“I think it will have all of the answers you seek.” Leaning in, he kissed my cheek and walked toward the house.
If that wasn’t a nudge to break the illusion over my mom’s journal, I didn’t know what was.
Following Cam and Elle inside, I helped put away the groceries, and Elle volunteered to make dinner. I was just wondering if there was a room into which I could slip to try to read my mom’s journal when Liam came up behind me. “Would you like to meet my mother?”
I turned, goosebumps breaking out on my arms. I hadn’t been sure how he would feel about me meeting her. We were so new, and he was so protective of his family.
I nodded.
Slipping his hand into mine, he led me down a hallway and into her room. It was the same room I’d seen him in that night I’d looked through the window with Elle. That felt like a lifetime ago.
The room had a weird feeling to it. Subdued. I was about to ask the cause until I remembered the minerals he’d said he’d placed around to keep her from absorbing too much of the energy of the fae crystal.
When we walked to the side of the bed, his mother looked up from a book she had clasped in her hands. She was petite, with fair skin and Liam’s blue eyes. Her blonde hair was short and fuzzy, growing back in odd patches. “Liam,” she croaked, and then her eyes fell on me.
“Mom, this is Lily. Lily, this is my mother, Hannah.”
His mother ran her gaze over me, frowning. “Not human?”
Oh. That was right. Humans wouldn’t see my wings, but she seemed to have a sixth sense.
Liam shook his head. “Fae. A Spring Fae.”
Her face broke out into a smile. “Spring. My favorite season. Is it true you all smell like flowers?”
I chuckled, giving her a shrug. “We don’t smell it, but humans do.”
She reached out for my hand. I gave it to her, and she sniffed my wrist lightly, then giggled. “You do!”
My heart lightened at the conversation.
“Is it true humans smell like mac and cheese?” Liam wondered aloud.
That made us all bust out laughing, but after a moment, Hannah winced and grabbed her side.
Liam stiffened. “Mom, I went to Faerie.”
She froze, looking up at him with fierce eyes. Although her exterior looked fragile, I could see a warrior’s spirit inside of her. “You can’t. They’ll kill you.”
Liam clasped her hand, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Dad was wrong. They’re not all like that.” With his other hand, he reached out and grasped mine.
My heart quickened at his display of affection, and his mother looked at our intertwined fingers with understanding.
“I went there once…before the fall.” She smiled. “I was so young, and it was so beautiful…” She looked off at the corner of the room, as if trapped in a memory.
Of course the Winter King would try to take her there.
“That was the first time I got sick,” she said, running her fingers through her short hair.
Liam looked at me with such heartbreak I had to actively control my breathing so as not to sob. “Mom, we got something from Faerie today. It’s going to heal you.”
She pulled her hand away from Liam and clutched it to her chest. “Magic? I can’t have magic.”
He swallowed hard. “This is different.” His voice cracked. “It’s just one drop of healing water. One drop.”
She reached out with a thin, bony hand and cupped his face. “It was also just one stone, one drop of blood, one hair of a unicorn. Baby, just let me go.”
“No!” Liam jumped up, causing both his mother and me to start. I was still stuck on the words unicorn hair, wondering where the hell he’d gotten that. “I can’t, and I won’t. Please just try this one thing.”
I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a special moment and wondered if I should slip out of the room. But then it occurred to me that Liam had asked me in here because he needed me. He needed strength. His eldest brother was fourteen—he’d been the adult taking care of everyone for years, and for the first time, he had someone with whom he could share the responsibility. Maybe that’s why he’d invited me in. Maybe he needed me…
Stepping forward, I slipped my hand in his. “One drop, and if it doesn’t work, no more magic?” I suggested.
Liam’s eyes glowed molten-lava red for a split second, and I knew then that one day, when this woman did die, it would break him.
“I would agree to that.” Hannah nodded, looking at Liam. The High Priestess of the healing pool had said we needed her consent, and to me, Hannah’s words were enough.
Liam squeezed my hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out a little eyedropper. “I put some of the water in here,” he told me.
I watched as he tenderly took his mother’s hand and had her extend it palm up. He placed one drop in the center and looked up at her with such tenderness that he practically glowed. But even more obvious was the way she looked at him. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to be better—but most of all, she wanted Liam to be okay.
“Feel anything?” he asked nervously after the drop of water sank into her palm.
She shrugged. “Just ready for sleep.”
Liam nodded. “Okay, Mom. Love you. Sleep well.”
“You too, baby. It was nice to meet you, Lily. Take care of him—he’s always too busy taking care of everyone else.”
“Mom.” He blushed, but I nodded.
“I will.”
Liam and I left the room, and he led me to his bedroom. Laughter and conversation trickled down the hall from the kitchen, and I recognized Elle’s voice. It sounded like she was arguing with Cam. No surprise there.
“I was thinking we could stay the night here. I’ll check on my mom in the morning, and then you can meet the guys. Help me convince
