The Reluctant Goddess (The Montgomery Chronicles Book 2) Read Free Page A

chair and put my hands on its arms.  
    "I haven't any idea," I said. What good was lying at this point? "I didn't know until a few weeks ago that my grandmother was a witch."
    "She raised you, did she not? And you didn't know all this time?"
    "She didn't raise me."
    I glanced at Dan who was concentrating on his meal.
    The atmosphere in the room was suddenly oppressive.
    “Why do you want to know?"
    She looked at Dan, then back at me.
    "You’re a danger to my family," she said. “It's important to know everything I can about you."
    I was in the process of formulating a brilliant response when Dan stood and held out his hand to me.  
    Bemused, I put mine in it, standing and staring at Janet. There was no love lost in her look. The woman definitely didn’t like me.  
    It wasn’t my table manners. I was a very polite eater.  
    "She’s not a danger, Mother," he said. "She's my guest and she's welcome here as long as necessary."
    "Are you absolutely certain that's a smart thing to do, Dan?”
    He didn't answer her and the question lingered in the air as he turned and walked with me from the dining room. We came to the main entrance with its sweeping staircase and he still hadn't said a word.  
    I had a dozen questions. None of them seemed as important as the one bubbling into speech as we mounted the stairs.
    “Does she know I’m a vampire?”  
    “Yes.”  
    The next question was: how? But I wasn’t entirely certain I wanted to know. Was I glowing or sparkly? Did I give off a certain je ne sais quoi aroma?  
    "I'm sorry about my mother," he said. "She's excessively protective."
    "Does she live here?"
    He shook his head. "No, thank God. She has an apartment in downtown San Antonio.”
    No doubt overlooking the River Walk where she could watch the tourists and pass judgment over each and every one. A comment I didn't make. I was, after all, a guest in his home. One did not insult the host’s mother.  
    “What did she mean, I’m a danger to you?”  
    “Nothing. She was just surprised to see you here. I’ve never invited a woman to stay at the castle.”  
    I pushed that thought aside for the moment.  
    At my door he hesitated. “We have to talk about what happened tonight,” he said.
    I only nodded. I hoped that the discussion had something to do with his changing into a golden retriever. Maybe the presence of his mother was a deterrent. Maybe he just didn’t want to fess up.  
    I stared after him for a moment before I closed the door.  
    Dinner had been an annoyance. So, too, Janet Travis, but the biggest regret I had was that I hadn’t finished my cheesecake.  
    Do I have my priorities in order, or what?  
    Although it was early, I got ready for bed. Trying to kill a master vampire had exhausted me. I took Nonnie’s potion, got into bed and turned off the light, grateful for the red glow of the intercom on the bedside table. Somehow, knowing that Dan or Mike was within hailing distance reassured me.  
    I woke up sick to my stomach. I made it to the bathroom with seconds to spare, throwing up my excellent dinner until nothing was left in my stomach.
    Maybe there had been something in the potion I should worry about. Or maybe this was just part of the whole process. Or it could be a reaction from whatever Il Duce had slipped me two nights ago. Please, God, don’t let it be early, early morning sickness.  
    I sat against the bathroom wall, not daring to move. I congratulated myself on my wisdom a few minutes later when the retching began again. When it was over, I wanted to press my cheek against the cool terrazzo floor. I was shaking violently, sweat pouring off of me. I couldn't remember ever being as sick. No, there was that time in college when someone had given me a beer and a shot. More than one, actually. I'd spent most of that night in the bathroom.
    It looked like I was going to do the same tonight. But it was worth it if the potion worked.  
    The very last thing I wanted was to be