Page 37

M cColl

I jump to my feet. I’m breathing so hard all of a sudden, but I can’t help it.

“What’s wrong with her?” The words explode from me before I can stop them, my voice cracking with fear and desperation.

“Tell me what’s wrong with my grandmother.

Tell me now!” I demand. Why is she taking her time?

Why can’t she just tell me already? She always loved toying with my emotions, and it would seem that nothing has changed.

My mother’s eyebrows shoot up at my tone, her lips pressing into a thin line of disapproval.

“I will forgive your bad manners just this once, McColl, given the circumstances.” Her voice is ice-cold, each word carefully enunciated. “But you will watch your tone when speaking to me, young lady. I am more than just your mother. I am High Mystic of this coven.”

Something she always loved to shove in my face. It is clear that many things have not changed. I need to take a step back for the sake of the fae next to me. For Kian.

I force myself to take a shaking breath. “Please,” I whisper. “Please just tell me what’s happened to her, Mother. I need to know.”

My mother's expression softens slightly, though whether it’s genuine concern or a performance, I can’t tell.

“Your grandmother has a sickness of the mind. Most days, she doesn’t know where she is or even who she is.” She stands and walks to the window, gazing out at the valley below. “I’ve had to hire round-the-clock care for her. She’s in bad shape, both physically and mentally.”

No!

No! No! No!

My vibrant, sharp-witted grandmother, reduced to a shell of herself. The woman who taught me right from wrong, who believed in me when no one else did, who always had time for my questions and fears.

“I need to see her.” My voice is a whisper, but the determination in it surprises me.

“I’m not leaving until I do.” It wouldn’t be unlike my mother to keep me from her.

To play cruel tricks. I know her well. “Please, I beg of you.” If I don’t play the game, there will be no reward, and I meant what I said: I have to see my grandmother.

My mother studies me for a long moment, then nods slowly.

“Very well. But let me check on her first, just to be sure she’s able to accept visitors.

She’s more than likely sleeping, and if that’s the case, it’s best not to disturb her.

” She pulls in a deep breath. “Like I said, your grandmother has changed. She isn’t the kind lady you remember.

Not always, at any rate. If she’s having one of her spells…

or if we wake her, she’s liable to fly into a rage.

It has started to happen more and more of late.

” Her expression grows grave. “You need to prepare yourself, McColl. She more than likely won’t even recognize you.

She’s just a shadow of the woman you once knew. ”

For the first time since we arrived, my mother looks genuinely shaken, upset, even. Like she actually cares. I’m skeptical. I can’t help it. This is the same woman who showed me no warmth growing up. I’ve never known her to be shaken about anything and yet, the emotion in her voice seems real.

“Understood.” My voice hitches. “We’ll wait to find out,” I agree, though every fiber of my being wants to rush to my grandmother’s side immediately.

My mother nods and glides from the room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

The moment she’s gone, I turn to Kian, keeping my voice low. “My mother seems to like you.”

“She does indeed. I’m sorry about your grandmother.” He gets this look.

I give him what I know will be a sad smile.

“Thanks. It’s terrible news.” I look to the door my mother just walked through, not so long ago.

“I don’t trust her, Kian. She loves the idea of you being a king.

Loves your power. It’s going well, perhaps too well,” I whisper urgently.

“My mother agreeing to everything, being so accommodating about the alliance. I smell a rat. Hell, I smell a whole nest of the things. We need to stay on our guard.”

Kian nods. “I was thinking the same thing. Everything is falling into place a little too easily.” His green eyes meet mine, serious and alert. “We’ll be careful. We need to—”

The sound of approaching footsteps on the wooden floor cuts our conversation short. We both go silent, settling back into our chairs just as my mother reappears in the doorway.

Her whole demeanor has changed. Her eyes are bright, and she’s smiling broadly.

“You’re in luck, my dear!” she says, clasping her hands together. “Your grandmother is having a rare moment of clarity. You should hurry and go see her right now while she’s lucid.”

I frown, feeling shocked. This is the last thing I expected. I was preparing to have to fight with my mother to see my grandmother.

“McColl, dear?” She lifts her brows. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, yes, sorry.” Relief floods through me so powerfully that it nearly brings me to my knees. “Thank you,” I push out.

“You go on. It may not last. Don’t you worry; I’ll keep Kian company while you visit,” my mother continues smoothly. “Her bedroom is—”

“No.” The word comes out sharp and crisp. “Thank you for the kind offer, but Kian can come with me.”

My mother’s eyebrows rise. “McColl, dear, your grandmother, in her current condition, is not good with strangers. She might be afraid of him. He is a fae, after all. No offense, Kian.”

“None taken.”

I shake my head firmly. “I want her to meet him. This might be the only chance, and you said she’s having a rare moment of clarity.

I don’t think it will be a problem if I explain to her that he is my dear friend.

” I stand, making it clear this isn’t negotiable.

“I’m sure you agree, Mother. Let’s go, Kian. ”

My mother purses her lips but eventually nods. “Very well. If you insist.” She gestures toward the hallway. “Follow me.”

The walk down the hallway feels endless. Each step brings me closer to seeing the woman who was more of a mother to me than my actual mother ever was, but also closer to witnessing what this horrible disease has done to her.

My mother stops at a wooden door and pushes it open, revealing a dimly lit room with heavy drapes drawn across the windows. The air smells of lavender and something medicinal that makes my throat tight.

“I'll leave you to it. You will find me in the living room when you’re finished,” my mother murmurs, then disappears back down the hallway.

I step into the room, Kian close behind me, and have to bite back a gasp.

The figure in the bed is nothing like the grandmother I remembered.

She’s so small that she practically drowns beneath the heavy quilts, her once-robust frame now bird-like and fragile.

Her hair, which had been silver when I left, is now completely white and thinning, wisps of it spread across the pillow.

Her face is so lined, so aged, that for a moment, I wonder if we’re in the wrong room.

But then she turns her head toward us, and I see her eyes. Those same hazel eyes that used to twinkle with mischief and wisdom. Though, even they have changed, somehow. They’re dimmed, as if a light inside has been turned down. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It must be the sickness.

“McColl?” Her voice is hoarse, cracked with disuse. “Is that you?”

“Grandmother,” I whisper, sounding more like the little girl I once was.

“My darling girl, is that really you?” Her voice is stronger now.

Tears blur my vision as I rush to her bedside, dropping to my knees beside the bed. “Yes, Grandmother. It’s me. I’m home.”

She reaches out with a trembling hand, and I take it in both of mine. Her skin is paper-thin, her fingers cold despite the warmth of the room.

“You’re so beautiful,” she whispers, her eyes drinking in my face. “Then again, you always were.” Her eyes lift and turn hazy with a memory I am not privy to. They lock back with mine. “You’ve grown more beautiful somehow.” She smiles.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I choke out, pressing her hand to my cheek. “Every single day.”

“I’ve missed you, too. I’ve been so worried. You were away for too long…far too long.” Her gaze shifts to Kian, who’s standing respectfully near the door. “And who is this handsome young devil you’ve brought with you?”

Heat floods my cheeks. “This is Kian, Grandmother. He’s…he’s a dear friend.”

Kian steps closer. “It is good to meet with you, my lady.” He inclines his head for a moment.

My grandmother’s eyes sharpen slightly despite her condition. “Such a lovely, deep voice. And handsome, too. A friend, you say?” She gives me a knowing smile that makes my face burn even hotter. “Come a little closer, Kian, so that I can get a good look at you.”

My cheeks are on fire.

Kian does as she asks; he has a smile on his handsome face.

“Tall and well-muscled. I hope you’ve bedded him, sweetheart.”

Kian chuckles good-naturedly.

“Grandmother!” I protest, but she just laughs weakly, her shoulders shaking. “I’m old and dying. I can say whatever I want.”

“Don’t say such things, Grandmother.” My heart clenches, even though I know it to be true.

“It is an honor to meet with you. McColl has told me so much about you.”

“Such lovely manners,” my grandmother approves. “And such striking eyes. You have excellent taste, my dear.” She winks at me, and I want to disappear into the floor.

“Shall I leave the two of you to catch up?” Kian says, looking from me to my grandmother and back.

“You are a dear, young man. Yes, I would love a moment with my granddaughter. Would that be alright?” she asks me.

I glance at Kian, who immediately nods. “I’ll wait right outside the door,” he says pointedly. “Close by, so you needn’t worry about anything.” He winks at me.

I understand his meaning. He’ll be close enough that our magical connection remains strong, close enough to use his power if needed. The knowledge relaxes some of the tension in my shoulders.

“Okay, then,” I tell him. “I won’t be long.”