“That’s interesting. I had no idea.”
“You never took an interest when Uncle Noah and I put together family scrapbooks.”
I make a face. “That’s not my thing, though next time I’m over I’m definitely taking a look at that scrapbook.”
“Come over for a family dinner on Thursday?” Mom asks. “Ethan, you are more than welcome. I know Anora’s father would like to meet you.”
“I’d like to meet your dad,” Ethan says, smiling at me, which makes Mom beam. She stays for a while longer, and Ethan and I walk her to her car, making sure she gets in all right and demons don’t attack.
“Lancaster,” Ethan starts when we’re back in my house. “I’ve heard that name before. Maybe it’s more common than we think, but knowing who you are and what you can do, it can’t be a coincidence.”
“What do you mean?” I lock the door and join Ethan on the couch.
He tucks my hair behind my ear. “There’s a line of witches and warlocks hailing from the New England area. They’re an old-school, pure-blood kind of family.” His eyes meet mine, searching for something not even I can find. “And their name is Lancaster.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Anora?” Ethan sits up, covers falling from his chest. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“Making a family tree,” I say, looking up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You weren’t here. I got worried.” He blinks several times.
“Go back to sleep,” I press, knowing he’s tired. It took a bit of convincing for him to take that second pain pill because he didn’t want to be groggy, just like I suspected. But the more sleep he gets, the faster he’ll heal and there’s a good chance we’ll be fighting off demons in the near future. With Hunter at the foot of the bed keeping guard, Ethan grumbled but obliged, taking the medication so he could get a full night of rest.
“It’s four AM. Why are you making a family tree?”
I grab my phone and my notebook and sit on the edge of the bed. “Because it makes sense.” I show him the list of interconnected names. “JoAnna Lancaster was my great-grandmother. Her family was basically the Malfoys and didn’t approve of her dating someone not of pure blood—or who wasn’t even a warlock. If her baby daddy wasn’t magical, it would make sense that one of her kids wasn’t magical either, right? My nana didn’t have magic. My mom certainly doesn’t, and I don’t think my uncle Noah does either. He adopted his son, so if the magic skipped a generation like it did with me, we’d never know.”
“That does make sense.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter.” I close the notebook. “If the Lancasters were so fancy they excommunicated my great-grandma, they sound like a bunch of assholes and I don’t want anything to do with them. But it explains why I have magic…though it still doesn’t explain why Aunt Estelle bound my powers.”
I let out a sigh. “I just need to stop probing, right? It raises more questions.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” Ethan opens the covers for me to slip back under. “I’d want to know all I could too.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask, pushing his hair back.
“How lame is it for me to say better now that you’re next to me?”
“Super lame,” I reply, unable to keep from smiling. “But I like it.”
“Good, though it would be better if you were naked.”
“I got cold sitting on the floor.” I turn off the flashlight on my phone and lie down. “But I’m not on the floor anymore.” I put on my favorite llama PJ pants and Ethan’s t-shirt. “It’s more comfortable to sleep naked. I hate when my pajama pants twist around my legs.
“That is annoying,” he says slowly, and his eyes fall shut and he slips his hand under the shirt, resting his fingers on my hip. He’s asleep again in just minutes, and I stay awake a while longer, unable to shut off my brain. If JoAnna Lancaster fled to the Midwest to escape an overbearing and disapproving family, she still taught Aunt Estelle how to do magic. I think about it until my head hurts, and don’t fall asleep again until the sun starts to rise.
When I get up, Ethan is in the kitchen making breakfast. He’s wearing those dark gray sweatpants again, and I pause in the hall, admiring his muscular backside. And then Hunter runs over and gives me away.
“Morning, sunshine,” Ethan says, looking over his shoulder. The smell of coffee and bacon fill the air. “I raided your fridge. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay, and I’m really glad I went grocery shopping yesterday.” I come into the kitchen, stopping behind him and resting my hands on his sides. “And seriously, Ethan, you’re going to spoil me and make me expect this. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”