Page 52 of Facet

We followed the instructions that Séamus’s witch had given him. They seemed legit, because I remembered a lot of the spell my mother had performed and this was following along.

When it was time, I held out my hand and Séamus used an ornate silver blade to make the cut. We did everything the way we were instructed. Except when the tendrils of smoke came, my mother didn’t. Instead, something silver dropped to the ground.

“I don’t understand,” I mumbled, staring at what I now realized was a necklace.

Séamus reached down and held it in his open palm, the chain hanging through his fingers. “Maribelle?”

“What? Who’s Maribelle?”

“This was hers,” he murmured in confusion as he continued to stare at the black obsidian necklace. He didn’t move, he didn’t offer up any further explanation, he just sat there—blinking.

“How do you know? There could be a million necklaces like that,” I argued. “And it doesn’t explain why my mother didn’t show. Especially when we did the spell exactly how we were supposed to.”

“I gave this necklace to her. Maribelle and I had a brief… affair. She really was a witch. You can see why it couldn’t last.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I don’t think Maeve is actually your mother—that’s why she didn’t come through.” He looked up at me. “I think it was Maribelle. And if she didn’t come through with the spell, that means she’s dead.”

“What the actual fuck?” I got to my feet and started to pace. This was too much. First my father that I believed was dead pops up, then he tells me that my mom tried to kill my woman. Oh, but to top that off, she isn’t actually my mom. That can’t be possible. Is anything in my life the way it seemed?

“I had no idea.” Séamus shook his head. “How didn’t I know?”

Chest heaving, I stopped in my tracks and spun to face Séamus. “I don’tknowhow you didn’t know! I don’t know why my entire life was a fucking lie! It’s like this was just a big, twisted game to her. You know what? We’re gonna find a way to get her here. We’re gonna ask her point blank. If I have to rip it from her throat, I will have her reasons!”

Séamus shot to his feet. “You will. And I will do everything I can to help you.”

“Aww, isn’t this touching? Did I just witness a father-son bonding moment?” Séamus and I both spun in the direction the voice had come from.

The woman I’d grown up believing was my mother stood there with her hands over her chest as she sighed. A mocking expression of happiness lit her deceitful face.

Fury enveloped me. When I stormed toward her, I clenched my hands. But about five feet from her, I slammed into what felt like a glass wall.

“What the—” I staggered backward as I bounced off whatever it was.

Maeve darkly laughed.

Séamus shot a hand out toward her and she clutched her throat. He made the motion as if he was wrapping it around her and clenched tight.

She clutched at her neck, but then she dropped her hands, and her dark laughter rang out again.

“Nice try. You see? I have friends too. Oh, did your contact forget to mention that after you conduct that spell, you lose your powers for a bit? Yeah, no one told me either. Imagine my disappointment when I couldn’t kill you after I brought you here. Crafty witch bitches.”

“And you think just because my powers have been temporarily muted, you can kill me?” Séamus mocked. I had no idea if he was certain she couldn’t or if he was fucking with her.

“Actually, yes.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Séamus growled through his clenched teeth. He rushed toward her, much as I initially had, but he too hit that invisible wall. Though his barrier was behind me, separating us.

In my mind, I was running through the timeline of events from the night we called Séamus to this very meadow. I was trying to remember how long it was before Séamus disappeared that night. Because according to him, that was when Maeve—I could no longer stomach calling herMom—tried to kill Willow, meaning her powers had returned. That was how long I needed to stall. I needed to buy time for Séamus’s powers to return.

“Why try to kill Willow?” I asked to keep her talking.

“The witch that gave me the spells necessary to call Séamus, contain him, and to kill him, told me that I would know it was time when you met your mate. I don’t know why, and I didn’t ask because I don’t care. All that matters is that I will finally have my revenge. I have been waiting for this day for over two hundred years. Countless days of patience for everything to fall into place the way it needed to. I couldn’t let her become a complication, especially when the witch told me she would try to kill me,” she spat in disgust.

“Why would any witch help you?” Séamus demanded. “You’re nothing but a lesser demon with nothing to offer her.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. The components to getting my revenge were complicated and involved using your blood, which I knew was never going to happen. Therefore, a child of yours was the alternate option. I cannot believe you actually thought I figured out a way to get pregnant.” She laughed maniacally. “Yet the little witch that you secretly had an affair with could.”

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