“Magic. Educated.” Romy stares. “Educated how?”
“We’d love to teach you,” Joe says. “When witches turn sixteen, they go to the Academy to complete a Diploma of Witchcraft. Since you didn’t do that, you can get a WED—Witch Equivalency Diploma. You just have to pass the exam.”
“You could move in here,” Cassie says, leaning forward. “And live with us while you’re studying.”
“I don’t even know you!”
Cassie sits back, a hurt look on her face.
“I mean, we just met,” Romy says. She may think we’re all bonkers, but she still doesn’t want to insult us. That’s actually kind of sweet. She stands, her eyes a bit wild. “I have to go. This is bizarre. You’ve been very nice to me, but I think it’s best if we just go our separate ways.” Her smile is tight, but she’s making an effort to act normally even though I can read the fear in her eyes. She’s probably afraid we’re going to kidnap her and drink her blood or something and is trying to make a quick getaway. “I won’t tell anyone about this.” She backs away, waving her hands. “Don’t worry about that.”
“Wait, Romy, you need to know…” Joe stands. “You can’t tell anyone.”
She twists her fingers together. “I just said that.”
“Seriously. You put lives at risk if you tell a Rucker.”
Her eyes widen and her lips part. She’s fucking terrified. I shoot Joe a frown.
“Oh my god,” she murmurs. “I have to go.”
Joe steps forward. “Wait… I’ll drive you home—”
“No! That’s okay!” She bolts from the room.
We all look at each other.
“Should I go after her?” Joe asks.
“I think she’s scared,” I say. “Maybe not right now.”
Felise and Magan slump. “Damn,” Felise mutters.
“That didn’t go well,” Magan says with a sigh.
“It’s understandable,” Cassie says. “Put yourself in her place.”
“I know.” Felise pouts. “But we’re such great people. It’s hard to understand why someone wouldn’t want to be part of this family.”
“I can understand it.” Magan rolls her eyes.
One corner of my mouth lifts. “Maybe she needs time.”
Everyone nods.
Joe’s shoulders are hunched, his face wearing a pained expression. He’s been through this before with someone he cared about. I hate seeing him like this.
What can I do? Anything?
I stand. “I… think I know where she might be. I’ll go talk to her.”
“Okay.” Cassie rises and comes to me for a hug. I give her a squeeze. “Thank you, Trace.”
“G’night.”
Outside, the heat of the day has dissipated with a cool breeze rustling the trees in the dark. I walk down the sidewalk to where I parked. I don’t have telepathy, but I’m pretty intuitive. So I get in my car and drive to the Singing Horse.
I enter the dimly lit bar to music playing, voices chattering. Pausing at the door, I sweep the room with my gaze. It lands on Romy, sitting at the bar by herself, a glass in front of her, head bowed. The light above gleams on her dark hair, and her wilted posture tugs at something inside me. She was so happy earlier… meeting her new family, charming them, clearly thrilled to be part of it all. And now… she looks so dejected.
I walk toward her.
8
Romy
I take another sip of whiskey. This stuff’s not bad. All I ever drink is wine and beer and the occasional fruity cocktail. But I felt I needed something stronger tonight.
Am I losing my mind?
I had a few glasses of wine over the course of the evening at the Candlers, but come on. I wasn’t that drunk that I hallucinated what I heard. Or did I? Nobody in their right mind would say something like that.
Not just one person said it. They all said it. Including Trace.
Felise and Magan… okay. I can see it. They’re bubbly and irrepressible, and their little shop selling charms and candles and potions… Maybe they think they’re witches. But Joe? And Cassie? And Trace? The man I flirted with and danced with and… kissed. Oh. My. God.
I lower my head to the wooden bar and slowly knock my forehead against it. Once… twice…
“Hey.”
I lift my head and peer at Trace.
“Don’t do that.” He frowns. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I had a feeling you might be here.” He slides onto the stool beside me.
“Please go away.”
“No.” He signals to the bartender, who pops right over, and orders a beer.
“What are you drinking?” he asks me.
“Peanut butter whiskey.”
He chokes. “What the…?”
I shrug. “I don’t drink hard stuff, so I thought I’d try it. Did you use your witchy powers to find me?”
“No. I used my gut instincts. They’re usually reliable.”
I close my eyes. Not only am I dumbfounded, but I’m also disappointed. I feel like I had the family I always wanted in reach… I had it. They were so nice to me, so welcoming and inclusive and… then they turn out to be a bunch of whack jobs.
I guess this is what I get for trying to add some excitement to my life.
“I never should have taken that DNA test,” I mutter, then toss back a bigger gulp of whiskey. I cough.
“Easy, beautiful.”
I shoot him a baleful look. “If there was ever a time in my life to get trashed, this is it.”
His lips twitch. “Yeah. I don’t blame you.”
I narrow my eyes. “You were all fucking with me, weren’t you? Was that some kind of weird family initiation joke?”
“No. It wasn’t a joke.”
“Shut up.”
“Will you listen to me?” His tone is mild, though his eyes still focus on me with that mesmerizing intensity that fascinated me the other night.
I swallow. My gaze hooked on his, I nod.
“Okay.” The bartender slides his beer over to him, and he curves his hands around the glass, looking down at it instead of me. “The Candler family has their idiosyncrasies. What family doesn’t? But they’re not insane. They were telling you the truth.”
I open my mouth, but when he slants me a quelling glance, I shut it.
“Can you open your mind to the possibility that magic exists?” he asks quietly. “That witches have existed throughout history?”
“In fiction.”
“And real life. But real-life witches aren’t all that different than you. We coexist happily with Ruckers. You’ve probably met witches before this.”
Her lips purse in a skeptical pout.
“Can you open your mind to the possibility that magic might live within you?”
“Oh sure. I’m the most ordinary person ever.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Did you know who I was when we met?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “I had no idea. I just knew that you were beautiful and kind and fun, and… I was incredibly attracted to you.”