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“That bastard.”
“My mom just went along with him. Like always.”
I shook my head. “Don’t listen to him.”
“My brother said I need to try to fix things. Family is family after all.”
“Fuck that. Family isn’t a reason to put up with his toxic ass.” I balled my fists. “Don’t worry though. You’ll show him. Once you start your own business, he’ll regret saying anything, and he can watch from the sideline.”
Her breath hitched, and her shoulders slumped. “I can’t. You know the influence he has. No one will want to have anything to do with me after this.”
I stood slowly. “I’ll ask Dora to make you some cocoa, and you can even have some of my cookies.” I put a finger up, earning a small smile. “This once. Because you’re sad. I’ll be back soon.”
She leaned forward. “Where are you going?”
“I need to check on Raiden and a couple of other things.”
“Of course. Sorry. I know this is the last day you can spend with him.”
I swallowed thickly. “I’ll see you soon.”
I rapped on Naomi’s dad’s front door five times before I leaned back against the wall of their porch. I wished I hadn’t needed to lie, but I knew she’d have had a panic attack if she found out where I was really going.
Naomi’s mom answered, her golden hair wrapped among rollers. She wore a white robe and a face mask. “Eleanor, what a surprise. Naomi isn’t here.”
“I know.” I softened my tone, surprised at how sharp it came out. It had been years since Naomi left home to be with her coven and I’d called on this door for her to come out and play. “I’m here to see—ah.” I paused, seeing her dad poke his head around the corner.
“Eleanor.” He said my name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. He’d barely aged. His dark hair had a few scattered grays in them, and wrinkles barely pinched the corners of his honey-brown eyes. “If this is about Naomi, I don’t want to hear any more news. I’ve had enough for the day.”
Her mother nodded along. “Her behavior almost gave him a heart attack.”
I placed my hand on my hip. “Oh, shut the fuck up.”
Their eyebrows shot upward on their foreheads. “What did you just say?”
I slowed it down. “I said shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
He scowled. “How dare you!”
I scoffed. “How dare me? How dare you, asshole? Your daughter is amazing and a million times the person you are. She hasn’t been whoring around, as if that’s any good reason to cut your daughter off anyway, because it’s not.” I had a huge problem with the term “whoring,” but I wasn’t about to get into that now. “The point is she’s been working on, let’s call it, a secret mission, and because of her, she literally helped save lives. Her magic… You know, the magic you think is useless, well she’s incredible at it, and she—” I paused. I couldn’t actually give everything away. “Let’s just say she’s someone you want on your team when you’re in a sticky spot.”
He clicked his tongue. “Then why didn’t she pass the test if she’s so brilliant at it?”
“I’ll bet it was because she was nervous, because of the pressure you put on her to be perfect, like you’re anything close to it.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t need to hear this, especially from some witch from a lesser coven.”
“You’re hilarious if you think yours is any better than ours. We all have our uses, and without us, you’d be overrun with curses and dark objects. Alma called Edmund and Dora before she called you to go with her.”
He crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. “You’re on private property. You need to leave before I call the protectors.”
“Happily,” I spat. “But you should know you’re making a huge mistake with your daughter.”
He stepped out of the doorway and onto the porch step. “She’s no daughter of mine.”
Rage bubbled within me, spilling over. I held my breath, turned on my heel, and punched him hard in the side of his face. He staggered back, touching his cheek, slack-jawed. His wife screamed as if I’d murdered him or something. I rubbed my knuckles and hurried away, adrenaline carrying my jog all the way back.
Night came too fast. I wasn’t ready for it, but the moon appeared anyway, kissing the sun into darkness. I waited for someone to come to the door, to arrest me or something for hitting the grandcaster, but to my surprise, the afternoon passed without so much as a magic quill to any of us about what had happened, so I figured it was best to keep quiet about the whole thing. I waited for regret to seep in, but it never came. That punch felt so damned good, and honestly, I had wanted to do it for a long time. Every time Naomi had cried over the years because of him, each belittlement and spiteful comment he’d have, my anger had built, but this was crossing the line.
