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I frowned. “You haven’t told us much.”
“Well, it is spelled with fae assistance. That much I can confirm based on the symptoms and facts,” they explained. “And your family name has met my eyes more than once. What was the mother’s maiden name again?”
I licked my lips, trying to resist their charm. But it was too strong.
Goddamn fae and their dazzling appeal, I thought while rolling my eyes.
I huffed and whispered, “Renou.”
“Like Jade Renou?”
Icy heat flared in my chest. “You knew my mother.”
“In passing. She came to my club once looking for answers.”
“For what?” I slammed my hands on the table. “Forwhat?!”
Bruise rested a hand over mine. A memory popped into my brain, an image of my mother warbled by the rippling surface of a lake. Within moments, the picture cleared up and I saw her as she had been back when I was a young boy, her charming grin and bright blue eyes impressing anyone who looked at her. Even years later, her beauty still astounded me.
“Arnaud,” Bruise stated in her voice. “But don’t tell Bertrand. He would never approve.”
And just like that, the memory was gone.
I gripped the edge of the table, shuddering.
Rose reached over to grab my shoulders. “What’s going on?” She looked at Bruise. “What did you do to him?”
“For once, dear wolf,” Bruise whispered while standing. “I granted a memory instead of taking one.” They hovered near the table, an unreadable expression on their face. “It seemed the right thing to do.”
After a quick bow, they left the room. Theclickof the suite door came shortly after. Silence resumed, the air curling with sweet perfume, remnants of the seasons changing, and a hint of something else, something unique.
Something made of pie.
“Maman,” I whispered. “What were you looking for?”
Rose slid onto the bench next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. She pulled me into her arms. She rubbed my neck. She pressed her cheek to my cheek. She cried with me.
“Who’s Arnaud?” I murmured. “Who were you looking for? Why couldn’t you tellPapa? Why did you hide this from us? Why, why, why…?”
A heartbeat met my ear. My eyes burned with tears, old feelings swept through me like a deluge. The dam broke open. I was at its mercy, suffering through the pathways well-traversed, forgotten wounds sprouting with life once more.
And in the wake of it all, in the very heart of the pain, was the scent of cotton candy.
Chapter 14 - Rose
“You want to dowhat?”
It was the cry heard around the world, the tone of an exasperated woman who was about to rip my head off. It was opposition. It was the kind of shock that could rattle any well-laid foundation.
It was Sasha screaming at me in her office.
I tried to keep my smile going, assuring her as best I could that things would be okay. Matéo stood at my side, tall as ever, stern features intensified by the passion of his commitment. His hand curled over mine and squeezed. That gesture alone was worth a thousand fangs threatening to take me over.
“Do you realize what that could do?” Sasha proceeded while leaning one hand on her desk and one on her hip. Her slender fingers drummed the wood. “You’re insane.”
“No, I’m being reasonable. You’re always going on about being logical in difficult situations, so here it is.”
She shook her head. “Rose, this is signing your death warrant.”
