Page 32 of Witchy Woman

My new purchases land with athunkon my bed, rattling Belle, who decided to stay home today. She pointedly stares me down, then goes back to sleep.

Lazy princess.

The scent of dinner wafts up the stairs and into my room, an overwhelming amount of garlic. Not that I’ll ever complain about there being too much garlic.

Here goes nothing.

The house creaks and groans in what I decide is solidarity as I quietly move through the home to the kitchen. Hazel’s and Grandma’s voices float through to the dining room. They’re happy, talking about some details for Hazel’s upcoming booth at the market. It’s only a couple weeks until the new year and Ihaven’t even gone Christmas shopping yet. I tried to find some things today, but I didn’t find anything that I didn’t overthink myself out of purchasing.

Fear of the impending conversation, of what is potentially happening to me, threatens to keep me standing here like a statue forever.

Belle is at my feet, nudging me forward. She seems much more aware than I give her credit for.

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” I whisper-yell at her as she smushes her face into the backs of my knees.

She’s at my side as I walk through the arch into the kitchen.

Hazel looks up, smile on her face. “Hey!”

“I—” I want to say it, but the words stick to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter. How do I tell them that I’ve barely learned anything, but what I have learned looks like an automatic death sentence?

Grandma turns at my tone, and now they’re both staring at me.

“Here,” I say instead, stuffing the book into Grandma’s hands. “Virginia Pruitt.”

Grandma reads quickly, Hazel mouthing along with the words over her shoulder. It’s when Hazel’s mouth stops moving and she’s just standing there with her mouth hanging open that I get the distinct urge to run.

It’s probably why Belle is standing directly behind me.

Traitor.

Grandma calmly closes the book, placing it beside her on the countertop. “I have known plenty of Fire witches in my day that have not died young. This ancestor lived over three hundred years ago and we have learned much since then. While I understand how scared you must be in this moment, I promise you’re more worried than you should be.”

“Plenty? How many is plenty?” My voice is slightly hysterical. Shrill and not as detachedly confident as I prefer.

She wraps me up in her arms and I soak in her scent. Lavender and smoke. “At least ten. We will figure out the whispering, and we’ll do so in a way that keeps you safe.”

I melt into the hug. I don’t get enough hugs in a day.

Hazel wraps around me from behind and I’m in a Pruitt-witch sandwich. And I think I like it.

I’m becoming sentimental. Ew.

Chapter 16

What Are We Doing?

Hulking Brute: You okay?

Istared at that text all night after talking to Hazel and Grandma. Even when I put my phone down to try and sleep, I saw it behind my closed eyelids. And then I dreamed of replying, of telling Ash I just wanted him to hold me.

To feel those giant arms around my waist, pulling me close so I can bury my face in his neck.

And now I’ve been staring at it all morning, while I sit at this stupid booth. Avoiding looking in his direction. The sounds of the market swirl around me but I can’t hear them. The spicy winter scent tries to envelop me but I can’t smell it.

Would it really be so horrible if I just gave in? Noah is still alive, so there’s no guarantee that Ash would ever get hurt.

But on the other hand, both my mother and father are gone. And Noah did get kidnapped by a warlock, beaten, and put into a magical coma not too long ago.