Blood And Breath

12

Chapter Four OceanofPDF.com CAT My mother and I had a lot of great times together, but her overbearing tendencies suffocated me. It had always been just the two of us, so I had grown up trying my best to keep her happy. Maybe I had finally matured past the need to please her, or maybe my friendship with Rebecca had changed me. Either way, I found it harder and harder to tolerate my mother’s paranoia each day. She kept tabs on my every movement, and there would be no avoiding the subject that I stayed away for three nights in a row. I had intentionally texted her my plans the past few days rather than tell her in person to delay the argument that would result. Now that I was back from Strabane, it was only a matter of time. When I first informed my mother that Becca had the sight and was linked to the Fae, it took her days before she allowed me to return to work. She reluctantly agreed to send me back to the museum because my boss was one of our fellow Druids and could “look out for me.” The Druids had descended from the humans who had been taught magic by the Fae. A large number of those had been a group of women who had served as the handmaids to the Seelie Queen. The group became close with the queen, and in return, she taught them all about magic and the Fae world. When the queen closed the portals between our worlds, she sent the human women back to their homes on Earth. The Wild Hunt came in search of the women not long after, claiming the queen had sentenced them to death. The Fae warriors killed many of the queen’s handmaids, causing the rest to go into hiding. The surviving women remained close and passed on their knowledge and fears to each subsequent generation. For centuries, the Druid people lived in hiding, unsure if or when the Wild Hunt might come after them again. When Rebecca showed up in Belfast, everything changed. We learned that the Seelie Queen had not ordered the murder of our ancestors as we’d believed. Morgan Le Fay had been the culprit behind the killings. She despised Queen Guin and had fooled the Erlking Odin into thinking the order had come from the queen. Morgan’s actions had caused a war between the Hunt and the Seelie Court, only settled after the queen had killed the Erlking. The truth surfaced that the Fae cared little about the existence of the Druid people, and we no longer had reason to hide. However, my mother still had not backed down from her staunch belief that the Fae would kill us on sight if given the opportunity. She had no idea that I’d been spending time at the Huntsman, let alone that I’d found several of the guys were a lot of fun to be around. It was easier to leave her in the dark. Maybe someday, her prejudices wouldn’t taint her perceptions, but I wasn’t about to hold my breath. Our relationship was already strained, and I didn’t want to make things worse. Mom was the only family I had in the world, aside from an aunt I rarely saw. “What can I do to help?” I asked my mom as I entered the kitchen. “The potatoes are ready to be mashed. If you’ll do that, I’ll start cleaning up while the sausage cooks.” She handed me the masher and made her way to the sink. “You goin’ to be around this weekend?” “I should be. Why?” “Just wondering. Three nights in a row, you have been gone. Anything I need to know about?” Her words were spoken casually, but I knew better. Here we go. I took a fortifying breath and kept my eyes glued to the chunks of potatoes steaming in a pot. “I told you, spending some time with Aileen. Figure it’s good to get better acquainted since we’ll be living together soon.” My mother made a snorting sound as she swept vegetable remnants into the sink. “You sure it has nothing to do with that Rebecca girl?” She spat the name as though it tasted bitter on her tongue. “You don’t have to say it like that,” I murmured under my breath. “What’s that, girl? You defending her?” She swung around, wielding a wooden spoon in her hand. “You been off sneaking around with that lot?” My mother had me at a young age and was still an attractive woman. Her hair was a deep red like mine, although not quite as curly, and she had hazel eyes that creased in the corners when she laughed. It wasn’t a common occurrence, but I understood that she had a world of worries on her shoulders as a single mom. “No, Mom. I only see her at work,” I hurried to explain, then paused, chewing my lip. “But … I wish you’d give her a chance. I know you just want me to be safe, but Rebecca really is a sweet girl.” Her eyes narrowed to frightening slits. “Well, look at you, all cozied up with the filth,” she sneered as she glanced at my body disapproving. “You think I don’t know that you’ve been sneaking around with them? Those vile creatures murdered our ancestors. They rape and destroy at every opportunity, feeding off humans like we were lambs at the slaughter. And there goes my own flesh and blood, offering herself up as the next victim. I raised you better—raised you smart enough not to hand yourself over to the devil.” Her hate-filled description of the people I knew to be kind and generous made my heart ache with disappointment. It’s a terrible thing to be let down by a parent—not only is there anger, but the guilt is overwhelming. Guilt that I couldn’t love her like I should. Every time we argued over the subject, I struggled to see goodness in my own mother. Knowing her prejudices damaged my love for her weighed on my heart. How do you love a bigot? Do you look past the hatred that seeps from their pores? Are you then condoning their behavior? I didn’t want to put more distance between my mom and me, but I also wasn’t going to walk away from the best friend I’d ever had just because my mom was incurably prejudiced. I wouldn’t live my life burdened with the bitterness she carried daily. I didn’t know how to reconcile the two parts of my life, and my helplessness sapped the energy from my fight. “I don’t know how to talk to you when you get this way. Rebecca and Ashley aren’t going to hurt me, but nothing I say will convince you.” “You don’t have to convince me of anything.” She lifted her chin and steeled herself. “But if you don’t stay away from them, I’ll be forced to take you before the elders.” The air in my lungs burst from my lips as if I’d been punched in the gut. “You’re threatening me?” “I’ll do what it takes to protect you, no matter how ungrateful you are.” She looked down her nose at me. “Protect me? You mean to punish me!” I spat back in uncharacteristic defiance. “I’ve been talking with Deaglan, and he agrees that you can’t keep carrying on the way you’ve been. You’re heading down a dark road, and something must be done.”