He clears his throat. “She’s important to me, Mom.”
Mallory nods. “Then she’s important to me, too.”
Sarah settles on the arm of Mallory’s chair and dabs at her eyes with her sleeve. “A djinn and an angel. It seems like yesterday that they were all running around with scabby knees.”
Mallory’s lips curl into a tiny smile.
“Umm.” Ciprian drags his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end. “While we’re on the subject, I guess I should tell you, Celine isn’t the only one I’m dating.”
“I knew it!” Sarah grins. “The last time we spoke... well, it sounded more complicated, sweetie.”
“Mmhmm, I guess it is. We’re building something good, something strong, but it hasn’t been easy. We’ve cleaned up most of the mess, it’s just, I don’t know if they’re ready to?—”
Mallory puts her glass on the table, and her lips pinch again. “Get to the point, Ciprian.”
“I’m dating a vampire and a bas—shifter. I’m dating a vampire and a shifter.”
“And they’re here, too?” Mallory glances behind us like she expects Alistair and Luca to pop out of the shadows.
I nod, giving Ciprian a moment to collect himself. “I’m also with them. We’re all together.”
Sarah tilts her head. “It’s Alistair Ashbourne, isn’t it? The vampire contact you met in Vegas.”
Ciprian sputters something affirmative, and Sarah grinsat Mallory. “That’s wonderful, from what I’ve heard, he’s a sweet young man.”
My wine goes down the wrong way, and I choke.Who the fuck told her that?Not much surprises me these days but hearing Ali described as a sweet young man is too much.
“Tell us about the shifter,” Mallory says, taking over for Sarah. “Is he an omni, like the Therions?”
“He’s a rare type.” Ciprian squirms next to me, his thigh grazing mine. “He doesn’t really like to talk about it.” Technically, that’s true, but Ciprian is obviously being evasive.
Sarah tilts her head before nodding. “If he’sveryrare, you’d better not tell Joshua or Gideon. They’ll be tempted to pester him. You know how they enjoy adding new creatures to their shifting options.” She sips her wine. “We would hate for them to bite off more than they could chew and embarrass themselves.”
“It is one o’clock in the morning,” a male voice booms from the hallway, and we all jump. “If you’re going to make this much noise, you’ll have to have girl’s night in the Hall of Nightmares from now on.”
“Sweetie, come here.” Sarah hops to her feet. “Ciprian is introducing us to his lovely girlfriend.”
A giant man pads into the room. His curls are laced with silver, and his right cheek is creased from a pillow. Sleepy brown eyes meet mine, but they’re twinkling with laughter.
“Joshua,” Ciprian says. “Help me, please.”
Joshua envelopes my hand with his and gives it a hearty shake. “Something tells me this one got you into a mess, young lady.”
“Always,” I say. “I’m Celine.”
“Joshua Therion.” He notes the empty wine bottles and shakes his head. “Maybe we can get to know each other better during the daylight hours.”
Ciprian shoots him a grateful look, then freezes when his eyes land on Mallory. “Mom, are you okay?”
She blinks a few times, trying and failing to form a smile. “Yes, it’s silly.” She sniffs. “I have a hard time... Our wing is too quiet these days.”Gods.She recently lost her husband. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to crawl into the bed they shared each night, knowing he won’t ever join her again.
“You can stay in my room here,” Ciprian blurts, glancing at Sarah and Joshua. “Can’t she?”
They both nod. “Of course, Mal. You can take either of the boys’ rooms,” Sarah says. “You should have said something sooner.”
Mallory rolls her shoulders back, clinging valiantly to her pride and composure. I have the strangest urge to hug her. It’s not my place to comfort her, but I can’t let it go. I know what it’s like to hold yourself upright after loss takes you out at the knees.
I push to my feet. “I think you’re brave,” I say quietly. “When I lost... When my mom was taken from me, I left my entire realm behind. The idea of returning terrifies me, but you’re still here. Still trying. That’s courageous.” For a second, I let my vault crack open, and the sweet sound of Mom’s laughter echoes in my mind.