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“Well, there’s no cure for what I am,” Jed said. “It’s not a disease or a curse. I can’t change it. That doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole.”
“I am sorry,” John told him, sounding very nearly sincere. “But in our defense, you did betray us and help our rivals locate the items first.”
“What are you going to do about your mother?” Melinda asked me. “A number of us have matters to discuss with her.”
I looked down at my mother. I had no idea what the Kerrigans had planned for her. I did know that whatever it was, she probably deserved it. Anna hurt, stole, or defiled almost everything she touched. She’d all but admitted to murdering some unfortunate because she needed a body to throw her “associates” off her scent. I was finished with her.
“I don’t know who that woman is,” I told them blithely. “She’s not bound to me or mine through magic or blood.”
Melinda’s eyes widened at my wording as she recognized its significance. I understood her surprise. Binding was one thing, but she’d probably never heard someone magically disown her own mother before, abjuring her from family and coven. From that moment on, Anna really would be dead to us, even if she showed up on our doorsteps. We wouldn’t see her or hear her or even smell her. It was one of the coldest, cruelest things a witch could do to her own kin. And I’d done it to my own mother.
In terms of negotiating tactics, it was a heck of a way to establish one’s position.
“That’s settled, then. We’ll take her home with us. You’ll not hear from her again. And I’d like the use of my hands, if you please,” John added, a little prim. “This is demoralizing.”
I nodded to Dick, who snapped the plastic tie on John’s hands.
“And Melinda’s?” John asked, rubbing his purpling wrists.
“No, just you,” I insisted. “I said I was open to negotiations, not that I was stupid.”
Melinda’s face was thunderous, but John conceded. “It’s a wise decision.”
* * *
Several hours later, after outlining a basic but fairly historic interclan treaty, the Kerrigans were left somewhat mollified with my offer of Flame and Air, while I kept Sea and Earth. Of course, they also had to take my mother with them, so they may have considered the whole experience a wash. We agreed to hold a full meeting at home to iron out the details. But for now, we’d split the elements, and by dawn the next morning, the Kerrigans’ magic would be restored. That would be the true test of whether they took this peace seriously or not.
I figured I should probably leave town as soon as possible.
Jed stroked his hand down the length of my hair and gave me a blithe grin. “So how was your day?”
“Typical.” I sighed. “My dead mother conked me over the head with an Egyptian idol. I made fire with my mind, confronted some upsetting lingering parental issues. And I negotiated a peace treaty in a centuries-old witch war.”
“Somebody’s getting milk and cookies when we get home,” Andrea said sweetly, patting my head.
I smiled nastily. “Thanks, Granny.”
The patting turned into a light slap.
“So how did you know how to find me?” I asked.
“Well, earlier tonight, we did find your ex-boyfriend locked in my office, next to some damaged equipment and a smashed, extremely rare geode,” Dick said, lifting his eyebrow. “All we had to do was shake him a couple of times, and he sang like the proverbial canary. He gave up your mom, the meeting location, everything.”
“Prick,” I muttered.
“Oh, don’t worry, Gabriel messed with his memory,” Jane chirped. “Stephen won’t remember anything from your time together, other than that you were the best thing that ever happened to him, but he let you get away through his own sheer stupidity.”
“Aw, Gabriel, I didn’t know you cared,” I said, nudging his elbow.
If vampires could blush, Gabriel’s face would have been rosy pink. He cleared his throat. “From now on, every time Stephen hears the word ‘tea,’ he will soil himself.”
I marveled. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
Gabriel mussed my hair while Jed jostled my shoulder. “Always.”
18
Just remember, there is no adventure without risk, no magic without payment, and no such thing as a boring journey with the right partner.
