“We’ll whisper,” I amended. “Should we split up?”
“Three drunk girls in the woods,” Caelan muttered. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Evie grinned. “You never know. Our brains are firing on all cylinders right now. We might find the cure for cancer in these woods.”
Caelan rolled his eyes. “Don’t stray too far. If you get into trouble, send me a vine.” With a wink at Evie, the Lord walked away, his sharp gaze sweeping the area for anything out of place.
I turned in a circle, slowly searching for anything I might have missed the first time. Ethan’s scent was heavy in this area, along with my mother’s. I could smell Jace and Kinsley, andthe other wolves who came to get him. My buzz was beginning to wear off again. Probably for the best because now that I was standing here, I realized how dumb of a decision this was.
Ethan had all but thrown me off his property, and here I was trespassing just a few hours later. Man. Cliona’s vodka was dangerous.
“What are you doing?” A feminine voice whispered in my ear.
I shrieked and spun to see the object of my thoughts standing behind me.
The goddess Cliona, queen of the banshees and my BFF’s mother, smirked at me.
“What the fuck is happening?” I whispered. “Why is everyone here tonight?”
“Hmm.” She tapped her chin just like Evie had a little while ago. “Because your whore of a mother did something very naughty, didn’t she?”
I stared at her. “So it was her then.”
“Oh yes,” Cliona said. “I’m very interested to know where she learned that little trick.”
The goddess was dressed way down from her usual gown and slippers attire. She wore a pair of skinny jeans, flats, and an oversized V-neck t-shirt. Her ebony hair was down and loose, and her face was free of makeup. Cliona looked more like Evie tonight than I’d ever seen.
“Wow.” I blinked in surprise. “You look really good, Cliona.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?” She glanced down at herself. “Thanks. Evie got me thinking about some things, and I bought these on a whim.” Her face softened. “She gave me the t-shirt and shoes.”
“How do they feel?”
Cliona sighed. “Like I suffered for the last few hundred years out of pure stubbornness.”
I chuckled. “Wait until you put on a pair of bamboo pants. Game changer.”
Cliona grinned. “Noted. I’ll look those up.” She glanced around the area. “Now, my dear, tell me exactly what happened before my daughter gets back and tries to talk us off the cliff.”
I gestured for her to follow and took Cliona deeper into the woods. She listened as I told her everything. The booze loosened my lips, unfortunately, and there were a couple of times Cliona gasped in horror. But when I was done, the goddess nodded.
“I understand now,” she said. “Before tonight I wanted to rush in and spear your mother, take her out before she could harm anyone else. But now I know her death is not mine to own.” Cliona touched her heart. “I know what that burn for vengeance feels like, my friend. And I would never take that away from you.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Tracking your mother has proven tricky. She is using unfamiliar magic to conceal her movements. I will help you as much as I can, even if this means staying my hand.”
At my grateful nod, she reached out to touch my shoulder. “This will not be an easy or timely fix, Moira. When the spell breaks, Ethan will remember everything.”
“If I kill my mother, will Sarah disappear?”
Cliona nodded. “But she must. Her death was foreseen, and balance must be restored. You may find Tess is more helpful in these endeavors than you think. Reach out to her.”
“I will.”
Cliona smiled. “Do not tell my daughter I was here. I don’t want to ruin thevibe.”
With a wink, she disappeared, leaving me standing in the darkness, wondering how my life had crashed and burned.
Chapter
