Chapter 533: Carrying On
One thing was certain, my life was never dull.
Not with a demon family to integrate into my coven while some of the older witches grumbled and fussed and threw around words like, "shocking" and "scandalous". That was, until the Lawrence sisters adopted Taleesharete and the rest of the Happern brood. The dissenters knew better than to cross Estelle and Esther.
Way for the twins to step up.
Mom didn't say a word past welcoming them to the coven, though I knew she'd probably catch some grief once she returned to Harvard and the Council. Still, our unusual family was none of the Council's business and I was happy Mom accepted that.
I knew my grandmother approved by the way she grinned every time someone brought up the demon and her family, after that first breakfast/lunch. Obviously, she approved of the Happerns. And it was always nice of her to have my back.
I took a more active stance in searching for Ameline, but she was doing a great job hiding and I knew I'd only find her when she decided it was time to come out of her stinking hole again. At least I had some warning this time. Her bitter statement, tossed over her shoulder as she left me on Demonicon, was all the warning I needed. Galleytrot, now more paranoid than ever, spent all of his time guarding the entrance to the cavern when he wasn't on Liam's heels, his power so apparent I was afraid even the magically deluded populace of Wilding Springs would start noticing something was up.
I wasn't arguing with the big black dog. Ameline's threats weren't to be taken idly. Though what she meant about knowing about Liam I wasn't sure. She'd met him before, hadn't she? Knew he carried Sidhe power. Not having all the information made me as jumpy as Galleytrot.
Two days after I came home, I received a short email-Worth a shot-with the capital "A" under it. While I had no luck finding Ameline, she still had the upper hand in knowing exactly where I was. Though I refused to stop looking, I was resigned to wait her out.
It was a few days more before Meira was anything like herself, though when Mom, Sass and I visited her that afternoon, she smiled and seemed more stable, at least. She managed to smile and hug us, even meeting my eyes at last, though hers were guarded. When she apologized to me, I let her feel my sorrow and guilt, hoping it would help.
Didn't. Meira quickly retreated and, with little discussion, gathered up her things and vanished with Mom. Who didn't speak a further word about the changes in my sister, but whose face I knew well enough to see the anxiety and fear Mom played close to the vest.
Maybe it was just Meira adjusting to being heir, to accepting more responsibility, but I doubted it. A quick call to Dad told me they'd done what they could for her. The rest of her recovery, her own guilt and frustration tied to the new evolution of her body, was up to her.
What, I had to let my sister deal with it and not try to save her?
That made no sense whatsoever.
One cool thing came from all of this. The moment the veil opened, I felt the Node. It reached for me every time I touched the rubbery membrane between planes, singing softly to me, embracing me and welcoming my presence. I couldn't help but wonder if my grandmother's essence somehow recognized me, or if the living Node simply knew who I was and was grateful in its own way.
I'd take either.
Ahbi's funeral was a massive affair with numerous horrible outfits and endless speeches with a procession from city to city that took three days. I was exhausted by the end, and had to face a furious Charlotte all over again when it was over, but when my grandmother's body was finally delivered to the heart of the mountain in Ostrogotho, I felt my own heart let go of the terrible guilt I'd carried, blaming myself for her death.
She wouldn't have appreciated the sentiment anyway.
I wasn't exactly popular with my Demonicon family anymore, not that I was to begin with. You'd think they'd be grateful I saved their demon asses. But nope. Turned out my efforts to make sure they didn't die in a burning pyre of crumbling planes just drove their jealousy higher. Every demon I passed flinched from me in fear as if I was going to burst into flames and tear out their livers for dinner, or something equally ridiculous. I resisted responding, figuring it made more sense to have them afraid of me and less likely to plot against me than to try to rectify the situation.
Wasn't worth my trouble.
Ram wasn't around those three days and a polite inquiry to Dad won me another knowing grin and a highly irritating excuse about the demon spy being off on an assignment, top secret, hush-hush.
My dad was a total jerk sometimes.
Sassafras and Avenesequoia kept in closer contact now that they'd been reunited and I even caught them talking to their hulking Guard brother, Jabuticabron while Theridialis hovered and smiled. I knew Sassy didn't consider his father much of one, but it looked to me like their family might be mending fences long knocked down.
Good for them.
It was gut wrenching, at the end of the funeral, to have Dad announce he'd narrowed the field of mate choices to a dozen, the lady demons parading before him like over-dressed peacocks. I glared so hard Dad finally had to ask me to ease up as each of them almost fell to their knees in fear.
Scary Syd was scary. In this case, I was 100% cool with it, thanks.
Now, if only I could scare Ameline enough to make her slip up.
Wishful thinking.
School was just around the corner. Harvard, Liam, Shenka, classes. Maybe even getting to spend more time with Meira now that she was on the mend. Normalcy. Really? How mundane.
I couldn't wait.
End of Book Thirteen
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