28 #2
“Anything you’d like to share,” she says breezily, like the request isn’t one of my worst nightmares.
Talk about myself? Hard pass.
But for Finn’s mom? Yeah, I should probably suck it up a little.
I can’t imagine how wild it must be to have your kid come home and tell you he’s magickally found the one being in all the thirteen realms who the Goddess has fated to be his.
Must be a hard concept to wrap your mind around.
It makes me think of my own parents, of how they’ll react when I introduce them to…
No.
You know what?
I’m not thinking about that right now.
“Well,” I start, mind suddenly, horribly blank. “I’m… from the human realm.”
She laughs. “I’d gathered that much.”
“And I’m a witch. A, uh, a magick user.”
“Are there a lot of magick users where you come from?”
“Not really. And those of us who are have to stay hidden.”
“That must be very difficult. And lonely.”
“It’s not,” I hurriedly assure her. “I mean, sometimes. But I also come from a coven of other witches like me, so I’ve never felt alone.”
The words aren’t quite true, but I don’t need to trauma-dump all over Finn’s mom.
“Tell me about this coven of yours. Finn mentioned that it keeps you very busy.”
Keeping it as high-level and upbeat as I can, I tell her a little about my history with the coven. How I grew up there, the things I learned, the work I do now as an apprentice.
I deliberately leave off the part about Ascension and potentially sealing myself off from any kind of committed relationship.
Instead, I turn the conversation back to her.
I ask her about her life here in Gales Harbor, and she regales me with everything that makes it such a special place to live.
She tells me about the work she does with the city’s council on educational and community-building projects, adding with a wink that some of the money settled on her when she divorced Finn’s father has been put to good use improving the lives of the city’s residents.
An interesting tidbit I tuck away for later.
Finn hasn’t said much about his family, but I suppose I haven’t asked or volunteered much information, either.
Probably a misstep since I had absolutely no idea what I was walking into here, but I suppose it’s too late to do anything about that.
When we’ve exhausted the small talk, Lynore takes a long sip of her wine before diving into what we’re really here to talk about.
“I would ask you what your intentions are with my son, but Finn has made me promise to be on my best behavior tonight. So instead I’ll tell you this.
” Her eyes go distant for a moment as she gazes out over the city lights.
“Finn is a sensitive soul. And he often hides that under all his… well, you know.”
I huff a soft laugh. “All his charm?”
“Precisely. Finn didn’t have an easy time growing up with the expectations his father put on all our children. Our sons, in particular.”
“What kind of expectations?”
She sighs. “That he only existed to be his father’s perfect picture of what a male should be. That he needed to sacrifice himself on the altar of advancing our family’s standing, to always be stoic and deny himself his emotions. Finn was never meant for that.”
“No,” I murmur. “I don’t imagine he would be.”
She gives me a long look, considering. “Have you met his father yet? The Lord Nighfall?”
I shake my head.
“Be careful there,” she warns. “If I know my ex-husband at all, I know he’s scheming about how to use your mate bond with my son to his advantage.”
“How would he do that?”
“The court is all about who you know, your proximity to power.”
I frown. “Well, I don’t really have any power in this realm.”
“You’ve got more than you know, my dear. Our new queen is a human witch, and you’re from the same coven, aren’t you? Not to mention all the other witches who’ve been coming to this realm and reinvigorating it with the magick cast by the bargain.”
I hum softly, considering that.
“All I’m saying is to be on alert. Lord Nighfall is absolutely shameless in his pursuit of status and position for his family. If he thinks you being Finn’s mate can somehow help him with that, he won’t hesitate to exploit whatever advantage he can.”
“He sounds delightful.”
Lynore laughs, bright and sparkling, her smile so much like Finn’s that I have to blink a couple of times. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
We both fall silent for a few moments, enjoying the view and sitting with everything that’s been discussed.
My heart aches for Finn, for growing up with that kind of father. He’s got so much light in him, so much goodness, and knowing his dad would rather he be someone other than himself is infuriating.
Finn should never be anyone but who he is.
“Finn deserves someone to be sure about him,” Lynore says quietly, interrupting those thoughts. “He deserves to have someone who knows him and accepts him fully.”
“Yes,” I murmur. “He does.”
The rest of it stays unspoken.
His mate should be sure about him. His mate should know him and accept him fully.
His mate shouldn’t be a witch whose life is a mess, one who’s not currently being torn between two realms, with no idea what she’s going to do about it.
Instead of pressing it further, Lynore nods toward the house. “Come on, let’s go see what trouble my children are up to.”