“What?” I stared at her in shock. “How would you know that?”
“We go into the human realm all the time. We buy a lot of our books there. I went to check on her for you, and she was frantic. She said her daughter had been kidnapped and the police weren’t taking it seriously. So…I knew Melisande was inviting you here today, so I brought your mother into our realm so you could talk to her.”
“You what?” I gasped. “Fi, you shouldn’t have! What if the Iron Claw pack goes after her?”
“Why would they? They don’t know she’s here.” She reached out, stuck her hand in my purse, and pulled out my phone. She made a quick call and then handed it back to me.
“Mom?” I said tentatively.
“Daphne? I thought you were dead!” My mother sounded terrible, her voice hoarse and rough. “I don’t understand what’s going on here. There’s this other world? And you’re being held prisoner? We can run for it, hon. I have some money saved up. We can go into hiding.”
Emotion flooded me.
“We…I guess…”
“Come home, baby,” she begged. “I was awful to you last time I saw you and I have been dying about it ever since.”
I looked at Fi. She placed her hand on my shoulder, looking at me through the reflection in the mirror. “This is the time to go home if there ever was one, Daphne. My car is out back. We can head right over the ley lines and back to Red Sands. There’s no better opportunity for you to make a clean break if you want to.”
My eyes closed, my mind filled with thoughts of Killian.
My heart ached at the thought of leaving him, but I was starting to think that was my only option. I was afraid for him. I was afraid that resisting the urge to moon bite me would break him.
What would happen if I drove him to madness? What would happen to his pack if there was no strong alpha to protect them?
“Let’s go then,” I said as hot tears filled my eyes. I cleared my throat and sniffled. “Take me to my mother.”
She grabbed me by the arm and rushed me out the back door of the bookshop and to her car. I hopped in the side, and she jumped in the driver’s seat, turned the engine on and we shot out of there like a bullet from a gun.
We quickly left the main road and shot down a side street. We probably didn’t have much time before Killian came looking. Fi raced down the road, taking several more turns until we were driving down a narrow road in a wooded area.
Tears spilled over onto my cheeks. I didn’t want to do this. I’d miss Killian. I’d miss everyone.
Was I making a mistake? Giving up too easily?
No, I was saving Killian and therefore saving the pack.
I had to believe that.
A large white van rumbled past us with surprising speed for a vehicle that size. I watched it as it zoomed along. Alarm bubbled up inside me as it quickly moved in front of us and slowed down, forcing Fi to slow down and stop.
The van hit a skid, sliding to its side and joining a barricade with several other vans.
Oh. Damn. We were in trouble.
“Back up!” I cried. My inexperienced wolf and Fi’s green magic were no match for this many people.
Fionnulla turned the ignition off, unlocked her door and threw it open. “What are you doing?” I cried out in alarm.
I glanced back at the vans and the people crowded outside them. Royal, Duke, Earl, and Aurora stood in the front.
And, to my shock, my mother was with them.
Oh no.
They’d kidnapped her! I leapt out of the car, prepared to shift and defend her as best I could.
But she didn’t look worried. Not at all.
