‘You don’t know what you’re going to do,’ Catherine replied darkly. ‘It’s complex magic, more dangerous than you realize. It goes against nature. A witch cannot be bound until after her Becoming ceremony and once you are in full control, you won’t want to give up your magic. Today, you’re a housecat; after the ritual, you’ll be a lion. Do you think a lion would surrender so easily?’
‘I don’t know,’ I answered honestly. ‘Maybe. If it was the only way to save the ones it loved.’
‘How many times must we go through this.’ She closed her eyes and sighed. ‘You’re not going to end the world.’
The little black gem in the pocket of my jeans hummed.
‘That’s not how it felt this morning.’
Catherine’s eyes snapped open and her teacup slipped out of her hands, falling to the rug.
‘What happened this morning? Did you have another vision?’
I nodded but said nothing.
‘I know you’re afraid,’ she whispered, stating the obvious. ‘We can’t change what’s meant to be but forewarned is forearmed, don’t forget that.’
‘Will you promise me something?’ I asked, reaching forward to pick up her fallen teacup. She reached down at the same time and touched the damp patch on the rug, drying it in an instant.
‘Anything, honey.’
‘Will you research the binding rituals, just in case? I need to know there’s a plan B if the worst does happen.’
‘My brave, beautiful girl,’ Catherine said with a sigh. ‘I’ve waited so long to have you here where you belong, I’m not going to lose you now. Yes, I promise I will do whatever it takes to keep you and our magic safe.’
‘Even if that means saving me from myself?’ I pressed. ‘If I lose control, you’ll have a way to stop me?’
A small flame flickered out from her fingertips and set fire to the rug. She slapped it out with a scowl on her face.
‘Emily, I swear it. If you lose control, I will stop you from hurting yourself.’
‘Thank you,’ I said, eyeing the scorch mark.
It was the first time I’d ever seen Catherine lose control of her magic. I very much hoped it would be the last.
Chapter Thirty-Two
At first, when Wyn left, the days dragged but as my birthday approached, they passed like minutes and a week whistled by in an instant. In what felt like no time at all, there were only two days left until the full moon.
I sat alone in the dining room, eating breakfast. As usual, Ashley was out back and I had no idea where Catherine might be. She was absent more often than ever, disappearing and reappearing in strange places at strange hours, often retreating straight to her room without speaking to either of us. I kept myself busy, studying my ancestors’ journals, learning all I could about my magic and reading through Dad’s endless, mostly useless research, before closing out each day the same way. Laid out on my balcony, imagining Wyn was beside me. It took a while but I’d stopped checking my phone every five minutes of the day. There was never anything from him, just an endless stream of texts from Lydia, who had no memory of our shared vision. Eventually, all the fear and hurt went numb. Half my heart turned to stone, perhaps forever.
‘Emily, hurry up and get dressed, I’m taking you out.’
I looked up with a silver spoon of cereal frozen halfway to my mouth to see Catherine beaming at me from the doorway. She hadn’t been at breakfast in days.
‘I am dressed,’ I replied, tugging at my shirt. ‘These are clothes.’
She eyed my massive cotton button-down and bare legs, a look inspired by my fashion icon, Lydia.
‘Emily, hurry up and get changed,’ Catherine amended cheerily. ‘I’m taking you out.’
‘Out where?’ I asked, setting down my spoon and looking longingly at the leftover cereal milk. There would be no picking up the bowl to drink it in front of my grandmother, even if it was the best part.
There was a tiny smile on her lips but the tell-tale dark shadows under her eyes told a different story.
‘It’s a surprise. Quickly now.’
‘We don’t have a great batting average when it comes to surprises,’ I reminded her as I pushed my chair back to leave the table. ‘You can’t give me a hint?’
