“Youhaveto call him. You know that, right? We still don’t have a meeting set up with Smithers. The letters are our only clue, but we’re not going to be able to see them without your Dad’s help. You said this might be our only shot at figuring out what happened during the last ritual.”
“I know. I just—” I rubbed my temples, remembering the last time I’d seen Dad, only a few days ago, when Rowan and I had gone to my parents’ house in the Cotswolds in an attempt to convince them to tell us how they’d defeated the fae. Dad entered the house, hung his academic gown in the hall, and breezed past me as though I didn’t exist.
I got it. In his mind I was forever tied to the death of his other son – a second death because all his dreams for me died along with Keegan. I squandered my talents hiding in Briarwood, working on the very magic that had cost our family so much, instead of going to university as he’d always dreamed. He yelled as much at me more than enough times, and then he stopped yelling. He started pretending I didn’t exist. The last word he spoke to me was four years ago.
I’d do anything to go back to the yelling.
I buried my face in my hands. “Fuck.”
“Corbin, you’re stronger than this.”
“Apparently not.”
“For God’s sake. Give me that.” Maeve swiped the phone from the table and pressed it to her ear.
I lifted my head.She can’t be…
But she was. I heard the click of the receiver being picked up and a crisp voice answering. “Yes, I’d like to speak to Professor Harris,” Maeve said. My chest constricted. “No, I’m not a student. This is about a research matter. Tell him it’s Maeve Moore on the line.”
My fingers gripped the edge of the table.He’ll hang up on her. He’ll?—
“Professor Harris? Hello, yes, this is Maeve Moore.” She paused. My heart leapt out of my chest and shattered across the table.
This is not happening. How is she doing this?
“Oh yes, I’m very well, thank you, considering everything. I’m just sitting here with your son trying to protect the world from the Slaugh. You know, the usual.”
I nearly choked.
“So listen, I’m so glad I got to talk to you. Corbin tells me you watched over me for the first fifteen years of my life. Thanks so much for that. I hope I didn’t bore you too much with all those astronomy trips into the desert…” she laughed. What the bloody hell? Maeve Moore waslaughingwith my Dad? “Yeah, Kelly’s great. She’s actually here in England right now, causing chaos and mayhem wherever she goes.”
Another pause. It almost sounded like laughter on the other end of the phone. But that was barmy – Dad hadn’t laughed since Keegan died.
“So listen, I don’t know how much Corbin’s told you about what’s going on, but we’ve discovered something really interesting about Robert Smithers, the artist who painted my mother’s portrait. We think we might be able to stop the fae for real this time. There are some of Smithers’ letters and drawings in the collection at the Ashmolean Museum, and I’d really like to see them, and I just wondered…yes? Oh, sure…mhhhmmm, that will be fine. Thank you for your time.”
She hung up.
My heart thudded. “Well?”
Maeve broke out into a wide grin that lit up her whole face. “Your dad’s agreed to show us the archives if we can be in Oxford tomorrow afternoon. We’ll be able to look over Smithers’ letters at our leisure.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. He’s also asked us out for dinner with him.”
“He…he did?” How was he going to eat with us if he didn’t talk to me?
“He did.” Maeve reached across the table and squeezed my hand. Warmth flooded up my arm and pooled in my chest, and the tiniest fraction of my tension was released. “I know things are rough between the two of you, but maybe this is him trying to patch things up.”
“I doubt it.” I couldn’t expect Dad to forgive me for what happened. I’d never forgive myself. But after all this time, he wanted to see me, eat amealwith me. I knew I shouldn’t hope…but here I was, hoping like bloody hell.
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I squeezed Maeve’s hand back, and another jolt of warmth flooded my body. “Bloody hell, you’re amazing.”
Maeve stood and came around to my side of the table. She slid onto the bench beside me, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her soft, fruity smell overwhelmed me. “I know. Want to show me how grateful you are?”
In all the years I’d watched over her, I never imagined that having Maeve in my life would be this amazing. This girl didn’t just command magic, shewasmagic – light and breath and spirit in one feisty package. I brushed my lips against hers. “Your wish is my command, Priestess.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
