Page 79 of Wolfsbane

I growled, then spat, “No thanks to your mother. If you hadn’t killed her accidentally, I would have done it on purpose.”

“Well then I owe you both my thanks,” Ingeborg announced to the entire truck cab. “We’ll sell the house in San Francisco and give you the proceeds as a wedding present.”

Daire’s eyes rounded, even though just that morning he’d been insisting that the coven owed him something. Maybe he thought that was too much. I had no idea how much a house in San Francisco was worth, but it seemed reasonable to me.

Why would they even need two houses to begin with? They only lived in one, and the other had been empty and stale when they had loaned it to Grant in his ill-fated plot to kill Ajax Fyse.

Daire opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly, but Ingeborg simply turned back to the front and Aleks. “Would you take me to the coven, young man? It’s time someone took those children in hand. I suspect they’ve been running amok under that ridiculous, spoiled woman.”

Aleks put the truck in drive and headed toward the coven house.

CHAPTER 44

Daire

Wedding present.

Were we getting married? My face was hot when I glanced at Viktor. We’d only just said the “L” word, and the fact that I was calling it that . . . okay, yeah, I’d probably been locked away in my proverbial tower for way too long and shouldn’t rush into something so serious.

But it was, wasn’t it? Viktor was serious, and I was determined, and—and I wasn’t going to let the coven kill or keep me, not least because it’d mean leaving him behind.

For a week or a day or an hour, it’d be too long.

Maybe when I helped the pack and everything was settled, we could talk about getting married. Or . . . well, I hoped that one day, I wouldn’t worry that I had to make everything perfect first. But so far, Viktor and I had been on the run, all flip-flopped around inside, and we hadn’t had much chance to figure out what we wanted, much less talk about it.

I’d always imagined getting married, a husband who smiled to see me standing across from him. Would Viktor smile in front of that many people? Honestly, maybe not, but weirdly enough, warmth bubbled in my chest anyway. I didn’t mind that Viktor was stoic, because it gave those glimpses of him I got when he let his mask down even sweeter.

I set the empty bowl on the truck’s floor and settled back to slip my fingers between his. Mother never would’ve approved of this, but Ingeborg didn’t bat an eye.

Mother said Aunt Ingeborg’s mind had gone when I was still a child. I hadn’t been able to visit her until I could drive on my own, and the few times I’d gone had made me impossibly sad.

She’d never recognized me, barely spoken. Once, the nurse had asked if I’d be willing to help her eat lunch. It . . . hadn’t gone well, and I’d felt like a failure.

Ingeborg had always taken care of me, and I hadn’t been able to do the same for her.

Standing outside the care facility like she’d known we were coming, she looked different than the last few times I’d seen her, dazed and in pastel sweatpants and a floral T-shirt that most of the people at the nursing home wore. I suspected they were easy to wash and that was why everyone had them. And sure, she was still wearing them under a coat that had a belt at the waist that she’d left untied, but this was the first time in years that they’d looked wrong on her.

Her hair was neatly plaited and hanging down her back, more black than gray. Her green eyes were alert, taking in everything, completely unbothered to be in a truck full of werewolves.

I clutched the back of the front seat and leaned in. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize she’d⁠—”

“Cursed me?” Ingeborg said, her smirk a sharp little line on her face. “Darling, did you know?”

I shook my head. “But I should’ve figured it out.”

Ingeborg pursed her lips. “No ‘should’ve.’ You wish you had, but you didn’t, and if you had confronted her about it, you’d have ended up beside me or worse. Your mother’s choices aren’t a burden for you to carry.” She reached back and squeezed my hand. “And you figured it out in the end.”

Had I? Mostly, I’d just hoped that there was someone more qualified than me to untangle the mess I was in. That I’d been right was almost more horrific because it meant Mother had⁠—

I shivered, and Viktor’s arm tightened around me.

Beside us, Drew wiggled forward in his seat. “I remember you,” he announced. “Before you left, you were the one who put out food. You showed Daire. You’re the good witch.”

Ingeborg smiled at him. “I don’t know about that, but certainly better than some.” Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she looked at something beyond the boy who sat before her. “The little raccoon,” she said warmly. “You are a clever one, aren’t you?”

Drew beamed. “Thank you. For helping me.”

Something crossed her features, dark and sad, and she shook her head. “No thanks necessary. I’m glad you’re all right.”