“She’s also astute enough to realize this is a rather unusual situation, so I wouldn’t beat about the bush too much.”
His voice, like his mother’s, was pleasant but his aura continued its run of riotous color, suggesting that while he’d agreed to this meeting, he wasn’t exactly happy about it. And that only increased my tension.
He pulled out a chair to seat me, then claimed the one between us. The waiter handed us each a menu and, once we’d ordered drinks, quietly left.
Karleen took a sip of water, her gaze once again on mine. Assessing me. Judging me. It was the why that worried me.
“My son tells me you’re able to communicate with my daughter, Kate.”
Now that was a statement I hadn’t been expecting. “Yes, I can, although she mostly initiates the contact.”
Grief flickered through her aura, even though her expression remained unmoved. “Then her ghost does indeed roam this reservation? She hasn’t moved on?”
“It was her choice—something she wanted to do. But she isn’t a ghost—she’s far more than that.”
“According to Aiden, she’s become the reservation’s guardian.”
I nodded. “She’s helped us on numerous occasions.”
“So he’s said.” Her tone remained even but her disbelief was a thick wave that washed over me. “I’m afraid it’s a situation I’m struggling to accept. You and your friend are both strong psychics, and we both know it’s a field with a well-earned reputation for fooling the unwary.”
“If I earned the moniker of fool, it was at the beginning of our relationship rather than now.” Though his voice remained mild, anger sparked brighter in Aiden’s eyes. “I let my hatred for witches override common sense, and I didn’t trust Liz early enough. The end result could have been you having two dead children rather than just one, Mother.”
“Be that as it may, you will have to forgive my skepticism without proof.”
“If you wanted that, why all the secrecy?” I asked. “Why not simply come to our café and ask us to do a full séance?”
Another insincere smile touched her lips. “Because the gossips would have had a field day, and there’s already enough talk about your relationship with my son.”
“My relationships are neither their business nor yours,” Aiden said sharply. “And again,
that is not what you came here for.”
She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. If she’d been in wolf form, hackles would have been raised. “Indeed.”
The waiter came back with our drinks. I nodded my thanks and resisted the urge to toss back my whiskey and ask for the bottle. Getting drunk would neither help the situation nor impress the woman sitting opposite. She was expecting the worst from me—thanks to the fact I was both a witch and psychic—and while it was tempting to give her exactly that, I wouldn’t do it to Aiden.
Once our meals had been ordered, I leaned back in my chair and said, “The only way I can give you proof is to let her talk through me.”
Aiden glanced at me. “That’s dangerous, isn’t it?”
“It’ll take a lot of energy, yes, but Katie won’t drain me—she wouldn’t risk it, given our relationship.”
The wisps of black in Karleen’s aura thickened, though I wasn’t sure whether it was annoyance at my mentioning the R-word, or grief over losing her daughter. “I still find it difficult to believe Kate would sacrifice herself in such a way.”
“Katie was always more concerned about family than other people’s expectations.” This time, the edge in Aiden’s voice was deeper and hinted at old hurt—one that went far deeper than Katie’s death. “She did this for us—to keep us safe—as much as for the reservation itself.”
“And yet it was her husband’s actions that ultimately placed this reservation in danger.”
Annoyance surged, but I tamped it down. Hard. This situation was tense enough without me unleashing emotionally. “That was not Gabe’s intention, but strong magic always comes at some cost to its initiator. He simply didn’t expect his death would be the price he paid.”
She studied me for a moment. “You use the magic of this land—what’s the price you pay?”
“That is yet to be fully revealed.”
“Interesting.” She took a sip of her red wine. “How would I know that I’m actually talking to Kate rather than simply you using information gleaned from Aiden over the last few months?”
“Mother—”