aren’t you?”
Mom turned to me again, and her face reminded me of Dorian’s on Christmas morning—full of excitement and hope. “Did you drink it? All of it?”
“No, none of it. I spit out the first gulp and dropped the rest, remember?”
She grabbed the teapot, filled it with water, and set it on the stove. “I can’t believe I didn’t remember this . . . that I didn’t realize . . .”
I noticed what Char must have on the island—a difference in Mom. I’d never seen her so hesitant, almost unsure of herself, as if she doubted her own memories or thoughts.
“It doesn’t sound like you knew exactly what you’d been drinking at the time,” Charlotte said.
“No, but . . . we never even thought about it. Alexis could have tried this months ago.”
“Actually, Minh and Galina had brought it up one time, but no one thought it would work on an Amadis daughter, and Rina didn’t want to take the chance,” Charlotte said. “No one knew it had been done before. Makes me wonder who this witch was who gave it to you. Why she hasn’t piped up about it, with everything going on.”
“Actually . . .” Mom paused again, and her face screwed up in a way I’d never seen before, as if she had to physically concentrate on making her brain work. “I think . . .”
She stopped, and Char and I both waited to hear what she thought. The teapot started whistling, steam rising from its spout. Mom picked it up and began fixing my tea and seemed as though she forgot what she’d been thinking. I looked at Charlotte who gave me a see-what-I-mean look. I hated seeing Mom like this. What had they done to her? Who? Why?
“Uh . . . Mom? The witch?”
She looked at me as if confused.
“The witch who gave you the tea?” I prompted.
“Oh. Right.” Her brows pushed together with deep concentration. “There was something about her . . . it bothered me at the time. I couldn’t feel the full truth in her intentions. I felt she intended to do more for me . . . or for the Amadis . . . than I asked of her, which she had. Because of her, we have you. There was something else, though . . . I felt she wasn’t really a witch.” She paused for another long moment and cocked her head. “I think . . . I think she was really a fae.”
“Well, that explains a lot,” Char muttered. “But not everything. The fae had an interest in you and Lucas having a child. Why?”
“Maybe they thought it would be fun to see what happened with a crossbreed,” I half-joked. “It’s definitely created all kinds of chaos.”
“Maybe,” Char said, but she didn’t sound convinced.
Mom shook her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t think she was really part of the Otherworld anymore.”
“What do you mean you don’t think? Don’t you know the truth?” I demanded.
“That’s part of my problem. I haven’t felt the real truth in things for a while. It’s so . . . disorienting. And my memories aren’t quite as clear as they usually are. Yes . . . I think she had lost some of her Otherworldliness.”
“You think she was ousted?” Char asked.
“Not exactly. I felt then she was helping the Amadis, and the fae, as a group, don’t get involved in our affairs. Not to this extent. She’d gone through such lengths to disguise herself and make sure I drank that potion. I thought her intent was about converting Lucas, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.”
Mom stopped again, and her expression bothered me. She looked so lost, not like herself at all. I was about to ask if she really was okay, but both the front and back doors burst open at the same time. Owen dropped Mom and Char’s luggage in the foyer and rushed into the kitchen just as Tristan pulled Dorian through the rear door.
“Mimi,” Dorian squealed, and he ran into Mom’s arms. “I missed you!”
“Did you get my text?” Owen asked Tristan.
“Sure did,” Tristan said, holding his phone up. “Let’s move.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I finally got word about the Okeechobee wolf pack,” Owen said. “They’re gathering tonight, and I know exactly where.”
“We’re going for a bike ride,” Tristan said. “Get dressed.”
I moved for the doorway but Char grabbed my wrist. She held the mug out to me. “Drink up. Then Sophia and I have something for