“Um…” was all Sirius could get out.
“Oh dear, you have a lot to learn. Too bad I won’t be here to teach you about them.”
“Where are you going?” Sirius asked.
“It is time for me to move on,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been waiting for a wonderful family to come along and take care of this wonderful home. I scared the others off. You see, they weren’t worthy.”
“And we are?”
“Most assuredly” she replied happily.
“How do you know that when you just met us?”
She smiled. “I watched your face the entire time you walked around. You noticed something the others didn’t.”
“The fine details.”
“Yes, my husband put did those himself, gods rest his soul.”
“Thank you, Loretta.”
“You are welcome, young Alphonso. I’m happy you returned to Vale Valley, your presence was missed.”
“Wait, you two know each other?” Sirius asked.
“I’ll let you explain,” Loretta said. “It’s time for me to depart, I can feel my mate calling to me.” She stepped closer to Sirius and touched his cheek her hand was cold, and he wondered how he was able to feel it. “Why do I feel like I know you,” she said staring intently at him. “You remind me of my many great-granddaughter Brigid. She was a bright little witch.”
Sirius didn’t get a chance to speak because she disappeared right in front of his eyes and he felt as if his world was turned upside down.I just met one of my family members.
“Okay, that I didn’t know,” Alphonso said beside him.
“She was related to me.”
“It seems so.”
“How do you know her?”
“I used to play in the woods behind this house when I was younger, and Loretta used to look out for us. I knew she was connected to this house but not how exactly. The fence is new, maybe one of the previous owners added it. But I had no idea she had kids.”
“There’s so much I don’t know about my family.”
“Well, you could always ask Bedwyr. I’m sure he’ll be happy to fill you in on things you don’t know.”
It was a good suggestion, but Sirius wasn’t ready to be nice with the coven leader. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that his father hadn’t abandoned him and that his entire life could be a lie. He was connected to Vale Valley and had a place where he wouldn’t have felt like he was alone. He also didn’t want to imagine what his life would have been like if his mother had stayed in Vale Valley.
“Tell me there are no other family ghosts about to pop out of the woodwork.”
Alphonso chuckled. “Not that I’m aware of. So, does that mean we are going to buy it?”
“Of course, it seems the hand of fate is not only guiding us together by putting certain people and things in my path.”
“Well, I for one am grateful for their guiding hand.”
Leaning up he pecked Alphonso on his mouth. “Me too.”
