Page 51 of Facet

“That was… a lot.”

“I know, but you did great. I told you they’d love you.”

“Thank you. It was also… wonderful. I feel at peace. Is that weird?” I turned my head to look up at him.

He dipped his head to nuzzle the tip of his nose to mine. “Not at all. I’m sure it felt like a piece of you was missing when you found out your uncertain past. I think it’s perfectly natural to feel complete now. Or somewhat.”

I turned to face him and looped my arms around his neck. I had to tip my head back to look at him. “No, I was complete when I found you.”

The corner of his mouth kicked up in that sexy way and I went to my tiptoes to kiss him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For finding them, flying them up here, being by my side for it all.”

“Anytime. Will you be okay for a while? My dad and I have something we need to take care of,” he murmured. A dark lock of hair fell haphazardly over his brow, and I reached up to push it back. He kissed my palm.

“Yourdad?” I asked him with a questioning tilt of my head.

His cheeks flushed. It was the cutest thing ever.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. And you do what you have to do. I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”

He kissed me with all the passion that I dreamed of every day for about a year. When he slowly tapered it off, I sighed.

“I’ll see you soon. Be naked,” he instructed.

He didn’t need to worry about that.

“Alone”—FallingInReverse

It took everything in me not to take Willow to bed before I left. I promised myself there would be time for that when Séamus and I did what we needed to do.

Out back, Séamus had a leather satchel filled with what I assumed were the necessary items for the spell. “I’m hoping some of what she used to call me is still there in that clearing.”

“It should be,” I replied, and we set off.

As we entered Tarek’s field, the thunder of hoofbeats approached. From out of the dark, the tan horse appeared. “There you are. I wondered where you were hiding,” Séamus said to the horse.

I cocked a brow.

“What? He and I have had encounters in the past. Well, before this,” he murmured as he stroked over Tarek’s withers where his wings should’ve been. It wasn’t my imagination that he gave a sad nicker.

With one last pat, we continued to the other gate and into the back pasture where we had called him. We picked through the overgrown grass to get to the spot my mother had used.

“Do you really expect her to give you any answers? She lied to you your whole life,” he said when we reached the spot we had cleared off.

I paused in my search for the items we needed and threw my arms out in frustration. “I thought you were the one that wanted to find her to see what her game was?” I asked him.

“Oh, I do, but I’m not sure you want to be around for this. The things she’s done demand a specific punishment—and she’s still your mother.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Fuck, how was I having these second thoughts? She was absent and essentially neglectful my entire life. She wasn’t much of a mother to me, yet Séamus was right. She was my mother and that little boy in me still loved her. Stupid, but true.

“Then maybe we’ll see if we can get any truths from her, then you leave and I’ll take care of what needs to be done.” If what Séamus had said was true, and for some crazy reason I believed him, she had tried to kill Willow.

Still torn, I nodded. My heart was racing in my chest, and I couldn’t help but feel like whatever happened was going to change me forever.

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