Page 76 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

Des looked up from his screen long enough to smile. “Hi, Mama.”

I reached across the table, tapping his arm. He paused his game and slipped off his headphones.

“Des, baby,” I asked through a constricted throat, “how did you get here?”

“I poofed here.” He motioned toward his empty pizza tray. “I was hungry.”

I swallowed back a dozen different emotions, ranging from fear to anger to overwhelming relief. “And you didn’t like Aunt Serena’s pizza?”

He made a face. “No.”

Fighting back tears, I squeezed his arm. “Sweetheart, next time ask Ethyl or Mama, and one of us will go with you, okay?” I dropped my voice to a strained whisper. “It’s too dangerous for you to go out alone. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

He shrugged. “Okay, Mama.”

I heaved a shuddering breath, then thanked the waiter when he set a glass of wine and some fruit, cheese, and olives in front of me. “From Ethyl,” he said with a wink. “She said you could use it.”

I thanked him and then slowly ate and drank while my son played his game. Though the wine relaxed me a fraction, I had already made up my mind. Come morning, Des and I, and hopefully Ethyl if she was willing, were catching the first flight out of here. I’d done what I’d set out to do. I’d provided testimony for Ric. And though I liked my sexy sphinx lover—a lot—my son’s safety came first. I’d helped my aunt and the Insurgi find the nest. The rest was up to them. My son and I were going home.

I FELT LIKE A BATTEREDselkie that had been dragged across a coral minefield by the time Ethyl transported us to my aunt’s suite in the Insurgi underground caverns.

“He’s safe!” Serena practically flew at us, the lines around her eyes tightened with worry. “Where was he?”

“Eating pizza,” I said as I pocketed my wand.

Puffy excitedly flew around our heads before landing on a perch and drinking from a bowl of water.

My aunt’s features fell. “He didn’t like my pizza?”

“Apparently not.” Holding tightly to Des’s hand, I brushed past her. “We’re going home in the morning.”

Ignoring Serena’s gasp, I sat beside Des on the sofa. I brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes when he pulled out his iPad. “How about some more educational games for a while?”

He gave me a funny look. “I want to learn about succubi.”

That caught me off guard. “What? Why?”

He shrugged. “I just do.”

He got up and rummaged through my bag, grabbing that book the ghosts had given me about succubi and sitting at the table. I chewed my lip, worried he was too young to read such sinister stuff, but he put on his headphones and turned on his iPad music, making it clear he didn’t want any distractions.

“What about Ric?”

I faced my aunt with a scowl. “I’ve done all I can for him.” A blade of guilt twisted in my heart. Had I? He’d told me to get out of here. He didn’t want me to help him. In leaving, I was only doing what he’d asked.

I stiffened when Serena knelt beside me.

“Luciella, the succubi will keep hunting you.” Her hard stare made me want to crawl out of my own skin. “We need Ric to help us protect Des.”

A knot of dread twisted in my gut as I recalled the helpless feeling when Ethyl told me she’d lost Des. “I can’t lose my son again.”

“We’ll keep him safe.”

I didn’t like the pity reflecting in her eyes, as if she was trying to console a spoiled child. A mother had a right to protect her son!

I jumped to my feet, clenching my hands by my sides. “No, you won’t!”

“Hello.” Shu walked into the bedroom wearing a pink, fuzzy bathrobe, a green mud mask on his face, and spongy curlers in his hair. “Does anyone have aTV Guide?” He gave us an impatient look while filing his nails. “Serena said there are more seasons ofThe Golden Girls, and I need to find out when they’re airing.”

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