Page 27 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
I told her to go and live her life.
I just didn’t expect her to do it so soon, and I wanted her miles away from this island.
Leaving her stone-cold in the middle of town square, I continue my ascension to the very tip of the hill where Mum’s house is located, the familiar path encumbered with painful memories, but not so hurtful as the sight of Zara and her big-ass engagement ring.
She always said she preferred small diamonds…
I was wrong before. Everything has changed.
Kit, the tabby neighborhood cat, snakes between my legs as I knock softly on my childhood home door to spare Mum a scare. At this hour, she’s probably already done with breakfast. She hasn’t managed to sleep past five since the cancer returned, and so it surprises me when it takes a minute for her to open the door.
“Leo!” A red robe is wrapped around her frame, and her eyes are sticky with sleep, but she quickly waves me inside. “Why are you knocking on the door like a stranger? You gave me a fright. Come in.”
Oh my god.She’s gained at least a stone, and the chalky tint of her skin is gone.
My next breath comes hurried and rash. “You look… amazing.”
“I feel amazing.” She smiles a smile I thought was gone forever. The smile of a forty-four year-old woman who’s still got decades to live.
“Oh, Mum,” my voice cracks, the joy of seeing her well and healthy melting away the shock and anger I carried here with me.
She wraps her arms around my frame without shaking, her grip ten times as strong as it was, and my heart swells to the size of a sun. Tears mist my eyes, and I crush her in a hug.
I did this for a reason. It worked. My old life might be dead, but Mum is safe.
Nothing else matters.
She rubs the tears off my wet cheeks with her thumbs. “Are you okay, λεβ?ντη μου? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I open my mouth to lie but think better of it. “I just saw Zara in the village.”
Her lips thin. “That girl didn’t wait a moon before she replaced you.”
A defeated sigh wheezes out of my throat. “Who?”
“Don’t bother with such details.” Mum spins around and grips the coffee grinder.
Details?I arch a brow at her reaction. There is only one man on the island I hate enough for my mother to not be straight with me. Glenn Floyd, of course, and my jaw clenches at the news. The dude probably courted my ex-fiancé to get back at me for stealing his job.
Mum waves away the subject with a dismissive hand. “What about you? How was France? Are you adjusting well? Is the princess as pretty as they say?”
I look at Mum again, imprinting all the incredible changes I’d once lost hope for. Her sandy-blond hair is growing back, her cheeks rosy, and I decide then and there not to wipe the smile off her face for any reason. “The princess is beautiful, kind, and brave.”
And I don’t even have to lie.
“Hello?” a melodic voice chimes from the doorway.
Mum and I both stare at the apparition. A white summer dress flows down Arielle’s slender body, and a matching scarf covers her arms. Big sunglasses protect her vampire eyes from the sun, but she looks so…human.
She holds her wide brimmed hat with one hand and bends down to caress Kit. The cat rubs along her leg, his back arched, his loud purrs rumbling through the silence.
The initial shock recedes, and Mum adjusts the sash of her robe self-consciously. “Your Highness, it’s an honor to receive you in my home. I didn’t expect—”
I squint at Arielle, stunned that she followed me here, and more than a little annoyed. “Why are you here?”
“Leo Callas, mind your tone.” Mum smiles at Arielle. “Do you want anything to drink? By Nyx…I’m a foolish woman, you drink blood, of course, I—”
Arielle chuckles warmly. “I’m sorry to barge in. I shouldn’t impose on you, but I wanted to speak with Leo in private, away from prying ears.”
