CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Fiona slapped the latest edition of the Magickal Times closed and picked up her coffee, trying to curb her annoyance. Today’s coverage of the Mazzy Diamond genieing entailed a statement by a vampire who claimed to have inside knowledge that Mazzy and Violet were embroiled in a scandal involving a demonic attempt to take over the Magickal Council, and the genies had swooped in to save the day. According to the story, the only reason Violet hadn’t been genied too was because of her family, who had scared the genies back to where they belonged—stuck in bottles.
“Since when did this paper become a tabloid?” she asked out loud.
A puff of black smoke appeared in the kitchen, immediately followed by Blake Alexander.
“It’s been going downhill for a while,” he said, stepping out of the smoke. He took a seat at the table. “What is it today?”
Fiona pushed the paper toward him. “Usual bits of nonsense. This one has Violet and that Diamond girl involved in a demonic scandal. I should turn them all into sniveling worms with no hands so they can’t write their insipid stories.”
“Not today,” Blake said. “We’ve got enough to deal with. That meeting didn’t exactly go as planned.”
Fiona laughed. “My dear boy. What does? There are too many variables with that whole incident. Including the fact that my daughter had no idea what she was doing, or seeing, so of course it looks like she did something wrong. Coffee?”
Blake nodded. “Please.”
Fiona waved a ring-covered hand and a perfect mug of coffee with cream only appeared in front of Blake. She thought for a moment, then waved her hand again and a plate of scones appeared.
“I’m hungry today,” she said. “Chocolate chip and blueberry. Today calls for a decadent lunch, no?”
“Yes. I’m starving. And you’re the best.” Blake picked up a chocolate chip scone and bit into it. “I just came from Violet’s shop. I wanted to make sure she understood how to give this statement next week.”
“Excellent,” Fiona said with an approving nod. “How did it go?”
Blake grinned. “She’s funny. Sassy, like you. I think she’ll be fine. Unless they know you were there.” He said the last bit so casually Fiona almost didn’t catch it.
Then her head snapped up. “What?”
Blake popped more scone into his mouth. “Violet is smart,” he said around a mouthful. “And she’s wondering why you never told anyone you were in the shop after Mazzy was genied. Come to think of it, I’m kind of wondering the same thing. I figured you could’ve at least given me a heads up so I could be prepared.”
Fiona sighed. She really hated being lectured by anyone, even Blake, for whom she had a fondness. This time he was right, so she didn’t fight him on it. “I was angry that day. I left it to her to deal with. And Josie, I suppose. She happened to be with me when Zoe let us know what had happened. I told Violet what I thought, then Zoe and I left. I really didn’t think beyond that.” It wasn’t completely true, but a girl didn’t need to give up all her secrets, did she?
Blake regarded her with those intense eyes. “She’s worried about Josie. I think she figures you can take care of yourself,” he said with a grin.
Fiona already knew this, and it irked her. Indeed, it seemed Violet was more worried about Josie than she was about anything else at this point, including her own safety. “My daughter is a worrier. She’ll be fine.”
“We’re going to make sure she’s fine,” Blake said. “But I am concerned she’s going to try to do something about this Mazzy situation. She seems awfully adamant about helping her.”
“Well, she’s a bit of a bleeding heart too. That faulty wiring can be attributed to her father, certainly not me.” Fiona despised bleeding hearts. In her world, you took care of your family and yourself, not every sorry being that stumbled across your path. Especially one who had tried to take you down. “Why, has she said something? Is she asking around?”
Blake shook his head. “I don’t think she’d tell me even if she was asking around. I’m not sure she trusts me yet.”
Fiona smiled. “Of course she doesn’t. She still doesn’t trust me, and I put you in her path.” The fact that her own daughter still had suspicions about her motives, about her, ate away at her daily, but she’d never say it. Especially not to Blake.
He gave her an odd look. “You think that will change?”
“I have no idea. She’s a bit headstrong. Also like me.”
Blake took a long sip of coffee. “This is excellent coffee. You might want to try to speed up that getting-her-to-trust-you process though. I’m worried that she might try to go off and do something on her own. If she trusts you—and by extension, me—she’ll maybe ask for help before she does something crazy.”
Fiona sent him her best withering stare. “You think I’m not trying my hardest? She trusted me enough to let me move into her precious grandmother’s house. That’s a decent start, wouldn’t you say?”
Blake held up his hands in defense. “I’m just saying. We need to stick together. And she isn’t sticking yet.”
It didn’t matter how fond of him she was. At that moment she wished him gone. Not enough to actually make him disappear, but she didn’t want to talk about this with him. Granted, she’d been the one to give him the role of Violet’s handler, but him pointing out that she still couldn’t get a great read on her own daughter rubbed her wrong.
She’d thought once Violet had begun to absorb the culture and take an interest in learning about her families that things would improve. That Fiona could have those mother-daughter moments with her oldest that she’d always dreamed about, sharing spells and stories about family witches. But now that she had access to the book Abigail had left her, Violet’s nose was usually in it—and she hardly ever asked Fiona for her advice.
Truthfully, it was making her crazy enough that she’d thought about closing Abigail’s book for good. But that was petty and mean and would probably just push Violet further away, so she didn’t do it. She wanted to, though. And living here, where Violet and her grandmother had shared all those memories, wasn’t helping.
And now here was Blake, rubbing her face in it.
She knew he didn’t mean to. Blake was a good man, and he took his responsibilities very seriously. Violet was his responsibility now. And Fiona was no fool. He liked her daughter already. She’d known it would happen. Hadn’t even had to help it along. But he just wanted what was best for her.
As they all did.
“I’m working on it,” was all she said to Blake now. “Meanwhile, what are you doing about it?”
He gave her an amused look and ignored her question, something that not many people could get away with. He finished his pastry, wiped his mouth, and swallowed the rest of his coffee. “Delicious. Oh, one more thing before I go.”
Fiona gave him a go-ahead gesture with her hand while she sipped her coffee with the other.
“Who do you suppose tipped off Bell about Mazzy?”
Fiona set her cup down. That anonymous tip. It had been bothering her too. “I don’t know.”
“Josie?”
“I doubt it. She would never do anything to put Violet at risk.”
“Who would? Or should I say, who could have known about this and had the connections to do it?”
They both watched each other.
“You have an idea,” Fiona said.
Blake nodded. “I do. I saw her boyfriend today at her shop.” He took a breath.
Fiona got the sense she wasn’t going to like what he would say next. She was right.
“He’s my father’s second cousin’s son,” Blake said. “He hasn’t even lived in our world since he was a kid. I remember him from years ago, mostly because he’s a black sheep like me. Him because he has no interest in this life—he completely acclimated to the mortal world. He’s got some reason for hanging around her. I don’t know what, but I have a strong suspicion he could’ve been the tipper.”
The fury hit her quick and hard—reminiscent of her younger years, the days when she’d fly off the handle without a second thought and all her actions had consequences. Before she even realized it, the coffee mug crashed into the wall. Brown liquid dripped down. She ignored it. “He’s a Sageblood.”
Blake nodded.
“You’re sure about this?”
Blake didn’t react to the mug. “I’m sure of who he is. The tip part is just a guess.”
“I wasn’t paying enough attention,” Fiona murmured. “I let her put herself in danger.”
“How could you know?” Blake asked. “You can’t know everything, Fiona. This guy has been around since before you came back.”
Fiona whirled, the sheer power of her anger causing the lights to flicker around them. “Exactly my point. I should know everything when it comes to my daughter. Especially Violet. She is vulnerable. This is all Abigail’s fault.” With a snap of her wrist, the coffee poured itself back into the mug, now in one piece, and landed on the table with a crash. “She kept me from my daughter and put her at risk.” Another snap, and a glass flew off the counter and into the sink. “I knew I didn’t like that insipid boy the first time I saw him.”
“Fiona,” Blake said quietly. “I get it, but you have to stay calm. Getting mad isn’t going to help you, and it’s certainly not going to help Violet.”
Stupid boy. Of course it could help. She could destroy all of them without a second thought. Stop all this madness. But it wouldn’t really stop. There would be someone who would pick up the torch and burn everything down again.
It was all so exhausting.
“Then what do you suggest?” she asked him, her tone dripping ice.
“Let me take care of it,” Blake said.
“How?”
“I’m going to find out if it was him first, and what his endgame is. And I’m going to make sure they don’t stay together. Just give me some time.”
Fiona sent him a skeptical look.
“She’s not into him, Fiona. I can tell. That’s why I say he has to have some reason for hanging around her. I’m going to find out. And I’m going to put a stop to it. I just have to be careful how I do it.”
She watched his face, the way his jaw set, the serious glint in those deep eyes. He cared for her daughter. She’d predicted it, although she hadn’t interfered at all despite him being her preferred choice.
Finally, she nodded. “Whatever you need to do, Blake. And remember. I just found my daughter again. Whatever I need to do, I won’t lose her. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Blake said. He tugged his tie and disappeared from the room, leaving only the faint scent of palo santo in his wake.