Itossed in the last few rattles and grabbed the baby seat, throwing it into the stroller’s basket before heading down the drive. Usually the afternoons were quiet, everyone having already dispersed from their Sunday morning coffee and chitchat outside of the Coven Community Center.
My mind raced, tripping over last night’s moonlit exhibition. The small streak of luminescence absorbed through the windowsill’s lunar panels had supplied me with a small amount of magical juice, which was good since the tracking spell would draw from my energy.
Energy.
Ha.That seemed like a foreign concept ever since I’d become a mother. Honestly, even months prior, when my growing belly and anxious thoughts made it near impossible to sleep.
While I had planned to wait another month, never expecting last night to play out how it did, it felt good to reconnect with myself, even if only a smidge. I didn’t have nearly the amount my body could be blessed with, but hopefully it was enough to help find my sister—it had to be. If the spell took every speck of magic I had in me, I’d give it up in a heartbeat for her.
My phone buzzed in the cupholder and I picked it up, hoping for an update on Hazel.
Atlas
Miss you both already.
My chest ached, holding back the urge to text back. To say I missed him too, even though I had no right to. I’d find a way to summon the courage to reply later—when I could formulate what I’d say.
When Atlas visited this morning, I’d hidden the small amount of magic I’d replenished, keeping my distance as he said goodbye to Aspen. There was a part of me that felt a twinge of remorse about making him leave last night, but my willpower was much too weak around him. If he’d stayed, it would have ended up with us both wrapped up in the moonlight, giving him the opening I knew he hungered for to confirm why we should be together.
The fallout would have been disastrous.
Meanwhile, I didn’t have any regrets about what I’d done with Lynx. Did that make me a horrible witch or was it a sign that things were truly over between Atlas and I?
The only thing that nagged at me was if Saros knew. They lived together, so I assumed he did. But what if hedidn’t? Lynx had said Saros was aware of his feelings for me, he’d witnessed our less-than-timid kiss, but I didn’t want to do anything to come between them—especially with them working together to find my sister. I needed her back.
Two strollers wheeled side by side in my direction. I stopped, not wanting to draw more attention to the fact that I was heading to Luna’s after the morning rush. It would look especially odd when I wentinsidethe coffee truck to meet with them.
“Did you have a blessed full moon?” Ivy called out, a brilliant smile gracing her lips. She had a little pep in her step, probably from replenishing her magic among enjoyingotherfull moon activities.
I returned the smile in full. “I did. Thanks for asking.”
“Goddess, I’m still recovering from last night. Jacob was insatiable after we’d recharged. I shouldn’t have let him take that extra adrenaline shot.” Jade chuckled, shaking her head.
I couldn’t say anything in response. As far as the neighborhood was concerned, Lynx and Saros were married, devoted solely to each other. While supernaturals were no strangers to sharing or opening up their sex lives within the coven, it wasn’t something they talked about. Marriages were sacred, more so than in the mortal world.
In fact, our Goddess-blessed wedding runes held them to any vows they made to each other. Any deviation from them was punishable via the mark they wore. There was no room for secrets in a marriage, something our community took seriously.
“I’m so glad you came to the moonluck. Aren’t they amazing?” Jade asked, pushing down the brake on her stroller alongside Ivy. “I swear, only Starry Night Lane does it like that, but even the other Celestial Haven covens have similar things.”
“Just not nearly as spectacular,” Ivy said as she brushed back her platinum tresses, a few streaks of silver intermixed.
A whine came from in front of Jade, and she rolled her violet eyes, grabbing her toddler out of the back seat of her double stroller and setting him down to waddle barefoot around the sidewalk. “Well, we do pride ourselves on being the model street and coven.”
“We haven’t won the HOA Stellar Street award all these years for nothing. Every year since the houses went up on Starry Night Lane. This one will be no different.” Ivy reached a hand into her stroller, and I could hear the contented giggles of Parker filter through the air. I looked down, spotting Aspen staring at me, his chestnut eyes so intensely focused I wished I knew what he was thinking.
“Thanks to Aurora and Fitz—” Jade sprinted after her little witch, black hair whipping behind her, managing to snatch him up before he ran out into the middle of the cul-de-sac. “This one. Always a runner. I should have known.”
Goddess help me once Aspen was mobile.
“Did I just hear my name?”
Aurora was dressed in a black workout ensemble, her zip-up sports bra only halfway done, showing off her ample cleavage. How were her breasts so perky? I was certain mine would be a set of sad flapjacks once Aspen was through with them.
She sipped from her water bottle, the dusky shade muting the bubbling, bright-green elixir within.
“What’s that?” Ivy asked, eagerly, looking at her drink.
“My usual energy elixir, just added some electrolytes to restore all the full moon activities.” She gave a languid sigh then brought her attention from Ivy to me. “Highly recommend them to help maximize the moon’s replenishment. I have a monthly subscription for Madame Mercer’s Potions.”
