Maebh’s chair tipped and clattered to the floor as she stood. She crossed the room in a few wide steps and grabbed Mara by the arm. “How many times have I told you?” she demanded. “Goddess, Mara, I need you safe. I need to know you’re safe, always.” The look on Mara’s face passed through shock to horror and shame in a moment, then pulled into anger as fierce as Maebh’s. She met the older woman’s eyes. “How can you say that to me?” she said. “What are you doing here? I know this place. I can—” She stopped herself, her nostrils flaring. Noah could have sworn she was about to say she recognized the cottage’s smell. “You can’t tell me I’m not safe, Maebh, when it’s so clear you’ve been here before.” “And your brother? Does he know?” Maebh was shouting now. “And the young—” She stopped and glanced toward Noah. He thought she’d liked him well enough when they met, but the look she gave him now made him feel like a kidnapper. He stared down at the floor, his whole body tense.
