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ChapterTwenty-Four
“Amelia,”Dugald says.
He meets her dark look while keeping his face impassive. Mom’s hands ball into fists and she’s trembling.
“You promised,” she says.
Duncan slides to my side and places his hand on the small of my back. It’s incredibly comforting. The pressure and warmth of this simple touch bolsters me in ways I could never put into words.
Dugald shakes his head. “Amelia, there is no time for this, not now.”
“No time?” She takes a step towards him. “Let me tell you about time. Time in a realm where there is no measurement of it, but every moment is torture. And all the time I lost with my little girl to protect her, and you promised!”
Dugald drops his gaze to the ground, then his head lowers. I see his mouth move but no sounds come. He inhales, sighs, then inhales again but still says nothing.
“Mom, he’s not—”
“No,” she says, cutting me off with a slash of her hand. “You do nae understand, Quinn. All of this; I did this to protect you. Dugaldpromised.He had one job, keep you from coming to Scotland.”
“I tried—”
“Tried?” she interrupts. “Tried? Are you serious? How hard is it to keep a teenager from traveling to another country?”
“I’m not a teenager,” I say.
“Not the point,” she says, her voice rising to the point it cracks.
“Amelia,” Dugald says. “I failed you and I am sorry.”
“You damn well better be,” she says. “You cost her everything.”
“No, Mom,” I say, touching her arm. She jerks her head to the side to look at me. “No.”
“What do ya mean no?” she huffs.
“I found…” I trail off as the enormity of all that has happened crashes in my thoughts at once. Mom unclenches her fists and puts her hand on my shoulder.
“You do nae understand, Quinn,” she says. “You can’t possibly know.”
“I do,” I say. “I remember everything. And this is my life. I love you. I appreciate that you tried to protect me from it, but this is my destiny. This is who I am.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Mom says.
“She’s a strong lass,” Duncan interjects. “I’ll tell you true; I’d rather face a horde of those demons than try ta stand against Quinn.”
“And who are you, Duncan? What is yuir connection to my Quinn?” Mom asks.
Duncan looks to me before answering, his beautiful eyes full of his love for me, and in that instant I fall in love with him all over again. A tingle races over my skin and I can’t help but shiver. Mom inhales sharply.
“He’s…” she says, but doesn’t finish.
“Aye,” Dugald says.
“Oh,” Mom says, shaking her head, and now she’s crying. “Oh, Quinn. I’ve missed so much. I’ve missed you.”
She grabs my shoulders and jerks me into a hug. She squeezes so tight it’s impossible to breathe. I try to inhale but she squeezes tighter. I return the embrace as her tears soak my shoulder. Words aren’t necessary. We know, each of us, what the other means. More than anything I know, this is my mom. She is no glamour or illusion. This is Mom.
I don’t know how long we hang on to each other, but time doesn’t stop, and the pressure builds as it passes. Finally, she eases her grip and lets me go. She places her hands on my face, staring into my eyes. Her tearstained cheeks glisten and she kisses my forehead.
