Chapter 73: Undead Allies
Mom was home when I stomped in the kitchen door, but it didn't mean she was available. Every time I tried to talk to her she was hauled off by some conversation in her head or another so I finally gave up and retreated to my room to sulk.
When she did reach out at last, I slapped her away, too wrapped up in my own pissiness to care if I hurt her feelings.
We're meeting tonight, she sent. Be ready at dark.
It shook me loose from my funk. Already? Well really, what did I think? That Mom would sit on her hands over this? I slid from the bed and rummaged in my closet for my robe, just in case.
I did my best to stay out of her way, but help her at the same time. I know she forgave me for my bad humor because when I came back downstairs with my rumpled cloak in my arms she pulled herself free from a family argument long enough to kiss me on the cheek and shake her head.
Whew. No robe. That was a blessing. I hated the damned thing.
I made Meira and I grilled cheeses, sliding one to Mom. She managed a couple of bites in her tranced state, but when she finally sagged and came back to us, I forced a bowl of canned stew in front of her and made her eat.
"Syd," she said. "I don't have time."
"Food," I said. "Make time."
She laughed and touched my hair. "Yes, Mother." Her eyes twinkled.
I tried not to join Meira's giggling. "Just eat it."
It was a monumental effort on my part to just sit there and let her. I had so many questions. We didn't get a chance to talk about this coalition thing. Or about Pain and the scene at school. I wondered if Erica even mentioned it. Typical of her not to. My anger started to bubble as I imagined Mom's second keeping her in the dark because she didn't deem it important enough.
"Erica told me about Pain." Mom said around a mouthful. "I'll check in on her after the meeting."
The anger bubble popped. Funny how it was always easier to think badly of people than trust them. I felt like I owed Erica an apology.
"Thanks, Mom," I said. "Can I ask you something?" So much for letting her eat.
"Of course, sweetheart."
I knew Meira was listening and was very careful how I phrased my words.
"Do you know much about this Sebastian?" I didn't want my sister to think I had a vampire bias. I totally didn't. No one loved Uncle Frank and Sunny more than me. But we had no idea what kind of vampires were in the DeWinter Blood Clan.
"No," Mom said. "But I believe in your uncle and Sunny. They would never join an untrustworthy family."
Okay, so now I had three apologies to hand out. Of course she was right. All of my concern leaked away, chased by shame.
"Mom," I said on impulse before I could stop myself, "you're the best."
She froze, spoon half way to her mouth. Her hand slowly dropped, eyes widening. A thin film of moisture rose over her blue eyes and she flushed.
"Did I say something wrong?" What did I say? I thought it was a compliment.
She swallowed once, reaching for her water glass, swallowed again.
"I love you, girls," she said, her voice thick and low.
Oh. I got it. I didn't say anything wrong after all. For once, I had it right.
"Love you too, Mom," we said together.
There's nothing better than the sound of my mother's laughter.
I felt pretty confident when we pulled up to the site an hour later. It was just full dark, the last of the sunset barely a glimmer on the Western horizon. We were the last to arrive from the looks of it. Erica had everything organized and gestured for us to join them and close the circle.
I took my grandmother's arm and led her along. Even she was quiet, subdued, and I hoped it was a good sign. I made a mental note to talk to Mom about Gram. Maybe all this activity was good for her, not bad. It might be worth looking into if it meant having my grandmother's sanity back.
It only took Celeste a moment to voice her disapproval.
"I still think this is a terrible idea." A small knot of witches stood behind her, mostly older and traditional ladies, but James stood at her right hand and that hurt. I expected the twins to be with her, the super strong Esther and Estelle Lawrence whose combined power was legendary in the family. But they weren't and I wondered if their encounter with the Moromonds and near deaths cemented their loyalty to my mother.
Mom didn't get mad. She didn't raise her voice. She didn't even move. Instead, she formed a sheet of flickering light, grounded to the power of the earth and fleshed out through the pressure of air. It rushed forward and smothered Celeste and the ten or so coven members with a pulsing canopy, enveloping them in the weight of the two elements, driving the rebels to the ground.
I was as shocked as the next witch. Then again, Mom warned her, didn't she?
"Do you wish to challenge my authority further?" Mom never used violence against the family, ever. But sometimes it was all a witch understood.
Celeste gritted her teeth. "Am I no longer allowed to speak my mind in this coven?"
"You are," Mom said. "But you have spoken it and spoken it, sowing dissent and unrest in the family. And that I will not allow."
Celeste bowed her head. "You won't listen."
"I have listened." Mom approached her, stroking her hair, but her hold never eased. "I am leader here, my friend, and you are hurting the family with your discord. If you and the others no longer trust my judgment, even after everything we have been through together, you are welcome to leave and find another more in line with your views."
I was not expecting any of this to happen, not tonight. But I suppose it was inevitable considering what my mother was about to do.
We all waited. And waited. At last, Celeste looked up at my mother.
"I will remain," she said. "The family is all I have."
"And you are welcome." Mom released her power and helped Celeste up. "Always. But you must trust me. Or I will ask you to leave."
Final warning. Everyone knew it. Mom took a moment and went to each of the unhappy witches, embracing them one by one. When she finished, she returned to Celeste and hugged her, too.
"I know you are afraid. I understand your worry and concern. This goes beyond convention. But we are faced with something none of us is able to handle alone. We need allies. And our extended family has, for some reason, failed to answer our need. Will we stand alone and risk all of our safety? Or will we do what we can to ensure we all survive?"
The vote came back unanimous.
Good thing, too. Uncle Frank and Sunny chose that moment to appear at the circle. He tried to enter but when his foot hit the outside, a ripple of blue energy pushed him back.
"Not funny, Miriam." He didn't look happy. I'd never seen him angry before.
"Apologies, Frank," she said at her most mild. "Just a precaution."
He nodded, but it was short and curt. Sunny just smiled, though the sadness was back in it.
"Of course, Miriam," she said. "Trust must be earned."
"Not yours, dear Sunny," Mom said. "Or my brother's. That happened long ago. But the family needs to be safe and I must protect them from my decisions."
She walked forward, toward the two vampires, but she wasn't looking at them. I could only guess the vampire power she acquired knew exactly who was out there with them, because she spoke to the darkness next.
"I would extend such trust to the Blood Clan DeWinter," she said. "But it is hard to do when they will not make themselves known."
Silence. A flicker of something. I forced back a shudder, my hand tightening on my grandmother's arm so much she squirmed in protest. I released her with a whispered apology and a handful of chocolate candies to keep her busy and pushed forward to join my mother. Meira stood right there beside me.
I had a front row view when the vampires melted out of the black and into sight.
I was so used to Uncle Frank and Sunny they almost didn't freak me out. Almost. Seeing the dozen or so standing there, beautiful to a fault, their movements liquid when they moved at all, silent and brooding and deadly, I had a brief moment of in-bred terror.
My demon swatted at me. She liked them.
Naturally.
It was enough to snap me out of my fear cycle. I took my place next to Mom with as much confidence as I could muster.
There were more men than women, all dressed in black. Sunny was by far the most beautiful and Uncle Frank stood out with his blond hair and blue jeans. But I saw them as they really were in that moment, free to be who the vampire blood made them and I realized how much they masked from us for our own comfort.
Next time Uncle Frank did that to me, he was getting a serious punch in the arm. No one deserved to live half a life with the people who loved them.
To prove the point to myself, I grinned and waved at them both and saw Meira do the same out of the corner of my eye.
Uncle Frank's frown hung on only for a moment. Then, he laughed.
I didn't realize how much tension had built around us until it cracked and shattered with his laugh.
Uncle Frank and Sunny smiled and waved back.
Wicked.
"You must be Sydlynn." And he had to be Sebastian. Wow, he was hot. Black hair, the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. Big shoulders. All black leather, all the time. What was this thing with me and bad boys?
My demon hummed her pleasure.
"Nice to meet you." I grinned at him too.
I think I actually surprised him because he winked at me.
"We have come as agreed." Sebastian stepped forward, toes almost at the line, right in front of my mother.
I had never seen her so calm and that was saying something. "Welcome, Sebastian DeWinter, and welcome to your clan."
"We would feel more welcome if there wasn't this barrier between us." Sebastian ran a finger over the shield, blue sparks flying. His eyes met hers again. "Unless I was wrong about you. And this is some sort of trap."
The rest of the vampires were instantly alert. They didn't move or make any threatening gestures, but I could feel their tension. Answered instantly by the family.
Mom just smiled. "Frank and Sunny reassured you, I'm certain, or you would have never come."
"True," Sebastian said. He crossed his arms over his chest, eyebrows dropping into a deliciously yummy frown. "And yet, in all my years, I have been known to be wrong."
"They shared with you information about the creature?" Mom wasn't taking the bait. I saw Celeste shift behind her, a slow sway forward, and let my demon jab her with a thin thread of power. Celeste glared at me but held still.
My demon giggled. She was such a brat.
"They did." Sebastian's eyes drifted to me like he knew what I had done. I winked back at him.
His lips twitched. "And we have begun our own investigation. If what they say is true, this creature poses a danger to normals. Which makes me wonder why it's my problem?"
"Because," I said before my mother could speak. "If it's part vampire, your people are as much a target now as ours."
Mom didn't move but I felt her wave of approval wash over me before I could kick myself for speaking up.
"You have a pert but intelligent daughter, Miriam." Sebastian showed me his fangs when he smiled. "I wish she was wrong. But she isn't. If this creature does, indeed, have our blood, not only will it call attention to what we are to the normals, but it may well come after us for sustenance."
I wondered how old he was, all the while loving the way he talked.
Sheesh, Syd. This is not some romance novel. I had to get a grip.
"There's more to this story, however." Sebastian gestured at my mother. "I doubted what Frank and Sunny told me. About your power, their power. Taken from them. By force, I understand." He made it sound like it was Mom's idea or something. Or her fault. He badly misplaced his blame. Though I doubted he cared Batsheva Moromond was the real reason Mom now had vampire magic.
Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest. "It seems they were telling the truth, that our power can exist in a living being. I can feel you through the barrier."
She nodded. "It was not my intent, but I welcome it," she said. "And the understanding it brings me. It is my hope that sharing your gift will help build a bridge between our people."
"Not likely." One of the female vampires looked pissed. Okay, more than her. Like, most of them. "Sebastian, this is getting old. Tell her what we want."
He paused a long moment, eyes locked with Mom's. When he finally spoke, his voice was pitched very low but carried on the still air.
"Anastasia speaks for those who demand the return of our power," he said, "or your death."
Oh boy. He just had to go and say that, didn't he?
I could smell the fight coming before the family answered with anger.
***
