obviously set them, he threw them at me. “Leave now.”
The keys hit me in the chest. I winced but caught them before they fell. “What did I do?”
“Do you see her?” he whispered hotly. “All that she’s already suffered for you isn’t enough. Because of you, her stitches were ripped. Because of you, she went into the damn river! Fully under the surface! She came in here shivering cold. What if she gets pneumonia? Her wound was open in the river water. What if it gets infected?”
“Lance—”
“Save it. The doctor gave her specific orders, and because of you, all that’s blown to hell. Just leave before you do her any more damage.”
He left the kitchen, plastering on a fake grin as he shunned me. “Hey, Mom, I told Seph she could take the ’Vette. It’ll save them some time. You don’t mind, do you?”
With arms crossed, I trailed him into the dining/living room area. Eris, chewing on a piece of pizza, said, “Not at all.”
I was glad that Lance continued on to his room. I hugged Nana good-bye. “You’re going right this second?” she asked. “Don’t you even want to wash up and eat?”
“I’d love to, but this is critical, Nana.” I raised an eyebrow and hoped she’d understand I didn’t want to say too much. Of coursewe could easily have stayed longer, but between Lance’s anger and my mother’s inquisitiveness, it was best to leave immediately. Zhan and I could grab some dinner once we were on the road. Then I embraced Eris.
When I stood up, Lance was back. “I’ll carry your bags, sis, and get my hug by the car.”
Sis?
He was laying it on thick. He swiped the bags from Zhan’s arms and exited first.
“Persephone,” Nana called.
Please have understood I don’t want to talk about Menessos in front of Eris.
“Yeah?”
She opened her mouth, then shut it. “I don’t need to wish you luck. You always work things out.”
Zhan was just outside the door. “How about I drive, Seph?”
I gave her the keys. I’d left it unlocked, so Lance had already shoved the bags into the mini-trunk and was leaning on the car, arms crossed, waiting for me.
“Why did you stop calling her Mom?”
“Because she started with the guilt trip.”
“Well, it
is
all your fault.”
I’d known this argument was brewing. Resigned to it, I said, “She dove in front of those bullets. I didn’t make her. I wasn’t even in the circle with her.”
“The doctors could have saved her arm if she hadn’t stayed to finish the spell.”
“She made that choice too! Or have you forgotten her threatening Zhan with a knife to keep the medics back?”
He pursed his lips, then snapped, “Saving your boyfriend from a spell or two was more important to you than saving her arm! She did it for you.”
“Yeah. She. Did. It.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if not for you. You don’t have any sense of responsibility, do you?”
I dropped my head down.
If you only knew.
He read my lowered chin as some kind of concession. He pushed away from the car. “Get going. Take this.” He shoved something at me. I dropped it and had to pick it up.
He was three paces away before I had a grip on the little book. “Lance.”
He kept walking. “Got no time for you, sis. Mom needs help.”
“Yeah. As long as you do everything for her she won’t learn to do anything for herself.”
He spun back at the bottom of the stairs. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? If I quit helping her? That would punish her good, right? Well, one of us needs to physically help her. Maybe I can’t buy her a big-ass apology truck, but I can be here.”
“You’re absolutely right.” That shut him up. I continued. “And in a few years, Lance, what then? What happens when you meet someone you want to spend your life with? What happens when you’ve made Mom dependent on you and you want to leave?”
“Like you’re leaving her now? Is this a good enough payback for her leaving you, sis? Are you satisfied now?”
“This
The keys hit me in the chest. I winced but caught them before they fell. “What did I do?”
“Do you see her?” he whispered hotly. “All that she’s already suffered for you isn’t enough. Because of you, her stitches were ripped. Because of you, she went into the damn river! Fully under the surface! She came in here shivering cold. What if she gets pneumonia? Her wound was open in the river water. What if it gets infected?”
“Lance—”
“Save it. The doctor gave her specific orders, and because of you, all that’s blown to hell. Just leave before you do her any more damage.”
He left the kitchen, plastering on a fake grin as he shunned me. “Hey, Mom, I told Seph she could take the ’Vette. It’ll save them some time. You don’t mind, do you?”
With arms crossed, I trailed him into the dining/living room area. Eris, chewing on a piece of pizza, said, “Not at all.”
I was glad that Lance continued on to his room. I hugged Nana good-bye. “You’re going right this second?” she asked. “Don’t you even want to wash up and eat?”
“I’d love to, but this is critical, Nana.” I raised an eyebrow and hoped she’d understand I didn’t want to say too much. Of coursewe could easily have stayed longer, but between Lance’s anger and my mother’s inquisitiveness, it was best to leave immediately. Zhan and I could grab some dinner once we were on the road. Then I embraced Eris.
When I stood up, Lance was back. “I’ll carry your bags, sis, and get my hug by the car.”
Sis?
He was laying it on thick. He swiped the bags from Zhan’s arms and exited first.
“Persephone,” Nana called.
Please have understood I don’t want to talk about Menessos in front of Eris.
“Yeah?”
She opened her mouth, then shut it. “I don’t need to wish you luck. You always work things out.”
Zhan was just outside the door. “How about I drive, Seph?”
I gave her the keys. I’d left it unlocked, so Lance had already shoved the bags into the mini-trunk and was leaning on the car, arms crossed, waiting for me.
“Why did you stop calling her Mom?”
“Because she started with the guilt trip.”
“Well, it
is
all your fault.”
I’d known this argument was brewing. Resigned to it, I said, “She dove in front of those bullets. I didn’t make her. I wasn’t even in the circle with her.”
“The doctors could have saved her arm if she hadn’t stayed to finish the spell.”
“She made that choice too! Or have you forgotten her threatening Zhan with a knife to keep the medics back?”
He pursed his lips, then snapped, “Saving your boyfriend from a spell or two was more important to you than saving her arm! She did it for you.”
“Yeah. She. Did. It.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if not for you. You don’t have any sense of responsibility, do you?”
I dropped my head down.
If you only knew.
He read my lowered chin as some kind of concession. He pushed away from the car. “Get going. Take this.” He shoved something at me. I dropped it and had to pick it up.
He was three paces away before I had a grip on the little book. “Lance.”
He kept walking. “Got no time for you, sis. Mom needs help.”
“Yeah. As long as you do everything for her she won’t learn to do anything for herself.”
He spun back at the bottom of the stairs. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? If I quit helping her? That would punish her good, right? Well, one of us needs to physically help her. Maybe I can’t buy her a big-ass apology truck, but I can be here.”
“You’re absolutely right.” That shut him up. I continued. “And in a few years, Lance, what then? What happens when you meet someone you want to spend your life with? What happens when you’ve made Mom dependent on you and you want to leave?”
“Like you’re leaving her now? Is this a good enough payback for her leaving you, sis? Are you satisfied now?”
“This
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