Page 25 of Deep Sea Kiss
He banged on the door, louder than usual, and waited, impatient, for Lottie to answer. Instead of her, however, Mrs. Enstad appeared on the threshold.
“Where’s Lottie?” he asked immediately.
The old lady gave him a quiet smile and pointed down the hall. “She’s over there.”
He dropped the gear on the floor and burst into the living room. “Lottie?”
“Hey,” she answered.
It took Eiric a moment to understand the scene; she was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, with Elise crawling over her legs. Next to her sat his mother, cuddling Aksel.
Lottie raised her eyebrows at his frown, then inclined her head to the woman on her left.
“Mother,” he greeted her.
She stood, still holding Aksel, and came to him to kiss his cheek. Eiric returned it, though his back was stiff with tension. He had no idea what purpose she had for coming here: she’d never made it a secret that she didn’t particularly care about humans. She’d never outright said she hated them but she also hadn’t left Drageøy in almost a decade, since before her husband had died.
“Hello, Eiric,” she said now, her melodic voice low.
She was a tall woman, still slender despite being in her late fifties, with blonde hair that had gradually turned to silver. She wore it braided in a crown around her head. When he’d been younger, he’d thought it was golden because she was a queen.
“Your mom was just telling me about your island,” Lottie said. “It sounds like a beautiful place.”
He could tell she was trying to bridge the awkwardness in the room, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that his mother had an agenda. What if she’d come to repeat Magnus’ terrible idea to Lottie? What would Lottie think of his family?
“I made tea.” Mrs. Enstad carried a tray to the coffee table. “Would you like some, my lady?”
Eiric’s mother chuckled at the honorific. “You’re not a dragon, Katrine. You can call me Grete.”
Eiric threw his hands in the air as the older woman smiled. “What is going on?”
“I came to see my grandchildren,” his mother replied.
He glowered at her. “What did Magnus tell you?”
“That Mikkel had made a stupid mistake,” she said calmly.
Lottie cringed at that and busied herself with Elise. Eiric wanted to shout at his mother for making her uncomfortable.
“But I told him he was an idiot,” his mother continued. She brought Aksel closer to her face until their noses were touching. “You’re not a mistake, are you, dragonling?” she cooed.
Eiric glanced at Lottie, and she shrugged.
“I like her,” she told him.
Eiric’s tension slowly drained away as he watched his mother interact with the twins and Lottie. She was respectful and open, laughing at the babies and chatting with Mrs. Enstad, who she seemed to take as a sort of honorary grandmother. Lottie’s landlady left soon after, promising to watch the twins again.
“I can’t wait to meet your parents, dear,” his mother told Lottie.
“What? No!” Eiric sat forward on the couch and glared at his mother. “We’re not telling just anyone about our family.”
His mother clicked her tongue. “Of course not. But I have a feeling Lottie will be the catalyst to big changes in our clan. It’s only right we learn about her heritage as much as she’s learning about ours.”
Lottie flushed at that. “Um, my parents own a small garden supply center near Seattle. We’re not exactly a family with centuries-old roots.”
“Every family is important,” his mother announced, now bouncing Elise on her knees.
Lottie sighed, then glanced at the clock. “I better get the twins’ dinner ready.” She paused, then turned to his mother. “Is there anything special I should be feeding them?” she asked.
