Page 73 of Shifting Winds
Tess tilted her head and studied him with her pale, curious eyes. “It’s okay, Ash. You don’t have to lie.”
Ash opened his mouth, frowned, then snapped it shut.
Moira jerked her head at Ash. She walked into the guest room, and Ash followed behind. The door slammed and hushed voices murmured so low I couldn’t make anything out.
“Is Ash mad?” Tess asked.
I swung my legs over the couch and patted the seat beside me. “Come over here.”
“But you’re sick.” Pale, guileless eyes blinked at me.
My heart softened. “I’m not sick. Only wounded, and I’m already on the mend.”
Tess rose and came over, curling her feet underneath her. I put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Tess was young and unusual even among her peers. She had one foot in the world and the other in the land of the dead. As much as it pained me to think about, Tess might always have a difficult time in the world. Banshees weren’t common in Joy Springs, and Tess was unusual even for one of her kind.
“Sometimes people can say something that hurts us, even when they don’t mean to. It’s okay to be upset by those words, Tess. We don’t always have to be strong.”
Tess swallowed and looked down at her lap. “Ash is hurting. Because of me.”
“I know he is, honey. But he’s going to be okay. I promise.”
She sniffed. “I can’t help but be what I am. I tried really hard to be what he wanted, but I couldn’t.”
Oh, to be young again. I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes. “You don’t have to be anything other than Tess. Someday, someone will come along and love you in all the ways you need them to. Maybe that person will be Ash. Maybe it won’t. But I promise you, it will happen.”
Tess’s gaze lingered on the still-closed door Ash and Moira lingered behind. “I want us to be okay. But when he looks at me, I see pain. And it hurts me here.” She laid a hand over her heart. “I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Again, Tess, it will take time. Everything is new and like any wound, it needs time to heal.”
Tess nodded. “I’ll try to do better.”
I shook my head. “No.” I pulled her closer and kissed her temple. “You don’t need to do anything.” Whether she would listen only time would tell. “Keep being you. That’s all we can do.”
The door opened. Moira came out, her eyes flashing a bright emerald. Ash walked out with his head lowered and his hands in his pockets.
“You ready to go?” he asked Tess.
She slid out of my arms and walked to the door. “Ready when you are.”
Moira went to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Her shoulders were tight, and her mouth was pressed into a white line.
“Evie,” Ash said. “I’m glad to see you’re doing okay.”
“I’ll be at work before the end of the week. Hopefully in the next couple of days.”
“Don’t rush on our account. Everything is fine.” He bent to brush a kiss over my cheek. “Get some rest.”
I waved at Tess who smiled shyly.
A moment later they were gone.
Moira didn’t speak for several minutes until she set a steaming cup before me. “Drink one more of these. I want you to go to bed early.”
“Aw Mom. But I wanna watch tv!”
