A vicious smile touched Barrett’s mouth, and a sheen of crimson rolled across his iris. “Give them exactly what they deserve, of course.”
“I’m proud of you,”Moira said on the drive back.
I glanced at her. “I didn’t say yes.”
“True. But you didn’t say no, either. A year ago, you would have laughed Barrett out of town.”
“I would have,” I said with a sigh. “Many things have changed, haven’t they?”
“Especially you.” She reached over and squeezed my knee. “All good. Moments of temporary insanity and general brattiness?—”
“Hey!”
“But you always seem to level out, which is a good thing. We can chalk those moments up to temporary insanity or wild hormone fluctuations based on the gravitation pull of the moon.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you talk about my golden goose ovaries like that.”
Moira reached over and touched my lower belly. “The preciousssss must be protected at all costs. You are the Chimera’s only hope, Evie wan Quinnobi.”
My lips twitched. “You are such an ass.”
“Running through all those male Chimeras might be fun. If only pregnancy didn’t last nine months and ruin everything good.”
I cackled. “You don’t want kids?”
She shuddered. “Gods no. A lifetime of handing out money like candy and praying they’re smart enough not to ruin their lives? And the social media. So much social media. Eww.”
“Good thing I have no plans to engage in a Chimera harem then.”
“Honestly, you can still have the harem without the babies. I’m sure none of them would mind.”
“They could all be hideous. And, just, no. You saw how long it took me with Caelan.”
She speared me with a droll look. “None of them will be hideous. That goes against the gods’ ancient laws of making powerful, pretty things they can torture with their wicked whims.”
“Doesn’t matter. We see pretty people every day. I do not have a weakness for a pretty face.”
“Yes,” Moira said deadpan. “They have to be pretty and have a death wish.”
Thinking about Caelan hurt. Whatever secret he was keeping from me had to be big, otherwise, why would he damage everything we’d built together? I’d spent a lot of time racking my brain, trying to figure out what kind of leverage someone might have on him to force him to keep something from me and…
I straightened, my hands clenching on the steering wheel. “It’s Cernunnos. That’s why Caelan is keeping the secret.”
Moira’s expression turned contemplative. “Then two people in your life are keeping a secret. But why? What’s so important about Thalia they’d both risk screwing things up with you?”
We pulled into the driveway to see a stunning woman with dark hair and familiar eyes waiting for me.
“Uh oh,” Moira whispered. “I’ll call you later.”
I hadn’t seen my mother in a long time. My fists clenched. Anger wasn’t the right emotion I was feeling. There was some fury there, but how I felt was a lot more complicated than simple anger.
“Thanks for toting me around today,” I said, surprised at how normal my voice sounded.
Moira nodded and put the car in park. Once I was out, she waved and pulled away.
I turned to Cliona, ancient fae goddess and my mother. “Long time no see.”
Mom was dressed far differently than usual. She wore a pair of what looked like wool slacks with smart boots on her feet, a crisp white, satin shirt tucked in, and a leather belt with a gold buckle. Her hair fell in loose curls almost to her waist, and she wore makeup today—a shiny berry gloss, blush, and mascara.
