Page 15 of Courted by the Sabertooth (Mori’s Mementos #3)
Nic
Moonscale London
Mum was surrounded by women but thankfully none of them looked like the woman in the wanted poster that had been plastered all over London not so long ago.
I wasn’t sure Chinda would let Sharon Claudis down here.
She was friends with Crilus and even if Sharon was a witch, she crossed a lot of lines with how she went about things.
“Nic!” Mum pushed herself to her feet, breaking free of the women who stroked her hair and patted her hands like she was still ill with a terminal disease. “You found me! I got it! I got Topher’s heart.”
I hugged her and a story gushed out of her about how she dated Topher and he was just another Jon. Heck, maybe he was the original Jon.
“I’m so sorry. I think I put you on their radar, but I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know. I thought Topher was a decent guy who was down on his luck and…”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Mum,” I said and hugged again. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
She looked at my face, still squeezing the hyena heart in her fist.
“You haven’t exchanged your claiming vows, Nic. What’s wrong?”
“We wanted to make sure you were okay first,” I said, sparing us both the embarrassing story about how Raiel interrupted us before things could go too far.
“That makes sense. I’m sorry that I caused more trouble.
I think Clarence is looking for me still.
He won’t find me here and he won’t be looking for you guys either.
I told him I did it all. It’s been so long since anyone in our family had their true-mates.
So long. You should have the best shot you can,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter what happens to me. If Clarence doesn’t believe that I did the right thing, that’s okay.
He’s too blinded by made up rules anyway.
For the first time in a long time I listened to my dragon and she told me to kill them.
To rip them asunder before they hurt you.
You’re safe now and you can have all the time you want with Beal.
If Clarence tries to arrest me again, I have a place to go. ”
“You’re not going off with that shebear!” one of the other witches, whom I didn’t recognize, said.
“I will go where I want! If I’m with her, she can’t attack Crilus!” Mum rolled her eyes.
“I told you. You should go off to the coven’s getaway. Spend some time in nature and relax. There’s nothing wrong with you that a vacation wouldn’t fix.”
“Mum!” I spoke over the women to get her attention. “Clarence has their phone records. He knows. He thinks you’re going to end back up in the hospital with exhaustion.”
“No, I’m not going back to that place,” she shook her head. “I might go on vacation. I might not. Are you going to be okay with things? I mean, the house and Shiny Butts? I can stay. Oh! Are you staying or are you moving in with him?”
We hadn’t talked about it yet. Did I have the right to make the decision singlehandedly?
“It’s okay if you don’t know,” she smiled and for the first time in a while it was a real smile that reached all the way to her eyes and her scent.
One by one the other women wandered off and I sat down with her.
She was definitely a bit manic but that was the byproduct of coming down from being enraged.
Her dragon’s magic still oozed from her pores.
At this rate, I’d need to ask Beal to carry her home or ask someone to come and give us a ride.
I listened as she prattled on about how she’d taken their heads and Topher’s heart.
Now and then she’d stop and apologize for killing Jon because “I know you loved him, Nic, but he wasn’t any good.
I hope Beal can make you forget all about him.
” She stroked my hair as she spoke and slowly her words slowed down and she stared at the dead heart of her ex lover.
“He was such a bastard,” she sighed. “We sure do know how to pick them, huh?”
“I think it’s hard to pick them here. Not just in London but in life,” I squeezed her free, heartless hand.
“I think because we chose the best for us in the Other World here it’s hard to make heads or tails of things.
We’re all just trying to fill that gap in.
The sucky thing is somewhere out there are the people who would’ve been perfect for them all.
They just couldn’t be decent people and wait.
Yours is out there too somewhere. I bet they have the same crappy taste in partners we do. ”
She laughed and wiped at the corners of her eyes with her free hand.
“Why don’t we let Chinda’s ladies put that in amber or glass for you?” I offered when she glanced at the heart again. “That way you’ll always have it but won’t have to worry about it rotting away in your hand.”
“I’ll feel better after some sleep,” she nodded and offered me the heart for safekeeping.