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“I was hoping to ask about the Seren family,” I say, drawing their attention to me. “I spoke to Mrs. Seren to square away everything with the cottage, and she made it seem like you know each other.”
They exchange a look.
“Slow down,” Dad says. “What, exactly, did you square away with the cottage?”
I lift my shoulders. “I asked if I could help them keep an eye on things”—I drop my voice to a whisper—“under the guise of landscaping.” I clear my throat, returning my voice to its usual volume. “And they agreed.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Pops asks, his brow furrowing.
“Of course. It wasn’t a lie. I will be landscaping—”
“Not what I’m talking about, kid.” He lets out a slow sigh. “I know you’ve been taking care of the cottage, but it’s different now. It can’t be easy having to interact with her.”
I narrow my eyes. “It’s fine. The past is in the past.”
Dad places a hand on Pops’s shoulder and smiles. I can’t tell which of us he’s trying to comfort. “We’ve known the Seren family for a long time—well, Orion in particular.”
“The father?” I ask.
He nods. “He grew up in town, as I’m sure you’ve already pieced together. We were acquaintances back in school. Lydia—Mrs. Seren—she wasn’t here for long before the family moved away. Maybe a year or two. But we knew her as well, yes.”
I hum under my breath. The Seren name is one I’ve heard before, but meeting them is something else. The elders in our coven spoke about the Serens like they were gods, but in reality, they’re quite normal.
Even if one of them is abnormally annoying.
“Orion—Mr. Seren—he passed away then, yes?”
“Oh, yes.” Pops sighs and runs a hand through his curls. “His parents had an untimely death before then, too, just before they moved away. A family of star witches.”
I nod. “Aurora is one too, but I’m not sure about her brothers.”
“Ah, well, that’s nice,” Dad says. “The family used to be quite involved with the coven. Orion was supposed to be the next leader, but he left. That’s why Jewel is still leading far past when she’d like to retire.”
She’ll be able to retire soon, I hope. I’m ready. She just needs to see that I’m ready. My fathers have heard it all before, so I stop myself from saying as much.
“Why did they leave?” I ask, finally sipping my tea.
“Orion wanted to support Lydia’s career as an artist,” Dad says. “At least, that was the story if I recall it. I always thought it had more to do with his parents. Loss. It’s…”
“Hard,” I supply.
The word itself isn’t nearly enough, but my fathers don’t understand. Not the way I do. Not the way the Serens do. And the cottage…
Well, they’ve moved to a new town only to find more of the same. Death. Despair. Rage.
All I can do is watch, and my fathers have satisfied some of my curiosity, but not all of it. In spite of my desires to push her far away, I find myself wondering about Aurora.
The ruminations remain late into the night.
Chapter 6
Aurora
Starbrook isn’t so bad, I guess.
Sure, the town is small, and even though it’s only been a few days, I’ve run out of new shops to check out. But there’s something calming about walking through the streets. Talking to the neighbors. Getting to know everyone.
Witch’s familiars roam the town: sweet kittens, dogs with far too much wisdom behind their gaze, and even a dove that seems to follow one blonde witch everywhere. The air always smells of coffee, flowers, and freshly baked bread. Pumpkins line the streets, and the town square is constantly filled with all kinds of people—witches, vampires, werewolves—just waiting to gossip.
