Mom wasn't about to let me off so easy. I'd just stepped outside the front doors of University Hall, preparing to find a quiet place to tear open the veil and just go the hell home when her mind latched onto mine.
Not gently. Not kindly. With force.
My office, she sent. Snarled, really. Now.
First impulse? Smartass answer.
Second impulse? Ignore her and get the hell out.
Third impulse won. I trudged across the Yard, the frayed edges of my give a damn hanging around me. All through the last three days I'd been hoping Mom's angry front was just that-a front. A mask to keep the other Council members happy.
But now that I'd felt her mind, heard and touched how real it was, my own anger flared bright and eager for a target.
This really is a bad idea, my vampire sent.
No hitting, Shaylee added.
No mercy, my demon growled.
They were all kinds of helpful.