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The rain eases up, and Mel walks to the railing, sits, and slips her legs between the rungs.
She pats the wet wooden boards beside her. “Come sit with me.”
I wring water from my hair as I join her, the roof beneath us slippery from the rain, but the railing keeps us safe.
Together, we stare out over Hartford Cove. The town glistens from the rain as the dark clouds disperse, and the late afternoon sunlight returns. Silence settles between us for a while as we breathe in the scent of freshly washed earth.
When Mel seems in no hurry to speak, I offer, “I understand why you’re so annoyed that your moms want you to marry Aspen, if that’s how he always is.”
Mel’s eyes remain on the town below. “He wasn’t always like this. When we were kids, he was a bit of a rebel, and we were thick as thieves.”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “After we started taking our circle tests, he changed. He became more critical of my…” Her lips twist in distaste. “He called it my lazy way of practicing magic. Eventually, he said I was holding him back from advancing.”
“Asshole.” I look at her. “What he said earlier about me. Is that why you dress and act differently around him?”
Mel’s head drops to rest against the rung in front of her. “When he said I was holding him back, it hurt. More than I like to admit. When my moms informed me he’d be coming here, I wanted to prove to him that I take my craft seriously. You may have noticed that Aspen doesn’t get to know people before making judgments. Once he’s made up his mind, he’s slow to change it.”
I scowl. “Why can’t you be serious about magic and also dress the way you like?”
Mel gives me a rueful smile. “I agree, but Aspen... Around the time he dumped me, he developed these rules for himself about how things have to be a specific way in order to succeed, and now he’s stuck in that mindset.”
“That’s fine for him, but that doesn’t mean he has to impose it on everyone else.” I lean over to bump my shoulder against hers. “I like who you really are. No one should be allowed to make you feel like your real self isn’t enough.”
She glances at me, her blue eyes filled with gratitude. “I’m sorry I didn’t stand up for you down there.”
I pull back my shoulders. “I can fight my own battles.”
“So I’ve seen.” Her gaze returns to the town. “You know, all I want is to be myself. But everyone else keeps telling me I need to be something different.”
“I totally understand.” I lean back on my hands, the rough boards squishing beneath my palms. “What’s so great about being a witch, anyway? Magic has done nothing but ruin my life. If my family weren’t witches, we wouldn’t have visited Hartford Cove, and my mom wouldn’t have died. If I weren’t magical, my dad wouldn’t have had to go into hiding, and the huntsmen wouldn’t have killed him. If I weren’t magical, I wouldn’t have thought I was crazy my whole life.”
Maybe I’m still crazy, though I keep that thought to myself.
I shake my head. “Everyone has so many expectations for what my life should be, but no one asks what I want for myself.”
“I get that.” Mel speaks softly, her words heavy with understanding. “Growing up as the daughter of a Trinity, I’ve had a lot of pressure to one day take over one of the spots when my moms step down.”
Surprised, I glance at her. “Is Aspen planning to be part of the Trinity, too?”
Mel nods. “It’s his life goal.”
I frown. “Do you want to be part of a Trinity?”
Mel shakes her head, longing in her eyes as she stares at Hartford Cove. “I just want a quiet life with a little shop in a quiet town where I don’t have to hide that I’m a witch, where no one looks at me like I’m weird.”
I gesture to the town below us. “There it is for the taking.”
“Why do you think I followed you here when you invited me?” Warmth twinkles in Mel’s eyes. “And I see how much effort you’re putting into preserving this place. You like it here, despite the history, don’t you?”
I purse my lips. “Aside from the whole witch thing and the potential danger? Yeah, I really do. And now that I’m not the only witch in town, my role here isn’t as imposing.”
“Or as demanding.” Mel smiles and bumps her elbow against me. “Delilah’s really good with pregnant women. I bet she’ll take over the belly rubbing soon. And Harper’s been talking about helping to create a community garden so that the food here can be locally sourced.”
I nod, happiness filling me that the others are finding a place for themselves that gives them purpose. “I enjoy seeing them settling in, and I want to help the vampires, too.”
Mel lays a hand on my shoulder, her touch warm and comforting. “And as a witch, you have the power to help in ways you wouldn’t as a human.”
I peek at her from the corner of my eye. “There’s a spell that can help them, something my ancestors performed, but I don’t think I can do it when I can’t even find my magic.”
