Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
“How much do you know about Lugh?” Mom asked once we’d arrived at our table at the very back of the dimly lit but stylish restaurant.
We let her choose what we ate, mostly because we couldn’t understand the menu. “Not much at all,” I said as I speared a green bean on my fork. “He’s ancient, obviously, but I’ve never had any dealings with him or known anyone who has. Except for Dad, I guess.”
“And me,” Mom said, daintily cutting a large piece of lettuce.
Moira had a dark colored soup she seemed enamored with. She watched us, but was too busy shoveling soup into her mouth to speak.
“Lugh is tricky,” she continued. “And only interested in shiny new things.”
“Dad said pretty much the same thing.”
Mom shook his head. “But I wonder if he told you not to discount Lugh. He, like all the ancients, is dangerous when provoked. Your father is an easy match for him. I am, too. But someone like Tess wouldn’t be able to tell fact from fiction once he wove his magic around her.
She truly believes she hasn’t worked in that shop for years.
There’s nothing you can do to convince her until his spell breaks. ”
I’d spent a good hour and a half gently prodding Tess about what she remembered and what she didn’t. The person responsible had created an entirely different life for her. Tess genuinely believed she’d moved to the fae lands years ago, and nothing I say could shake that belief.
“His? You believe Lugh is responsible?”
Mom nodded. “I don’t know why he took her. I can’t make any sense of this situation, but I’ve felt that particular spell before in his vicinity. It’s one of his favorites.”
“Would he need a banshee for something?” Moira asked.
Mom’s brow crinkled. “I can’t think of a single reason. Banshees aren’t equipped with any offensive magic other than their screams. While effective, it doesn’t win wars.”
A server came by and set another basket of warm, fluffy bread on the table along with a butter tinged with the most unique honey I’d ever tasted before.
“Maybe it’s you,” Moira said to me as she reached for a hunk of bread.
I blinked. “Why in the world would he want me?”
Mom and Moira both gave me withering looks.
Oh. Damn my father and this queen nonsense.
Mom’s eyes twinkled. “I can see the disgust on your face. Is it so bad to be in line for a throne?”
“You tell me.” My voice was sullen and snappy, and Moira started to laugh.
“Keep it up,” I told the vampire. “I’ll make you the captain of my…something. I’ll figure it out and make you fetch me tea at all hours of the night.”
“I would be your ever so humble immortal servant,” Moira mumbled through a mouthful. “As long as you keep me supplied in pretty dresses and tiaras.”
“Captains don’t wear tiaras.”
Moira stuck her tongue out at me. “This captain does. And I want it to be shiny and pink.”
“Children,” Mom said. “Let’s stay on track.”
“Light pink,” Moira whispered dramatically. “Like wedding day blush roses.”
Mom’s glare made Moira snap her mouth shut. “I’m not sure his arrival was accidental.”
“But Moira twisted her wrist and he fell right through the roof. How could anyone have timed that so perfectly?”
Mom pushed her plate away. “My dear, you have not been around the fae much. We love our little games, and we know how to play them well. Our people have been interested in you ever since Cernunnos revealed you as his child. What better way for one of us to indulge our curiosity than to ‘accidentally’ land in his target’s shop? ”
My fingers clenched around my fork. “That ass!”
Moira gave Mom a thoughtful look. “I felt something pulling on my power. How could he have done that?”
“Ask the banshee. She believes she’s lived here for years. Everything in her head feels real. Because it is. To his targets. He’s a master of illusion. Lugh could have made you feel anything.”
“I couldn’t have sent him back if I wanted, could I?” The fae were exhausting. Every single action felt carefully crafted to guide you down a path you had no idea you were being led to.
Mom tilted her head. “Maybe. Thanks to your stunt with the tree, you’ve absorbed the magic that allows us to cross over to the other realms. You are the bridge. Theoretically, you should be able to toss all of us back.”
“Can she keep them from coming back? Being the bridge is a cool trick, but what’s to keep the fae from coming right back over?”
“No lower fae can travel right now. Only those like me. The tree served an important purpose and soon enough, the lack of one will become a bigger issue than it is now.”
Great. One more thing to put on my to-do list.
Mom patted my hand. “Something to worry about for another day.”
“Oh, she’ll worry alright,” Moira said under her breath.
“Evie might be able to keep us from returning, but none of us are familiar enough with the bridge magic to assist you.”
Moira’s face brightened. “Evie loves puzzles!”
I tossed a piece of my roll at her. “Do I have to be touching him to send him back? Or draw people here?”
Mom frowned. “On that one, I’m not sure. We can practice this evening. When you’re ready to leave, touch Moira, and hold an image of me in the place you want to go inside your mind. If it works, you’ll have your answer.”
“You won’t get stuck in the time space continuum?”
Mom stared at me for a beat. “I have no idea what that is, so I’m going with no.” She waved her hand around the table. “Now, let’s talk about your Lord.”
I groaned. “Can we skip this part? I was doing a great job not thinking about him.”
“Lies,” Moira said. “You haven’t said a word about him all day and that means you’ve been thinking about him since the moment we met.”
“Yes, but I’m doing my best to pretend I’m not thinking about him. It’s kinda working.”
“Spill,” Mom demanded. “What happened?”
I opened my mouth, paused, then snapped it shut. “Everything feels dumb,” I admitted. “This isn’t jealousy. It feels more serious than that.”
“This is about another woman?” Mom’s eyes sparked a liquid silver color. “Would you like me to kill her?”
Moira gasped in delight. “Your mom is so cool.”
Who knew my BFF would become a mom fan girl after all these years? “No,” I said slowly, “I do not want you to kill her. Caelan isn’t cheating on me. He is, however, being difficult.”
Moira leaned forward. “He’s letting the harlot stay at the Keep.”
Mom sucked in a breath. “Evie! You’re his fiancée! I don’t have to kill her, but you do.”
“Amen,” Moira said.
I needed to get these two away from each other before they decided to take over the world. “You’re a vampire. You shouldn’t be praying. You’ll combust into flames.”
Moira grinned at me with a little too many teeth. “I’ve been in plenty of churches. Fanatics are delicious.”
Mom let out a merry laugh.
I gaped at her. “Alright. You two are not allowed to hang out with each other. This is getting weird.”
“Don’t be jealous,” Moira said. “I can only have one BFF.”
The servers interrupted with a large tray of desserts.
“Thank the gods,” I breathed.
Mom chuckled. “Oh relax, Evie. This is the first chance I’ve had to be able to show you who I really am. A small part, but it’s a start, isn’t it?”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “Yes,” I agreed. “It is.”
Moira gripped my hand tightly. “Do not scatter our parts to the winds,” she warned.
“Thanks for your vote of confidence.”
We stood outside of Mom’s house, the small village quiet and calm. Thousands of stars glittered above us, so brightly we had no trouble seeing. Mom leaned against her front door, and Moira and I stood several feet away.
A thought occurred to me. “Mom! I thought you said you had to use the tree to travel.” She had said that and even went so far as to demand use of the tree on Caelan’s property.
A wicked light sparkled in Mom’s eyes. “What can I say? I lie a little bit sometimes.”
I clicked my tongue. “Did you lie about the lesser fae being able to travel?”
“Nope. People like your father and me can travel whenever and wherever we wish. You’re the bridge, Evie, and it’s not like you ever invited me over for tea. I had to make excuses to see you. As lies go, it was one of my more innocent ones.”
“Dammit, Mom. What else did you lie about?”
Mom lifted both of her hands in a sheepish shrug. “I can’t remember all the lies I’ve told over the years. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“That’s a lot of damn bridges!”
She grinned. “I’m tired and want to make some tea, so let’s get on with this. Remember, picture me in the place where you want to go.”
“And how will we know what happened if you’re not there?”
Mom reached into her pocket and waved her cell phone.
I pressed the space between my brows. “Right.”
“You need a nap,” Moira said.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Hush. I’m trying to concentrate.”
A wind whipped around us as I pictured us all arriving in my driveway. Seconds later, the crunch of gravel sounded under my feet. I opened my eyes.
Mom was on her knees a few feet away, looking positively green around the gills.
“Mom!”
She held up a hand. “Give me a moment,” she croaked.
I crouched down next to her. She sucked in a breath and slowly rose to her feet. “I think you need a little more practice. Perhaps we should have started with inanimate objects.”
“Are you okay?” Guilt flooded me. “I am so sorry.”
Mom spread her fingers out and wiggled them. Then she bent to look at her legs and kicked off her shoes to examine her feet.
Moira snorted.
“All my fingers and toes made the trip, so I’ll call this a success.” She swayed on her feet.
I reached for her elbow. “Why don’t you come inside for a little while?”
But Mom shook her head. “No. I’ll be fine in a moment. That was quite a ride, but wonderful news for you.”
After seeing Mom on the ground, I’d forgotten why I was trying to move her. “We can get rid of Lugh!”
“Yes, hopefully. Practice more with smaller objects. To be sure, I’d try to get within touching distance. Skin to skin contact is better unless you nail the magic before you see him again.” She smiled and touched my chin. “He will be on guard, Evie. Take care in his presence.”
“We still don’t know how to break the spell on Tess,” Moira said. “How much longer will she have to stay there?”
“I’ll work on that,” Mom promised. “For now, she’s fine. Lugh remains in your realm and Tess is an afterthought. She’s as safe as she can be.”
I didn’t like it, but she was right. “Keep an eye on her for me?”
“Things will get complicated if I travel to other realms too often. And even though I can travel, using a bridge is much easier. I don’t have to expend any magic when I do. So, I might have lied, but the tree was beneficial to us.”
At my crestfallen look, Mom’s eyes softened. “But I have trusted friends I can ask to peek in on her.” She touched my shoulder. “Tess will be fine. Lugh is the problem you should focus on.”
“And the harlot living in the Keep,” Moira added.
“Yes,” Mom said solemnly. “And the harlot.” She dipped her head. “I will see you soon, daughter.”
Mom brushed a hand over my cheek and disappeared in a shower of sparkles.
“Damn,” Moira sighed. “If you hadn’t been the kid of a king and queen, we would have realized how cool your mom was years ago.”
I shot her a dark look. Moira held her hands up. “Too soon?”
Shaking my head, I turned to trudge inside the house. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Be careful going home,” I said right before a powerful yawn erupted.
I was exhausted. Being the bridge didn’t require burning any magic that I knew of, but I’d never used it so many times in a day. I felt like I could faceplant right onto my couch. My Floromancy and Chimera magic lay curled inside me, not warring with each other, finally content to slumber.
My hands shook as I put the key into the lock and opened the door. Less than ten minutes later, I was in bed, my eyes drifting shut.
My last thoughts were of Caelan and pondering why we were both stubborn idiots.