Blood Rule (Book 4, Dirty Blood series) by Heather Hildenbrand

wanted was to hug my mother. And for her to hug
me back.
    She welcomed me with open arms. I slid
into them and squeezed out all of my fear and uncertainty and
stress. I squeezed for all of the noise in my head and
responsibility on my shoulders. And for all of the things I
couldn’t share with a mom who loved me in a way that meant she
wanted no part in the life I’d chosen for myself.
    My mother was a Hunter by blood, not
lifestyle. A choice she’d made for herself when I’d been a baby and
my life was threatened. For a long time, I’d assumed her refusal to
acknowledge that side of her had to do with protecting me. Here I
was knee-deep in Werewolf and Hunter politics with a peace-seeking
group that had no problem using violence as a means to the end and
she still wouldn’t budge. She’d rather stay home scrubbing ovens
and countertops to counteract an anxiety that I suspected had more
to do with losing my father all those years ago than seeing me in
danger.
    The longer I watched her with Wes, the
more I became convinced of it. She didn’t hide her disapproval of
him, nor was she very nice about it. But she’d let some things slip
and I wasn’t entirely sure it was about Wes anymore so much as my
future with someone non-human. When it came to me, my mother was a
fan of boring.
    Boring meant safe. And making safe
decisions. I sucked at boring.
    But she was my mother and I loved
her.
    She held me and smoothed my hair until
I was ready to let go. When I pulled back and smiled at her, there
were tears in her eyes.
    “ Mom, are you okay?” I
asked.
    “ Yes,” she said, smiling
through the glassy sheen. “Worried for Vera. And what you must be
going through. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I had to wait on
a last-minute customer. We’ve been swamped lately.”
    “ It’s fine,” I assured
her. “I heard you come in late last night too. I wanted to let you
rest.”
    My mother owned a flower shop in
downtown Frederick Falls. She’d opened it when I was little and
always managed the shop and me all on her own. Despite all the
secrets between us, I was proud of her for all she’d accomplished
as a single mother.
    “ How is she?” she asked,
frowning over my shoulder at Vera.
    “ Not good.” I swallowed
hard. “They said there’s nothing else they can do for
her.”
    My mother squeezed my hand and walked
slowly toward the bed. She rested her free hand on Vera’s forehead,
gently smoothing the hair back.
    “ She looks so fragile,”
she murmured.
    “ I wish they could figure
out what’s wrong,” I said. “These are Hunter doctors. Shouldn’t
that mean something?”
    “ Vera’s condition is tied
to her ability, hon. When it comes down to it, magic and medicine
aren’t the same.”
    I sighed. I didn’t like that answer.
“Have you heard from Grandma?” I asked.
    I caught the hint of hesitation before
she said, “Yes. She’s battling rush-hour traffic. She’ll be here as
soon as she can.”
    My mom and Grandma were a little like
oil and water. It made me wish I’d known my grandpa, so it would
make sense how one could produce the other.
    “ And the meetings?” I
asked. “Did she say any more about what they decided to do with
Olivia?” Or me? I didn’t add that part. My mom didn’t need to be
reminded.
    “ No. She said it’s better
left quiet for now.”
    I nodded, unsurprised at her answer.
Grandma didn’t exactly confide in my mother even when things
weren’t hush-hush. Their relationship was one that worked best from
long distances with minimal conversing. Confined spaces brought out
the claws. I tried not to be around when that happened. Since
Grandma had come to stay with us, that wasn’t always
possible.
    But with Olivia in custody and all of
the meetings CHAS had called, she was rarely home lately. She
stayed in an apartment in DC most weeknights so her commute wasn’t
so bad. She’d offered to let me stay there too, so I could be close
to the hospital, but I refused.