I smile and hug them both, taking a deep breath.
“Are you two ready?” I ask and they both nod, even if there is some fear there.
Iris and Ember go to Goddess Apothecary while I manifest right outside of my grand-mère’s house, waiting for her to leave. I hear the crack of her teleportation, knowing that Iris called her to let her know a potion went array as I sneak into the house, my great aunt Daisy, sitting in her same worn chair.
I don’t waste any time getting on my knees before her and touching her far too skinny legs.
“I don’t know what she did to you, Aunt Daisy, but I’m trying to make things right. I found my mother and father. Do you know where she put my mother’s magic?” I ask her.
Her eyes search my face as her aging hand cups my face. She summons a book that comes whipping through the air and lands with a thud on the table. It’s worn, nearly ancient looking with the way the leather is colored. She flips a hand, and it opens. It’s not a book at all, it’s a box housing two rings.
I pick them up and I can feel it. It feels like the same magic I felt when I put on my necklace for the first time.
“What did she do to you, Daisy?” I ask.
Her eyes are soft as her hand caresses my cheek.
I grab the rings, and there’s a soft click of a door. My heart races and I’m barely able to think. The most important thing right now is to get these items to someone I can trust, someone who she wouldn’t suspect. The only way to teleport myself physically out of this house is when I’m holding my grand-mère’s hand. She warded her home that way. It never felt odd until now. But physical objects are a whole other story.
I take a breath and transport the rings to someone I know can keep them safe, someone who my grand-mère will never suspect.
As soon as they’re out of existence, Daisy shuts the book and returns it to the shelf.
Her eyes clash with mine again and for the first time in my entire life, I hear her speak.
“Run,” she whispers.
I hold her eyes for a brief moment, panic filling me as I run for the front door and swing it open. The moment it’s open, a wand is placed at my throat.
My grand-mère’s pinched expression and disappointment is evident as she uses the tip of her wand to toy with the necklace.
“I see you’ve found the truth out about who you are, granddaughter,” she says, eyeing the necklace cautiously.
I can’t slip up. I’m not sure how much she knows.
“I found it in the house. You knew what I was?” I say.
“It’s why your mother ran away. She knew I would not approve. I also assume it’s why you ripped your magic from her in the womb. At least she had the foresight to pull this disgusting part of you out. You are a witch, Violet. A future High Priestess. This just won’t do.”
I’m sliding my wand out of my back pocket as she sighs. I’m stunned on the spot, and everything goes black.
Chapter 39
I’m enjoying a sunbeam on the porch, as one does, when two wedding rings appear on my collar.
I can sense the magic immediately and sigh. I had plans to do nothing today, but it appears my dearest witch has gotten herself in a bit of a bind.
Using magic in this form is exhausting, but somehow I persevere, knowing what I need to do.
I meow with irritation after the teleportation; I haven’t done that in ages. The stench of wolf is disgusting as I trot down the dirt road, sensing my witch’s large shifter husband.
I scratch on his door hard enough to leave marks and smile as he opens the door and looks down at me with furrowed brows. I sigh and meow, batting at my collar.
He bends down and sees what I have, his gaze turning lethal, as he looks at the rings on my collar.
“Fuck,” he curses.
He lets me into the home as he tries to call the coven members who’ve always supported my witch. As he does so, he puts out a cooked piece of salmon for me. Perhaps the man isn’t so bad after all.
