“Oh, bugger off.” Cillian scowls.
His mother seems to grow somehow, her braids wrapped around her head like a terrible crown of power and authority. “Young man.”
“Can you give us a ride back to our castle?” Jade asks, hiccupping. “We’re all very drunk.”
I shove her. But I’m tipsy and not paying attention to things like extra strength. She goes careening into the counter. “Sorry!”
“Bish,” she slurs, glaring at me and rubbing her hip. Maricruz helps right her.
“Well. I don’t approve of this, but I’m glad you all had the sense not to try and drive. I’ll give you a ride back.” She waits as we slink out and Cillian turns off the lights and locks up.
“I like what you did with the shop,” she says.
His silence is more aggressive than my Jade shoving. When we get to the castle, he climbs out of the car.
“You aren’t coming home?” his mother asks.
He doesn’t respond as he stomps away toward the front door. Maricruz and Jade follow him, weaving. Esther turns off the car and climbs out. Her voice is low and sad. “I’ll walk back. Here are the keys.”
“He’s angry,” I say.
“I know.”
“You should talk to him.”
“I know.”
“My mom never talked to me.”
She reaches out and pats my cheek, her hand soft and warm. “Motherhood is far more complicated than you can even imagine.”
“Then make it simple. We need to know what the triangle thing was. Even if it hurts.”
“What if it hurts him?” She’s watching him walk away with a look I can’t interpret.
“I’ll protect him.”
“Keep him away from this. If you want to know more, come talk to me about it. Without Cillian. The Sleeping One worshippers have been around for centuries; they’re not going anywhere now. But tell Cillian whatever you have to in order to keep him out of it. Okay?”
I don’t know why she needs him excluded,
but there’s an intensity and desperation to her plea that I respond to. And the Sleeping One is a name I haven’t heard before. It might be enough to find information even if butthead Artemis never calls me back. “Okay. I’ll visit tomorrow afternoon.” I have castle meetings in the morning, and I still have to visit Leo.
She nods, then walks back into the woods.
I catch up to the others, bid Maricruz good night, and help a staggering Jade inside to her room, then follow Cillian to mine.
I throw myself onto my bed and squeeze my eyes shut. I have so much spinning around me. So many questions and problems. What I need is a Watcher. Leo was supposed to be my Watcher. I should be able to turn all this nonsense over to him so I can focus on the important, punchy bits. But I can’t even talk to him, apparently.
Slayer stamina means most of the alcohol has already left my system. That hardly seems like a fair side effect. If anyone should be able to get good and sloshed on occasion, it’s Slayers. But as it leaves, I realize I know exactly where Leo is. Which means I’ll talk to him tomorrow.
I fall asleep listening to my phone ring and ring and fail to connect me with Artemis.
19
CHAO-AHN IS IN HER CARTOON hall of horrors, waiting for me.
“I don’t want any ice cream.”