Tess plunked tea bags into the mugs. “Work?” Her nose scrunched. “I haven’t worked at your shop in at least four years!”
Moira reached over and squeezed my knee. Mom gave me a warning look and shook her head once.
“Tess, dear,” she said, “would you like any help?”
“I got it.” She put everything on the tray and poured hot water over the mugs. Steam rose through the air, and Tess sighed. “I love the way tea smells.”
She carried everything over and sat down, adjusting her skirt over her knees.
“I’m so glad you came to visit me.” She passed the sugar bowl around along with a small silver spoon. “Now, tell me what you’ve been up to. I’ve missed you so much.”
Two hours later, we walked out without Tess, all of us confused as hell.
She waved goodbye from the door, promising she’d stop by for Christmas. When she finally shut the door, none of us moved.
“What in the actual hell is going on?” I seethed.
Mom gripped my elbow and pulled me forward. “We’ll talk when we’re out of this town. Not beforehand.”
Her steps were swift and sure, and I scrambled to keep up. Moira hurried behind.
“Once we get around that bend and out of everyone’s sight, we’ll leave. There’s a great place back home if you want to get dinner before you leave.”
I don’t think I’d ever sat down with my mother and intentionally shared a meal. We’d eaten together many times over the years, but it was a snack over tea or a bite on the way out the door. A meal might be a small thing, but it was a huge step in the right direction.
“I’d like that.”
Mom’s face lit up. She tugged me closer, enveloping me in her sweet, mysterious scent. “Thank you, Evie.”
I leaned against her.
“Dinner will give us plenty of time to discuss that faraway look you’ve had in your eyes when you think we’re not looking.”
Moira turned her head but not before I caught the smile on her face.
“It’s about that boy, isn’t it?” Mom demanded.
I groaned. Only an ancient and deadly immortal would call a Shifter Lord aboy.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
“How much do you know about Lugh?” Mom asked once we’d arrived at our table at the very back of the dimly lit but stylish restaurant.
We let her choose what we ate, mostly because we couldn’t understand the menu. “Not much at all,” I said as I speared a green bean on my fork. “He’s ancient, obviously, but I’ve never had any dealings with him or known anyone who has. Except for Dad, I guess.”
“And me,” Mom said, daintily cutting a large piece of lettuce.
Moira had a dark colored soup she seemed enamored with. She watched us, but was too busy shoveling soup into her mouth to speak.
“Lugh is tricky,” she continued. “And only interested in shiny new things.”
“Dad said pretty much the same thing.”
Mom shook his head. “But I wonder if he told you not to discount Lugh. He, like all the ancients, is dangerous when provoked. Your father is an easy match for him. I am, too. But someone like Tess wouldn’t be able to tell fact from fiction once he wove his magic around her. She truly believes she hasn’tworked in that shop for years. There’s nothing you can do to convince her until his spell breaks.”
I’d spent a good hour and a half gently prodding Tess about what she remembered and what she didn’t. The person responsible had created an entirely different life for her. Tess genuinely believed she’d moved to the fae lands years ago, and nothing I say could shake that belief.
