Page 85 of Demon's Beauty

“Alright,” I sigh. “We’d best be on our way, then. It’s not too much further.”

After seeing Soleil safely settled at the apothecary, I head back out into the city.

With the focus required to complete the brew—and to keep all the moving pieces orchestrated to ensure each completed batch can be ferried out into the city and administered by the small army of healers assembled from Gales Harbor and surrounding communities—all I’d accomplish by staying is getting in the way.

Instead, I see myself off with one last kiss to my witch’s lips—lingering long enough that I hope she’ll be thinking about it until I return—and then head toward my mother’s home.

I’m not even sure if she’s in town, but as I ascend the winding streets to her home near the top of one of the highest hills overlooking the sea, I keenly hope she is.

It’s been too long since I’ve visited.

Too caught up in my life of leisure at court, too comfortable with the distractions that have become my routine, I should make more time to come here and see her.

And my sister, Maeva. Who knows whether she’s here either, but the last time I saw her she mentioned needing a bit of fresh sea air.

When I reach the estate—built into the curving cliff-side, the same bright white stone as most of the surrounding buildings—I don’t bother knocking on the door.

Even if they’re not here, I know I’m always welcome.

“Ma?” I call out as I walk through the foyer, and a voice from the second floor calls back.

“I know that’s not my son.”

“Oh? And how would you know that?”

“Because my son never comes to visit me. He’s much too busy with his many important affairs at court.”

A grin splits my face as my mother appears on the second-floor landing and starts down.

Lynore Scintra—the maiden name she reverted to after she and my father split—would be at home in any of the noble houses of the demon realm, and she commands just as much presence here in her own home as she comes down to greet me.

An embarrassment for the ages, truly, the way my father destroyed what he had with her.

“Finn,” she says warmly, extending her arms to me. “What a surprise.”

I return the embrace, a weight lifting off my shoulders like it always does when I see her.

“Come.” She offers me her arm and leads me out the side of the house onto a wide stone balcony overlooking the sea. “We can sit and catch up.”

The view from up here is incredible. Far below, the sea sparkles like sapphires, and as we settle into seats next to each other, the salt air is a soothing balm for my worries.

“As much as I’d like to believe you were simply eager to see me, your eyes tell a different story,” my mother says, studying me intently. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Where to even begin?

With the most important part, I suppose.

“I met my mate.”

My mother’s face lights up, and she presses her hands to her mouth. “Finn, that’s—”

“Complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

“Well, for starters, she’s human.”

Her brow furrows. “And that’s a problem? I’ve heard these human witches are very happy to come here and find their mates.”