Thorn to Die

It was my turn to look hurt. “This junk?”

This junk just happened to be my past and my future.

“No, not junk,” he waved his hands, back peddling. “With what you are. A witch, I mean. I’m cool with it. And I’ve missed you.”

That last line threw me off guard. In all the mess of the last few months, I hadn’t given myself the chance to even think about missing Drake. But now, it all came flooding back. The nights we spent on my couch, watching scary movies. Me cheering him on at his musical gigs. Him, posing for the occasional art project. Our relationship had been comfortable and smooth, like a glass of pinot noir before bedtime. Conversation was easy. There had definitely been attraction there. But I wasn’t so sure anymore. About anything.

“I don’t know…” I mumbled, my fist crushing the feather.

“Let me make it up to you,” Drake said, grabbing my hand again. “I’ll prove to you that I’ve changed. Just give me a chance.”

My head was becoming all fuzzy. It could’ve been the heat or the hunger, but my brain had officially turned to mush inside my skull. My lips pressed together. I couldn’t trust what would come out of them. So I stared at him, waiting for inspiration to strike. He stared back, blinking his long dark eyelashes and working his jaw.

“I take it, you’re joining us for lunch?” Momma Tula had rejoined us and was smiling at me with that annoying twinkle in her eye. “Grammy Jo is making Mexican.”

“No…” I started, finally forcing my throat to make noise. The last thing I needed was my ex-boyfriend surrounded by my aunts and cousins. They’d have the naked baby pictures out before I could say TMI.

“I’d love too,” Drake said over me, a little too enthusiastically.

“Wonderful.” Momma Tula draped her arm through Drake’s elbow and pulled him away from me. “And on the way, you can tell me a little more about yourself.”

I gaped at them as they left me behind, still holding the blood magic charm tight in my fist. This couldn’t be good. No man ever lasted long at the Brunick Manor. Drake would soon be barging out the front door as if his pants were on fire.

It was only a matter of time.

Chapter 3

As soon as we walked in the door, I knew I was in trouble. Magic hung thick in the air, enough that even a mere mortal like Drake could pick up on the vibe. The Brunick Manor ebbed with the kind of supernatural life. Furniture scraped across the floor, unguided by any human hand. From deep within the house, the sound of cackling witches called to us.

Drake paused hesitantly at the door. I wanted to tell him that he could turn back now. That all would be forgiven and forgotten if he only turned around and never spoke of this again. But Momma Tula was too quick. She pressed against his back, shoving him into the hallway before either of us could get a word out. The door slammed behind us and we were firmly entrenched in the magic. I heard Drake swallow hard. Apparently I wasn't the only one having second thoughts.

"Relax," I whispered to him as we followed the noises. I wasn't sure why it was trying to reassure him. It wasn't my fault he was here. "It's just my aunts. They're rehearsing for their big act at the event this weekend. It's not always like this."

We walked into the kitchen and that's where we found my Aunt Piper and Aunt Viv prancing around in black gowns and pointed brimmed hats. They had purchased cheap black plastic fingernails from the local dollar store and filed them into wicked points at the end of their fingers. Aunt Piper had grabbed the old wooden broom and was hopping around with it between her legs.

My cousins, Blythe and Raven, had perched themselves on the countertop to watch the show. Grammy Jo sat at the dining room table, porcelain teacup in hand. The cackling noise was coming from her. She slapped her knee and bent over, giggling at the sight of her daughters full on witch regalia.

"Do you think that's a little bit much?" I asked, sensing Drake pause behind me. "I don't think our ancestors dressed like that. You look like you just got done shopping at a Halloween shop."

"That's exactly where they got it," Grammy Jo said, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Can you imagine? Walking around in pointy hats with our broomsticks?"

"If only the world knew, we save those for special occasions," Momma Tula added, picking the seat next to her mother. "And that with the help of a little magic potion, we no longer have to walk around with crooked noses and giant warts."

"Oh, but it's much more fun to dress up," Aunt Piper said with a gleeful laugh. "No one expects a witch to actually look like a witch anymore."

Aunt Viv stopped waltzing and stared at us with wide eyes. Her mouth pulled down into a frightened grimace. "It's the normal looking ones who get picked off, now."

If my favorite ballet flats and skinny jeans were going to get me caught, they could take me away now. There was no way I'd give them up.

It was then that Aunt Piper caught sight of Drake, yanked the hat off her head and tried to fluff her already fluffy perm. "Tell me, who's the cutie?"

r />

Momma Tula stuffed a tea cookie in her mouth and shrugged. "Hazel's boyfriend."

“Ex-boyfriend,” I inserted.

Everyone shrieked and pushed past me, as if I didn’t exist, and crowded around him. Even with his broad shoulders and six feet of height, my family seemed to swallow him up. Everyone began asking him questions at once. What was his name? How old was he? How much could he lift? I even saw Blythe feel up his bicep. The only one to stand back was Raven. She leaned on the kitchen table with a smirk on her face and watched Drake get woman-handled.