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Celeste shook her head, her smile fading a little. “What would you find out from a test you didn’t learn last time? Is this about the…shifter stuff?”
“We can worry about it later,” I said, waving a hand. “I’m sure Val will need to gather supplies, anyway. In the meantime, I will call my hunter contact and see if he’s turned up anything on your aunt while we’ve been out of touch.”
Celeste’s smile returned, and she leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Thank you,” she murmured before taking Abi by the hand, the two of them already giggling as they scampered off.
As the guests dispersed, I returned to my office, glad to be back in a secure location with a private line. I dialed Grant’s number, rumbling a greeting when he picked up.
“What have you found?” I asked, not wasting any time.
Fortunately, the former hunter had never been one for small talk. “Haven’t found Celeste’s father yet,” he said. “I was able to run a search on some DNA records, though, with the hair sample Walter provided for me. I’ve traced several lines. Lots of destroyed records.” He made a noise of disgust. “But I think I finally narrowed down who her mother is. I can’t be one hundred percent certain, but she seems to be the only logical option. Plus, she was from a very long line—obscured, by the way, though I know how weird witches get about their secrets—only to disappear abruptly. And I mean literally disappear. Like the woman vanished into thin air.”
“Hmm.” The long line, I suspected, was the Handmaiden lineage. They often obscured their names and relations to protect themselves. I wasn’t surprised that there was no paper trail.
“I was able to track down her last known location. Someone owed me a favor, and I was able to retrieve a few of her items. They were distributed amongst her coven when they finally decided she was never coming back. One of those items was a book.”
“A book?” I repeated, skeptical.
“Mmm. One that no one can open. You know what that means.”
“A grimoire,” I murmured, intrigued.
“If this woman really is your Celeste’s mother, Celeste is the only one who can open it. Blood rites and all that.”
“Indeed,” I replied, impressed by how thorough Grant had been in his search. I’d had him vetted long before I even considered working with him, but it was always a pleasure when someone came through for me.
“I’ll be in Florida in a few days,” I said. “We can meet there. Bring the items and anything else you’ve learned.”
“Will do.”
“Before you go,” I said, sensing Grant was not a man to linger on the line once business was concluded, “did you find anything regarding Esme Mitchell?”
“Nope,” he grunted. “A few dead ends, but nothing else.”
“Keep looking,” I said. “If anything comes up, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you in Tallahassee.”
I hung up and leaned back in my chair, staring up at the airy ceiling. I’d still had no luck finding Esme, but hopefully, Celeste would be pleased to learn a bit more about her birth mother. It was progress, and that was something.
Chapter11
Celeste
Fenris’s Private Villa
Isla Lobo, Panama
The door had barely clicked shut behind us before Abi whirled around, her eyes bright as she grabbed me by both shoulders. “Okay, Celeste,” she said. Her serious tone would’ve been alarming if not for the wild grin on her face. “It’s time to go full furry form. Show! Me! The wolf!”
I couldn’t help but laugh and shook my head. “It’s not that exciting, Abi.”
“Easy for you to say!” she countered, floating over to the guest bed and plopping down. Her eyes were still glued to me. “I guess I, like,knowsome werewolves, but knowing one and having your best friendbe oneare twoverydifferent things.”
“Wolf shifters, Abi,” I reminded her gently. “Werewolves are what they used to be called.” Now that I’d felt even a fraction of Fenris’s moon sickness, the difference between the two was crystal-clear to me. It was also obvious now why shifters wouldn’t want to be associated with the feral form they once took. It was painful, not just emotionally, but physically as well.
“Oh, right. Sorry, sorry,” she said, her cheeks turning a little pink. “You’re avoiding the topic, though. Wolf! Show me the wolf!”
“I can’t,” I said, laughing again. “My wolf and I aren’t exactly on the same wavelength. And more than that, I just don’t know that much about it yet. When I shift, it's…hard to get back to my human form.”
So far, I’d needed Fenris’s help once, and though I’d managed to do it alone, that was only because my wolf and I agreed we didn’t want to worry Fenris. Right now, I wasn’t sure how I’d coax her into giving back control.
