In my defense, I was blown up while trying to deliver a bottle of whiskey. I’m officially in my ‘trust no one, not even stationary’ era.
I untie the ribbon and unfold the note, bracing for impact, but there’s nothing out to get me. Just an elegant script written out.
Rowan,
When you’re ready, come meet me out front.
I promise, there will be no crazy grandmas or
brooding men present for what I have planned.
Only answers and opportunities.
See you soon!
XO,
Liz
Well, color meintrigued.
“We like her, right?” I ask Archie, since he knows more about this place than I do.
He nods. “We do. Liz was actually friends with your mother.”
My throat tightens. Part of me was hoping she was more human than supernatural. “What is she?”
His eyes spark with mischief, a first since I tried to run from this house and he had to protect me. “I’ll let Liz tell you about herself. Just trust that she’s not a threat to you, nor do I suspect she ever will be.”
My fingers drum over the book in my lap. “I guess I should go see what she wants.”
Plus, the curiosity of what she is might just kill me.
Setting the book down, I start to stand, but Archie stops me with his next sentence.
“I was also friends with Jocelyn before.”
I freeze, my pulse spiking. “My mom?”
He hops down onto the arm of the chair next to the bed, tail flicking like he’s nervous to speak his next words. “Long before you, I was meant to be a familiar, bound to a witch. Only she decided she didn’t want me. She wanted a cat.”
There’s an air of disgust in his tone that might be funny if his words didn’t sound so damn sad. They send a pang of sadness that stirs in my chest, sharp and uninvited. “She rejected you?”
Archie shrugs in the way only a ferret can—half whiskers, half wiggle. “It sounds worse than it was. Familiars are supposed to be…connected. I wasn’t, and that meant I was free. Free enough that when Iris found me thirty years ago and bribed me with a permanent home at NightShade, with the option to come and go as I pleased, I said yes.”
“So, you knew Mom just before I was born?” I’m not sure how I feel this, but it’s probably another oddity I just need to roll with.
His nose twitches. “I did. Iris wanted me to distract Jocelyn. But the moment I met her, I knew no one—not even her own mother—could stop Jocelyn from loving that shifter, forbidden or not.” He pauses, softer now. “I wish I could tell you more about him, but I never really met him.”
I press my lips together, my throat tight. I long ago gave up asking about my father. Maybe that’s something I can talk to Iris about later.
“When Jocelyn left to keep her pregnancy a secret, I decided to go, too. I drifted around for a while—different manors, covens, places that were never mine. Until Iris tracked me down again.” He lets out a tiny, humorless chitter. “This time, I didn’t need a bribe. I would’ve followed Jocelyn anywhere, even if it meant pretending to be a house pet. She was still the closest thing I had to family until you picked me up that first time.”
Damn this sweet, sweet ferret. He’s going to make me cry. I reach for him, holding him to my chest as my eyes burn and he continues.
“You looked at me with bright eyes and grinned and giggled, and I knew where I belonged.” He lifts his head, gaze sharp and startlingly earnest. “Not because of magic, not because of a bond, but because the love I felt from you and for you wasn’t anything that could be forced. Iris was furious with me, but there was no way Icould help her get to you. Not once I saw the sacrifices Jocelyn made to protect you.”
The ache in my chest splinters, half grief, half warmth. “Archie…”
