“You should talk to him, and sort this out. See where this is going,” I suggested.
“It’s not going anywhere.”
“Delmare.” I put my elbow on the table and gave her a look. “We both know you’re lying to yourself.”
Delmare sighed. “Okay, okay. To be honest... I’m worried about him.” Delmare played with her collage. “He’s been acting a little distant. I think it’s because I’ve been ignoring him. I don’t mean to... I’m just not ready.”
“If you want, I’ll talk to him. I’m tired of watching you guys go back and forth. Someone’s got to do something about this situation. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” I said.
Delmare said nothing more in reply. She made conversation about school and her project, though I knew it was only to get me to stop pestering her about Stefan.
When my pancakes arrived, the first thought I had was they were too pretty to eat. They were pink, purple, and blue, with a swirling design in the batter, and covered in rainbow sprinkles in the shape of faerie wings. Once I took a bite, I discovered they were filled with chocolate from Paris, and stuffed with raspberries. By the gods, they really were freaking amazing.
“Wow,” I said, my mouth full. “These are seriously good.”
“Aren’t they, though?” Delmare was pouring syrup on her order, a waffle stuffed with cheese, eggs and sausage. “I know the food at the school is free, but I can’t get enough of these.”
We dug in. Delmare choked down her waffle like there was no tomorrow, but I was more careful. I savored every bite, as I wanted to start cracking down on sweets. Too much sugar would make me sluggish during practice later, and the last thing I wanted was Lady Magdalina making me do laps in an attempt to get me to wake up.
A tinkling laugh made us both look up. An ebony-haired woman had caught the attention of half the restaurant with her obnoxious giggles. I hadn’t seen her come in. She had her arms wrapped around a brawny dragon shifter near the glass counter, and was fawning over him.
The woman had to be in her forties, though she wore a ton of makeup in an attempt to make herself look younger. Her clothes were far too tight, and didn’t suit her figure. Though she was skinny, her boobs were almost falling out of her top, which I’m sure the dragon appreciated.
Delmare looked up at the laugh. Her face soured, and she frowned. She stabbed at her waffle with a renewed vigor as the woman at the counter placed her order.
“Do you know her?” I asked Delmare.
Delmare gave a sarcastic noise of disgust. “Yeah. She’s my mother.”
Her mom? What the hell? I gave another look back. Delmare’s mother was cackling hard at some joke the shifter had cracked. By this time, she’d noticed us. Her eyes scanned over the table, to me and then to Delmare, before she set her gaze forward.
Delmare’s mom didn’t come over to say hi when she saw us. She didn’t even wave, or smile. She merely turned away and continued to cling to the shifter beside her.
“Is that your dad?” I asked of the dragon shifter.
Delmare seemed horrified. “Him? Gods, no. I don’t know the guy. She had another boyfriend last week,” Delmare said. “Honestly, he’ll be old news by lunch.”
Delmare’s mom left with her date. I played with my pancakes as I asked, “Does your mom date often?”
“A different man every night,” Delmare quipped. “Sometimes two.”
That was extremely unusual in Arcanea society. Her mother had to have a mate somewhere, right? Had he died?
Delmare saw the look on my face and said, “My dad left a long time ago. My mom kinda went psycho when her mate walked out on her.”
I was careful while asking the next question. “Did it not work out?”
“I don’t know. I never met the guy.” Delmare pushed her finished plate to the side. She used so much force I worried it would topple off and smash on the floor.
“I’m sorry.” I wanted to reach out and lay a hand on her shoulder, but she seemed so on edge, I was concerned she’d explode if I tried.
“It’s not your fault. You know what it’s like not to meet your father,” Delmare said.
That much was true. Anastazy Ignacy had passed away before I was born. Yet I knew that kind of wound wasn’t one that went away. The pain ebbed, but it lasted for your entire