Chapter 155

Theodore’s POV

It felt wrong walking away from Violet when we had so little time together as it was. But she did need to rest. And she had made a good point about whoever knew my mom possibly having answers we needed.

Marcy led me to the front porch and the woman who waited there. “If you’d like to come in for tea, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll leave you two to chat.”

Marcy wasn’t being her obnoxiously boisterous self, and I missed it. She returned inside her home, and I leaned against the porch railing, facing the stranger, to indicate that we were not going inside for tea.

She looked me over, emotion swimming in her eyes. “You look just like her,” she whispered with a quivering chin. She was a plump woman with blond hair tied in two long, thick braids.

“How would you know?” I kept my tone even, neutral.

She blinked, sniffing a few times until her eyes cleared. “Millicent Fairweather was my best friend since we were three years old. I don’t even remember meeting her; she was just always at my side.”

My heart skipped at my mother’s full name. I hadn’t heard it or spoken it in years.

The woman stood, limping a step closer in her humble, hand-made clothes. She outstretched her hand. “My name is Lillian Claire. Anyone who calls me Lily has their tongue removed.”

After an unnecessary moment of hesitation that had me questioning why I was being so prickly toward her, I actively softened my gaze as I shook her hand. “Theodore Nightshade.”

Citizens of Henosis seem to be awfully sensitive about their names, I commented to Violet.

She responded quickly. They’ve been called much worse than the wrong nickname on our side of the border.

That was a good reminder. I was coming from a place that had outlawed the very essence of Henosis. Folks here probably were more nervous about my presence here than I was.

“Yes,” Lillith responded, “the Uncrowned King. I’ve always kept an ear out for news about my best friend’s son.”

As we ended our handshake, a marking on her wrist caught my attention. My gaze lingered on it, and my brows furrowed.

Lillith noticed and hiked her sleeve up to reveal the tattoo of two wolves making the shape of a heart between their touching noses and their extended front paws.

“I expect you recognize this,” she said.

My chest tightened as memory after memory of my mother’s matching tattoo played through my mind. “Mom said she got tattoos with her sister.”

The emotion welled in Lillith’s eyes again. “Not all sisters are related by blood.”

I hadn’t realized until this moment how much I distrusted her. That part of me wondered if she didn’t know my mom at all but rather was yet another one of Owen’s spies. I’d been hiding from his paranoia-driven wrath for so long that it was hard to believe he wasn’t around every corner.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in and took another look at the woman before me.

I noticed the green ring in her hazel eyes that reminded me of my mother’s, even if they weren’t blood related. I caught the scars on her left hand, the base of her neck, and her right cheek. I realized that despite her limp, her demeanor was unwavering and her chin was raised like a warrior.

Like Violet.

I didn’t overthink it before I followed my gut and wrapped her in a hug.

She was clearly surprised at first, but she quickly leaned into the hug, squeezing me fiercely. She hugged as strongly as my mom had, and I remembered Mom mentioning how her sister had taught her to give such great hugs. When I breathed in, I could have sworn I smelled my mother on her, even though that was impossible.

By the Goddess, Violet had been right to send me down here.

When we pulled out of the hug, she cupped my face in her hands, worry clouding her eyes. “Are you safe, boy?”

My brows furrowed in confusion. She sighed and let go of my face.

“I’m sorry, I’ve just always worried for you so, especially after what happened to your mother. And from what I’ve heard of your father and brother…” Her gaze snapped to mine in trepidation, like it had just occurred to her that she shouldn’t speak poorly of my family in front of me.

I thought I should let her know she was in good company. “Half-brother,” I corrected. “And not even a good half at that.”

Lillith looked like she was fighting a smile, but it was a battle she lost. The smile turned into a grin, which turned into a chuckle, and then we were laughing, holding on to each other to keep from toppling over.

“You are Millie’s son, that’s for sure.” Lillith patted me on the arm as our laughter quieted. It was such a gift to talk to someone who knew her and could recognize her in me.

“Tell me,” she hobbled backwards to sit back down. “Could I possibly interest you in a visit to my home? It’s just a half-day’s ride away, and I have so many pictures of your mother I could show you.”

A half-day’s ride? That would mean more than a day away from my wife and as long a delay in more intentional research. As true as it was that Lillith might have important information tucked into all her stories, there was a higher chance we’d find what we needed at the local archives.

“Lillith,” I leaned back against the railing, hesitating. “I would love to spend time with you, but I’m afraid I couldn’t spare that much time.”

Her face fell, and I was surprised by how much I hated to disappoint her.

“You’re not safe, are you?”

Oh, she wasn’t disappointed. She was worried.

And even though the tattoo on her wrist erased my fear that she was some spy, I was still concerned about revealing our secrets to more people. The more people who knew, the higher the chance the wrong people would find out. Still, I didn’t want to lie to her.

“No, I’m not safe.”

Lillith took a breath, and I was amazed by the determination that flooded her eyes as she inhaled. “How can I help?”

I considered my options.

“We need answers to some questions. But you can’t ask any questions about why we need these answers. I’m intentionally giving you insufficient information to keep you safe.”

Lillith straightened her spin. “I understand, and I accept. What answers do you seek?”

“A spell was cast to create a fake mate bond. We need to know how to prove who cast the spell and how to reverse it. We also need to know how someone might be unaware of their own magic until adulthood.”

Lillith raised her eyebrows. “Those are tough questions indeed. I heard you’re here for another nine days; I’ll see what I can find before you leave.”

I sighed in relief. Another ally was never a bad thing, especially one hand-picked by my mother.

“In the meantime,” Lillith offered hesitantly, “a ride into town would only be a half hour, and I could show you all the places your mom and I got into trouble.”

A compromise. One I’d be an idiot not to agree to. I smiled at this woman who was my aunt in all the ways that mattered most.

“I’m in.”