Free To Dance with the Devil (The Blood Singer Novels) by Cat Adams

come. I wasn’t even late.
    Her smile broadened. She has a good smile, one that lights up her face. Without that smile, she’s a very ordinary-looking older woman. With it, she’s a knockout. “Before we get started, how have you been doing since our last visit?”
    How had I been doing? I thought about how best to phrase it. “Okay, I guess. It’s been … hard knowing Ivy’s gone for good. I miss her a lot. I mean, I knew she was dead before. But she wasn’t gone. And now she is.”
    “Are you going to be all right for this meeting? If not, we can cancel. You don’t need to feel compelled.”
    Did I feel compelled? Not really. But, much as I dreaded it, I did feel this meeting was necessary. We needed to let Mom know about Ivy. And Mom, Gran, and I all needed to start dealing with our family issues. Our relationship wasn’t a healthy one—hadn’t been in years.
    “I’m okay.”
    “If you’re sure.” Gwen’s voice was neutral, but I got the niggling feeling that, while she would honor my decision, she wasn’t sure it was the right one.
    Gwen had originally suggested we use Skype or one of the many other available video-chat programs, but she ran into an issue. The magical barrier around the prison where my mother was an inmate caused interference on regular networks, so we were stuck using specialized equipment.
    That had meant rearranging Gwen’s office to make room. The large, comfortable couch had been placed facing the camera, with its back to the bank of windows. Gwen and I would sit there, close but without crowding each other. The video screen was already live, and one part of it showed my gran, who was sitting on her own couch in her new home. When she’d first moved to Serenity, Gran had rented a real rattrap of a place, but after the attempt on her life, I’d promised myself I’d get her out of there.
    I’d needed the help of Helen Baker, a member of the Siren Secret Service who had worked with me a number of times. Helen’s mother had been a friend of my gran’s, and Helen had talked Gran into renting her mom’s house, which was part of the Queen’s compound. It’s very nice and very secure, which makes me feel a lot less worried. And Gran liked the place and was comfortable there. Still, I was surprised to see her at home today. I’d expected her to be with Mom at the prison.
    “Hi, Gran. You’re looking good.” That was both true and not. Physically, she looked much better than she had the last time I’d seen her, shortly after she had been attacked on Serenity. Gran is a tiny woman and has always been wiry. She keeps her white hair cut close to her head and carefully curled. Looking at her today, in her pretty lavender church suit, I could see that she was tan and that she seemed more vital. I was glad to see that she’d regained some of her energy, that she was closer to the little whirlwind I’d grown up around. But while she looked better physically, it was easy to see that she was in emotional turmoil. Her expression was both angry and sad, and her jaw was set in that familiar oh-shit-now-we’re-in-for-it line. “How come you’re not with Mom?”
    “Hello, Celie.” Gran smiled and her face lit up. “This is so much better than a phone call. I get to actually see you.” Then her eyes narrowed as she inspected me and I knew I was about to be scolded. “You have a burn! You know better than to go out without sunscreen.” Being chastised was so familiar, so right, that I found myself smiling. During our last visit, she’d thrown me out of her hospital room. We’d said things to each other that could have damaged or even ended our relationship, and for months we’d barely talked and were excruciatingly polite with each other when we did. But the call last night had felt so different, almost normal, and today it seemed that the old wound had healed.
    “I didn’t want to be late. Besides, it was just a dash across the parking lot. It’ll heal in a couple