After washing the dishes and wiping down the already clean counters, she rubbed her hands together and forced herself to quit stalling. “Let’s dothis.”
* * *
Sally rubbedher face against Costin’s chest as he hugged her. Part of her really wanted to just crawl up in his lap and not move. Ever. But that just wasn’t a possibility. She released him and turned to open the door of her mom’s car. Costin pushed her arm away and pulled the door open forher.
“Are my arms broken?” he asked her with asmirk.
“Not yet.” The sharp comment was meant as a joke, and she could tell Costin took it that way, but the emotion behind it wasn’t lighthearted. It felt vindictive. She didn’t like saying something like that and not meaning it in a completely playful way. It wasn’t in her to be snotty for no reason, and yet, she hadbeen.
“Hey.” Costin placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. “It’s okay, Sally mine. You’re going to be okay. I’ll be with you all day. But I’ll respect your privacy and not listen in. I just need to feel you. I need thatconnection.”
“Okay,” she said, not even addressing the wholeit’s going to be okay, you’re going to be okaycomment.
Costin leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and then stepped back so she could get in the car. She closed the door and gave him a small wave as her mom pulled out of thedriveway.
They drove in silence. Her mom seemed just as lost in thought as Sally. She wondered what could possibly be bothering Cindy Morgan so much to cause her not to attempt to ease the awkwardness of the moment like she was always prone to doing. Normally, Sally might do the same, but now she was afraid she would emotionally vomit all over her mother and sound crazy at the same time. Explaining to her mom that her husband was a werewolf wasn’t at the top of her bucketlist.
It wasn’t until her mom turned off onto a dirt road that Sally was able to stop trudging through her dark thoughts. She sat up and looked around. They were surrounded by forest, well, as much forest as you could get in SouthTexas.
“Um, Mom, what are we doing here?” sheasked.
Her mom didn’t answer until she’d come to a complete stop with the car completely surrounded by trees. Wait, Sally looked behind them. Where on earth had these trees come from? They weren’t here a moment ago. Was she still dreaming? That must be it. She was dreaming and only thought she had woken up thatmorning.
“I’m going to explain everything, Sally. Would you please come with me?” Her mom opened the door and slipped out of the car. She moved with a smooth grace that was familiar to Sally, but only because she’d been living with supernatural beings for so long. Dream or not, she had to know what was going on. It beat dwelling on her own messylife.
She climbed out of the car and followed her mom, who was several yards away. Cindy was standing in front of a tree that was growing larger before their veryeyes.
“What in the actual heck, Mom?” Sally said slowly as her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. The tree trunk began to split until there was an opening large enough for a person to walkthrough.
“I know you’re confused, but I need you to trustme.”
“Said the wicked witch who handed Snow White the poisoned apple,” Sally muttered under her breath even as she walked toward her mom who now stood inside of the trunk. Sally entered the huge tree and felt warmth envelope her. Her skin tingled, and a sense of rightness flowed throughher.
“Sally?”Costin’s worried voice filled hermind.
“Nope. Can’t talk. I’m in a tree, and the reception is bad.”She locked down her end of the bond so Costin would only be able to feel her emotions but not enter her thoughts. He would definitely have something to say about thatlater.
She took a few steps and emerged back into the trees, but she certainly wasn’t in the same forest as before. “We’re in another realm, aren’t we?” sheasked.
Her momnodded.
“How do you even know about suchthings?”
“That’s what I need to talk to you about,” Cindy answered. She turned and began walking again. A small cottage appeared, seemingly out ofnowhere.
“Okay, now I know I’m still asleep,” Sally said. “I have tobe.”
“You aren’t dreaming,” her mom assuredher.
As her mom pushed open the door of the little hut, she looked over her shoulder at Sally. “I am truly sorry I’ve waited so long to tell you this. I hope you will understand why Idid.”
Sally followed her mother into the house and pushed the door closed behind her. The inside was warm and cozy. There was nothing magical about it. It was just a house with furniture, a kitchen, a warlock queen, a set of stairs— Her head froze and then slowly moved back to the right of the stairs. There, sitting in a comfy recliner, was Lilly Pierce, wife to the warlock king. She was just a human, though, not a warlock. At least, Sally thought she was merely a human. She’d also thought her mom was as clueless as a blind and deaf duck when it came to the supernatural world. Look how that had turned out forher.
“Mrs. P?” she askeddumbly.
“Hi Sally,” Lilly said with a smile that Sally knew all too well. “And no, you’re notasleep.”
“Thank you for clearing that up. Now, what the heck are you doing here?Howare you here?Whyare you here? Does Jacque know you’re here? And where ishereanyway?”
