“No,” Finn said stubbornly, stepping back so he could cross his arms against his chest. He was getting longer and skinnier with each passing month. Now he was over six feet tall and weighed the same as me. “Not without you.”
“But…”
“But nothing, Mom,” Finn argued. “You’re hurt. Andre is hurt. Staying here when that thing could come back at any timeis just stupid. I know you want to catch it, but at this point you’d just slow people down. Just sit this one out, please.”
Imani gave me a helpless shrug. “The kid does have a point—all three of you shouldn’t be here.”
I gave her a once-over before conceding with another, deeper sigh. “I’m not going to get another swing at this thing, am I?”
“Not if we can help it,” she said. “When we’re done here, I’ll help you pack up. You deserve a nice, long nap somewhere safe.”
“Thanks, Imani.”
Her answering smile was uncharacteristically warm and open. “Of course. Anything for a friend.” Then she paused. “Now, let’s see that back of yours.”
Chapter Fifteen
To say I was fussed over would have been an understatement.
Finn went overboard the second Imani had seen to bandaging up the wounds on my back (which she’d said weren’t so deep that they’d need stitches). Somewhere along the way, my headache had improved, so that was an added bonus. I couldn’t help but wonder if my newly found magical abilities were somehow aiding in my recovery. It just seemed like I should have been in more pain and physically worse off than I actually was.
Regardless, throw pillows were shoved behind my back and an avalanche of blankets settled onto my lap in mere seconds. Wanda made no secret of how funny she found the whole thing, aiding and abetting my teenage son with unholy enthusiasm.
“This really isn’t necessary,” I protested when Finn pushed a cup of potion-infused green tea into my face. The stuff was great for soothing nerves if you were a supernatural creature. For mere mortals like myself (if I even was a mere mortal any longer), the brew was likely to knock me on my ass, if not send me off to sleep entirely.
Finn gave me a stern look, aiming it down his nose. It was impossible not to notice how he towered over me on the couch. He was getting so big. I might have even found the worry endearing if he weren’t hovering so much.
“It is necessary, Mom. You’re tired, you’re hurt, and you need to sleep.”
“All excellent points,” Wanda said, settling on the arm of the sofa opposite me. Her generous proportions barely fit onto her perch. She was practically overflowing the neckline of the black silk blouse she’d selected for the coming night shift.
I still didn’t envy her the ruse. Pretending to be a vampire for the safety and comfort of herself and others was taking its toll on her. She looked more tired and put out than usual.
“Don’t you start,” I warned her, taking the cup from Finn’s hand when he pressed it hard into my palm. There were just some battles I wasn’t going to win, and I had a feeling this was one of them.
It wasn’t that Ididn’twant to rest. I’d seen Andre safely up to my bedroom until further notice. I’d left him there snoring, one arm clutching the pillow to his chest. It was the position he preferred when we slept together. I’d gotten used to falling asleep with my head pillowed against one shoulder, my body curled perfectly around his long, lean frame. The truth was that I feared I’d hurt him if I sprawled. We were both tender, and a night or two sleeping on the couch didn’t feel like such a sacrifice if it kept him comfortable. After all, he had been put through a tougher wringer than I had.
“You’re exhausted,” Wanda said with a faux exaggerated sigh. I could tell she wasn’tthatexasperated with me. Not yet, anyway. “And you need to heal. Nothing bad is going to happen. Just drink your tea and close your eyes. Auntie Wanda won’t corrupt your son. Too much.”
“You know how to inspire boundless confidence in others,” I said dryly.
That made Wanda crack a smile and tip her half-full glass of wine in my direction. I wasn’t sure if I should roll my eyes at the day drinking or not. I wasn’t the one stuck inside most of the morning lest I be discovered as a fraudulent vampire.
“You joke, but I mean it. I won’t let anything touch the kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” Finn argued.
“Fine, I won’t let anything touch your pouting adolescent.”
Finn made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat but didn’t argue this time. I watched the exchange through heavy-lidded eyes. Iwastired. I didn’t need a potion to make me melt into the couch cushions and drift off. It was the fear that tickled the base of my spine that kept me upright. Fear that the thing I’d seen was going to make its way in again. That none of us was safe. Furthermore, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I represented a sitting duck, being magically drugged into sleep. I couldn’t let that thing touch my son again. Or Andre.
“Drink,” Finn ordered.
I took a single sip, nose wrinkling at the aftertaste of rose and benzoin. No matter how watered-down I’d made this potion, it still managed to override the taste of whatever chaser I added it to. Add in the hyssop and anise touches that Maverick added in for extra healing, and I had to hold my nose to down more of it. Finn didn’t stop glowering until I’d gotten halfway through the foul concoction and handed the cup off to Wanda. Only then did he settle in front of the television and switch the channel to a Spongebob marathon.
My eyelids drooped, unbearably heavy after only a few seconds. I sank lower into the cushions, smiling vaguely when Wanda patted the wad of blankets where my feet should have been.
“Don’t worry about anything. We’ve got this.”
