Witching Time (The Wild Hunt #14) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,74
so they don’t have to, so you won’t ever accidentally run into him again.”
“Right. He’s a wonderful boy, and she’s a wonderful mother. He knows about me, and he knows why he can’t see me. But I worry that one day, his curiosity will overcome his common sense and his fear. That’s all too easy to predict happening.” Curikan shrugged. “I thought they might as well have the house. It’s long paid for.”
Phasmoria worried her lip. “Why didn’t she tell me that part?”
“She might have been afraid of you—afraid of what you might have done or said. You are intimidating and we did have a long relationship. She might still think you have feelings for me.” Curikan grinned for the first time since the conversation had begun.
I stared at them both. “You do have feelings for him. You slept together the other night.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Curikan said, grinning.
“Merely a salute to good memories,” Phasmoria said to me, then turned back to my father. “Of course I have feelings for you, you idiot. But they don’t include jealousy. So, why the rush to get your things out?”
“So they can move in. So there won’t be anything left for my son to look through that might tell him where I went. So if you would do me the favor of packing up the rest of my things, I’d highly appreciate it.” My father leaned forward, staring at my mother. “I’m not a cad.”
“No, you aren’t,” she said, a soft light filling her eyes. “You’re trying to protect your son. I’m grateful Raven doesn’t have that problem—the mutated gene. I’m sorry that your son can never meet you.”
“I am, as well. But it’s better if I’m out of his life for good. Otherwise, the temptation for him might always be there. Which is why he’s never to know where I am.” He turned to me. “You will remember that, won’t you? He knows he has a half-sister, though I don’t know if his mother’s ever told him any more than that. I want your promise—you won’t go looking him up unless you contact his mother first and ask her permission.”
A thousand thoughts whirled through my head. I had a little brother, who could never meet our father. “How can I give a blanket promise like that? What if there’s some emergency and I need to contact him? And don’t ask me what kind of emergency, because it’s hypothetical. Also, if I ever do get to meet him, what do I say when he asks about you?”
“You remind him why I can’t meet him and you give him absolutely no information as to where I am.” Curikan sighed, looking impatient. “I’m getting tired of talking about this so please, just abide by my wishes.”
Phasmoria nodded. “Of course. I’ll head back there in a bit to finish packing your things. Raven, come with me. I wanted to see that new dress you told me about.”
I stared at her, bewildered. I hadn’t mentioned any new dress, and my mother—while always fashionable—wasn’t a fashion hound. Then I saw the look in her eyes and realized what she was asking. “Sure, of course. Come on back. But after that, I need to fill Kipa and Curikan in on what happened when I talked to Wager, and then to Herne.”
“This will just take a moment,” Phasmoria said, draping her arm around my shoulders as we headed to my bedroom.
The moment we were in the room, she shut the door and turned toward me. “All right. What are we going to do about your father? He’ll never survive living in Y’Bain, I can tell you that right now. He’s too used to a comfortable life. I can’t imagine him trying to carve out a homestead in the forest there.”
Y’Bain was a massive forest in Annwn, and it was one place the gods couldn’t enter, even though it buttressed both Brighid’s and Cernunnos’s lands. Filled with monsters and magic, the forest was a dangerous, glittering place.
“I agree. I tried to talk him into moving out here. He could live up in the Cascade foothills and be safe from running into anybody. Or maybe out on the peninsula. But he seemed insistent and now I know why.” I frowned, dropping onto the bed. “Maybe I can talk to Herne, and he can talk to Cernunnos and maybe somehow we can keep him from moving to Annwn.”
“We need to talk to somebody because I guarantee you that Curikan isn’t cut out for a