“Yeah, she is. Teran told me.”
“I had to tell you,” Teran said. “As you and Rowan became closer friends, you would have sensed it. I know you. And she agreed with me that it’s better you know right now, so that you don’t make any stupid magical mistakes. Rowan’s the most powerful witch in town. Together with the Ladies from your mother’s side, that’s going to make you one heck of a sorceress. When you and Ari cast that wishcraft ritual, I realized I needed to tell you. Antics like that can backfire hellishly on a witch who doesn’t realize her own strength.” My aunt stood and went to the cupboard. “Do you have any chips?”
I absently rose and found them for her, carrying the bag over to the counter where I poured them in a bowl and set them on the table.
Ari couldn’t stop staring at me. “I still can’t believe Rowan’s your grandmother. She must have been…how old when she had your father?”
I shrugged. “Given she knew my great-grandfather and was here when the town was founded, she had to be up there. But the Craft preserves, after all.”
It was well-known that women with witchblood tended to look younger than they actually were. And they often acted younger, too.
At that moment, Rameer entered the kitchen, ducking as he came through the doorway. “Louise asked me if I could bring her some tea and crackers.”
“Of course,” I said, but Teran jumped up.
“Let me get it for her.”
“While I have you here,” I said to Rameer, “I wanted to ask you if, before you leave, would you mind giving me an interview? I know this sounds kind of cheesy, but if you would meet with a Professor Jamil Madison, he can authenticate that you’re a djinn.” I hurried to add, “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but if you decide to let me interview you for an article, I need to verify that you are truly one of the djinn.”
He snorted, but then shrugged. “Since you are giving me my freedom, I will oblige.”
“Are you hungry?” Teran asked him.
He shook his head. “I choose not to at this moment.” He accepted the tea tray and headed back out of the kitchen.
I watched him go. “I’m glad we met Rameer. I like him.”
“So do I,” Killian said. “Especially since he seems to be on our side. Djinns can be very tricky, but he feels upright and conscientious.”
“That would probably change if I had decided to pass his bottle onto someone else. You keep people in servitude and they tend to be snarly, with good reason.” I glanced at the clock. “It’s nearing one. I’m tired, and I think we all need sleep. Ari, Teran, the guest room is full but if you like, you can sleep on the sofa.”
“I’m going back to my house tonight,” Killian said. “I have an early day. Please call me when you get up and also, if I have to work late, let me know when you leave to clear out the Spit & Whistle. I can’t help but worry about you. All of you,” he added, glancing at Ari and Teran.
I gave him a long kiss, resting in his warm embrace. “I’ll miss you,” I whispered.
“I’m right next door if you need me,” he murmured, burying his nose in my neck. “I’ll talk to you later, love.” As Killian headed toward the door, I watched him go, thinking about how lucky I was, and how much the wolf shifter had already come to mean to me.
Since Killian was spending the night at his house, I offered Teran the sofa and Ari and I shared my bed. It had been a long time since we had a sleepover…at least one where we weren’t hammered and making stupid magical mistakes.
I sat on the bed, crossing my legs, while she began a brief yoga routine. “Here, let me join you. I’ve been lax on my exercise the past few weeks since I moved here.”
“It’s good for you,” she said, motioning for me to join her.
As we slowly went through our respective routines, she asked me, “So, Rowan’s your grandmother. How do you feel about that?”
“A little shell-shocked, to be honest,” I said, assuming the triangle pose. Trikonasana was good for everything from the heart to the stomach. I evened out my breath and leaned into the stretch. “I’m not sure how to feel about it. I feel lied to, but then, my father never knew. But my mother did and that makes it a little problematic. Didn’t my father deserve to know, even though Rowan said it was for safety reasons?”
“I can’t answer you on that one,” Ari said. She was in plank pose, or phalakasana. I envied her form—she was rock solid and didn’t shake at all. “Obviously she had her reasons, but if there’s danger, she should tell you exactly what she’s afraid of.”
“I guess she thinks nobody else knows. But Teran did. And I expect whoever my paternal grandfather is, he probably knows.”
“Not necessarily. She might not ever have told the father.”
“Then that begs the question, why?” I frowned, bending over with my head to my knees. Then I sat cross-legged on the floor and brought my legs into a half-lotus. Ari joined me, though she was easily able to assume the full lotus, and we quieted down.
I tried to silence all the wriggling thoughts in my head, clearing them out when they threatened to intrude. Finally, my mind was quiet and I floated in the feeling, letting myself sink deeper and deeper into trance. As everything around me became very quiet and calm, I took one last deep breath and let it out, enjoying the floating sensation.
“January…hey…” Ari’s voice was very soft, but it broke through the wall of fog I had built around me. “January, open your eyes very carefully.”
I slowly opened my eyes and stared down at the floor, which was resting about three feet below my ass. I was floating in midair.
“Cripes…I can’t believe I’m doing this again.”
“Can you get down?”
I frowned, shaking my head. But the action did nothing—I remained hovering above the floor. I cleared my throat and stretched out my arms. That did it. The moment I began to move, I landed, my ass hitting the floor with a thump that was muffled by the thick rug.
“What the hell? That’s the second time I’ve done this. I have no clue why it’s happening. It’s never happened before.” Feeling vaguely disconcerted, I picked myself up off the floor and stretched my arms wide, yawning. “It has to come from Rowan’s side. My mother never did anything like this, at least that I know of.”
She didn’t, and yes, the power is from Rowan’s side of your heritage. Esmara’s voice startled me.
Why didn’t you tell me about her?
It was her information to tell. I’ve been after her to let you know. Don’t be surprised, Esmara added. I still talk to my old friends even if they are still alive. It’s like making a long-distance call.
Tell me, how did you die? I found myself thinking before I could stop myself. I hastily added, If that’s not too personal or rude.
It’s not rude, no, though some spirits would contradict me on that. I died in a boating accident. I was out in a boat in the bay when a squall came up and capsized me. I was too far from shore and got confused, and drowned. They found my body the next morning on the beach. I was eighty-five.