Page 24 of Unshakable

Toula didn’t know whenshe might see Henri again and felt her loneliness keenly. As she drove to Helen’s to pick up the girls, she relived their time together over and over, as if these new memories would blot out the old.

How she wished they could.

Glad she told him about using the prayer of protection, she prepared herself for Michael to somehow insert himself into the situation. Although he hadn’t reappeared for any of her other life events, she never counted the opportunist out.

Ever.

Hopefully he’d be too preoccupied with his own machinations to worry about hers. Henri hinted Michael had his own schemes and plans. Michael would also assume her romantic relationship with Henri and had always been too jealous for his own good.

How could those two men be the same kind of being?

And Henri’s son, how would he fare, knowing nothing of this tale until perhaps he fell under attack, too? Her hands tightened on the steering wheel as panic built inside.

Too many moving parts. Unfairness all around.

A deep breath focused her again on the girls. Everything else would have to be secondary, even Henri and his son. She’d figure out how to balance their small life with Tourelle’s threat one day at a time.

When she arrived at her cousin’s farm, all three girls sprinted outside to greet her. She tried her best to give them each special attention, knowing she often favored Chloe.

She herded them back inside and hugged Helen, who looked none the worse for wear. “How did they do?”

“They are fantastic little helpers,” Helen offered, and her emotions reflected her love for her young cousins. “They all love working with the horses and the little one, what a character.”

Delphine, really? “What do you mean?”

“She might not say much, but she doesn’t let the older girls push her around. She’s got a lot of spunk.”

Duly noted. “How about Alease?”

Now Helen frowned. “She seemed a little upset and withdrawn after her mother left. For the life of me, I don’t understand why Bea had these kids if she can’t be involved with you to raise them. You are unshakable, Aunt Toula, really. These girls love you so much.”

Toula nodded, knowing an absentee parent also had its advantages, especially right now. Beatrix would never believe a word she said about a prayer, the Grigori, or the threat of an immortal Fallen Angel.

Toula took a deep breath. “Maybe once she’s finished with school, she’ll have more time. Either way, thank you for having them. I can tell they’ve had a ball because they’re exhausted.”

Chloe ran up and hugged her waist, more eager than the others to get back into her familiar surroundings and routine. Toula instructed, “Make sure everybody has their things and we’ll get loaded in the car, honey.”

As she scampered off, Helen asked, “How are you, really? You’ve taken them on, and I don’t see how you have time for anything else.”

“I’m all right,” Toula waved her hand as if she could wave away the reality behind the hard question. “We all do what we have to do, don’t we?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Helen agreed as the girls returned with their full backpacks. “Looks like everyone’s ready. Y’all are welcome any time. You don’t even have to call first, I’m always here and I can always use some extra hands.”

One by one, the girls hugged Helen as they filed out the door, except for Chloe. Helen didn’t seem offended and waved to them as they pulled off the property.

Toula embraced their breathless chatter the entire way home, realizing how she’d missed the endless noise of their lives. Even with Helen realizing the true imbalance of the situation, Toula wouldn’t have things any other way.

She needed them as much as they needed her. They were the best thing she’d ever done.

---