Missing the Night (Stand Alone Tales #17) - Viola Grace Page 0,3
gotten it off them.”
“But you hadn’t.” Her mother looked disapproving.
“Apparently not. I saw it this evening when I was trying to do Meredith a favour.”
Cian chuckled. “Did she ask you to be a last-minute bridesmaid?”
“Uh. No. I am not invited. Right, so there is a problem with the company she works for and—”
Kallie Northern looked at her daughter. “What do you mean you aren’t invited? I just talked to her mother, and she is looking forward to seeing you at the wedding.”
“I would have to crash it. I had lunch with Meredith today, and she didn’t even pretend that it was unfortunate that I wouldn’t be there.” She looked at her mother’s stricken face. “It’s fine. Puberty wrecked a lot of things for us.”
Cian sighed. “You are unique and kind. She is neither of those things. She has always found those around her who can bolster her bad decisions.”
Kallie sighed. “I thought that becoming an adult would stabilize her.”
“No offense, Mom, but I am the one in desperate straights here. Focus.”
Her mother smiled. “Right. Well, I can brew up something to negate a portion of the effect. I can stop the power drain. Well, I can slow it down. You are going to have to identify the caster before I can focus more on matching the magic pattern to snap it.”
“But, it can be broken.” She nodded thanks to her father for the hot chocolate.
“Sure. It can be. If you knew the family name, I would have a better chance at matching it on the first try.”
“Poldan.”
Her mother sprayed hot chocolate, and Cian rubbed her back. “Easy, dearest.”
“Sorry, Mom. I should have said.”
Kallie blinked. “Where did you meet him?”
“I was at a college graduation party for Skeller, and he and Hector were there.”
Cian coughed. The poor hot chocolate seemed toxic tonight. “Hector Twilight?”
“Um. Yes. Do you know him?”
Cian clapped her on the shoulder. “You sure have strange luck when it comes to men.”
“Dad, I have strange luck all around.”
Kallie looked at him. “Is that the relative of—”
“Yes. And Poldan was your—”
“Yes.”
Nessa was nervous. “What is going on?”
Kallie sighed. “Come with me to the workroom. I will explain as I mix up the potion.”
Cian nodded. “I am going to make more cocoa.”
Nessa looked at her first cup and the empty cups that he collected. “Uh-oh.”
Her mother turned and asked, “What is that?”
“This has the hallmarks of a three-cocoa night.”
“Five if we don’t pace ourselves. Don’t worry, Nessa. This is just our past being visited on you. We bit ourselves in the butt.”
Nessa followed her to the workshop. “Dad can do that, you know.”
Her mother chuckled. “Yes, I know. It reminds me of the day we met. Why I wanted a super sexy faerie who was after my magic was anybody’s guess.”
Nessa murmured, “It is because you got pregnant and wanted him to account for his actions.”
Her dad came in with another tray of cocoa. “I have been repenting twice daily ever since.”
Her parents kissed, and she smiled. For a love-talker to find a human attractive enough to bind to was exceptional. Usually, one of his kind just got her addicted and then let her pine for him once his touch was gone. The touch of a love-talker usually ended in fatality. Somehow, her parents were still in love after thirty-one years, and both were ridiculously healthy.
Her mother hummed and started with a flask and her book. Every potion started the same. Her father moved around the room and collected ingredients for the spell. Nessa sat back and drank the cocoa, trying to wash away whatever had been planted in her. It didn’t feel bad, but she could definitely feel it, like a set of shoes that didn’t quite fit. She widened her eyes. “They set the spell for a succubus.”
Her mom looked at her and laughed. “Well, in that case, drink this.”
Her mother handed her a vial of blue and crimson swirling fluid. “The whole thing. Bottoms up. The worst thing that it will do is give you the hiccups.”
Nessa nodded and opened the cork. The potion moaned, and Nessa laughed. Her mother did like her running gags. Nessa nodded and slugged the bitter solution down.
Her mother put her hand on Nessa’s chest and chanted rapidly. Nessa caught the gist of it. It was an order to shatter the link and seek another bond that met the criteria. She was chastising the spell itself, saying that it got the wrong number.
The spell inside her paused and then shattered. Nessa inhaled deeply,