"Risa, so glad you're recovered." Sable kissed both my cheeks, then stood back and examined me somewhat critically. "Although you do need some condition on you. You, my girl, are entirely too thin."
I smiled. "Werewolves do tend to be on the lean side."
"Not this lean, I'll wager. The ladies and I are just about to go out, but there's a curry in the oven and the bread should be done in about five minutes."
"Thank you —"
She cut me off with a wave of her hand. "Ilianna is family now, and her family is my family. So please, don't be thanking me for something we'd do for anyone in the herd."
I smiled. At least Mirri's mom had accepted her relationship with Ilianna. The same couldn't be said of Ilianna's parents – although I personally thought they would come round if they actually knew about it. But Ilianna refused to even tell them she was gay.
Sable collected her coat and bag from the back of one of the chairs; then she and the two women retreated out the glass sliding door.
I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mirri. "That felt like a deliberate retreat."
Mirri grabbed a couple of tea towels and rose. "I told them you and Ilianna need some alone time for a war council when you woke up."
"War council? Sorry, but whatever I do next —"
"You're not doing alone." Ilianna began setting the table for the three of us. "Azriel may be gone, but Tao and I are still here. And we're a part of this now, Risa, whether you like it or not."
I didn't like. Not at all. She and Tao had been through enough because of me and this damn quest. I wasn't about to put them through anything else. But I also knew that tone of voice. It was no use arguing – not that that ever stopped me from trying.
"The first thing I have to do is find the damn sorcerer who stole the key, and that's not something I want you involved with. It's too dangerous, Ilianna."
"Maybe." Ilianna gave me a somewhat severe look. "But the Brindle is more than capable of taking care of a dark sorcerer. There aren't that many in Melbourne, you know, and they'd be aware of all of them."
The Brindle was the home of all witch knowledge, both ancient and new. Ilianna's mom was one of the custodians there, and Ilianna was powerful enough to have become one – and in fact had started the training when she was younger. She'd walked away for reasons she refused to discuss, but if the predictions of the head witch, Kiandra, were to be believed, Ilianna would one day not only finish that training, but her daughter would save the Brindle itself.