Chapter 574. Convincing the Queen

Before my body even catches up to itself, Mom has her arms around me, pulling me into the tightest hug possible as Sarah’s powers shudder away, falling like ash that covers the ornate red carpet in one of the upper wings of Aunt Ella’s palace in Moonrise. 

Golden finishes blur my vision. My senses go haywire for a fraction of a second before familiar scents and voices bring me back to reality. 

I slowly fold my arms around Mom’s back and squeeze. 

Neither of us says anything for a long, long time. I stand on my tiptoes and rest my chin on her shoulder, closing my eyes and breathing in her sweet, floral scent. She’s been wearing the same perfume for decades. She always smells the same–the smell of my childhood. 

“Mama,” I whisper into her strawberry scented hair. 

She trembles with silent sobs, cupping the back of my head as she pulls away. Her big, dark blue eyes–eyes she shares with Sydney and Ryan–sweep over my face, over