Dani huffed at the reminder of her prodigious great-aunt, Helena. She had been a water-weaver, and very skilled at her craft, too. Apparently, she could summon an oasis in a desert. Dani shared her proclivity for elemental magic, except fire had always spoken to her the loudest. Of course, she would have an affinity for the most explosive element.
She had never met Helena. The witch had been killed nearly a hundred years ago during the uprising, alongside too many of her sisters. All that power, just…gone. She was the last in the family to have the gift, the rest living their lives as ordinary humans. Until Dani’s mother had met a shifter and joined the Nordan.
It was no surprise, really, that she had carried the secret of the witchcraft in her blood to her grave. If Dani’s father had found out…if thealphahad…
It hardly mattered now. They were gone, and had been for over a decade. The Nordan had no claim to her or her daughter. The Salem Coven had no idea that she came from a shifter pack; they believed she had grown up with full knowledge of her heritage, hence her knowledge of the paranormal world.
The only thing she needed to worry about was getting control over the damn potion.
She raised her hands, focusing on the bronze pot. But before she could attempt a third round, a soft knock sounded at the doorframe. A young witch stood there, no older than Dani had been when she arrived in Salem, her hands folded neatly.
“Dani Taylor?” she asked. “The High Sister requests your presence. When you’re able.”
Dani blinked. “The High Sister?”
The young witch nodded. “If you please.”
“Of course,” Dani said, her voice slightly too high as she turned from the cauldron and brushed off her hands. “Thank you.”
The girl bowed her head and left.
Aurelia looked up at her immediately. “Are you in trouble?”
“No,” Dani said, with far more confidence than she felt. “It’s just a meeting.”
“With the High Sister?” Aurelia said, a nervous grimace on her face.
That was only to be expected. Most of Aurelia’s—and Dani’s, for that matter—experience with the High Sister was getting told off for something Aurelia had done.
Edith placed a hand on Dani’s shoulder. “Go on. I’ll finish tempering the potion.”
Dani winced. “Do you know...”
“Run along now,” Edith interrupted, arching a brow. “High Sister Lavinia doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
With a nervous laugh, Dani ran her hand through her daughter’s curls, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Stay with Edith until I’m back.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Dani stepped out before her nerves could talk her into worrying further, but the moment the door closed behind her, her heart began its familiar heavy drum.
A meeting with the High Sister wasn’t everyday business.
And if it involvedher…
The walls of the Salem compound passed in a blur of brick and ivy. She nodded to passing witches, pasted on a polite smile, but her mind churned.
Was it about her magic? About Aurelia? Had she messed something up?
Had her past finally caught up with her?
Arthur’s face flashed in her mind.
Icy blue eyes.
Dark hair.
Broad shoulders bent with early responsibility.
