Trent’s anger evaporated as he kissed Lucy good-bye, her chubby arms wrapped around his neck. “Good-bye, my Lucy,” he said, focused on her eyes until she looked at him. “Be good for your mother.” And then to Ellasbeth, he said, “There’s no need. You’re taking the Mantis, yes? So you don’t have to move their car seats? I’ll bring your car back when I pick them up.”
“If you like,” she said stiffly.
But Lucy was opening and closing her hands, clearly wanting me to take her, and smiling, I did. Jenks flew up and away as I got a little-girl kiss before handing her to Ellasbeth. I could see the hurt Ellasbeth was trying to hide that Trent wouldn’t let her on the grounds, and my foolish need to help the underdog rose up.
“Good-bye, my Ray,” Trent said as he kissed Ray. “Let Lucy make her mistakes, okay?”
Ray grimaced with a wisdom beyond her apparent years. She reached for me, next, and after a snickerdoodle-scented hug, I handed her to Quen. Quen immediately let her slide to the floor to walk on her own, bare feet and all, but his hand never left hers. Ray was trying to make that finger glyph again, turning it into nothing when Quen glanced down.
I squinted suspiciously at Al, but the thought evaporated when Ellasbeth gave me a hug. Lucy was on her hip, getting mixed up in there somewhere. Startled, I put my arms around them both, feeling how narrow Ellasbeth’s shoulders were and the alien flavor of her aura brushing against the gaps of my own.
“Thank you for jerking Trent out of his silence,” she said as she pulled back, a new understanding in her eyes. “It’s been bothering me, and I have no right to say anything.” With a sharp nod, she gave Trent a last look and walked away.
Quen picked up the abandoned diaper bag. “Trent, Rachel, Jenks,” he said, eyeing us in turn. “Al-l-l,” he drawled, and the demon made an overdone flourish.
Ellasbeth was already at the door and headed for Trent’s big-ass SUV parked at the curb. I could just see it beyond the glass doors. “Ladies, would you like to do some shopping downtown with Abba and me?” she asked the girls, looking like a different person.
Trent slipped up beside me, and we both yearningly watched them leave. I still didn’t know what abba was, exactly. Number two daddy? Most valued protector? Seed father?
“Can we have ice cream?” Lucy asked, and Trent smiled.
“Twice in one day?” Ellasbeth said as the automatic door opened and the wind gusted in. “I can see why you ask. It would taste good, wouldn’t it? How about a banana? We could be monkeys.”
“Monkey!” Lucy crowed, yelping when Ray reached up and pinched her dangling foot.
“What else do monkeys eat?” Ellasbeth asked, not having noticed the exchange, and I grinned when Ray piped up, her clear voice stating, “Ice cream.”
“Ellasbeth is really good,” Jenks said from beside my ear with a wistful sigh.
“Being a mom?” I said, knowing Trent was listening. “Yes, she is.”
Trent’s smile vanished. He turned away, unfortunately missing Ray looking back to wave good-bye to us. Tongue between her teeth, she made that finger gesture again. My eyebrows rose when Al nodded, beaming proudly at the girl as the door shut.
“Isn’t that the symbol for—,” I started.
“Yes,” Al interrupted stiffly, clearly not happy I’d caught the exchange.
“What?” Jenks asked, and I hid a smile.
“Communication glyph,” I whispered, wondering if this was how Al had shown up when Lucy had thrown that tantrum. My smile was still in place when Trent gestured to the door. “She gave me a hug,” I said, thinking it was the most weird thing in my very weird day.
Trent’s hand went pleasantly to the small of my back. His aura, so similar to my own, soaked in, bringing my shoulders down. Finally, I thought, feeling in his touch that everything was going to be okay. “I think she likes you better than me,” he grumbled. “This is hard, Rachel. I don’t trust her.”
Al strode beside us with an air of importance. “If she harms them, I will rip her head off.”
“Not before I give her a lobotomy,” Jenks added.
Trent glanced at the building behind us. “Landon isn’t interested in them anymore. Where are you parked? Do you mind dropping me at the overlook? Ray’s shoes are still there. I should get Ellasbeth’s car, too,” he finished faintly as if not caring if it got