Starfire (Grim Gate 2)

The power doesn’t come back on until Wednesday evening, and I’m beyond ready for it by then. My mind has been at ease, but holy fuck, do I want to shower. We crank up the heat and Ethan promises to start up the shower, warming the water for me. In the meantime, I head outside to feed and clean stalls.

He’s already in the shower, waiting for me when I come inside, ready to help me warm up. We got to bed early that night, eager to watch TV after going a while without it. I fall asleep with my head on Ethan’s chest and the TV still playing. I have a weird dream that I’m sitting on the porch and a big black horse trots around the house, looking for demons. Hunter is there with me, and Mystery joins the black horse. I wake up startled, but sure that it was not real—just a dream.

Ethan is asleep and I reach over him to grab the remote on the nightstand so I can turn the TV off. The room goes dark, and I lay back down, wanting nothing more than to wiggle in close to Ethan and go back to sleep.

But then I remember something—not from my childhood, but from a few days ago. It’s still just as jarring.

The night Ethan was out of town, the night I heard…something…we saw a dark shadow on the doorbell camera footage. It looked like a deer, but it was too big[ I’ll change this to make sure it fits with the previous text ]. We chalked it up to the grainy camera footage, but what it if wasn’t a deer at all?

What if I saw the shadow of Aunt Estelle’s familiar? And if I did, it makes me wonder—what happens to a familiar when their witch dies?

CHAPTER 13

I scoop another spoonful of bruschetta onto a piece of bread, laughing so hard I almost drop my bread.

“It was so bad,” Rene says, nearly wheezing with laughter. “I still don’t know if it was the taco or the street corn, but pair either with drinking beer on a hot as fuck day and I should have known it was a recipe for disaster.”

“I want to say I wish I was there to see it, but I’m glad I wasn’t there at the same time.”

Rene shakes her head, reaching for her glass of iced tea. “Be glad you weren’t. My sister is never going to let me live this down and she busts out the video she took any chance she gets.”

“That’s something I would do, and I do have several incriminating videos of my brother that I’m saving for a rainy day. You never know when you might need to blackmail a sibling.”

Hunter, who’s lounging on the floor next to us, jumps up and lets out a soft woof. He lets me know that Sam is here, having just parked in the driveway. He recognizes her energy, but the person with her is unfamiliar.

“Speaking of siblings,” I say and get up. “Ethan’s sister is here. She doesn’t really like me,” I add, making a face.

“Ohhh, I’m here for the drama. But why doesn’t she like you?”

“No real reason,” I start, though me being a witch has something to do with it. “She’s overprotective and doesn’t think I’m good enough for her brother, that’s all.”

“Ah, classic older sister.”

“She’s younger.” I shrug. “It doesn’t really bother me and, really, I appreciate her caring about Ethan since I do too.”

“Definitely. I suppose it could be worse.”

“Right? I haven’t seen her since Thanksgiving so maybe she’s mellowed with time.” I make a face and turn my head to the hall. “Ethan,” I call. “Sam’s here!”

When he doesn’t answer, I go into the living room. He has his headphones on and pulls an earbud out of his ear when he sees me, face lighting up. “Hey, babe. Having fun?”

“I am,” I reply, unable to keep the smile off my face. “Sam is here. Well, out there. Hunter let me know she’s here.”

Ethan sets a notebook down and gets off the couch, stretching his muscular arms out in front of him.

“What’s that?” I ask, glancing down at whatever he was sketching.

“Nothing really. I was playing around with different ways we could finish the attic.”

And now I’m smiling again, loving how right it feels to be planning something like this with him. We both see the future together. “Show me later?”

“Of course.” He kisses me and goes to the front door, waiting for Sam. Hunter trots past me, ready to be the welcoming committee, and making sure he approves of Sam’s friend before she comes into our house. I hurry back into the kitchen, opening up a bag of chips and bringing it to the counter along with a bowl of guacamole that Ethan made just for us this morning.