I woke up slowly, my body reluctant to leave the warmth of my blankets. My eyes cracked open, and I lazily glanced at my phone.
12 PM.
Shit.
I groaned, rubbing my face. I hadn't meant to sleep in so late, but the past few days had been… a lot. Between the whole portal fiasco, fighting monsters, Rhiannon, and then my mom calling me out of nowhere, my brain had been running on fumes.
Still, I had things to do.
The first on my list—visiting my little sister.
I had promised to see her today, and if I didn't show up, she'd probably never let me hear the end of it.
But I wasn't just going to show up empty-handed. She had just gotten out of surgery. She deserved something good—something comforting.
And I knew exactly what to make.
A rich, warm seafood stew with fragrant spices, slow-cooked with tender fish and shellfish, a meal that would both nourish her and remind her of home.
But there was a problem.
