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“Is this place run by witch sisters, or are you just obsessed with supernaturally named Null establishments?”
Laughing, I pushed open the door, the bell jingling to announce our presence. On a weeknight in the late evening, it wasn’t particularly busy, with a few tables occupied at the back. I sat us down at a table in the corner against a front window, my favourite spot to people watch. And watch my back, just in case. “Actually run by witch sisters. Can you blame me for enjoying the portrayal of witches in modern human culture, though?”
He pulled out my chair for me to sit down, the silver metal cold against my thighs. Then he sat down in his own seat across from me. The waitress noticed us and called out that she’d be right over, doing a double take when she realized it was me. “They show witches in a good light, at least. Well, now they do. Incubi and succubi are considered manipulative and bad, while the fae are cunning and crafty. I can’t say I empathize with much of the culture surrounding my species.”
“Good point. TV shows and movies about witches and wizards caused these new places to pop up. That’s why Clara and Elodie named the diner Hex Sisters. They figured the name was fun and no one would take it too seriously.”
“You know the owners?”
“Of course she knows the owners!” The waitress appeared beside us with a huge grin on her face. I hadn’t been in for a couple of months, too busy dealing with my heats. “She’s my cousin. I can’t believe you haven’t told your boyfriend about me, Freya.”
Caspian glanced between me and the peppy waitress beside us, trying to see the resemblance. There wasn’t much of one. While I had more Northern European traits, with pale skin and silver hair born of a minor genetic abnormality, Mabel showed Southern European descent. Fluffy eyebrows, dark brown hair, and more tan features. If you saw us side by side, no one would guess we were related.
We were, though. Mabel was Elodie’s daughter. Clara and Elodie were the 'hex sisters' that were the diner’s namesakes, but they had a brother as well. My father.
“This is my cousin Mabel,” I introduced her.
She grimaced down at me, pushing at my shoulder before turning to Cas. “May. Call me May. My mother insisted on naming me after her great grandmother.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Caspian, Freya’s boyfriend.”
Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair. Maybe coming here hadn’t been my best idea. I should have known May would be working and would automatically assume what he was to me. “This is our first date,” I said, correcting Caspian as I gently nudged his leg with my foot under the table.
“What she means is that it’s only a matter of time until she’s my girlfriend. Why else would you bring me to meet your family, sweetness?”
All the teasing I’d rained upon him at Witch Sticks was coming back to haunt me. I doubted he would let up, and my pink cheeks showed everyone that I was already a little flustered. “I brought you to get some food because I was hungry.”
“Oh, and you couldn’t go to any of the other ten twenty-four-hour restaurants on this block?” Mabel asked.
I glared at her. She laughed. My passive aggressiveness had never phased her. She’d adored me as a child, following me around like a little lost duckling. We had a four-year age difference, so I’d taught her a lot, not that I was the best influence as a teacher.
“I’ll get you the special. Caspian, did you have anything in particular you want? Or should I have my mom pick for you?”
“Give me anything. No onions though,” he said.
“My mom is going to like you. Despite owning a diner, she hates onions. Can you imagine? Diner food is based on grease and that delicious bite of a crisp onion. Not our diner, apparently. We get complaints.”
She would have continued chattering on for hours, but a couple waved from the far end of the restaurant for drink refills. Her sunshiney personality filled the space until she was across the room.
“I didn’t know if Mabel would be on shift tonight,” I said.
“Did you not want me to meet her?”
Had I? If I was opposed to it, May had a point. This wasn’t the only option for food. Fuck, Hex Sisters wasn’t even the only greasy diner food option within walking distance of Witch Sticks. Maybe bringing him here had been a test, to see how Cas would react to family. He’d passed with flying colours, in that case. I had to imagine if Shan had been here, he would have taken notes on the interactions to see if they were family members that could be shaken down for my secrets.
“She’s easy to get along with. We grew up together until her family moved here to start the diner seven years ago. I followed them two years later.”
It didn’t answer his question, but gave him a bit of insight.
“My family doesn’t live nearby either. I grew up in Florida, but the climate was a bit too hot for my tastes.” He paused, fiddling with his hair. It was mussed by now, the style it had originally been in destroyed by his fidgeting. “We’re a very multi-species family. My mother is an Omega and has four Alpha mates, all different species. I’m the only one of my siblings with incubus genes. They saw how people treated me as a kid and never did it again. All my other fathers are more accepted when paired with my fae mother.”
I couldn’t imagine how they hadn’t thought of the repercussions before having him. Surely society would have scrutinized their relationship? A child from a union like that was at risk from the day they were born. Things were changing, but too slowly. Cas was affectionate toward his family, I could tell, but he had to feel like an outsider among them. Maybe that was why he’d moved here.
“Do you have lots of siblings, then?”
“Six, most younger. I have one older brother, but he’s off in gods know where. Doesn’t communicate with us at all.”
That sounded a hell of a lot like my relationship with my family for the past five years. I didn’t have siblings other than Maisie, but my parents didn’t hear from me as much as they wanted to. Out of all the people I lied to, I hated lying to them the most. Not calling was a way to avoid the guilt. What was Caspian’s older brother hiding from them?
