Noble situated herself by the nightstand and poured the tea. She passed the cup along with a small plate of treats to her daughter.
Rain took them with a nod. Leaning back on the headboard, she blew softly at the hot liquid.
The older woman coughed lightly.
"I know you said you didn't want to talk, but may I?" Noble almost didn't ask the question, but she needed to know.
Rain glanced at her, and gave the faintest nod.
Noble understood that she must choose her words carefully.
"Your grandma left those cookies." Noble pointed to the flaky circles. "She always seems to know exactly when we need some. When I was a child I almost dreaded her baking because I felt it would bring trouble. Silly, I know…"
Noble bit into one of the cookies.
Whether or not Lena could actually bring catastrophe with her baked goods, she was always able to fix the problem with the same sweet treats. Noble felt the warmth of the grandmother's love as the cinnamon melted on her tongue.
Sitting on the bed, Rain felt it too. Her shoulders relaxed.
"It's too bad I didn't inherit her baking skills," Noble continued, earning the faintest of smiles from the teen. With a gasp, Noble placed her hand dramatically on her chest. "Hey now! I'm not that bad, am I? Don't answer that!"
Rain shook her head at her mother's antics.
"I'll just have to show my love in other ways." Noble continued, "Like telling you about my humiliating experience making a card for a boy I liked when I was sixteen. I put it in his bag unsigned and he thought it was a prank from one of his friends and they all made fun of it before he threw it in the trash. I never dared to tell him it was real..."
"That's horrible..." Rain whispered over a sip of tea.
"Worse than your father yelling out in a crowded theater?" Noble hoped her question would not make the girl shut down again.
Rain considered for a moment.
"Let's not compare traumas..."
"For what it is worth, your dad is sorry for his outbursts...both of them." Noble reflexively winced as she recalled both scenes.
"And he should be!" Rain straightened her back. "I'm not a child."
"We know that," the mother soothed. "It's just hard for us. You'll always be our baby, our sweet little Honey, but we have to let you grow up at the same time. It's a learning process; be patient with us."
"Dad said I couldn't date for a long time," Rain pointed out.
"Your father wants to protect you. The sight of you with a boy has rattled him. But if you like this guy, Cade..." Noble felt her daughter's emotions spike.
"I don't!" Rain's eyes darted away.
"Oh? Forgive me for prying, but at the theater, I could sense your feelings." Noble pressed.
The teen sighed and put down her cup.
"Cade is in my study group. He is very nice, smart, and a good athlete—all the girls in class like him. So when he asked to study with me, Kayla, and Obee, I agreed." Rain paused, trying to collect her thoughts.
Noble's mind raced too.
Since the professor's return as a Master, her daughter had been spending considerable time outside of class studying. The logical conclusion was that the teen was taking her studies more seriously, but now Noble saw the true motivation.
"And you found that you enjoyed his attention?"
Rain winced. "Is that wrong? I didn't even notice it at first, but then when I did, it was hard to ignore. And then tonight, he sat between me and Kayla and I thought maybe he might be interested. I didn't hate the idea."
The girl fell silent, her fingers running around the edge of the empty cookie plate.
"And your dad ruined the moment by yelling at the guy?" Noble filled in the blanks.
Rain's expression changed to one of surprise. "What? No, Cade has no idea that Dad was there. I'm not even sure he registered the scream because he cried out at the same time."
"He did?" Noble was so mortified by her husband's outburst that everything else around her was simply background noise.
"Don't tell Dad," Rain's voice became quieter, "But Cade did go to touch my shoulder like Dad claimed. But the moment he went to touch me, He pulled back suddenly. He spent the rest of the movie basically pressed up against Kayla. I thought maybe Dad had spooked him, but when we left the theater, Cade showed me his hand. It had two puncture marks on it."
"What?" Noble tried to picture what her daughter was saying.
The teen pressed her nails into the flesh of her hand to make a slight indent. She held it out for her mother to see.
"I know it sounds crazy, but it looked like a snake bite. I could hardly believe it!"
"A snake? In the theater?" The professor hadn't thought to search for snakes, but the idea of a single person being bitten in such a bizarre way was absurd. Wasn't it?
"I don't know how to explain it, but it was like something was protecting me." Rain's voice became pained.
"Why do you say that?" Noble's eyebrows shot up.
She had long felt a presence around the teen but never mentioned it to her. There was nothing Rain could have done about it one way or the other, so it seemed better to leave the conversation unsaid.
"When we got off the train, I offered to make it up to Cade for the injury he got while resting on my chair. I said maybe we could get dinner or go see another movie. He politely declined and turned around to ask Kayla on a date. Obee told me they used to be a couple, but Kayla broke up with him a while ago. I think..." the girl's voice broke, "I think he was only being nice to me to make Kayla jealous."
"Oh, Rainy!" Noble leaned forward and embraced her daughter.
"It's fine," Rain lied. "I'm fine."
Stroking her daughter's hair, Noble kissed the top of her daughter's head. "It's alright not to be fine."
Grunting, Rain sunk helplessly against her mother's shoulder. "Dad's right. I'm never going to date anyone ever!"
"Make sure to tell your father that. It will make his night." Noble resisted the urge to laugh. Hadn't she said the same at that age? But the teen was in no mood for giggling.
"Boys are stupid." The girl muttered.
"They can be." Noble smothered a grin in her daughter's dark hair.
"I'm stupid…" Rain stifled a sob.
Noble's smile faded. "Now, that is a lie I will never let you believe. Caring about someone does not make you stupid. You are brilliant, kind, and compassionate. The world is very lucky that you are in it."
"It doesn't feel that way." Wiping her face with her palm, Rain looked up at her mother.
"That's what all the best people say. If you knew half how amazing you are, you would get a swelled head and be too proud for your own good." Noble punctuated her words with a gentle gift of comfort.
Rain resisted for a moment then leaned into her mother's embrace. "Thanks, mom. I love you."
Noble tightened the hug. "I love you too. I'll stay as long as you need."
"What if I need you forever?" the teen's voice sounded small.
"You won't. Didn't you say you wanted to get stronger? Mundane or Awakened, someday you will outshine me and everyone else with that fire in your soul. But until then, I'm here."
Rain didn't answer, snuggling up against her mother until she fell asleep. Noble felt the girl's slow, measured breathing with a sense of profound relief.
Things would look better in the morning. They always did.
Not for the first time, Noble contemplated the future that lay ahead for her children, especially the beautiful girl in her arms. They were growing up whether she liked it or not.
All she could do was prepare them for what lay ahead and hope it was enough. Noble thought about the snake bite and how Rain said she felt protected.
Without thinking, Noble whispered into the air. "I don't know if you can hear me, strange Guardian, but thanks for defending my girl. If you could do that, you know, for forever, I would be very grateful."
It was probably just her imagination, but she could almost swear a soft hissing filled the air.
Laying Rain down on the bed, Noble kissed the sleeping girl's forehead, "Sweet dreams."