“Haven’t we had this talk before?” Her mother let out an exasperated sigh, which caused Kaia to chuckle. “Oh, you.” She could hear her mother’s smile. “You know very well potions are ingredients mixed to perform a function and can be—but aren’t always—infused with magic. Whereas elixirs are mixed magical liquids, thus based in magic at their foundation. I know it’s a fine line, but it’s there for a reason. The conference promises to delve into some rare recipes from a few fae and hell demesnes. I can’t wait.”
Her mother had a fixation with hells, devils, and demons. Dark magic could give much bang for the magical buck, yet it was too dangerous to handle. Kaia knew that, but her mother remained deliberately obtuse about dabbling in darker arts. Then again, her mother wasn’t just any sea witch, but the White Sea Witch. As the preeminent sea witch in all of the Pacific Northwest, she had a reputation to uphold.
“Well, I hope it’s fun. Where are you going?”
“The conference is in Vancouver, so not too far. I’m excited. It’s been a while since I mingled.”
You mean since you terrorized more than Seattle and its waters. “I’m sure you’ll have a blast.”
“Oh, I intend to.”
And didn’t that sound ominous.
They made small talk for a while longer before Kaia yawned and said good night.
But once disconnected from her mother, she felt less like sleeping and more like panic-calling for advice. She immediately dialed her sister. Technically her stepsister, but they never let genetics define their relationship.
“Hello?” Macy answered, sounding perky.
“Macy, I need some advice.”
“Who’s that?” a sexy voice in a British accent asked. The new guy Kaia had been hearing about from her parents. A vampire—a revenant, to be precise. His tribe were know for their intelligence gathering and speed and could shift into a raven at will—which all sounded right up her witchy sister’s alley. Kaia wanted to be happy for Macy but... a vampire?
“It’s my sister, Kaia,” Macy answered him.
“Oh. When do I get to meet her?”
“Never, if our dad has anything to say about it.”
Kaia warmed. Macy had taken to being her big sister ever since her mother had married Kaia’s father. She’d even assumed “Dunwich” as part of her name, officially adopted by Kaia’s dad, and never used the term “step” to describe them. They were sisters, period.
Though Kaia would feel bad after thinking it, she often wished Macy had been born her older sister, with Diana, Kaia’s stepmom, her biological mother. A witch, Diana Bishop-Dunwich performed strong, clean magic. Nothing like the suffocating malevolence Kaia’s mother enjoyed. Plus, Diana had accepted Kaia into the family from the very beginning.
No wonder Macy was so independent and resourceful. She took after Diana and Will Dunwich. Kaia did her best, but she came across as naive and weak. Always worried about everything, like disappointing her father, annoying her mother, or not living up to the Dunwich name, like Macy obviously did.
Heck, sometimes it felt like Kaia lived to make everyone but herself happy. But if she admitted that to her father, he’d worry and cast blame, likely at Sabine, which Kaia didn’t want to have to handle.
At least with Macy now coupled up with an honest to goodness vampire, Kaia didn’t need to worry about doing anything that might have repercussions on her sister’s safety. If Macy could handle death-bringers, she truly had become the “badass witch” she’d always aspired to be. Talk about living on the wild side.
“Kaia?”
“Oh, sorry. Do you think you could get somewhere private? It’s about my mom.”
Macy muttered under her breath, no doubt something uncomplimentary about Sabine. “Sure. Hold on.” Kaia heard a muffled, “No, Duncan, you can’t follow me. Shoo.” Another pause, and then, “Okay. Speak, freak.”
Kaia grinned. “Oh good. You’re still you. For a minute there, I thought you’d turned into vampire dinner.”
“Ha ha. Dork.”
They both laughed.
“Macy, I need a sounding board. I don’t want your help. And I don’t want any arguments about this.”
“Oh man. What did Sabine do now?”
Kaia flushed. “Nothing that I know of, but I don’t trust my gut feeling. I’m planning a scrying spell on her place in a few days while she’s at a conference.” Which actually meant—I’m telling you, my big sis, that I’m scrying from a safe distance. In reality, I’m swimming over there to check things out in person. “Am I being nosy? Out of place in my worry? Should I just ignore my feelings?”
“Seriously? You have to ask this after all the crap Sabine’s pulled and keeps pulling? And let’s not get started on how creepy it is when she casts a spell to look like you to snare men. It’s downright incestuous.”
“Ew.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Your mom has issues.”
“I know.” Kaia sighed.
“But none of that’s your fault. You know her better than I do. If you think she’s up to something, I say check it out—from a distance. I’m here if you need help, and you know Dad is there for you. Mom too.”
“I know that.” She blew out a breath. “I just needed to hear it.”
“I believe in you.”
“I believe in me too.” Or at least, Kaia was trying to feel more confident. “Okay, enough about Sabine. Tell me about you and your new kin. That’s the right word, isn’t it?” Kaia still had a lot to learn about vampires, but she’d been studying. Her job at the Alister Doctrina Repository, better known as the ADR, a magir library located in Lake City, gave her access to all kinds of information. Unfortunately, many of the books on vampires seemed permanently checked out to members of MEC.
She knew little more than what she’d gleaned from a few weeks ago, having spent time with Macy and Cho, her sister’s best friend and their pseudo-adopted brother. Cho could always be counted on to rescue her if she got into trouble. And he didn’t always tell Macy either.
Macy said, “Yes, Duncan and the others are now my kin—which is vampire for family.”
“And the tribe you’re in—”
“It’s a clan. Vampire clans are small. Ours is the Night Bloode, and it’s only six vampires, two dusk elves, me, and Mormo. Oh, and Hecate.”
Kaia still couldn’t believe her sister talked to the actual goddess herself, but Macy had been pretty complimentary about her patron deity. Hecate, goddess of death, witchcraft, and necromancy, also looked after the crossroads connecting all the planes in existence. A threefold goddess who had three faces, she wore the mantles of maiden, mother, and crone. A most mysterious divinity, she was often associated with all manner of magic.
And Macy had shared drinks with her at an otherworldly bar.
Kaia still had a tough time understanding how much her sister had changed. Macy had always been a strong witch, though one unable to tap into her power. Now she supposedly energized using the bloode of her mate. Bloode with an “e” because a vampire’s bloode was made of more than mere blood, but magic as well as bodily fluid. Kaia didn’t have the nerve to ask if Macy drank her mate’s bloode or he drank hers, or maybe they just had vampire nooky to get strong.