“Famous for witches?” I look at Ethan, whose trigger finger has to be getting tired by now. “You mean Thorne Hill, right?”
“Yeah,” he says as if he’s stating the obvious. “How much of your memory did my Estelle take away?”
“All of it,” I repeat. “Anything that has to do with magic is gone from my head.”
“She’s one ruthless bitch,” he sighs and gets a faraway look in his eye. “Was, I mean.” His eyes fall shut. “I will forever regret missing her final years.”
“You and me both,” I grumble, earning a glare from Ethan. “But about Thorne Hill.”
“Right. The town is full of magical folk. There’s a Ley line that runs through the town and the witches of Thorne Hill are here to protect it.”
I blink several times, thinking back to how I felt when I was on the Main Street of Thorne Hill. There was a definite power surge though I couldn’t place it. Was that the Ley line?
“I came here seeking guidance—once again, I know—but I’ll be dammed before I ask my siblings for help.” He takes a long drink of his tea. “And that’s how I met your great-aunt. And I am sorry,” he says, eyes meeting mine. “I went back to my realm when you were still a child, and I do not know what Estelle was thinking. Taking your memories away…making you forget you had magic…” He shakes his head. “It’s fucked up in my book.”
“It is fucked up,” Ethan grumbles. “It’s been years, and Estelle died back in August. You’re really just now hearing about it?”
“I am.” Nikolai wraps his hands around the coffee mug, and for some reason, I know he’s sincere. “It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re coming and going from one reality to another, and ten or twenty years isn’t as long to the fae as it is to humans, though it’s no excuse on my part. I should have known better. Should have checked in.” His face goes solemn again and he looks around the kitchen. “Estelle was one of the most interesting women I’ve ever known.”
“So, you knew her well?”
“Very well.” He gets a devilish glint in his eyes. “I believe I got to know her well the first time right here in the kitchen.” He pats the island. “Several times.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Good thing the counters have all been replaced.” Deciding I need something to snack on, I stand and catch a glimpse of my reflection in the window above the sink. A shadow passes behind me and I whirl around, heart jumping into my throat. Of course, there’s nothing behind me other than Nikolai and Ethan. I let out a slow breath. Now is not the time to lose it.
Grabbing cookies from the pantry, I return to the island and take another drink of tea. “Did you know Estelle hunted demons?”
“Anora,” Ethan says, eyes flicking from Nikolai to me. “Can we talk in the hall?”
“Sure.”
“Hunter, stay and keep watch,” Ethan tells him and my familiar listens, sitting in the middle of the kitchen so he can watch Nikolai. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Ethan whispers when we get into the service hall leading from the kitchen to the library. “We don’t know this guy and it’s a little too coincidental he randomly shows up in the midst of all this weird shit going on?”
“It’s not that random,” I counter, though I know it actually is. “I mean, I remember him. Look.” I pull a photo album from the shelves and flip through until I find the photo of Aunt Estelle sitting on the front porch with Nikolai. “I really did know him, and he really was friends with Aunt Estelle. Apparently, friends with benefits.”
Ethan’s jaw tenses and he just nods, staring at the photo as if he’s trying to decide if it’s photoshopped or not.
“And even if weird stuff wasn’t going on, you’d still be wary,” I remind him, resting a hand on his forearm. “He knew my aunt, Ethan. I could get answers.”
“I know.” He lets out a sigh. “Be careful with what you tell him. You met him years ago, but that doesn’t mean you should trust him. We don’t know how his relationship with your aunt was at the end.”
“True, and I will be careful.”
“I mean it, Anora.” He puts both his hands on my shoulders. “I know how desperate you are for answers and how trusting of a person you are. You see the good in everyone and it’s something I love about you but it’s something that makes you easy to take advantage of.”
“I know.” And I do. It wouldn’t be the first time I got burned from putting my trust in the wrong person. “There is a truth potion in my Book of Shadows, if you think we need to go that far.”