“Thanks, Mom,” I said, stepping forward to give her a hug.
“I never thought I’d see this day,” she murmured. “You’re going to make everyone proud.”
I hope so.
Pushing down my emotions, I bent to give Loki a little pat on the head.
So now it was official. There was no going back.
Caden scrubbed a hand through his hair and looked uncertain. “I really should get back to the manor and leave you two to your visit.”
I nodded, strangely glad that he had been here tonight. “Thanks for staying, Caden.”
“Anytime, Graves. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned his attention to my mother. “It was nice to meet you, Melinda.”
“The pleasure was mine. I hope to see you again soon, and please keep an eye on my daughter. Keep her safe.”
“You don’t have to worry. I take my job very seriously.”
Caden suffered through one of my mother’s perfumed air-kisses before sneaking out of the room. The second the door closed, my mother pressed a hand against her heart and sighed.
“Oh, honey, he’s cute. They didn’t make them like that in my day. Not that I was ever a hunter, but I’m so happy for you! For becoming a hunter, not for landing a cute partner . . . though it doesn’t hurt.”
I rolled my eyes and fell back on my mattress with a hard bounce. “Stop, Mom. It’s embarrassing.”
She climbed onto the bed next to me, and we both scooted to lean against the wall. Loki joined us, snuggling around my mother’s ankles, clearly thanking her for bringing treats.
A moment passed in silence. I played with the pendant, twisting the medallion between my fingers.
“I can’t believe you came all this way just for that.”
“It’s a big deal, Elle. What’s a couple of hours’ drive? Your daughter only graduates to the top of the Spellwork Organization once.”
“Yeah, I know. I guess it’s kind of nice to have family around and go through the motions. How’s everything back home?” I asked. “Is the landlord still giving you trouble?”
“No. I scrounged up enough money to pay on time this month. And he’s backed off a bit ever since the curse.”
I rolled my head to look at her. “The curse?”
“It was just a little curse. A curselet, even.”
“That’s not a word. What did you do?”
“I made it so his car breaks down whenever he drives within a mile of the house. He must be sick of getting tows because he hasn’t been around in weeks.”
A laugh burst from my throat. “That’s actually pretty clever. I approve.”
My mother patted my knee. “And now, tell me the truth. You can’t lie to my face like you can over the phone. How are you handling things at school along with your new duties?”
I wrinkled my nose and grabbed my pillow, hugging it to my chest. “About as well as can be expected. I don’t think my grades are slipping that much, but it’s hard mixing homework with training and demon-hunting. Oh, and I lost my job at the country club, so I’m just relying on my hunter’s check.”
“It’ll be enough. We’ll make it work. Business has been picking up at the apothecary, so things are looking up.”
“I’m glad, Mom.”
“Ah, I wish I could stay the night and have breakfast with my girl. Your cafeteria has the best waffle station. But I have to open up the shop tomorrow.” She clapped her hands together and slid off the bed. “Before I go, let me do a single card reading for you. It’ll be quick and maybe bring you some clarity.”
I groaned as she pulled a tarot deck from the bottom of her fathomless bag. Climbing back onto the mattress, Mom took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shuffled the cards.
