Chapter 379: Dad's Home
I grabbed Meira's hand, feeling Charlotte rush forward to my side as I turned to her. "The veil."
She nodded quickly and took my other before I pulled open the barrier between planes and rode it home. I loved the freedom of riding the veil between planes, the rubbery surface welcoming me as always. Not only was it fun and exhilarating, it meant we were saved running for five minutes through slush, instead dumped a heartbeat later into our very toasty kitchen and Dad's arms.
Not a moment to waste. At least Mom had brought his effigy home with her from Harvard for the holidays instead of leaving him alone there. He used to visit more often, now that he had his new and improved diamond statue to feed him energy. But those frequent trips from Demonicon to us had tapered off again. I could only guess he was busy because of his responsibilities as a Demon Prince of the Second Plane, a promotion he'd acquired since Sassy, my demon cat sans demon boy, almost died to give Dad the power to cross over after his original effigy was destroyed.
Long story. Complicated. Like most of my life.
Meira got to hug Dad first, but I didn't begrudge her the chance. Not while Mom and my grandmother exchanged worried glances before both staring at me like they knew something that wasn't going to make me very happy.
Lovely. What now? I'd spent the last two years or so staggering from one ginormous disaster to another. I was kind of liking the quiet, thanks. But there was no hint of trepidation in Dad's expression when he finally released Meira and opened his arms to me.
I don't care how old I grew or what I went through, there was nothing that could make me feel better than a hug from my father. He was tall, strong and hummed with power, which made my demon very happy.
"Hey, Dad." I looked up at him with a smile. "Nice to see you."
"Hi, cupcake." Jeeze, would he ever drop that stupid nickname? I was eighteen, for goodness sakes. But the sparkle in his blue eyes, his human disguise in place hiding the true amber of his gaze, told me he would never, ever stop.
Sigh.
It wasn't until Dad let me go, one hand still on my shoulder, the other reaching out to ruffle Meira's hair now her funny hat was discarded, I turned back to Mom and Gram and fixed them both with a stare of my own.
"What's up?" I tipped my head to the side, catching sight of Sassafras perched on the table just behind Mom's elbow, as if he were hiding. From what?
Dad's hand tightened while Mom spoke. "Your father has some news."
Gram snorted. "Is that what you call it?" Ethpeal Hayle spent seventeen years of her adult life fading in and out of reality. Now that she was whole again-or as whole as she would ever be-she didn't even try to temper her sharp tongue. "I call it a really bad idea."
No matter how crazy Gram was, then and now, I trusted her instincts. If she was against whatever was coming, it couldn't be good. I turned on Dad while Mom clenched her hands together in the lap of her black velvet skirt, forehead pinched together, aging her. When had Mom started getting wrinkles? I would have blamed the Council and all the weight of her duties, but I was sure I'd given her most of them myself.
"Your grandmother." Dad paused while both of us, my sister and I, glanced at Gram. "No, girls," he said, voice gentle. "Your other grandmother."
Oh. Um. Wow. "Yeah?" It didn't come out the most intelligently, but I managed while Meira stared at him with her mouth hanging open.
"I've done my best to hold her off," he said. "But she insists on meeting you."
"Not going to happen." "Harry, this is a terrible idea."
Mom and Gram agreeing? Oh boy. But this time I was the one on the outside of the two of them.
And I wasn't alone.
"What's she like?" Meira's surprise was replaced by a little smile. "I really want to meet her, Dad."
"So do I." And had since my last trip to Demonicon, searching for the means to save Dad, only to discover he had a vast family on the other plane I'd never even known or thought about.
"It's just for dinner." Dad sounded almost apologetic as he focused on Mom and Gram. "I'll have them back in no time."
Gram snorted. "This is stupid," she snapped. "Risky and stupid. The girl's a coven leader, Harry. She can't just run off to another plane like this. Not when we have no idea what kind of danger this puts her in."
Danger? And hang on a minute, I wasn't the only one going. Why no concern about Meira? I reached for my sister's hand. "Should we be worried?"
Dad shook his head, scowling at Gram a moment while Mom's agitation grew. I could tell she wanted to say something, but also knew she was very loyal to Dad and was probably hesitating to speak against him.
"There's no danger," Dad said. "We're just going to dinner."
Sassafras grunted as he moved to the edge of the table and sat again, thick tail wrapping around his paws like a furry stole. "You can't guarantee that," he said. "Which is why, if you insist on taking the girls, I'm coming with you."
Mom looked relieved, even reaching out to stroke his fur, but Gram's face twisted into a scowl.
"That's a comfort, fur ball," she said.
"Oh hush, you crazy old bat." He flicked his ears at her. "I know what I'm doing."
"So it's settled." I smiled up at Dad, feeling suddenly excited about the proposition. I'd liked Demonicon, or at least the sliver of it I'd been able to see when I was there. How everything was magic and the city itself hummed with power. I grinned down at Meira. "When do we go?"
"Not until tomorrow," Dad said. "I don't want to risk being there after dark. So we'll leave at lunch. I'll have you back in plenty of time."
Right. The legend thing I'd been warned about the first time I went to Demonicon said we could be trapped there if we stayed after dark. No one even knew if it was true or not. I let the worry drop and focused on the fun.
Demonicon. My grandmother. Probably uncles, aunts, cousins.
How cool was that?
"Excuse me." Charlotte's voice shook a little. I turned to her, startled. She had a way of surprising me, so quiet, always around, but so good at her job as wereguard I didn't know she was there half the time despite my attempts to make her just be my friend. "You're leaving?"
"Dad's plane." I waited while her flawless face crumpled a little.
"I'm coming with you." It wasn't a question.
"You can't." I glanced at Dad who shook his head. "You have to be a demon."
Charlotte's skin paled to the point I worried she might pass out. "I have to come with you."
Not for the first time I wondered if the bond between me and my bodywere was linked with magic. Her sudden strong reaction pretty much confirmed my suspicions, though I'd never thought to check and see if there was a magic connection between us.
"It'll be fine," I told her, leaving Dad so I could comfort Charlotte as she shook a little. "I'll only be gone a couple of hours."
Her blonde hair swung as she shook her head. "You can't leave me." Her whisper came out hoarse and broken.
"There, you see?" Gram sat back, arms crossed over her chest. "Syd can't go. End of this ridiculous plan."
I spun on Gram with a scowl. "It's my decision," I said with more heat than I intended.
"Your coven comes first." She shot it back at me like we were firing missiles at each other. It surprised me, since Gram usually had my back.
"I'm going." I nodded to Dad who looked sad, but nodded too. I returned my attention to Charlotte. "You'll be fine."
She visibly took a hold of herself and grunted softly in answer.
Man, was I going to pay for leaving her behind.
Dad didn't stay long, promising to come back for us, while he and Mom retreated to the basement. Gram huffed off, her fluffy dressing gown drawn tight around her thin body, flashy striped socks silent on the floor, just how she liked it.
Meira ran off to her room to change while Charlotte sat, stone faced and gaze locked on anything but me. I left her in the kitchen, Sassafras trailing behind me as I retreated to my own room for a moment to think.
Surprisingly, my chubby silver Persian didn't come in with me, but kept sashaying his way down the hall to Meira's door. I felt a little abandoned, but then again some privacy would be nice.
I was just stripping off my t-shirt, my black cotton bra strap about to be unhooked when a familiar power touched my mind.
Syd.
Why was I blushing? Quaid couldn't see me standing there half-undressed. And it wasn't not like he hadn't seen the full show, not after we'd spent a night together last fall.
With mixed emotions, a jumble of nerves, frustration, love and anger all piled together, I walled off what I was feeling and let him touch me. Normally he would have been with me all the time, but when he rejected me, my demon severed the magical connection we had and I'd missed the feeling of him ever since. Sure, I still had the family magic to hold him to me, but it wasn't the same as the intimate thread of magic we'd shared.
Quaid. Cool, calm, collected. Yay me. How are you? We hadn't had much contact at school. He was too busy ignoring me in favor of his stupid Enforcer trainee friends.
I wasn't bitter.
He paused. I'm okay, he sent, tentative. Damn, was I broadcasting? But no, my shield was firmly in place.
Maybe that was the problem. I'd never really tried to hide anything from him before. But could he blame me for being cautious?
Where are you? He'd vanished from campus the day before I headed home for the holidays and I realized I had no idea where he would go. Could go. His only family was his sister Mia, the Dumont coven leader and she was pretty messed up, hands full with a decaying coven caving in on its own evil. And the kind couple who'd taken him in, Martin and Louisa Vega, members of my coven, were dead, murdered during Mom's trial in the spring.
Nowhere. He sounded tired. Sad. Naturally, my heart opened. Sorry to bother you. I'm just checking in to make sure you're okay.
He hadn't cared all semester. And yet, I'd seen enough of him... was he keeping tabs on me? Despite our breakup and the choice he made to leave me, it made me wonder if he still loved me.
Bad Syd. No going there.
Everyone has gone home, he sent. I'm just trying to figure out what to do for the holidays.
Ah. Now we were getting somewhere. My annoyance returned. So I was default girl, huh? Now that honey-blonde with the big rack was with her folks for Christmas, all of a sudden good old Syd was looking better.
Jerkorama.
And yet, I couldn't bring myself to be cruel. He'd spent his whole life alone, with adopted parents who used him for a power source, only to discover they'd murdered his real family. Quaid had never really belonged, not even with the Dumonts. Thankfully not with the Dumonts. The only place he'd really ever found a home was with our coven.
Why don't you come to Wilding Springs for Christmas? The offer was out of me and winging its way before I could stop myself.
Quaid hesitated again, but this time when I spoke up, I tapped into the family magic, feeling better about the idea the more I thought it through.
The Hayles are still your family, I sent. You're still tied to our magic until you take your Enforcer vows. You're very welcome here, Quaid.
Spoken like a true coven leader.
I wondered, had I spoken as myself, as the girl who wanted all of a sudden to hug him and kiss him and feel his delicious power wrap me up, would the outcome have been different?
I felt his rejection the moment he decided. Thank you, but no. Two could play at the tough guy routine, it turned out. I'm going to check in on Mia. Might spend time with her, if I can stand it.
How is she? I hadn't had contact with Mia since the night Ameline attacked, taking Rupert, who I knew as Blood and Mia's last connection to the girl she thought she was, away as her slave. Mia spiraled down into depression, disappearing from school and making it quite clear she wanted to be left alone.
Since we were both coven leaders, if I pushed her on the issue it could be construed as interference. I had to back down.
She's not great, he sent, guilt in his tone. Was he regretting not being there for her, for going on with his own life? A secret, cruel part of me hoped so. I'm worried about her.
I couldn't go there. Even talking to Quaid about it might get me in trouble. Well, say hi for me, I sent. And the offer is open.
That was better. A little less bossy, a little more me. Quaid hugged me gently with his power.
I might take you up on that, he sent softly.
Just wait until after tomorrow. I shook my head as I thought. I won't be around until after that and I'd really like to see you.
Where are you going? His curiosity perked, almost visible through our connection.
I filled him in quickly, trying not to come across too excited, but it was harder to hide my enthusiasm than it had been my other emotions.
Is Ethpeal right? Quaid's concern touched me like a heated thread through his magic. Is it dangerous?
I thought about it a moment. I don't see how, I sent. We'll be with Dad, going to the most secure building on Demonicon, the royal palace. Unless there's some civil unrest he's failed to tell us about-and trust me, Dad wouldn't-the only real concern is getting us home before dark so we don't test the whole legend thingie.
Okay, he sent. Just be careful. And watch your back.
I will. I paused a moment, so many things I wanted to tell him welling inside me, but knowing I couldn't go there. He'd made his choice.
And from the sadness in his tone, he was struggling too. I might see you.
I hope so.
His power hugged me again before he left me and I spent a long time sitting on the edge of my bed with a fresh t-shirt in my hands, unable to focus enough to put it on, my heart full of Quaid all over again.
Damn him.
***
