Acute pain lanced through my skull, and I stumbled as visions overtook me.
My mother’s welcoming face, her green eyes blazing with love and affection. Then she lay still, unmoving on the cold stone floor, her dress scorched above her heart, the burn of blue flame still smoking while her attacker fled the scene. Shouts and incriminations, tears. Samantha and Tessa leaned over Mother as Darius and Marcus shouted the alarm. And there, behind them, Ellie backing away, guilt stealing over her face as she continued to apologize over and over. She glanced up at Jonas with tears in her eyes and murmured something I couldn’t quite make out.
“Cadmus.” Ellie breathed a sigh of relief when I blinked up at her.
Up at her? “What am I doing on the ground?”
“You tripped over your own two feet, you clod,” Darius growled. “What the hell happened?”
“A vision?” Marcus asked.
Aware everyone waited for me to speak, I couldn’t keep from studying Ellie, wondering what in the hell that vision had meant. My mother hurt? Ellie involved? Had she been guilty of not reacting quickly enough or of perpetrating the attack?
“Cadmus, are you all right?” Arim asked quietly.
I glanced at my uncle. Should I share this vision with the others? But they’d surely turn on Ellie. Though Darius and Marcus didn’t seem to mind her Djinn nature, and Aerolus would welcome her regardless, Arim was another matter.
Deciding to keep what I’d seen to myself, I said, “I’m good. Sorry. I had a weird vision of Mother crying and welcoming me home, and it threw me.”
“Well, be glad she’s just crying. She nearly knocked me on my ass to welcome Samantha when we walked through the door,” Darius said.
Marcus chuckled. “Hell, Darius, we all wanted to congratulate Samantha. I still can’t believe you found a woman who can tolerate you.”
“Me? You’re one to talk, you pompous water-walker.”
“Here we go,” I said to Ellie as my brothers started in on each other. The argument grew in volume as we traveled toward the castle.
“So tedious.” Arim sighed, but a smile curved his lips all the same.
Ellie smothered a laugh when Darius suddenly turned to her. “Tell him, Ellie. Tell him what an outstanding bartender I really was.”
“Ah, yeah. You did a good job.”
“A good job?” Darius glared, his eyes flaming red and glowing in the dark. “I took home huge tips.”
“That’s because the women wanted in your pants,” Marcus said dryly. “Had nothing to do with your uncanny ability to serve drinks.”
Darius turned to her again, but Ellie shook her head. “Sorry, Darius, but he’s right. Now I was an amazing bartender.”
Darius scoffed and drew Ellie into a heated debate about clients, tips, and the art of pouring a decent drink.
Hmm. Had I really missed my idiot brothers?
“So, dirt-for-brains, what the hell have you been doing with yourself since we’ve been gone?” Marcus asked me.
“Oh, I’ve been busy. Making deals with the Djinn, seducing their leader’s daughter, dancing with wraiths.” I glanced over my shoulder to see Arim’s eyes narrow dangerously.
Marcus blinked. “Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, he is.” Arim growled, clapped once, and we suddenly appeared in my mother’s chambers, where she sat talking with Samantha and Tessa, her daughters by marriage. “You four are giving me a headache. Cadmus, go greet your mother. Introduce her to your affai properly.”
Surprised Arim wanted me to admit my ties to Ellie, I pushed my disturbing vision to the back of my mind. I took Ellie’s hand, and we approached my stunned mother. I bowed gracefully. Before I could speak, Mother had me in her arms, crushing me in a hug.
“You’re choking me.” I coughed, trying to breathe, and heard laughter behind me.
“Where have you been, Cadmus? I’ve been worried sick!” My mother pushed me back and stared from the top of my head to my leather Djinn boots. “And who is this lovely young woman, hmm?” Her impish grin told me she already knew, but the delight in her eyes made it hard not to go along with her.
“Mother, I have the great pleasure of introducing to you my affai, Elliara.”
