A tear slid down Cece’s cheek, and she swiped it away as Willow gave her a sympathetic look. “Banning witchcraft, telling you that you weren’t allowed to do it was your aunt and your mother’s way of protecting you.”
“They should have told me the truth, instead of lying to me for my entire fucking life,” Cece said. She suddenly glanced around wildly. “Is my aunt still here?”
“No,” Willow said. “Spirits tend to fade in and out. I think it requires a lot of energy for them to communicate with me.”
“Right,” Cece said bitterly as she stood. “Okay, well, thanks for letting me know that my family has lied to me and that I’m a blood witch. I appreciate it, but I need to go now.”
“Cece, wait,” Willow said quickly. “There’s more.”
She sighed and sat down. “What?”
“When your aunt died, the spell was broken, and your father’s family would have remembered who your mother was and that she was pregnant with you.”
“And what? Now they’re trying to kill me?” Cece’s laugh died off at the look on Willow’s face. “Shit. Are they?”
“Your aunt believes so,” Willow said. “And tonight would suggest she’s right.”
“That was just a random mugging,” Cece said, but her voice was soft and uncertain.
“Maybe,” Willow said, “but I don’t think you can take that chance.”
Cece stared at her coffee cup, her mind buzzing and her stomach churning. If tiny, maybe she’s crazy, but maybe she isn’t crazy Willow, was to be believed, Cece’s entire life had been a lie. And now she had some insane and powerful blood witch family wanting to murder her.
Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed it down, grimacing at the bitterness. The small coffee shop suddenly felt overwhelmingly claustrophobic, and she staggered to her feet. “I have to go now.”
“Cece, wait.” Willow stood and hurriedly threw on her jacket. “We’ll give you a ride home.”
“No, thank you,” she said. As nice as Willow was, Cece couldn’t spend another minute with her. She needed to be alone. She bolted for the door, pulling up short when Briggs blocked her path. “Get out of my way.”
“We’ll give you a ride home,” Briggs said.
She glared at him. “I don’t want your help. I’m walking home.”
“No, you’re not,” he said calmly.
Her magic flared, and she clenched her hands into fists as the knuckles glowed a soft green. “I could make you get out of my way.”
Something that looked like amusement flashed in his eyes, and she bared her teeth at him. “Move, asshole.”
“No,” he said in that same calm voice.
Her anger disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and her voice trembling, she said, “Please let me go.”
“I can’t, baby,” he said quietly. “It isn’t safe for you.”
Willow touched her arm. “Let us drive you home, Cece.”
She sighed and swiped away the tears again. “Yeah, okay.”
CHAPTER 4
Briggs glanced at his phone before sipping at his coffee.
Hudson raised his eyebrow. “That’s the third time you’ve checked your phone. You waiting for a message?”
“Just checking the time,” Briggs said.
“You got someplace to be?”
