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The car became tensely silent once more.
As we approached my Great Aunt Liliane’s coastal home minutes from the busy downtown area, my breath whooshed out in awe. Balsam wreaths and holly branches hung from the colorfully lit-up buildings, a festive contrast to the moody, dark waters of the Atlantic.
Tabitha whistled low as we wound up the long drive to the house which was perched on a cliff overlooking the beach. The white Victorian loomed toward the clouds with a black thatched roof and a tower that stretched up to the stars. Substantial bushes of white and pink roses lined the garden surrounding the house, along with other fragrant herbs that danced in the breeze blowing through my open window.
A settling calm washed through me, as if I could finally breathe.?
“They pulled out all the stops, didn’t they?” Tabitha grimaced.?
I finally noticed that the charming house busted at the seams with witches. The Salem Coven littered the grassy beach below the property with picnic blankets and an enormous bonfire built near the edge of the water from chunks of bleached driftwood.Smoking meat and a bright burst of sea salt wafted from below, making my stomach growl.
“Look,” I started after Tabitha parked, “let’s just call a truce while we’re here, okay? I won’t bother you, and you won’t talk shit about me until after we leave Salem. We probably should appear like a united front, for the Coven’s sake.”
She escaped the confines of the car and walked to the trunk with an indignant huff. “I’m not an idiot, Belle. I’m more concerned about you causing a scene. You’ve certainly become more unpredictable since you’ve been hanging out with vampires.”
When I stepped out of the car, I rubbed my arms against the chill. After Tabitha stalked inside the house, I grabbed my phone, quickly dialing home. I felt unreasonably uneasy after leaving Ember behind for the first time in years.
The line rang for only two seconds before she picked up, her voice slightly strangled. “Hey, Jade. How was the flight?”
“It was fine.” My brows furrowed with concern at the high pitch of her voice. “Just wanted to make sure everything was okay with you before you portal to whichever island Killian plans to hold you captive on. Are you doing alright?”
“Jade,” she laughed affectionately, “it’s been like eight hours since you left the state. Killian came over a few minutes ago, and he’s keeping me nice and safe.”??
Her wry tone and the muffled male laughter on the other line made me shudder.
Ember used to be as open as a book of shadows, easy to read and predict, but lately, she was more imperceptible than ever.
“Well, as long as you’re okay, I’ll let you go.”?
“Wait,” she called out when I made to hang up. “Killian told me the most interesting tidbit of gossip I wanted to share with you.”?
Suspicion colored my voice when I asked, “Yes?”?
“You may already know because of all the secrets you keep from me as of late,” she said in a too-bright voice. “But apparently Alexei has left the city, too. For Boston, wouldn’t you know it? A mere jaunt from Aunt Liliane’s.”
I stretched my hand to my forehead, exhaling, “Is there a question in there, Em?”?
“Don’t play dumb with me, Jade Elizabeth. You getting some sexy vampire ass while completing your Grandmother-ordained punishment is a strike of cosmic genius. I’ve never been prouder of you and your newfound deviant ways.” Her laughter pealed through the line.
“Hilarious.” My face felt hot despite the icy breeze. “We just got here, so I needed to say hello. Call me if you need anything. No matter the time.”?
“Of course, Jade.” Ember's voice lost her usual humor, sincerity ringing through the phone. “Don’t stress, okay? This is practically your first vacation in a decade. Enjoy it. We’ll do a FaceTime call with all four of us once I have service again.”
My heart quickened with a modicum of excitement to see Audra and Isla’s faces after days without. We had remained a solid unit in the years after our parents’ deaths, and it still felt like a phantom limb aching with longing with the four of us separated.
I steeled my spine, marching up the wild, thorny pathway to Liliane’s door, the white paint chipped and cracking away from the ancient wood. My hand lifted to knock, but the door swung open of its own accord, startling me.
“Hello?” With a quick glance inside, I expected to see a witch from the Coven, but the hallway remained empty.
A voice rang out from deep within the house, filled with amusement. “Come on in, Jade Belle. We promise not to bite.”?
I cautiously stepped inside the house, jumping slightly when the door slammed shut behind me.?
“Don't mind the ghost,” the same disembodied voice called out, closer than before. “She’s friendly. Mostly.”?
I realized there was, in fact, a spirit lurking at my elbow. Goosebumps broke out across my skin as the spirit flickered in and out of my vision like static from an old television, not fully formed. My throat bobbed thickly, and I nodded politely to the ghost of an older grey-haired woman with curious eyes before fast-walking into the well-lit kitchen.?Running would be rude, right? Right.
An almost identical version of Grandmother stood before me, her face cracking into a wide grin.Aunt Liliane’s grey curls spiraled down her back in a tangled braid that bounced along her colorful shawl as she wrapped her arms around me.
