Midnight Truth (Shifter Island #4) - Leia Stone Page 0,48

for a moment. I’d never gotten to know her or my bio dad, and I wanted that. A lot.

But as I sat at the kitchen bar with my breakfast, fear crept in. Would I measure up to what she’d hoped for me? Would she be okay with me being mated to an alpha heir from Midnight? The nerves in my belly churned as I stared at my cereal.

“Are you excited to meet with your mom?” Sariah’s voice called from behind me.

I turned in my seat to see her and Donovan shuffle into the kitchen.

“Going to see Auntie Elia?” His face brightened.

I frowned, confused. “He knows her?”

But that was impossible; the math didn’t add up. She died before he was born.

To my surprise, Sariah nodded. “He’s seen about a thousand photos, and we have tons of home movies.”

“Really?” The thought of seeing my mom like that made me smile. “I’d like to see those too sometime.”

Sariah nodded. “Definitely.” She reached out and smoothed a piece of my hair. “I know she feels … a lot of guilt about not being there to protect you and watch you grow up.” Her voice cracked.

I frowned. “Guilt?” I looked at Donovan. “It wasn’t her fault.”

Sariah nodded. “Nevertheless, she wanted to be there for you all this time.”

Now more than ever, I wanted to see my mother and get to know her. She’d been waiting all this time for me to come to her. The weight of the soul stone in my pocket suddenly felt like a hundred pounds.

After wishing Donovan and Sariah a good morning, I left the kitchen and headed for the spirit pools. My favorite part about “school” here at High Mage Academy was that it was mostly self-led. No schedule, no books, just me and my ghostly ancestors.

After slipping into a bathing suit, I let myself submerge into the waters, clutching my soul stone this time, instead of a quartz crystal like Gramps had previously given me.

Taking a deep breath, I thought of the two times I’d seen my mother—the way she’d held my bio dad’s hand and how they’d run for me, her long, silvery-white hair flowing behind her as she looked at me with complete and utter acceptance and love.

Mom.

My entire life, I’d grown up without my mom. I knew she’d loved me but was taken early. In the mortal realm, Mother’s Day had been a painful human holiday I’d mostly ignored.

Something tugged at my navel, and then my soul slipped from my body, and I flew over to the Realm of the Dead. I recognized the white stone castle of the Keeper and spotted the horsemen riding through the jewel-toned orchard. Behind the castle, I spotted the expanse of the lake where we’d found Honor and where I’d seen my parents before.

People were milling about, walking, or having picnics. The sun was setting, and everyone seemed to come out and watch. A beautiful cluster of weeping willows was planted in a circle as children ran about laughing and screaming with joy as they played some form of tag.

There was peace here and happiness, too. I thought of gramps giving his soul stone to me to bargain with the Keeper, and I could imagine him here with family and friends, and I came to peace with it. I hadn’t yet glimpsed much of the spirit realm, but what I’d seen seemed to be an elevated form of this part of the Realm of the Dead. This wasn’t a bad kind of eternity.

I scanned the crowds as I flew above them like some superhero. Then … I spotted her.

She and my bio dad sat on a red blanket, right in front of the lake. Her silvery hair was braided over one shoulder, and she threw her head back and laughed at something he’d said. As I got closer, she spotted me and froze, her entire back going rigid. Merely a thought was enough for me to lower my spectral self to the ground, and at the same time, she stood and faced me.

My throat tightened with emotion upon seeing her face, so much like mine, and she stood, mouth open in surprise.

“You finally came,” she breathed, her voice flooded with emotion.

“Mom,” I choked out and was unable to keep my cool. Maybe I was supposed to be here for a lesson, but right now, that was the furthest thing from my mind.

Her expression softened, and she opened her arms. “Nai.”

That. Was. Everything. All that I needed was for her to