Following that was a slice of freshly baked bread that she spread with soft, slightly salted butter. I waited while she served herself before taking a bite.
The soup flavors hit my tongue and exploded. I could cook, but this recipe was out of this world.
“Mom!” I said when I could speak. “This is amazing!”
A tinge of pink colored her cheeks. “Well, thank you. I do enjoy cooking, but it’s only recently that I’ve had the time.”
“And the bread is amazing, too. Mind sharing your recipes?”
Mom stared at me for a long moment. “Of course I will, Evie.” She reached over and touched my arm. “I’d be honored to share with you.” A hesitant smile, one I’d never seen her make, touched her lips.
“I’d make this all the time,” I promised. “It’s delicious.”
Mom’s lips trembled, but she played it off and forced a smile. “I’m glad to hear it.”
We ate in silence for a while, and when we were done, Mom stood and poured herself a tea and started a cup of coffee for me. She’d bought one of the pod machines, and I knew she didn’t drink coffee.
A knot inside my heart loosened. She’d bought it for me.
When the coffee was ready, she poured me a cup and fixed her tea before bringing both to the table.
“Now,” she said, once she’d settled into her seat. “Tell me what you need.”
I didn’t beat around the bush. “Tess is missing. We thought Lugh might?—”
Mom’s attention sharpened. “Lugh?”
I nodded. “Long story. We thought Lugh might have her, but Neit said he didn’t sense Tess’s presence anywhere where Lugh was staying.”
Her mouth pursed. “Why would Lugh have anything to do with your banshee?”
“She’s not my banshee,” I said gently.
Mom sighed. “I know. It’s only a term. I call Moira your vampire and your Lord your wolf.” She waved my concern away. “I’m well aware Tess is powerful enough to resist any attempts to claim her.”
Mom sounded so disgruntled over that I almost smiled. Instead, I told her the story of how Lugh had come to Joy Springs, and when I finished, Mom’s face had gone from slightly amused to grim. “He’s bad news, Evie.”
“I’m starting to understand that.”
Mom stirred a little sugar into her tea. “He’s not bad, not exactly. None of us are complete villains, despite what others might think.”
I tried not to resemble that remark. Over the last several months, I’d learned exactly how deep prejudices could go.
“But Lugh,” Mom continued, “is perpetually bored. Nothing much holds his attention anymore. Ennui catches up to him faster than any other immortal I’ve ever known. Banshees do not exist where Lugh is from. Death is merely an ending, not a precursor to something new. If he spotted her, he very well might have taken her. Neit might not have sensed her because Lugh never held her there.”
Our eyes met. “Would you like me to see if I can track her?”
I bit down the question I was dying to ask. What will it cost me?
But Mom wasn’t stupid. A sad smile touched her lips. “You do not have to worry about asking me for anything. Not anymore. The game I played to keep you safe is long over. Those who do not know who you are to me, and your father will know soon enough. Word is already spreading.”
Sympathy touched her eyes. “For that, my dear, I can never apologize enough.”
I wanted to ask about her cryptic words, but Tess was more important.
Mom rose and took her tea. “Come,” she commanded.
I grabbed my coffee and followed her deep into the back of her house. Magic rose around us as we walked, the smell of flowers intensifying the deeper we went. Finally, she stopped at a scarred wooden door with a large, ornate doorknob.
