“A penny for your thoughts?”
“I don’t know if they’re worth that much,” I said, shaking my head.
“Never discount yourself. That’s true for anyone, but especially for a witch.”
“You keep calling me that, and yet all I’ve done is see my tattoos moving around my body and somehow raise water levels that nearly killed Rome’s fish.”
Rowen shook her head. “You’ll understand soon. You’re a Prince, after all.”
My heart clenched ever so slightly. “No, I’m a Reed now.”
Rowen reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry for your loss. Your aunt spoke highly of Rupert.”
That made me smile. I didn’t cry or scream when I thought of my late husband anymore. While I wasn’t healed, not entirely—a widow never could be—I had moved on. I was on my path to finding happiness. Without his family, who always thought I was nothing. And without the town that hadn’t known me at all.
“He was amazing. And though I was born a Prince, I’m a Reed now. My mother kept her maiden name, but I didn’t. I don’t want to think of myself as a Prince and forget Rupert, if that makes any sense.”
The other woman nodded. “It does. And I understand. But you can honor both names to know where you came from. On both avenues, to see where you’re going.”
“It’s hard to see where I’m going. And, sometimes, the past seems so tangled.”
“The Princes were one of Ravenwood’s three founding families. The Ravenwoods themselves, my ancestors, built this town, but two other families came soon after—the Princes and the Christophers. Laurel comes from the Christophers.”
My gaze shot to her. “All three of us are from founding families?”
“As it was written. The last coven should be of the three families, the ones who will bring us forward into the light.”
“It sounds as if you’re speaking from a prophecy or something.” I tried to infuse laughter into my voice, but none came.
“Many things are written, but not all is seen.”
“Now you sound like a fortune cookie,” I said drily.
“You know, that’s what I’ve always maintained,” Laurel said as she walked towards us, her boots clicking on the cobblestones. “She likes to sound sage and wise, and yet, she sometimes sounds like a cracked, stale cookie.”
“Let’s not start today. I’m trying to introduce Sage to the town.”
“You’ve told her about the founding families and some of the businesses on Main Street. Have you introduced the town?”
“I’d like to see my bakery if that’s okay.”
“We can do that. First up is Ravenwood Pages. Laurel works there.”
I looked at the other woman. “You do?”
“Sometimes. I help my brother with a few things, but that’s online, so I also help your aunt from time to time.”
I noticed that Rowen had stiffened at the mention of Laurel’s brother, but I didn’t ask. It wasn’t my place. And, honestly, I didn’t have enough room in my mind to worry about anything else right now. It was enough that I was attempting to believe in magic and keep up with everything the residents of Ravenwood threw at me. I didn’t need to add anyone else’s emotions. Although, that was easier said than done. Rowen was so tightly wound that it felt as if she were suffocating next to me. Her feelings leaked through a tiny sliver in her control every once in a while. I could barely feel anything, but I did feel it. Laurel, on the other hand, burned brightly. Anger and pain wrapped around her as tight as a fist. Every once in a while, a flame of energy flicked off her as if the pain were screaming.
And even as I thought the words, I wondered if maybe I had known who I was my entire life. Yet, it had taken me taking my first step into this town to understand what exactly I had been feeling all these years.
I moved past the women and looked up at the building to our right. I grinned. “It looks like the photos,” I said, smiling.
“Your aunt has been doing a wonderful job with the place. I always find the books I want. It’s as if she knows what I need to read each morning.”
“That’s what latent witches do,” Laurel said, rolling her eyes. “You can go in now, but your aunt isn’t coming in until later today. You should probably go in with her then. She’ll want to show you the place.”
I nodded, my gaze still on the two-story building with its blue shades, cream wood exterior, and beautiful front porch. Each of the businesses looked as if they were older homes from the original town’s founding and had been converted along the way. Everything was picturesque and set in an older time, with a few new-century editions like WiFi signs and streetlights.
I loved it. It called to me. Spoke to me as if I were finally home. However, I didn’t quite understand how I could feel that way so quickly.
“Your building is next, and my shop is on the other side.”
“Yes, the witch with a magic shop. I’m so surprised,” Laurel said, and Rowen narrowed her eyes at her.
“Be kind or leave. We are introducing Sage to the town. I can’t do that if you’re acting like a witch.”
I had a feeling that Rowen had wanted to use another word just then but had held herself back.
“Wait, you own a magic shop? I thought you owned a souvenir shop.”
“We’re in a town of magic. There are many souvenirs. However, it is my witch’s shop. With magic for anyone, just not the kind they may think they need.”
“Oh,” I said, blinking.
“I sell jewelry, herbs, books, stones, and many other things that all walks of life can use. We’re in a town filled with the supernatural, so I sell things that help shifters, our dryads, even the fae, who walk amongst us. And I sell things for the tourists who don’t know what they’re getting. Things that won’t hurt them.”
Shifters. Spells. Fae. Many words that didn’t seem as if they should be in a conversation about reality. And yet, here we were. And there was no going back to the normal I’d thought I once had. There couldn’t be.
“I feel like I have a lot to catch up on.”
“Your aunt will have a book or two for you. At least things sent down through the Prince line. And between the bookshop and Rowen’s, you’ll find everything else you need. Don’t worry if you feel behind. You didn’t grow up here, but we’ll catch you up. It’s what we do.”
I looked at Laurel and felt as if she wanted to say something else but didn’t. She’d said that she couldn’t do magic, but she seemed to know it quite well. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.
“The town is full of people that you will meet, who will want to get to know you. Some will have secrets, but that’s how it is with any small town. You are of the coven, or you will be. That means a lot will be asked of you.”
“I’m trying to catch up. I don’t know what any of that means.”
“You will,” Laurel said. “Sadly, you’re not going to have a choice. None of us do.”
“Laurel,” Rowen warned but then froze and looked up. “Goddess.”
“What?” I asked, and Laurel cursed before she pulled a sword out of nowhere. My eyes widened.