Page 43 of Drawn in Blood
“I was just with Killian, Fen, and Odette,” Ember replied, but the excuse didn’t sound convincing, and by the look Aoife was giving her, it certainly wasn’t enough.
“I know exactly who you were with, my tracking charm finally located you near the school earlier.” Aoife patted the couch, motioning for Ember to sit beside her. “If you want to see your friends, all you have to do is ask. You don’t have to sneak around.”
“I know, Mum.” Ember nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“I know what happened with that girl last year,” Aoife continued, as she conjured a kettle and two cups. Ember sucked in a breath as she closed her eyes. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you. I need you to be honest with me, even if you think I might hate what you have to say.”
Ember closed her eyes as she took a shaky breath. The last thing she wanted was to make her mum feel like she was sneaking around and lying and couldn’t trust her. Suddenly, her heart was heavy for a fireplace and kitchen table and warm bed that weren’t hers anymore.
“I think I’m just having trouble… adjusting,” Ember sighed, as she sipped the tea from her mug.
“That’s understandable.” Aoife nodded. “You had a home and a family. Any change, even a happy change, is scary.”
Ember swallowed the lump in her throat as she nodded, unable to come up with words to reply. She missed the boys terribly—missed the Kitts so bad it hurt some days. But they couldn’t come first, not anymore. She had to rebuild this relationship with her mother, even when the loss ached.
”Can I tell you a secret?” Aoife asked, as she gave her a soft smile.
Ember nodded as she laid her head on her mother’s shoulder, eyes growing heavy.
“I’m having a hard time adjusting too.”
Ember furrowed her brow as she looked up at her mother, and something like relief flooded through her.
“I never thought I would get this with you, and sometimes I don’t know if I’m doing it right.”
”You’re doing just fine, Mum,” Ember whispered, and she meant it. With her entire being, she meant it.
“It will get easier, Mo Stor,” Aoife said, as she kissed the top of her head. “We will find our way together, you have my word.”
Chapter 13
No Such Thing as a Perfect Crime
Ember raced down the steps, wringing water out of her hair as she went. She had slept through both of her alarms, still wildly exhausted from her midnight romp in the forest the night before. She had slept through any chance of a slow, quiet breakfast, but with any luck, there would be a breakfast roll in the kitchen waiting for her.
“Running behind, are we?” Aoife said from the table, pushing a plate of breakfast rolls toward Ember as she laughed. “Best get to bed early tonight.”
Ember had the sense to look properly abashed but smiled as she quickly grabbed a roll and took a too-large bite. “Sorry, Mum.” She grinned, mouth still full of food like a six-year-old with no table manners.
Aoife laughed as she continued to sip her tea, humming to herself as she began cleaning up the kitchen. Ember slipped a piece of paper out of her pocket and onto the table, Theo’s name written in pen on the top of the folded parchment. Gaelen came into the kitchen moments later, just as Aoife sent her mug to the sink.
“I have to head to a meeting,” Aoife said, as she kissed Ember on the head and plucked a few invisible pieces of lint from herjumper. “Can you get to school on your own? I can be a little late if I need to walk with you.”
Ember rolled her eyes with a sheepish grin. “Yes, Mum, I’ll be fine,” she replied.
Aoife nodded with a smile before leaving the room. Ember turned to Gaelen with a warm smile and pointed to the note on the kitchen table.
“Will you make sure Theo gets that?” she asked, as she slung her bag over her shoulder and took another bite of her breakfast roll.
“Of course, miss,” Gaelen nodded and then turned to busy herself with cleaning the kitchen.
Ember spun around and bolted out the door- with no time to argue that Gaelen didnothave to call her miss- and headed for the Echopoint at the end of the drive.
“If you so much aswhisper during this class, I will feed you both to the Cu Sidhe,” Ember said, as she plopped down in her seat for Galdr, Odette already in the chair beside her looking chipper as ever. Fen and Killian had been mostly quiet during Zoomancy that morning, no doubt both still exhausted from their adventure the night before, but they seemed to have found their normal amount of energy in the corridor during their walk to Galdr, and Ember wasn’t prepared to deal with their antics that afternoon.
“Whoa there, Starshine.” Killian grinned as he dropped his bag and leaned on the table. “Not get enough sleep last night?”
Ember cut her eyes at both the boys and quickly turned to face the front of the room.
