Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 68024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
I frown in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“You must stand with her. You will be afraid. You will want to step back, but it’s imperative that you don’t.”
“Agatha.” Astrid’s voice is hard. “That’s enough.”
“He has to know,” Agatha insists, but Astrid shakes her head.
“It’s their path to take, sister. Enough.”
Agatha’s eyes are full of worry as she stands from the table. “Protect my daughter.” It’s the last thing she says before leaving the room.
“No matter which side of the veil you’re on,” Hilda says softly, “you’re still a mother. She’s afraid for you both. We can’t see what the outcome will be, but if you’re true to each other, and if you work together, you have a fighting chance.”
“Great.” I push my empty plate away. “A chance.”
“That’s all we ever have,” Astrid points out. “Now, let’s get to the fun part of this interrogation. What makes you think you’re good enough for our niece?”
I blink at her and then chuckle. “I’m likely not. But according to the marks on our hands, and the way I feel when I’m with her, I’d say she’s stuck with me—if she’ll have me.”
“And where do you see yourself living in five years?” Hilda asks, surprising me. “Will you try to take her out of Salem?”
“I’ve been here for almost four hundred years. Why would I leave now?”
“Perhaps you want to see more of the world,” Astrid points out. “It’s a big world out there, and it’s easy to travel it now.”
“But our community, our home, is here,” I reply honestly. “Might we travel? Perhaps. But unless it’s her wish to move away, I’m happy here. I would be thrilled to simply be set free of the curse and able to live every day with Lucy, right here in Salem, for about fifty years. Growing old is a privilege. One I would like to experience with her.”
“Watch yourself,” Astrid says, a smile tickling her lips. “I might try to snatch you up for myself.”
“Get in line,” Hilda agrees, and I can’t help but laugh with them. “I’m so very happy that you found our girl. She deserves someone who values her.”
“Do you have other family in the area?” I ask, changing the subject. “Or is it just the six of you now?”
“We have extended family all over the country, but most of them think we’re a little nutty.” Astrid shrugs. “Others are also witches and members of covens in their own communities. When Lucy went through her ordeal in New Orleans several months ago, many of those cousins went to help.”
I narrow my eyes on her. “Her ordeal?”
“Well, it sounds like that’s something the two of you need to talk about,” Hilda says brightly. “Would you like some strawberry shortcake? I picked the berries from my own garden.”
“This late in the season?” Astrid asks.
“I froze them,” Hilda clarifies.
I want to ask for more details about New Orleans, but I can see the subject is closed for now.
“I’d love some, thank you.”
“So, what happened?” Lucy asks when I return to her house after dinner.
“You didn’t listen in?” I pull her to me for a quick kiss.
“I felt like it would have been rude,” she admits. “But I’m dying to hear about it. Were they overbearing with their questions?”
“Not at all.” I kiss her hand and lead her to the sofa, pulling her into my lap the way I’ve become accustomed to. “They’re wonderful women. I also met your mother.”
She sits up straighter and frowns down at me. “What?”
“She was there, as plainly as you’re here. I thought they’d invited someone else to dinner at first before they clarified who she was. You look a lot like her.”
“You got to see her?” Lucy slumps a bit with sadness. “No matter how hard I try, I’m never able to see or hear her.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Of course, I am.”
“Well, don’t be. You’ll see her. We all have the ability. We just have to practice.”
“Did she speak to you?”
“Hmm.” I don’t know if I should tell Lucy what her mother said. She’s had many scary things happen lately, and I don’t want to add more fear to her plate. “She smiled a lot. I think she just wanted to check me out.”
“Probably.” She rests her head on my chest. “What did you have to eat?”
“Something called a lobster roll.”
“Oh, those are my favorites.”
“It was delicious.” I brush my fingers through her hair. “Luciana.”
“Yeah?” She tips her face up to look at me. “What is it?”
“We need to talk about New Orleans.”
She wrinkles her nose and then sighs.
“Okay.”
Chapter Ten
Lucy
“How did you learn that they needed help in New Orleans?” Jonas asks after I’ve told him the whole story about how I helped some friends hunt a killer earlier this year. His face remained impassive as he listened to the craziness of what we went through, but his hands fisted when I told him the part about being kidnapped.