Wherever Eden was, she could get back on her own as long as she could find a door. But then why wasn’t she back yet?
“That’s enough,” Maeve snapped suddenly. “Thank you for your willingness to help, but this is a family matter now. Cedar and I will handle things from here.” She went to the door and held it open, looking expectantly at the others.
Rohan ignored her completely and addressed Cedar. “I know we haven’t known you for long. We’ve only known about our granddaughter for a few hours. But she is part of our family, and she needs our help. We are the best hope you have.”
Cedar looked between the pillar of a man in front of her and her small gray mother at the door. Maeve’s face was ugly with anger as she glared at Rohan. Cedar nodded.
Maeve let the door swing shut and looked at Cedar. “May I talk to you alone, please?”
Rohan cleared his throat and said, “Maeve…” She ignored him and took Cedar by the arm, steering her into her bedroom.
“Mum, what’s going on?” Cedar said as soon as they were alone, though the lack of doors in the apartment meant that every word they spoke could be easily overheard. “Why don’t you want them to help? Eden is missing! We need to do everything we can to find her! And I still think we should call the police.”
“Believe me, there is nothing I want more than to find Eden right now,” Maeve said. “But why didn’t you tell me about Eden’s ability? Why did you go to them first? If I had known, I could have kept all of this from happening in the first place.”
Cedar felt a wave of anger—and guilt. “I thought about telling you. But you hate Finn so much. Still. And I thought this might have something to do with him.”
Maeve pursed her lips. “Yes. I did tell you to stay away from him, and for good reason. They are nothing but poison. You need to stay away from them.”
“Are you insane?” Cedar lashed out. “This isn’t about you, or Finn’s family and whatever quarrel you have with them. We have to find Eden!” She pulled out her phone. “You’re all crazy. I’m calling the police.”
“Think about it for half a second,” Maeve said. “What are you going to tell them? That your child disappeared through a magic portal? They’ll think you’re the one who’s crazy, or that you’re trying to cover something up. And if you weren’t their primary suspect, Jane would be. No. As much as it pains me to say it, Riona was right. This was probably just an accident, and Eden will come back at any time. But we need to be the ones who are here when she does, not these people who are strangers to her. Think how frightened she must be, and how she would feel if she’s found by someone like Rohan.”
Cedar narrowed her eyes and asked, “How do you even know what she can do? I haven’t told you anything.”
“I had an unexpected visitor today,” Maeve said. “Your new friend Riona called me the minute you left their house, and showed up not long after. She told me you came looking for Finn, asking about their medical history. She insisted on meeting Eden, but I refused. I knew what it meant.” She shook her head. “I’ve always worried that Eden would be like her father. You should have told me when she manifested. Instead, you went to them.”
“Mum, you act like you know them so well and yet you haven’t said anything about them other than ‘stay away.’ Why didn’t you tell me you knew Finn’s parents? You knew I thought they were dead. Who are these people? How are they different from us? Why can Eden open these doors? Give me some answers here!”
Maeve’s jaw stiffened. “Answers will come soon enough. But you need to send them away, tell them this isn’t their concern. You and I will find Eden ourselves.”
Cedar let out a roar of frustration. “That’s not good enough!” She pushed past her mother and back out into the living room.
Rohan and Riona were standing close together, talking quickly in hushed voices.
Cedar looked at them fiercely. “Well?” she said. “You said you could help. How?” Maeve followed her into the room and stood glowering in the corner.
“We’ll know more when Jane gets back and we can question her more thoroughly,” Riona answered.
“Except Jane says she doesn’t remember anything,”