they were random and vague. Now I dreamt every night about faeries, my pendant, and Vanessa, endlessly chasing and searching but never quite grasping any of them. I woke up frustrated. The dreams meant something, and there was only one person who, supposedly, had the answers. If only I could get him to talk.
Chapter 15
I opened the door the next morning, wishing the furniture deliverymen waited on the other side, but I already knew Owen stood on the front steps.
“It’s your mom,” he said as my new mobile phone rang. The phone was an early anniversary gift from Tristan, who was playing with his own at this exact moment. I glanced at the number on the phone’s screen.
“Are you psychic and not telling me?” That wasn’t the first time he’d done that.
“No. I just got off the phone with my mom.” He walked past me to the kitchen. Apparently, he hadn’t bought his own food yet.
“Hey, Mom,” I answered.
“Hi, honey. How’s your new house?”
I glanced around. “Pretty empty right now, but our furniture should be here any minute.”
“I won’t keep you then. Did you happen to buy a bed for the guest room?”
Uh-oh. “No. Why?”
“That’s okay. I can sleep with Dorian or something. We’ll work it out.”
“Are you coming here?” I tried to sound excited, but my emotions were mixed. I missed her, but I still had to wonder whose side she was on.
“Charlotte and I will be there next Friday. We have an investigation into a witch who’s learned how to enhance breasts, and she might be planning to sell that as a service. We’ll stay for the weekend. Char can stay with Owen, of course.”
So we’d both be buying guest beds.
“That’s great, but Tristan and I might not be here. We’re going . . . out of town.”
I couldn’t tell her where or why; she’d disapprove and probably try to stop us. Tristan decided Owen’s phone calls and investigations weren’t enough—we’d be paying a personal visit to either the witch coven or the wolf pack. He just hadn’t decided which one yet.
“Out of town? Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Mom paused, and I should have known to not try to keep anything from her. “Alexis, you need to get off this wild goose chase. Until the Daemoni settle down, you’re endangering your lives every time you go out in the world.”
“They’ll never settle down. You know that as well as I do. In the meantime, there’s a girl out there . . . maybe our daughter—”
She cut me off. “We’ll talk about it when I get there. In fact, we have a lot to talk about. See you next week.”
“Love you, Mom,” I muttered, but the line went dead.
I sat next to Tristan on the living room floor and watched him download finance and stock-tracking apps onto his phone.
“Great timing on their part,” he said, referring to Mom and Charlotte.
“Yeah, I know.” I sighed.
“No, it is good timing. They can stay with Dorian, so Owen can come with us.”
“Sweet!” Owen called from the kitchen.
That improved things. Owen and his shield were always good to have along, but until now, we thought he’d have to stay home to protect Dorian.
“What do you think about Blossom?” Tristan asked, his head still bent over his phone.
“She’s hot,” Owen chimed in.
I ignored him. “She seems cool. Why?”
“I was wondering how much we can trust her. It wouldn’t hurt to have a witch along with us.”
“That means telling her everything,” I pointed out.
“Not necessarily. I’ll think about it more, but if she comes around, check her mind out.”
I made a face.
“For me? Please?” He grinned and winked. I must have nodded while the fog clouded my brain because he thanked me.
“If I do that, then you owe me,” I said when my head cleared.
“I don’t have to owe you, because you can have whatever you want from me. Anything for you, my love.”
I rolled my eyes—I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be so easy. “Then tell me what Lisa was talking about. About my pendant.”
He scowled. “Except that. I told you, I have no idea.”
“I think you do, especially if you do a little digging.” When he didn’t reply, I tapped my head with my finger. “I can find out from you if I really wanted to.”
He narrowed his eyes. His voice came out low. “You wouldn’t.”
“I really don’t want to, Tristan, but I feel like this might be important. You can’t think of anything? What about what