“Of course.” She forces a smile and then stands, popping the small bit of donut in her mouth as she checks on the coffee pot.
I brought the magical dagger—just in case—and it’s on the table next to the box of donuts. Ethan wipes his hands on a napkin and picks it up.
“You smoked a few demons with this thing,” he starts, pulling the blade from the sheath. “And when you stabbed then, they burst into flames but the surrounding area didn’t go up in smoke.” He slowly turns the dagger, and light reflects off the Grim Gate pendant that’s engraved into the metal. “You used it as a medium and safely—and efficiently—channeled your powers.”
“You’re right,” I say as it occurs to me. Ethan had already stabbed the dagger into the chest of one of those bird-demons and all I did was take hold of the hilt.
He puts the dagger back in the sheath and flips it around, offering me the hilt of the dagger. “I usually am.” Looking at me, he winks, and my fingers wrap around the dagger. Is that why Aunt Estelle sent this to me? Did she know I’d be able to channel my powers into a weapon like this? Can I incinerate demons with a single stab and won’t burn the house down in the process?
“You think it’s okay to…to use fire magic as long as I have the dagger in my hands?” My eyes go to the tiger’s eye gemstone and another wave of familiarity washes over me, immediately followed by anger. Why the fuck did Aunt Estelle think it was okay to alter my memories like this? Remembering how to use magic and not set my yard on fire would come in handy right about now.
“As long as it’s just the dagger in your hands,” Ethan replies, flashing that panty-melting smirk.
“There have been long-circulating rumors about a dagger than can kill demons with a single stab,” Julia says as she brushes her hair back into a messy ponytail. “It’s typical for something to get lost in translation, and it seems the key factor is the dagger needs a witch to power it, which makes the whole magic demon-killing dagger thing not a dud, just…uh…just limited in who can use it.”
“Let’s test that theory.” Ethan gets up and Sam glares harder at me before pushing off the wall and angrily staring down the donuts. She wants one but doesn’t want to eat anything I brought over. She gets a cup of coffee instead, and I’m impressed with her willpower. I don’t even like powdered donuts that much, yet I already ate half of one since they’re in front of me.
“Do you have a demon stashed in the basement or something?” I look from the dagger to Ethan, realizing my joke could very much be real since I’m sitting in a house full of hunters.
“Not today,” Ethan replies and takes a package of chicken breasts from the fridge. He puts one in a ceramic pan and brings it over. “Try it.”
“I don’t think it’s going to work,” I say, knowing he means trying to cook the meat and not eat it.
“You won’t know until you try.”
“Right.” Nodding, I square my shoulders and stab the piece of raw chicken. I close my eyes and try to…well…I don’t really know. I don’t want to burn Ethan’s house down, and the fear of how fast the fire got out of control last night makes me clam up.
Very good, Anora.
Aunt Estelle’s voice echoes in my mind, and it’s like a flip is switched.
Breathe.
Focus on the way the dagger feels in my hand. Feel the tiny magical vibrations. Take hold of them and—
I open my eyes and see steam rising from the pan. The blade of the dagger glows red from the fire, which is safely contained in the blade.
“Fuck,” Ethan says under his breath. “You’re doing it.”
I watch as the chicken cooks before our eyes, and in only a matter of seconds, it goes from a raw hunk of meat to well-cooked.
“Impressive,” David says, startling me a bit. I didn’t hear him come in the house after an apparent run. He’s wearing athletic clothes and is all sweaty.
“The dagger channels her powers,” Ethan tells his father. “It makes it safe for her to—”
“Your arm,” David interrupts, striding forward and taking hold of Ethan’s bicep. “It’s healed?”
“Yeah,” Ethan replies, looking at his arm. The healing process accelerated, making the faded scab look at least two weeks old. “Anora did that too.”
“How?” David’s eyes narrow as he turns his cold gaze to me. He doesn’t trust me, not any more than Sam does.
“Crystals,” I offer with a shrug. “Quartz can amplify healing and health, so I figured I’d try it.”
“That…that could come in handy,” David says, each word sounding forced. Sam inhales, eyes going to me. Right as she’s about to say something—and not something nice, I’m sure—everyone gets a text message at the same time.