“No. Uh. Sorry again for bumping into you.”
“Right. Stay safe,” he says, and I swear he looks back over at the building.
I’m sure I’m looking at him like he’s crazy. There’s no controlling my face at his weird words.
“Um, sure. You too,” I say, picking up speed, getting the hell out of there.
Well, that was fucking strange. Despite the weirdness in town, I make my way home, while sending a quick text to Iris.
Me
The guy out front of your shop is a little creepy.
Iris
There isn’t anyone there?
Me
Okay good.
I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he isn’t bothering her. But when I finally open the gate to my house, that relief falls away. My grandmother and mother are on my porch, and I already know it’s going to be a shitty visit. Wonderful, just what I needed at the end of a very weird day.
The fairies are in the garden, and I swear to Hecate, if they mentioned anything about my little vampire situation, I’ll disown all of them.
My grandmother sits on a rocking chair, her red hair graying, her green eyes just like mine as she looks at me with disapproval.
My mother leans against the wall, her arms crossed, but she looks down at the porch floor boards, not at me. I spent so much of my life wishing she would grow a spine and stick up to her mother, but she never has.
“What in the hell did you do to your hair?” my grandmother asks and I sigh, running my fingers through the strands.
“Felt like a change.”
She rocks in the chair, looking unimpressed. I immediately shove my hand in my pocket, remembering the ring. The old witch is too perceptive and I don’t need her asking questions.
“Seems like that’s the whole coven these days. Aster did so much for this coven and they set her aside for an alliance with a shifter. Our High Priestess is married to one, created that abom?—”
“It’s time for you to leave,” I say, cutting her off. There’s no way I’m going to let her talk about Violet or her parents that way.
“You’re going down a dark path, granddaughter. I can feel it. The Hallows have been a part of Celestial Coven since our ancestors left Ireland. We need to fix this coven before it’s irreparable.”
“Do you have anything to add?” I ask my mother, who shakes her head, not even looking at me.
My grandmother rises from the rocking chair slowly, hands on her hips. She glances at the broken door frame.
“What happened there?” she asks and I try to quickly come up with a lie.
“I don’t know.”
My grandmother scoffs. “That’s the problem isn’t it. That head of yours never knows what’s going on. So lost in your plants and your daydreams. This is serious. I know you’re one of the weakest witches in the coven, but you need to pick a side.”
I want to tell my grandma off, I want to tell her that I’m not weak, that I perfected a spell on my first go that I’m sure no one in the coven even knew existed. She’d be mortified to learn about my deal with Warin. She’d just say it proves what an idiot I am that I got myself into this mess. It’s exactly why I need to prove myself.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, grandmother. But I think the coven is in a better place than it’s ever been. I hope you have a good night,” I say, passing her on the porch.
She grabs my arm, squeezing too tight.
“Whatever it is that you’ve gotten yourself into, I’ll fix it, like I always do. Just make the right decision, the one that benefits the coven. No more outsiders, we need to repair our coven,” she says.
