Familiarity Breeds Witchcraft (7 page)

FeistyFox95—her sweet, helpful, beautiful online friend—could have no idea Gemma had fallen to pieces over her inconvenient feelings in the wee hours of an extra-long night. Gemma knew her love wasn’t reciprocated, not in the same way, and understood Fox needed to find someone else.

Fox deserved to find happiness. She couldn’t be expected to spend her life with a person she considered to be no more than a friend.

Gemma covered her face with her hands. Her chest ached with all the strong emotions plaguing her. A headache pounded at her temples and her eyes felt swollen from all the tears she’d shed during the night. She’d need to remain hidden until she regained some semblance of self-control—and until she no longer looked like she’d been in a fist fight with ghouls down at the graveyard.

Rowan deserved an apology after the way Gemma left her at the farm the day before. Already emotional due to pregnancy hormones, she shouldn’t be made to feel as though she’d done something to upset Gemma. Although, really, Rowan had enough going on that she may already have moved past the situation. Maybe Gemma didn’t need to bring up the subject again.

She couldn’t bear the thought of going in search of Rowan right away. Time might just take care of everything without her having to do a thing.

Gemma wanted nothing more than to curl up on the floor under her bed with Bronson as a pillow. He’d love that since he enjoyed the space so much and she’d be hidden from the world by the bed skirt. A win-win for them both.

As if conjured by her thoughts, she heard a quiet scratching at her door.
 

Gemma thrust her feet into her slippers and tossed on her robe, pulling the fabric around her like a hug. She padded across the room and opened the door to find the oversized dog looking up at her with his warm brown eyes.
 

“Hey, mister.” She leaned down to scratch his ears. “Enid up yet?”

Enid’s faint voice came to her from the foot of the stairs. “Want breakfast? I made eggs.”

Her stomach twisted into a knot and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of bile rising in the back of her throat.

This wouldn’t work. Enid would take one look at Gemma and know instantly what was wrong.

Gemma considered and discarded the idea of talking with Enid. No, she wasn’t going to unpack all those troubling romantic feelings with her sister. Even if Enid were discrete about it, words had a way of traveling around Secret Hallow. The likes of Nana Winterblossom and Iris Westerly would be pounding her door down within minutes.

And she couldn’t discuss her problem with Fox for obvious reasons.

She decided she’d just have to move forward on the spell. She couldn’t pine if she knew Fox were happy, could she?

“Not right now, thanks,” Gemma called in her most neutral voice as she turned back to her room. “I’m going out.”

“Make sure you eat before lunch! You get mopey when you’re hungry!”

Gemma chuckled. If only Enid knew.

☆★☆

A pleasing darkness hung over the ruins of the Ash Academy, even in the bright light of day. The site felt more like a quiet corner in Secret Hallow than anything menacing or neglected. The darkness was that of a drizzly, foggy day rather than actual gloom—the kind of day where one might want to cuddle up with Bronson and a hot cup of soup while listening to music.

Gemma stepped into the shade of the front of the school, her skin tingling in a pleasant way as she passed through the veil of spells protecting the location. It was like being embraced in greeting by Emilia Ash herself. She immediately felt cloaked in warmth and love.

“Hello to you, too,” she murmured affectionately.

The same protective magic that prevented the coven from rebuilding the school meant that it was a great place to cast spells—as long as those spells weren’t meant to touch the building itself. Emilia Ash had known what she was about when she put wards in place to protect untrained students from hurting anyone.

Her ancestor’s wards meant that Gemma couldn’t cast a spell out into the world, but it was a nice spot to test components before joining them into a whole. She wouldn’t be able to hurt herself or anyone else.

The only risk was that the ramshackle ruins might collapse on her.

But hey, what was a little magic without some thrill of danger?

Most people used the front entryway for casting experimental magic exactly because of Emilia’s wards. The space wasn’t really a room anymore since almost every wall crumbled away long ago. Grass had begun growing up through the remnants of the floor long before Gemma’s birth. Worn areas showed where people worked now and then; a noticeable circle left behind from numerous mini coven gatherings and solitary boundary castings. Gemma could almost taste the lingering leftover magic.

She stepped into the front entry and found she wasn’t alone.

Gemma’s face heated instantly. She hadn’t expected anyone to be here and had just stumbled upon three of others: Orianna Westerly, her young daughter Fern, and Caedmon McFarland. Gemma still didn’t know enough about the man to make a decision about him, but Fern seemed comfortable in his presence, which seemed a good start.
 

Orianna and Caedmon, a warlock who had moved to town at about the same time as Garrett, were an item these days. They were very private in their relationship, but that didn’t matter to the Secret Hallow coven.

It was their fault as much as Rowan’s that the matchmaking vibe was humming in the air above Secret Hallow. Gemma didn’t hold it against them, though. They deserved happiness as much as anyone else.

Orianna wiped her hands clean and motioned to the spot on the floor next to her. “Enid said you might come here when I texted her earlier. Is there a reason you’re not answering your phone?”

“Hello everyone.” Gemma spoke in a quieter voice than she’d intended, shy from Caedmon’s unfamiliar presence. “Hi, Fern.”

Fern smiled. “Gemma!”

The little girl jumped to her feet and hurtled toward her. Gemma opened her arms for a hug, but she shot right past Gemma’s knees, toward the grassy space where the coven had last tried to reassemble the school. The front lawn looked to be in as good a shape as ever in the shadows of the intact buildings looming over either side of the ruin.

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Caedmon nodded as he passed by. “Good to see you, Gemma.”

Gemma watched him jog after Fern with a grimace. She’d have to get over her nervousness around strangers and get to know him a bit better since he showed no sign of wanting to leave Secret Hallow any time soon.

Lonely though Gemma was, she could practically hear the wedding bells chiming in Orianna and Caedmon’s future.

“What are you doing here?” Gemma asked, settling beside Orianna.

“I’m here to help you with the love spell! Should we get started on the pieces?” Orianna uncovered her basket. She saw a collection of bottles and crystals inside and caught a whiff of the distinct smell of pumpkins. “That’s why you came out, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but…I don’t know if I can do the spell.” Gemma blurted out the thought before she could stop herself. She wasn’t ready to tell anyone about the feelings she’d just discovered. Her emotions were too raw.

Hopeful she showed no outward signs of her distress after having taken great care with a glamor that hid the ravages of her breakdown, she smiled in as convincing a way as possible under the circumstances.

Orianna raised an eyebrow in her direction.

She took a deep breath. “I have…”
No, don’t admit to anything personal.
“There are some issues…”
Sounds like I don’t trust the coven now.
“Oh, cauldrons! I’m not sure can do this. Ethics, you know.” She sighed and motioned toward the spell ingredients. “Did you help put all this together? I’m afraid I left Rowan before we could do too much at the Leif farm yesterday.” She hated admitting that she’d run out on an overdue pregnant woman.

“The whole coven’s been working on this. We’ve got good vibes about this spell, if that makes you feel any better. No one believes this will be used against someone who isn’t interested.”

Gemma warmed to know she had the coven’s support, if nothing else. She could always rely on the love of the Secret Hallow coven—even when Fox was trying to find love in other places. Her heart twisted at the idea.

“Why are we doing a love spell if you feel so dubious about it?” Orianna asked with nothing but kindness glowing in her eyes.

“Well, I’ve been trying to find non-magical ways to finance the construction of a new school. That’s how all this started.”

“Oh yeah?” Orianna again sounded interested. “How would that work?”

Gemma sat down at her side, cross-legged, and opened her e-mail. “I’m using a group funding website. See? Asking other people to send us money.”

Orianna peeked over her shoulder at the screen. “Are there a lot of people out in the mundane world into financing projects in magical towns? I thought most people didn’t believe in our kind.”

“More believe in us than you’d think.” Gemma laughed as she thought of all the people Fox interacted with on a daily basis. Her online friend seemed to have no qualms about discussing witchcraft with anyone and everyone who’d listen. Secrecy was far from her strongest suit. “I contacted moderators on magical forums online and they suggested areas where people could post fundraisers.”
 

Gemma found what she’d been looking for and handed the phone to Orianna. While funding the school seemed a bigger project than most others, that didn’t mean they couldn’t earn at least some of what they needed.

“I wouldn’t know how to make heads or tails of this.” Orianna handed the phone back almost right away. “How did it lead to a love spell?”

“My friend said she’d finance us completely if I helped her cast it. I couldn’t possibly take payment for something like that, but if she needs help, well…”

“Nobody in Secret Hallow can refuse someone in need,” Orianna filled in with a warm smile. “I love the idea of the worldwide community helping us build a school for our children, even if the specifics of the internet thing are beyond me. If you think this process will work, I trust you. You’re pretty savvy about non-magical ways.”

The musical sound of childish laughter floated to them on the gentle breeze.
 

Looking up, Gemma caught a glimpse of Caedmon chasing Fern, the two of them dodging and weaving through the tree trunks at the edge of the forest. She looked over in time to catch Orianna’s fond smile toward the duo.

Gemma took a deep breath to brace herself. “Can I ask you a question in confidence?” She stared off at Caedmon and Fern as she awaited a response. She didn’t want to appear too eager about this.

“Sure.” Orianna covered a yawn and looked away from her daughter. “Fern hasn’t been sleeping well. We had another late night so my brain’s a bit mushy right now, but I’ll do the best I can to answer.”

“How’d you know Caedmon wouldn’t hurt you?”

Orianna gave a surprised laugh. “Well…I wasn’t expecting you to ask something like that. Good question.”
 

Afraid she’d crossed a line, Gemma started to say, “If you don’t want to…”

“No, I don’t mind. Really.” Orianna looked out across the lawn again, though she didn’t seem to be watching the scene playing out before them. “I would’ve wondered the same thing if I were looking at my life from the outside. I’ve never been open to a man like him before, you know? Not even Fern’s father.”

Gemma nodded. She’d often wondered about the mysterious man Orianna refused to discuss with anyone. Like members of the Winterblossom family often did, she’d gone out to visit another coven in search of a suitable partner. She’d returned pregnant and alone. A short time later, she’d given birth to Fern, a half-elemental witch.

“But the answer is…I guess I didn’t know he wouldn’t hurt me. I
couldn’t
know. Every relationship comes with some risk.” Orianna looked relaxed and far from worried about the potential of being hurt by the man she watched. “The risks are great, but the potential benefits are worth it.”

“Do you love him?”

Orianna gave a nonchalant shrug. “Love’s a big word.”

Looking over at Caedmon again, Gemma continued her line of questioning. “Does he love you?”

“Neither of us have spoken the word.”

Gemma’s mind whirled, leaving her unable to form a coherent thought. She had no idea what to do about her feelings for Fox when the other woman showed no sign of interest in her—other than friendship.

Could she feel satisfied as nothing more than Fox’s friend? Especially when Fox became involved with others. What had Orianna felt for Fern’s father? Did she refuse to talk about the subject because the thought of losing him still hurt her? Had Orianna left him or had he refused to take part in parenting their child?

She felt Orianna watching her with a questioning look, but chose to drop the subject. Gemma didn’t think she could yet give voice to her feelings for Fox. She knew for a fact she’d probably break down again if she tried to discuss her friend any more at the moment.
 

One thought burned bright in her mind.

Would she survive if she walked away from Fox?

ORIANNA AND GEMMA puttered around the ritual space for a little while, testing bits and bobs of magic in silence. It must have been obvious that Gemma’s heart wasn’t in it, though—it wasn’t long before Orianna started cleaning things up.

“Fern, come on. Let’s go!” the mom called to her elemental daughter.

Gemma felt a hitch in her heart when she caught the fond smile the other woman bestowed on her daughter and Caedmon. The man and child stood to one side, both winded from the exertions of their play, the little girl twisting a strand of hair around one finger in an endearing way.
 

 
“Are you done already?” Caedmon looked around with an expression of surprise. “I don’t sense much residual casting here. Didn’t work?”

 
“Now isn’t the best time for this working. We’ll try again later.” Orianna sounded as though she didn’t want to discuss the matter any further and Caedmon sent a look of understanding in her direction. “Could you carry these?” She handed him the largest and heaviest of the baskets.