I sipped the hot, rich cup of coffee, thick with cream and honey, smiling until my cheeks ached at the happy sight of the family on the sofa across from me. I didn't miss the feeling of Todd squirming around inside me, his spirit and power now back safely where they belonged. I'm not sure what Sassafras told Talee, but the moment she saw me standing on her front step, Tara rushing forward to hug her mother, the stranded demon woman burst into tears, leaving her human husband to lead me to the quiet back bedroom and the still form of their empty son.It only took moments to restore him, his hazel gaze filling with life before he sat up with a yawn and asked for a snack.The tall, black-haired Talee, with the wide green eyes and shoulders broader than her husband's, turned to beam at me from the couch as she cuddled her giggling son against her side."We can't thank you enough," Taleesharete said, the demon woman reaching out to pull her daughter closer, too, if that was possible whil
One thing was certain, my life was never dull.Not with a demon family to integrate into my coven while some of the older witches grumbled and fussed and threw around words like, "shocking" and "scandalous". That was, until the Lawrence sisters adopted Taleesharete and the rest of the Happern brood. The dissenters knew better than to cross Estelle and Esther.Way for the twins to step up.Mom didn't say a word past welcoming them to the coven, though I knew she'd probably catch some grief once she returned to Harvard and the Council. Still, our unusual family was none of the Council's business and I was happy Mom accepted that.I knew my grandmother approved by the way she grinned every time someone brought up the demon and her family, after that first breakfast/lunch. Obviously, she approved of the Happerns. And it was always nice of her to have my back.I took a more active stance in searching for Ameline, but she was doing a great job hiding and I knew I'd only find her when sh
Book Fourteen: Unseelie TiesClass bored me. Mostly. How could I possibly take interest in the chain reaction of fire, water, earth and air through tiny little samples on a glass slate when I'd flown with dragons, fought demons and evil witches, battled vampire queens, and almost died doing it? I sighed, chin on my fist as my lab partner, Tippy Meeks, prodded the small clump of dirt to start the show."Observe," Mr. Howermall, my Elemental Interactions teacher said in his low, dull voice devoid of anything resembling excitement or enthusiasm. Tippy tossed her thick red hair over one shoulder and crossed her eyes at me. She was the only saving grace in this entire stupid class. "Earth and water are in opposition."Right. I was supposed to be watching as Tippy's magic nudged the hovering droplet of water over the loose soil, scattering it. Wow. How awesome was that?Sarcasm, my best friend.One week into my second year of witch's college and here I was wishing something really awf
Bloodthirsty thoughts aside, I slid into a seat at our favorite table beside Liam, who beamed up at me, half-rising as I joined him. My handsome Sidhe friend leaned in to hug me with one arm while Tippy took the seat next to him. I felt him tense the moment she did, how his arm fell away, the sparkling green in his hazel eyes fading. His head dropped, strawberry blonde hair falling over his face as Tippy leaned up against him with a broad wink."Thanks for saving us seats, handsome."Okay, she was never, ever, ever going to be my second. And if she didn't stop pressing her gigantic rack against his arm I was going to tear her a new one.Temper, temper, Syd.Shut up, conscience.Fortunately, there was enough room I slid over a little, allowing Liam to pull away from the aggressive redhead while I clenched my teeth against my unwarranted jealousy. How many times had I told Liam we couldn't be together? And yet, I still went a little-okay a lot-crazy when Tippy hit on him.Who had t
It didn't take me long to go from stunned silence to fury. Okay, so Mom was right to worry. So. Right. The last time I'd seen the back end of Venner he'd been trying to kill me. Had almost killed Liam's grandfather, Fergus, forcing us to send the old Gatekeeper through the Gate so the seal could be rebuilt after we failed to answer the knock.All so whiny fairy boy here could run home to his Sidhe momma or something equally pathetic.Before I could gather myself enough to ask what the bloody hell was going on, a small, slender witch of advanced age stood from the leather chair she'd claimed in front of Mom's desk and smiled at me. Well, kind of smiled. More like barracuda'd. I'd never seen that many teeth in someone's mouth before."Welcome, Coven Leader," she said in a voice so graveled I was amazed she could speak. "It's a delight to finally meet you.""Sydlynn," Mom rushed into the conversation with a forced smile of her own and tension in every line of her body, "may I introduc
The first place I headed after leaving Mom was Liam's dorm. Normally, the Yard housing was only for freshmen. But that was a human rule. For the duration of our stay, witches had our own private floors in each of the brick buildings surrounding the Yard, the same rooms in fact for the entire three years. So I had no trouble tracking back across the grass to Matthew Hall and Liam's room.He answered my knock with a smile, as always, though his happy expression faded when he saw the look on my face just before I pushed past him and inside. Charlotte stopped outside the door, closing it behind me, giving us privacy. Not that we needed it, but I could only guess the weregirl had no desire to listen to me rant.Neither did I, for that matter. I clenched a firm hold on myself, swearing I wouldn't go nuts on my sweet Sidhe friend, and spun to face him."I just wanted to warn you," I said. Level voice? Check. Temper in control? Check. Plans for murdering Venner? Checkarooni, yes indeedy doo
Charlotte hissed softly at me as I mounted the last step and headed down the hall to my room. I was lost in thought, head down. Good thing one of us paid attention. Her hand on my arm, pulling me back as she eased around me, brought my head up as Charlotte put herself between me and the woman standing outside my door.Sonja O'Dane met my gaze over Charlotte's shoulder, her hands clutching reflexively at the strap of her shoulder bag as she pushed off from where she leaned against the wall. I approached slowly, gesturing for Charlotte to stand down. My wereguard grunted softly, sniffing the air, but allowed me to gain the lead again, though I knew how fast she could react if Sonja meant me harm.I almost hoped she did. It would be awesome to see Charlotte take the woman down.Syd. Be nice. Liam's mom.Grrr.Sonja seemed hesitant, almost apologetic, as I finally reached her. She fidgeted, manicured nails scraping over the leather strap of her purse, lips twitching nervously as she f
I took my suspicions to Mom, sharing them with her over a freshly baked chocolate cake I brought with me from a cute little bakery on Harvard Square. I could tell from the guarded look in her eyes and the tightness of her smile she was onto me and the gooey offering I set on the table in her small kitchen, but that didn't stop her from fetching a pair of forks from the silverware drawer after Charlotte shook her head at the offer of a third. I set out a single glass, filled it with milk for us to share, the carton left out as I knelt on my chair and helped myself to a big bite, not even bothering to cut it first.Mom sighed and dug in herself, a shadow passing over her face. My eyes drifted to her empty neck and I found myself frowning too. She'd lost her pentagram necklace last year and, despite the fact Meira and I replaced it, Mom never wore the new one. Made me a little angry, actually. Like our present didn't matter to her or wasn't good enough. I knew such thinking was just my r