called loudly, moving toward the bathroom Mum had stalked into. "Sara, Cam's here with the kids! We need to go!"

"Make sure Destiny has changed into the new dress I bought her!" was the only response, and Dad shot me a pitiful look.

"In that bag," he grimaced at me, pointing at a shopping back by Mum's suitcase. "It'll look lovely on you."

He was probably right, but Mum was still micro-managing my life. Shaking the thought out of my mind, I reminded myself that I had to keep her as happy as possible and handed Margo back to Cam. I picked the bag up with a deep breath and slipped into my bedroom.

In the space of five minutes, I changed into the simple deep red dress Mum had bought with a pair of red pumps and clipped my hair back quickly, hurrying back out and letting Margo jump into my arms again. The rest of the family had dressed up reasonably well, enough to meet Mum's standard's at least, so Cam led the way back out with Oliver in toe and the eight of us took two cabs to Laura's restaurant.

It was a large, fancy place, the sort of restaurant I'd never have imagined myself in. Inside, everything was a dark stained wood or painted a deep, warm red. Low lights meant I couldn't make out many of the customer's features, and jazz music was playing quietly in the background. A low mumble of voices mixed with clattering from the kitchen, and I thought I could just make out Laura, a tall, slim woman with blonde hair tied back strictly, scowling and snapping her orders. Looking at her, you'd never know she was actually a very nice woman.

"Ah, Officer McKenna!" one of the waiters beamed when he caught sight of Cam. "Have you booked a table?"

"Yes, thank you, James," Cam smiled back warmly. "Laura knows we're here."

"Yes, Officer McKenna," the waiter smiled. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your table."

The man led us through the large, open plan floor, talking animatedly to Cam, who apparently knew the waiter quite well. Since he seemed to be leading us straight to the back of the room, I took the time to scan the tables around me. Stretching to see as much of the room as possible, I absent-mindedly picked Margo back up into my arms as she tugged on the bottom of my dress, my eyes still wandering. Just as my eyes hovered over someone I thought was eerily familiar, something shifted in the back of my mind and I froze on the spot for a second.

Destiny? a stunned voice came.

I blinked, suddenly realising who I was staring at. Yves? What are you doing here? A strange mixture of joy and panic shot through me at the thought of him being so close, but Yves didn't seem to notice.

Eating, he replied, mildly amused. It's a restaurant.

My lips twisted, but before I could reply someone cleared their throat. "Destiny?" Dad frowned ahead of me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I blurted quickly, hurrying toward them.

In my arms, Margo giggled and lifted a finger to tap the side of my forehead. "She's talking in her head again, Grandpa," she said, and the waiter blinked in confusion. Mum scowled at me irritably over his shoulder, but I ignored her and let him pull out a chair for Margo.

Smiling at the little girl as I set her in the chair, I winked once. "I have to talk to myself, sweetie," I told her. "It's the most sense I get in this family." She laughed at me, swinging her legs over the side of the chair, and the waiter chuckled, at ease once more. I shot Mum a smug look, but she'd already decided I wasn't worth the attention anymore. My jaw locked angrily, and Dad wrapped a hand around one of my arms, pulling me down in the seat beside him.

"Calm yourself, Des," he muttered, eyeing my expression cautiously. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

"Thanks," I grumbled at him, shifting to make myself more comfortable at the large, circular table as Cam and Oliver took a seat each on Dad's left, and Coleen and Jessie took seats to Margo's right, with Mum sat directly opposite me.

Are you okay? Yves's concerned voice came.

No, I admitted irritably. But at least that means I don't care if I annoy her later.

There was a minute's silence. Shout if you need me, he finally settled on, and I felt myself relax, smiling to myself. He'd barely said two words to me, and already I felt better. If I was being honest with myself, I felt better just knowing he was in the same room as I was. I could still make out his table in the distance, where it looked like most of his family were sat around a long table. Though I couldn't make any of their features out, I knew Yves was sat at the far end, beside a girl with long wavy hair, and someone I thought might have been the biker brother I'd met at the conference.

"Honestly, Destiny, will you please pay attention?" Mum snapped wryly, and I shook myself.

"Um?" I questioned, turning my attention back to her, and she frowned, pointing at the waiter hovering by my side. I started, grimacing at him politely. "I'm so sorry, I was miles away. I didn't even see you there."

He smiled back kindly. "That's alright, Miss McKenna," he dismissed easily. "Are you ready to order?"

Hurriedly choosing something from the menu, I tried to focus on the conversation at the table, but my eyes kept sliding over toward Yves. You'll annoy your Mom if you keep ignoring them, his warning came about fifteen minutes later, after our main course had been served and most of the table was busy eating.

I honestly couldn't care less, I admitted, twirling my own pasta around on my fork absent-mindedly.

I do, he argued. I'd prefer it if your family liked me.

Something shifted in my stomach, and I managed to smile tightly at Mum before she accused me of ignoring her again. Satisfied, she returned to lecturing Cam about ways to keep Margo and Oliver safe when they went to school. Dad likes you already, I replied. He knows your parents, apparently.

I know. Mom and Dad told me they'd been working with your parents recently. They knew you were my age, but they didn't think you'd be here. They said your Mom was a little protective when they asked her about you.

I spluttered slightly into my glass of water, and the family turned to stare at me. "Sorry," I grimaced. "Just a cough." They asked about me? I asked Yves abruptly.

I saw him shift on the spot out of the corner of my eye. Yes. They asked about your siblings as well. They were only being polite.

I wasn't complaining, I just didn't think they knew about me, that's all, I replied, squirming in discomfort. Dad shot me a concerned look, scanning the room with narrowed eyes.

I told all of them about you, Yves admitted slowly. Zed and Xav asked the moment I got back, and then Zed told Grace, and so on. What about you? Have you told them yet?

I shifted again. Just Dad. Mum shouted because I wasn't at the hotel when she got back, and Jessie and Coleen were in a mood because I left them at the conference. I'll tell them as soon as Mum calms down, I promise.

Whatever you think's best, he replied immediately. I'm here if you need me.

My heart fluttered again. I know. Thanks, Yves.

Anytime, he answered, and I knew he was smiling. My lips twitched in response, and in the same second, someone kicked me sharply under the table. I jumped, blinking as Jessie scowled across the table.

"What is going on with you?" she hissed while Mum was busy fussing over Oliver's hair.

"Nothing," I dismissed again, and she scoffed.

Mum glanced sideways, eyeing me suspiciously. "Everything alright, girls?" she asked politely, and I nodded with a small smile, kicking Jessie until she grimaced tightly with a short nod. Beside me, Dad's shoulders sagged a fraction. "So Destiny, how was your day?" Mum continued, a little irritably. "Since it was obviously good enough for you to leave your cousin and best friend."

Coleen shuffled uncomfortably, shooting me a sympathetic look before returning her attention to help Margo with her food. Jessie, on the other hand, folded her arms over her chest and frowned at me. I gulped hard, my stomach twisting. "It was great, thank you," I replied carefully, watching Mum smooth out Oliver's hair. Clenching my fists to stop them shaking, I opened my mouth to confess everything, but the words caught in the back of my throat.

Oh come on, Des! I scolded mentally, hating the way my heart hammered worriedly in my chest. Get it over with!

It's alright, Yves's voice came soothingly. We'll get through it.

His words calmed me just enough to force myself to speak. "Mum, I met my soulfinder today," I blurted in a rush.

The effect was immediately. Cameron choked violently on his wine, and Coleen gasped, dropping Margo's spoon to the ground in shock. Jessie cursed with wide eyes, loud enough to make the nearby tables turn to shoot her angry looks. Beside me, Dad had gone rigid. Oliver and Margo alone seemed to be unaffected, staring at all of us with innocent eyes.

Mum, on the other hand, simply stared, her expression slack and her eyes shining. Looking at her made me wince. "Your soulfinder?" Cameron gawped at me. "Here? In New York?"

I gulped again, nodding slowly. "He lives in Denver," I explained. "His name's Yves Benedict."

"He's a Benedict?" my brother blinked, shifting. "Well . . . could've been worse, I suppose."

"Worse?" Jessie breathed in surprise, a smile starting to tug on the corners of her lips. "Des, do you mean the guy you left the conference with, because if you do . . . wow! That guy is hot! And he's your soulfinder?"

"Jessie!" Coleen scolded, shooting me a concerned look when I didn't answer or smile back. "That doesn't matter! If he's her soulfinder, that's brilliant news, no matter what he looks like! I'm so happy for you, Des! You're going to have to tell me everything. What's he like? I bet he's really intelligent!"

"Forget that!" Jessie scoffed. "She pulled one of the hottest guys in the room! I mean, seriously Des, he puts at least half of your exes to shame."

Coleen opened her mouth to argue again, but after minutes of sitting in stunned silence, Mum finally snapped. "You knew, didn't you?" she glared at Dad, in a deadly even tone that made me flinch.

The entire table descended into an awkward silence, and Cameron shifted in his seat, his eyes fixed on his plate. Dad frowned, scanning her face. "Yes," he admitted quietly. "She told me after you'd finished shouting at her."

"Oh, so it's my fault my daughter doesn't trust me with the biggest thing in her life?" she snapped angrily, and Dad tensed, scowling back.

"Mum, I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I should have told you sooner but-"

"Sooner?" she hissed at me, and I froze, staring with a straight face. "You shouldn't have run off with him in the first place!"

Jessie and Coleen blinked in shock, gawping at her as I choked, worry disappearing and being immediately replaced with anger. "What?" I growled back furiously. "You're annoyed I spent the day with my soulfinder?"

"Destiny," Dad warned with a frown, but Mum ignored him entirely.

"You have no idea who the boy is!" she spat back. "He could have done anything, and where would you be then? How would we feel knowing we'd let our daughter wander off alone? Or do our feelings not matter?"

"Do you even hear yourself?" I yelled back, pushing myself to my feet angrily. Everyone within earshot turned, muttering amongst themselves. "Today has been the best day of my life, and you're so obsessed with the idea I'll screw everything up as badly as you did that you're trying to make me feel guilty about it!"

The moment the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. Mum's face fell, and Dad's eyes flashed in anger. Between them, Cameron frowned at me exasperatedly, and Jessie and Coleen looked ready to fall off their chairs in shock. Margo and Oliver, on the other hand, were on the brink of tears.

I shook all over in anger, unable to form a coherent apology. Without a word, I snatched my jacket and purse up and stepped away from the chair. "I'm going back to the room," I grumbled.

"Destiny McKenna, you-" Mum started.

"Can take care of myself," I snapped back. "Just . . . leave me alone, for five minutes." Averting my gaze, I started through the room, ignoring the customer's staring after me. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Yves get to his feet and mutter something at two people I assumed were his parents. I didn't stop, weaving past the waiter who'd shown us to the table and hurrying for the door.

The second I was out of the restaurant, I gasped a shaky breath, my hands quivering at my sides as I leant against the wall. I knew I shouldn't have shouted at her like that, but I couldn't help it. Yves was great. He was charming, and sweet, and intelligent, and a hundred times better for me than anyone else out there, and my own mother was too bitter to be happy for me.

"Destiny?"

I gulped, blinking tears out of my eyes as I turned to look at Yves. He was stood by the door, in a pair of smart trousers and a dark blue button down shirt. His eyebrows were pulled together in concern, his eyes fixed on me. The sight made me crumble, and I dropped my head into my hands, shaking in controllable tears.

In the same second, Yves moved straight toward me, taking my wrist and pulling me into him. "Hey," he said softly, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "It's alright, we'll fix it."

"No, we won't," I sniffed. "You should have heard what I said to her."

"Shush," he soothed, rubbing my back carefully. "She's your Mom, Destiny. She'll understand."

Gulping again, I shook my head and pulled back, wiping the tears from my eyes. "No you don't understand," I muttered. "The reason she doesn't like soulfinders . . . Yves, when she was my age, she was obsessed with the idea of finding him, falling in love, starting a new life. She travelled everywhere, never settled down. But when she still hadn't found him by the time she was almost forty, she lost all hope for ever knowing who he was. At the time, my Dad was just a friend. They married and had a family so that they weren't alone. That's it."

Yves stared at me for a moment, speechless, and I couldn't help groaning. "She's protective over me because she didn't want me to make the same mistake, and now I've met you, and she's bitter and twisted, and I'm a horrible daughter."

"Hey!" he scowled, shaking his head at me. "You're a good person, Destiny. You'll sort your differences out." I sniffed again and buried my face into his neck with a fresh sob. He sighed heavily, his grip tightening.

"Yves, what . . . ?"

Yves and I turned, glancing back toward the restaurant doors. The biker guy was back, dressed in dark jeans and a black button down shirt, this time accompanied by a slim girl with a stern expression and mahogany red hair clipped over one shoulder. She was wearing a simple grey dress, covered in lace, with an old, worn, black leather jacket thrown over her shoulders and tatty combat boots on her feet.

The biker cleared his throat. "Sorry," he apologised half-heartedly. "Mom's freaking out again."

I shifted awkwardly, but the girl beside him jabbed him with her elbow. "She's worried," she corrected dryly. "That's all."

Yves sighed heavily, rolling his eyes when the biker shot a small smirk at the girl. "Destiny, this is my younger brother, Zed, and his girlfriend, Grace," he introduced.

Zed grinned at me. "So you're stuck with Yves, huh?" he smirked smugly.

"More like he's stuck with me," I grumbled quietly, and Yves tightened his arm around me again. "You two are soulfinders?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Apparently," she sighed exasperatedly, and I blinked. Zed, on the other hand, wound an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. She pulled her face, but her eyes shone slightly and she shook her head at him. "Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing at Yves again.

"It's fine," he told them easily. "Destiny just had a misunderstanding with her family. I'm taking her back to her hotel room."

Grace shuffled awkwardly, frowning at me slightly. "It was nice meeting you," she said carefully, stretching out to shake my hand, and Zed snorted beside her.

"One of these days, you might mean that," he grinned at her.

Instead of arguing, she just shrugged. "Don't hold your breath," she answered simply, nodding politely at me and slipping out of his hold, turning back into the restaurant. I stared after her, jaw hanging slightly.

"Is she always that rude?" I blinked.

Zed laughed, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Pretty much," he shrugged. "She means well, but she's not a people person."

I pulled a face. "I'll bear that in mind," I mumbled.

Yves's arm tightened. "Come on," he said. "Your parents will only get more annoyed if you stay out here too long."

I scowled. "Thanks for the reminder."

Grimacing at Zed, Yves led me away from the restaurant and waved down a cab. The two of us climbed into the back, where he leant forward to tell the driver where to take us. As he leant back, he grimaced at me softly. "Things will be easier in the morning," he muttered. "Trust me."

I glanced up at him, shifting uncomfortably. "I do," I agreed.

He smiled. "Good."

"It's my Mum I've got the problem with," I added moodily, and he sighed. Without a word, I shuffled closer and leant my head on his shoulder, wrapping one of my hands through his. I saw him flush slightly, and my lips pursed to stop myself laughing at him.

Maybe he was right. Looking at him, I couldn't imagine how anyone could possibly dislike Yves. He was just too . . . good. So maybe it was a good idea for him to meet Mum.