Mo gripped me tight. 揝ure. But anything you need to say can be done right here in front of Bri.?She gently touched the side of my face. 揧ou good with that, love??
I nodded.
Circe chewed at her bottom lip, then took off her glasses and set them on the counter. 揑 don抰 know what to say to either of you. I truly didn抰 believe I抎 see Briseis ever again. Selene never intended for her to come back here. She tried very hard to spare her all of this.?
揑t wasn抰 like Bri chose it,?Mo said. 揟hat woman, Redmond, she抯 the reason we抮e here. Bri didn抰 even want to come up at first, but棓 Mo stopped for a moment. She cleared her throat and continued. 揃ut it抯 been good for her up till now. She抯 been more herself, her true self, and that抯 all I抳e ever wanted for her. Clearly you know what she can do, and we梞e and ?and Thandie梬e did everything we could to let her be exactly who she is. Gifts and all. We got a flower shop back home.?
Circe抯 eyes brimmed with tears. Persephone turned away from us and busied herself gathering up jars from the floor and setting them back on a few of the unbroken shelves. Nyx just stared down at the floor. It was clear they didn抰 want to intrude on what felt like a very private conversation. Marie, however, didn抰 even try to pretend like she wasn抰 listening.
揑 don抰 want to make either of you uncomfortable,?Circe said, her voice tight. 揑 meant what I said. The house is yours if you want it. The issue of me being back from the dead might be a roadblock so maybe we just pretend I抦 still dead.?
揑 don抰 know how that抯 gonna work,?said Mo. 揃ut listen. I let Bri know she doesn抰 have to choose. She can learn more about where she comes from without having to feel like she抯 stepping on my toes. I抦 with her no matter what. But I need you to promise me that you抣l respect that. Be honest with her, because I抳e seen things since we抳e been here that tell me this is way beyond me, but don抰 force it on her. I don抰 know you from Adam, but I can tell you抮e not gonna try to hurt her. Long as it stays that way, we won抰 have a problem.?
I smiled. When I thought I could never do that again, I smiled. Mo still didn抰 play when it came to me. That hadn抰 changed.
Circe forced a quick laugh. 揋od, this kid is lucky to have you. And I抦 sorry you have to be here now, under these circumstances, but I抦 on your side and I抦 going to do everything I can to help you both. It will not be easy. What we have to do is something I believed until very recently to be impossible.?
揑抳e seen a lot of impossible things lately,?Mo said.
Circe handed me and Mo the cups of tea.
揇rink up,?she said. 揜est. Then we抣l regroup.?
Mo took a cup and drank it in three big gulps. She turned to me and opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes closed and she rocked to the side like she抎 forgotten how to stand. Persephone caught her before she fell.
揟hat was quick,?Circe said. 揟he brew is strong.?She put her fingers on Mo抯 wrist as she glanced at her watch. 揝he抣l be just fine. Try not to worry.?
I took a cup and brought it to my lips, but Circe gently put her hand across the top.
揑t won抰 work for you,?she said. 揑t won抰 affect you at all.?
揑 guess it wouldn抰， right??I set the cup back down. 揥hat do I do??
Circe sighed. 揘ot much you can do. I have tried every botanical sleep aid known to man and still haven抰 found one that works.?
Marie moved closer to me and nudged my shoulder. 揑抣l stay with you. As long as you want me to. I can call Alec and make him talk to you. That should put you right to sleep.?
I took the still-piping hot cup of tea and drank it in three gulps. Maybe it wouldn抰 help, but I thought I should at least try. I waited for sleep to fall on me like it had for Mo, but just like Circe said, I didn抰 feel a thing.
揑t was worth a try,?I said.
Circe gave me a quick smile. 揧ou should still try to sleep, if you can.?
Persephone turned, still cradling Mo, and I followed them out to the hallway. She ascended the stairs, and as I climbed up behind her, the painting of the black dog on the wall stared out at me. The eyes of generations of the Colchis family followed me as Persephone deposited Mo in my bed. Circe lingered at the bottom of the stairs and did not follow us up.
I took off Mo抯 shoes and pulled the covers up around her. Marie slumped into the rocker by the fireplace, and I went to the window as Persephone left us alone. A figure moved in the dark, around the side of the house. My heart cartwheeled in my chest before I realized it was just Circe, two iron cages in hand. I squinted into the night and watched as she cut a path straight to the trailhead that led to the garden.
I kicked off my sneakers and lay across the end of my bed as Mo remained completely knocked out.