Page 4 of The Witch’s Daughter

“Start checking in five,” Mom muttered from the corner of her mouth.

“Five minutes.” I smiled again.

Alec sniffed. “Are you baking?”

“I told you she’d be freaking out,” Meg whispered, loud enough for all of us to hear.

“I’m fine.” I opened the small kitchen window. It was seriously getting hot in here.

“So you’re okay with Jaxon coming to the meeting today?” Alec crossed her arms over her chest.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I stood by the window to breathe in the fresh air, trying to cool my skin.

“I don’t know.” Meg shrugged. “Maybe because the last time you saw him, you cursed his… What was it?” She turned to Alec.

My sigma sister snickered. “His travel bag.”

“How is that even possible?” Mom rubbed her forehead as she sat back onto her seat.

I couldn’t wipe the anxious grin from my face. “I didn’t mean it. I blessed his travels.”

“You can’t mess around with things like that,” Mom warned.

And yet she wanted me to go to a festival of witches where there’d be ample opportunity for me to really cause a problem.

“Come on,” Alec chuckled. “If she doesn’t use her magic, then how will we know that it’s still on the fritz?”

Glad one of us found this amusing.

Meg didn’t, though. “Hush. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“I’m standing right here.” I dragged my palms over my eyes. This was not how I wanted my morning to go.

I just wanted to make sparkly cupcakes.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Mom rushed to my defense. “You’ve got more power in your pinky finger than most people will ever touch in their lives. It’s not safe for you to throw it around without caution.”

“What are we? Chopped liver?” Alec asked.

“That’s not what I meant either,” Mom said.

“Stop messing with Mom.” Meg sighed. “We all know Trish is her favorite.”

Mom stomped her foot. “She is not.”

“I’m not?” I cried, winking at Alec.

“Stop it right now,” Mom scolded us all. “I love the three of you equally.”

I chuckled softly to myself. Working Mom up was one of our favorite pastimes, and we didn’t get to indulge as often now that we were all grown. We still had Sunday family dinners together, since none of us had our own mates or families, but those weren’t as spontaneous as moments like this when we all used to live in the same house.

“Well, you never compliment our magic,” Meg teased as she took a seat next to Mom, nudging her leg.

“You all have different and admirable skills,” Mom explained. “But you’re worse at magic than Trish.”

“Burn.” Alec snorted.

“Hey now,” I said, but she was right.