Kraft blinked. “Oh, wow. You have to tell me what that’s all about.”
Orion slung an arm over his kin’s shoulders and tugged him toward the door to the house, where Shadow sat waiting, taking a cat bath. “Sure thing. But let’s do it over drinks. Because it’s a lot more involved than it seems.” He paused and in a lower voice admitted, “I think I had a dream.”
Kraft frowned. “Vampires don’t dream.”
“Exactly.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Sunday, January 16
Kaia had thought about it for days, but she refused to be scared of her own mother. It might have been nice to talk to Orion about it last night, but he hadn’t shown up before midnight, and she’d been too tired to wait up for him.
Disappointed but trying not to be, she forced herself to not care about seeing him again as she took a boat taxi to her mom’s island. She would have swum the whole way, but she still felt odd after that last bout of power swimming in addition to going too near a god’s territory. It all felt like a dream, honestly, and she preferred to keep it that way.
Dressed in a cute blue dress that made her feel pretty and gave her a boost of confidence, she’d also added her best leather boots for warmth and because they worked great in the snow. But when she left the dock for the trail leading to the keep, she found it devoid of snow or sludge, the weather also warmer than she’d expected. Still cold, but not bitterly so.
She didn’t see Lord Ruin guarding the front gate. Instead, a new minion, this one an ogre, waved her in. He had a blank look, obviously someone her mother had brainwashed. So far so good. And then she entered the front door and froze.
Two of the lycans she’d set free that fateful night stood in the entryway, like the ogre, with blank stares. They wore fancy suits, looking so out of place in finery when she’d recently seen them barely clothed and nearly wild.
Her heart raced, and she wondered if she should leave now, while she still could.
“Oh, Kaia, there you are, sweetie.” Sabine waved from just a few steps beyond the foyer.
“H-hi, Mom.”I have to get out of here, stat!
“Oh, don’t mind Len and Bill. They’re harmless... but not in bed. Know what I mean?” Sabine tittered. “Of course you don’t. You can use them if you want. In fact, consider it my birthday present to you.”
“Mom. That’s okay.” Too late to leave, Kaia stepped forward to receive her mother’s hug. It felt a little too tight, but then Sabine let go and tugged her inside.
The smells of apple and cinnamon and the sunlight streaming through the many windows overlooking Puget Sound showed a bright and cheery day, raging against the terror filling Kaia from head to toe. The lycans followed, seating her and her mother at the dining table.
“There we go.” Her mother smiled at her, no hint of malice or suspicion darkening her eyes. Her white hair had been pinned up in a sophisticated twist meant to look casual, her makeup artfully applied to enhance but not overwhelm her mother’s strong, beautiful features. Sabine wore jeans and a dark purple blouse. The crystals on her necklace winked at the light streaming through the windows.
Nothing about this visit felt off or ugly, though the presence of the lycans made it impossible for Kaia to relax. “Great to see you, Mom. How was the conference?” She accepted a kiss to the cheek while a handsome young satyr took her coat and hung it up for her.
He smiled, bowed his head to Sabine, and walked away. This one not bespelled, apparently.
“I would have gotten you flowers, but they die so easily.” Sabine tapped her long nails on rare plates made of kraken bone worth three thousand dollars a place setting.
Her mother had really gone all out. On an early birthday celebration or her last meal, Kaia couldn’t say.
Sabine studied her closely. “How are you feeling? More powerful? I had thought that maybe with your father’s mage blood in you, you might be on the verge of Becoming.”
“I, ah, I’m not sure. I don’t feel any differently.”
“Well, you never know.” Her mother smiled, though the expression didn’t reach her eyes. “You could become more powerful than me.”
They both laughed, but Kaia felt overly hot and stressed out. The lycans remained in the dining area, standing against the wall like servants ready to fetch for their queen—the White Sea Witch.
She tugged at her collar.
“Are you okay, sweetie? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” She studied the gloriously set dining table before her. The circular wooden table had a grand winter arrangement of flowers set back to allow room for the tower of finger sandwiches and treats, and to not crowd the small pots of tea they’d be drinking. “This looks amazing.”
Above, a chandelier cast a prism of light over the ceiling, making Kaia feel as if in a rainbow winter wonderland. One presided over by the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carol’sAlice in Wonderland.At any moment, Kaia expected her mother to say, “Off with her head” and follow through.
