Neit took a beat before his jaw dropped. An epic sigh broke from him. “I swear to the gods. Does your mother know what happened?”
“Mom hasn’t been around too much.” Cliona and I were still on unfamiliar ground. We were trying to have a relationship, but there were a lot of hard truths to get through first. Mom visited when she could, but she’d canceled more often than not these days, and when I asked why, all she would tell me was there was unrest in the realms.
Whatever the hell that meant.
I always felt unrestful these days.
“That’s because she’s fending off challenges on all sides.” He shook his head. “You could visit her, you know.”
I blinked. “She hasn’t invited me.”
Neit’s lip curled. “You’re just as hard-headed as she is,” he murmured before shaking his head. “Regardless, let’s get back to the current epic fuck up you’re dealing with.”
Moira froze. “Fuck up?”
“Yes,” Neit growled. “Your Lou might sound Italian, but it’s not. You invitedLughin. L-U-G-H,” he spelled. “As in the trickster god.” A faint smile. “Surprise.”
I stood there for a moment, racking my brain for lore. But Lugh wasn’t a figure Mom spoke about too much. “I’m afraid I don’t follow. Is he harmful?”
Neit leaned against the wall and watched me with those dark eyes. “Ever heard of Loki?”
“Who hasn’t?” Moira said.
“Think Loki but four times as powerful. Lugh is not a bad guy, as much as any of us are, but it takes a lot to amuse him. And when he gets bored…” His voice trailed off as he raised his hand and swept it to encompass the room. “Do not go into any of the empty bedrooms. They are all portals. Don’t touch the walls and do not accept any food or drink.”
Moira winced as she reached out for a cocktail from a server passing by.
Neit swept the drink from her hand. “No sustenance. At all. Even if someone promises you it’s safe.” His teeth flashed. “We are all liars, Evie. Remember this while you are in this house tonight.”
“We won’t be here for long,” Moira said. “As soon as we find Tess, we plan to leave.”
Neit’s eyes narrowed. His irises flashed with bright violet light before he shook his head. “Your banshee is not here. Nor has she been here in the last few days.”
Moira and I glanced at each other. “Back to the drawing board?” she asked.
“You can call your mother,” Neit suggested. “She can track all her banshees.” He smiled. “Except for those who step into your shop.”
And wasn’t that a source of annoyance for my mother? Because I thought she was dangerous to me and my friends, I’d blocked her from accessing my shop and my house. Even after she’d proven she wasn’t quite the villain I’d thought she was, I hadn’t lightened my protections.
None of that would help Tess now, though.
“Maybe I will,” I said. “Though it would help if she carried a cell phone.”
Neit rolled his eyes and pushed away from the wall. “Go see your mother, child. She misses you.”
I blinked. “Uh.”
Neit’s eyes swirled. “Remember. Eat and drink nothing. You’d do well to leave before Lugh finds you here.”
Moira snorted. “We were the ones who let him stay.”
A faint smile appeared on Neit’s lips. “If that’s what you think, my dear, Lugh’s visit should prove extremely interesting.”
He winked and walked away, his form fading into mist before our eyes.
“Should we get the hell out of here?” I whispered.
“No need,” boomed a jovial voice. “The party is just beginning!”
