Page 94 of Of Flames and Crows

Mae squirmed awkwardly under her accusing stare. “I wasn’t intending to tell her off.” She chewed her lip. “How long have you known?”

“Since the beginning.” Ye-Seul shrugged. “She’s my daughter. I’d have to be a fool not to realize what was going on.” She paused, her expression softening. “He’s a good man, Mae.”

“What’s up?” Milo said curiously, his gaze swinging between them.

“My mom got a new beau,” Mae muttered.

Milo choked on his roll. Ilya sighed and patted him forcefully on the back.

Mae studied the other guards seated in her mother’s kitchen with a jaundiced air before heading to the living room. She stopped in the doorway, put her hands on her hips, and glared at the crowd packing the place.

“What in the ever-living hell are you goons doing in my house on a goddamn Sunday morning?!”

CHAPTER39

Bryony sniffed. “How rude.”

Vlad greeted Mae with a smile that made her pulse skitter. “Good morning, Princess.”

Brimstone headed over to Tarang, tail swinging.

“Hi, Mae,” Nikolai said guiltily.

“I was coming home today,” Mae told the sorcerer stiffly.

Cortes stared.

“Wait. They’re living together?” he asked Vlad.

The Columbian was leaning next to a window with his arms crossed.

Vlad’s smile faded. “It’s a temporary arrangement.”

Budimir bobbed his head solemnly where he sat on a couch. “Mae.”

“Hi, Mae,” Roman said shyly beside him.

“You’re looking sprightly this morning, Witch Queen.” Ludmila beamed. She scanned Mae from head to toe and glanced pointedly at Vlad. “My, aren’t those somefertilehips you have there?”

Mae sucked in air.

Bryony sprayed out the mouthful of tea she’d just swallowed. Violet passed the coughing High Priestess a hanky.

“I thought we decided to leave that kind of trash talk back in Prague,” Nikolai growled at Ludmila.

Ludmila arched an eyebrow. “You mean,youdecided?”

“Now, now, children,” Vlad drawled.

Yoo-Mi came into the room, a sheepish Mr. Fusanaga following in her wake.

“Hi, Bryony,” Mae’s mother said stiltedly. She greeted Nikolai, Vlad, and the Nolan cousins, and stared at the visitors she didn’t recognize. “Are these new friends of yours?”

Mae swallowed a sigh at the way Yoo-Mi avoided her eyes. “Yeah.” She peeked at Mr. Fusanaga. “And honestly, it’s okay. Ryu isn’t upset either. She was just a bit shocked.”

Yoo-Mi flinched and finally met her gaze. Color returned to her face. “It just kinda…happened.”

Mr. Fusanaga took her hand. The rest of the room stared.

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