Chapter 1
MycousinStevieopensthe lid to the cocktail shaker as she mixes the latest drink she wants to add to the menu. She pours the liquid into a martini glass and slides it over the obsidian bar top and I clasp the stem of the glass between two fingers.
“What’s this one called?”
“Love potion number 9,” she says with a giggle. I roll my eyes and take a sip. It tastes like shit.
I sputter a little as I try to figure out what she put in the cocktail. It’s a pinkish-reddish color and I hold it up to the light. “What the Hell did you put in this?”
“Pomegranate juice, peach vodka, grenadine, and orange juice.”
“Swap out the pomegranate juice for something else,” I say, and she groans but goes back to the drawing board.
“You’re in a mood… well, in more of a mood than usual,” Stevie says.
Stevie is everything I’m not. She loves coven life and gets along with everyone. Her outfits are always full of color, she wears long flowing skirts and weird clips in her hair. She’s pretty much the quintessential witch, and well, I’m me. If she weren’t my cousin, I would probably think she’s being fake, but I know her better than anyone and I’d hex any soul who tried to hurt her.
“It’s Ryan.” I sigh. Feeling like one of those girls who doodles a boy’s name in a journal. I’m not that girl. If anything, I’m writing your name in a journal to keep track of the people who need a good poisoning or impotence curse.
“I don’t get it, Blair. Why are you still dating him?”
“His magic,” I say with a sigh.
“You mean his magical signature. You and I both know he’s anexsul.” I know she’s right. I’ve done multiple spells to figure out what he is. Sadly, he’s just human with dormant magic in his blood. Likely, he has a magical parent, but for Ryan, his magic is latent, making him completely ordinary. I can’t tell him I’m a witch if he isn’t part of the supernatural community.
“It’s like I can feel his magic wanting to connect with mine. Like every time we fuck, it’s just bubbling up to the surface, but it can’t come out.”
Stevie grimaces. “That isn’t an image I needed in my head this early in the morning.”
“Want a worse image? Something I thought I would never say. I’m so tired of topping him all the time.”
Stevie spits out her drink and can’t stop herself from uncontrollably laughing. “Blair, you have got to break up with him. You don’t really like him and you keep pretending to be someone you’re not around him. I gotta say, Cousin, it’s pretty pathetic trying to watch you play little miss nice girl around him.”
My mouth gapes open. “Stevie, you’re lucky I love you or I would charm your clothes to shrink so you thought you were gaining weight.”
“That’s just evil.” I would never hurt Stevie; she knows she’s my soft spot. Stevie is my person, and must be protected at all costs.
She slides over the new cocktail, and I take a sip. “This is much better. Add it to the menu. Is Heather printing the new menus for tonight?”
“Yes, she said she would be back around three.”
“Good, I’m meeting Ryan for lunch, but I’ll be back well before the dinner crowd.”
“Don’t forget about the meeting at midnight, full moon and all.”
I groan and sit back on the stool. “Do I really have to go?”
“You’ve missed the last two, and you’re on probation. You can’t risk it. They’re our coven. You know we need to do our rituals to keep the coven’s strength up.” The council governs all witches around the globe. Their job is to make sure we don’t have another Salem situation on our hands. Fucking around with humans is the biggest way to get yourself in trouble. So far I’ve really just had some slaps on the wrists. Not being able to use certain magic, but if I get in more trouble with them they could potentially imprison me, restrict my magic even further or attempt to take it away completely. I would never let that happen, though. They would need to kill me first.
“You mean those cunts want to pull from my power to keep the coven strong? Why should I do that, Stevie?”
“You know it’s not that simple. Aunt Josie will lose her shit if you don’t come,” she says, giving me big blue pleading eyes.
“Fuck my mom. I might not come just to spite her.” I pick at my long dark matte nails. If my mom wants me to come to the full moon circle jerk, I’m going to need to be incentivized. It wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t treat me like I was a pariah.
“Blair, you’re so stubborn. Please, just come. For me?”
“Fine, but only for you, Stevie. If my mom says one thing about how I’m using my magic, I’m out.”
