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“Even though I haven’t reached candescence yet?” Romy was wary of the answer. Cassia was painfully blunt and always honest, even when the truth hurt.
“Andromeda, do you realize you’ve never asked me how old I was when I changed?”
“I just assumed…”
“Assumed that because I’m the high priestess, I automatically had full control of my powers from birth?” Cassia scoffed. “Not in the least.”
Romy raised an eyebrow. She’d always seen her mother as all-powerful, all the time. Could it be that she, too, took longer to come into her gifts? “How old were you, Mom?”
“Twenty. Almost twenty-one. You are only a couple of months older than I was. I’m hard on you, Andromeda. We both know it. But if I didn’t know what awaited you on the other side of candescence, I wouldn’t bother. You are my firstborn, so by birthright, the position of the high priestess is yours, but make no mistake, if I believed you were not meant to follow in my footsteps for one second, I would alter the line of succession. The coven has done it once before, and it can be done again.”
“With you and Aunt Selene, right?” Romy’s voice was small, hushed. Discussions surrounding Daphne’s choice to pass over her eldest in favor of her younger daughter had been forbidden by Cassia when she took over the coven. If she heard anyone—friend or foe—slander her sister, she’d banish them with no questions asked.
Cassia reached across her desk for Romy’s hand. “It’s all right for us to talk about what happened, Andromeda. You need to know because our history affects you, but it’s not as dramatic of a story as you probably think. Selene simply wasn’t leadership material. Your grandmother made several attempts to prepare her, but for whatever reason, Selene didn’t excel where I did. The decision was difficult but necessary.”
“Mom, Thora’s better than me already. You know this. Maybe I should bow out now.”
Cassia shook her head. “Preposterous. You have my faith and my favor, Andromeda Delacroix. I believe in you.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She really didn’t. Cassia wasn’t one to offer compliments, even when people deserved them. She believed one shouldn’t be rewarded for doing their job, so her approval was hard-won. “Thank you, Mom. I won’t disappoint you or the coven.”
A hint of a smile crossed her lips. “Of that I have no doubt.”
“But I will question things, though,” Romy added. “I need to if I’m to understand.”
“Of that I have no doubt, also. Speaking of, let’s go over a few of your most pertinent questions from last night, shall we?”
Romy straightened. Maybe she could find out more about Silvan and Bastian. Inadvertently, of course. Cassia would blow a gasket if she knew her daughter found any preternatural besides a witch attractive. It was a dangerous concept, but Romy liked the idea of being risky. “About the Rincewinds… why are they so,like, explosive? None of them listen, and they antagonize the others on purpose. Why is that?”
“Wolf packs function better with two leaders: a packmaster and his mate. Asa’s mate, Ylfa, passed away a while ago, and he hasn’t been the same. Aside from that, he’s always been passionate.” Deep in thought, Cassia tilted her head. “Everyone was surprised when Mother recommended him as packmaster, but he’s proved calmer than most. I’m concerned about his heir, though.”
“Who’s supposed to be his heir? The one you spoke with?Silvan?” Even saying his name made Romy feel scandalous and seductive.
“Yes,” Cassia said evenly. “Silvan.”
“He seems pretty hotheaded.” Romy felt a flush creep into her cheeks and prayed her mother wouldn’t notice.
“He is, very much so. The accusation was a premature, rage-filled mistake, but unfortunately, I can’t ignore it. If a vampire did not kill Claude Rincewind, the sentence will stand.”
Romy winced. She didn’t want to think about Silvan dying. “And if a vampire did kill Claude?”
“Then in years to come, you, my dear, will have a considerably unruly and defiant packmaster to manage.”
Lost in a daydream about all the ways she’d like to manage Silvan, Romy didn’t hear her mother’s inquiry.
“Andromeda?” Cassia tapped the table with her nails.
“Ma’am?”
“You zoned out on me. What were you thinking about?”
“Oh, just how awesome it is to get to know all these preternaturals.” She kicked herself for not being quick enough to come up with a better explanation, knowing her mother’s response before it even came.
“Darling, being the high priestess is an extremely heavy burden. I don’t want you to miscalculate the work it takes to govern our council. I’ve had to reschedule all my patients this morning to deal with this Claude Rincewind situation. Through the years, I’ve missed out on so much with you and your sister. Remaining fair and unbiased can’t be underestimated, and that’s not an easy task when you’re an opinionated Delacroix.”
“I know, Mom. Iamtaking this seriously.” After a pause, she asked, “So what do you think? Doyoubelieve a vampire murdered him?”
“To be honest, no. I wouldn’t say that to anyone who wasn’t in our family, but I visitedLe Ville Marchlandemyself earlier this morning and saw video footage of the new vampires inside the residence at the time of question. Apparently, they’re staying with Monsieur Marchland.”
