“You made it sound pretty urgent.” Laney slides her coffee over, wrapping her hands around the mug. “What’s going on?”
“You’re pregnant,” Harrison blurts, just to be an ass.
“Hah. I’m not, well, I don’t think so, at least. Anyway, it would be too soon to tell if I was,” I say.
“What?” Laney’s eyes widen. “Who are you sleeping with and why don’t I know about this mystery man?”
“Talk about that when I’m not around,” Harrison says.
“Oh, we so are,” Laney tells him. “Is that why we’re here?”
“No,” I go on. “But Ethan does have something to do with all this.” I lean against the counter. “It’s going to sound weird, so I’m just going to come out and say it. I’m a witch.”
Laney and Harrison exchange looks.
“You had us come over to tell us you’re into Wicca now?” Laney makes a face. “You know those this could have been an email memes? This applies.”
“I’m not into Wicca. I told you both how I can’t remember like anything from my childhood that has to do with Aunt Estelle, right? Well, it’s because she cast a spell on me that made me forget. She bound my powers too, but now that she’s dead, the binding spell broke, I’m starting to figure out how to use my powers, oh, and demons are after me, but Ethan’s a demon hunter and we’re working on how to have me not die.”
Laney opens her mouth only to close it, and Harrison’s brows furrow.
“Should I call Mom?” he asks gently. “Or are you sensing the spirit of a crazy person?”
“I’m not crazy,” I snap, and Hunter gets to his feet, coming over and gently pawing at me. “Thank you,” I tell him. “Hunter doesn’t think I’m crazy.”
Laney eyes Harrison again, looking concerned. “Anora,” she starts.
“I can prove it,” I interrupt and grab a napkin from the counter, balling it up in my hand. Closing my eyes, I remember Aunt Estelle’s voice, telling me to feel it. Feel the fire. “Ignis,” I whisper and the napkin in my hand goes up in flames. I drop it on the table and little embers spark into the air. Eyes wide, I can’t help but smile as I watch it burn, feeling a sense of familiarity.
“Holy fucking shit.” Harrison jumps back so fast he hits the table, sloshing his and Laney’s coffee out of their mugs.
“See? I’m not crazy.”
Laney pokes at the charred remains of the napkin with her nail. “You’re really a witch?”
“I am.”
“And you’ve always been one?”
“I think so,” I reply.
“Why would your aunt bind your powers and alter your memories?”
“I don’t know.” I let out a breath. “If there was a way to get my memories back, I’d probably figure it out.”
Harrison slowly sits back down. “You said demons are after you.”
“I did.” I pull out a chair, sit, and take a breath. “I’ll tell you guys everything.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Come in,” Julia says, answering the door. “I think Ethan’s in the shower. Well, someone is. I heard the water turn on.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Do you want coffee or anything? I was just about to put on a pot.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. I didn’t get as much sleep as I hoped last night.” I follow her into the kitchen.
“Really?” She turns and raises her eyebrows.
“I didn’t mean because of that, though it was a little because of that. But mostly because of creepy dreams.”
“Did that bird-demon thing happen to be in your dream? Sorry to sound eager. I just don’t have much to go on.”
“No, it was just an outline.” I shake my head. “Sorry not to be more help.”
“Oh, it’s fine. It was adult-sized, right?”
“Yeah. Maybe a little taller than me, and I want to say it had clothes on, if that helps. I think. And I get the feeling it was smart. Like it had a plan and things were calculated. Which probably doesn’t help, and I’m not even sure how to explain how I know.”
“Is that like a witch thing?” she asks, trying to sound casual, but I see the way she looks at me.
“Hell if I know,” I say with a snort of laughter. “I’ve been a witch for like two days now. Well, I’ve been aware I’m a witch, I should say, right?”
“You really had no idea you were a witch?” She plugs in the coffee pot and looks at me for a whole half a second.
“No. I wish I did. Things would have made a lot more sense,