Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,45
It wouldn’t do for her to give our relationship any sort of credence by being seen with me.
Aiden pressed his hand harder against my spine, all but forcing me into the room. His mother stood, her gaze cool as it met mine.
“Elizabeth Grace.” Her mellow tones belied the ice in her blue eyes. “I’m pleased to finally meet you.”
“And I you.”
I took her offered hand warily, but my psychic senses thankfully remained mute. Her aura wasn’t giving a whole lot away, either—it was almost totally red, an indicator of someone who was powerful, passionate, and competitive. Everything you’d expect an alpha wolf to be, in other words. But there were also faint wisps of black moving through the red, and that was often an indicator of either grief or an unforgiving nature.
In her case, I suspected it meant the latter.
I forced a smile and added, “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I’m utterly surprised to see you here, Mrs. O’Connor.”
“Please, call me Karleen. There’s no reason to be formal in a place such as this.” Her gaze flicked to Aiden. “You did say she was straightforward.”
“She’s also astute enough to realize this is a rather unusual situation, so I wouldn’t beat about the bush too much.”
His voice, like his mother’s, was pleasant but his aura continued its run of riotous color, suggesting that while he’d agreed to this meeting, he wasn’t exactly happy about it. And that only increased my tension.
He pulled out a chair to seat me, then claimed the one between us. The waiter handed us each a menu and, once we’d ordered drinks, quietly left.
Karleen took a sip of water, her gaze once again on mine. Assessing me. Judging me. It was the why that worried me.
“My son tells me you’re able to communicate with my daughter, Kate.”
Now that was a statement I hadn’t been expecting. “Yes, I can, although she mostly initiates the contact.”
Grief flickered through her aura, even though her expression remained unmoved. “Then her ghost does indeed roam this reservation? She hasn’t moved on?”
“It was her choice—something she wanted to do. But she isn’t a ghost—she’s far more than that.”
“According to Aiden, she’s become the reservation’s guardian.”
I nodded. “She’s helped us on numerous occasions.”
“So he’s said.” Her tone remained even but her disbelief was a thick wave that washed over me. “I’m afraid it’s a situation I’m struggling to accept. You and your friend are both strong psychics, and we both know it’s a field with a well-earned reputation for fooling the unwary.”
“If I earned the moniker of fool, it was at the beginning of our relationship rather than now.” Though his voice remained mild, anger sparked brighter in Aiden’s eyes. “I let my hatred for witches override common sense, and I didn’t trust Liz early enough. The end result could have been you having two dead children rather than just one, Mother.”
“Be that as it may, you will have to forgive my skepticism without proof.”
“If you wanted that, why all the secrecy?” I asked. “Why not simply come to our café and ask us to do a full séance?”
Another insincere smile touched her lips. “Because the gossips would have had a field day, and there’s already enough talk about your relationship with my son.”
“My relationships are neither their business nor yours,” Aiden said sharply. “And again, that is not what you came here for.”
She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. If she’d been in wolf form, hackles would have been raised. “Indeed.”
The waiter came back with our drinks. I nodded my thanks and resisted the urge to toss back my whiskey and ask for the bottle. Getting drunk would neither help the situation nor impress the woman sitting opposite. She was expecting the worst from me—thanks to the fact I was both a witch and psychic—and while it was tempting to give her exactly that, I wouldn’t do it to Aiden.
Once our meals had been ordered, I leaned back in my chair and said, “The only way I can give you proof is to let her talk through me.”
Aiden glanced at me. “That’s dangerous, isn’t it?”
“It’ll take a lot of energy, yes, but Katie won’t drain me—she wouldn’t risk it, given our relationship.”
The wisps of black in Karleen’s aura thickened, though I wasn’t sure whether it was annoyance at my mentioning the R-word, or grief over losing her daughter. “I still find it difficult to believe Kate would sacrifice herself in such a way.”