“My girls,” Mama says with joy as she sees us walk around the house. She’s dressed in a long, green dress that flows around her legs with sleeves that ruffle away from her elbows.
Her long, blond hair is down, and she’s wearing amber around her neck for protection.
“It’s so good to see you, Mama,” I say and fold her into a hug. “You look wonderful.”
“I feel wonderful.” She smiles, accepting hugs from my sisters, and Cash and Lucien, as well. “I’m so happy you’re all here. Look at this beautiful family that I have.”
I have to blink away the tears. This woman is the person my sisters and I longed for all of our lives. I’m just so relieved that she’s herself again, and we can work toward healing as a family.
“I’ve been studying with Sophia.” She takes my hand and leads us to the tents, where the guys set down the food. “We must have cast a hundred protection spells over the past couple of weeks.”
“That’s good,” I say. “You need them.”
“I do, but I’m also feeling much stronger. I won’t allow anything like that to happen again. I have the tools to protect myself.”
She fiddles with the amber around her neck, then grins as if she just got an idea.
“In fact, I want to show you something.”
Mama walks to a nearby table where a candle isn’t lit yet. She leans over and blows on the wick, and it lights.
“Look at you,” Brielle cheers. “That’s so damn cool, Mama.”
“I think so,” Mama agrees.
“There you guys are,” Esme says as she hurries over. “I snagged a ride with Gwyneth and Aiden after we closed up the café for the day. You were right, Millie, customers couldn’t get enough of the special Blue Moon Mocha today.”
“That’s so fun.” I laugh. “I’m glad they liked it.”
“I told them there was a little added blood magic in them,” she says with a wink, and I take a step back.
Blood magic?
Blood.
Esme’s turned away from me and is talking with Mama, but now my hackles are raised.
Why would she say that?
Stop it, Lucien says.
Something is off with Esme. I’m not crazy. Why would she mention blood magic?
Because it’s mystical and people eat that shit up with a spoon.
I don’t reply, just nod and decide that I’ll be keeping a closer eye on Esme this evening.
“Lucien and Millie, can I speak with you?” Miss Sophia asks. She leads us to a private space on the other side of the house and has two pouches in her hands. “I wanted to give these to you yesterday, but decided to charge them under the full moon last night first.”
She passes us each one of the pouches.
When I open mine, I find a necklace with a Mother of Pearl pendant the size of a baby’s fist.
“Sabrina gave me these, and I think you should have them. They were originally yours to begin with. The Mother of Pearl is for harmony. It stimulates intuition, imagination, and sensitivity. And it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry.”
I brush my thumb over the stone, then loop it around my neck to join my amethyst.
“Thank you so much.”
Lucien opens his pouch and finds a dagger with different-colored stones in the hilt. Emerald, sapphire, amethyst, among others.
“Sabrina didn’t know where this dagger came from, just that it was yours, Lucien.”
“It’s ancient,” he says with a sigh and turns it over in his hands. “I need to do some research to be sure. Thank you, it’s beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiles at us both. “Blessed be.”
When we return to the others, I see that more members of the coven have arrived. It’s always so fun to see familiar faces, to chat with those I only see a couple of times a year.
All of these people came to help us last year when we defeated Horace in the bayou. They’re our family.
“Hey, guys,” Dahlia greets as she approaches. “I thought I’d never get out of the shop today.”
“Well, you’re just in time,” I assure her. Dahlia’s eyes fall on my new necklace.
“That’s gorgeous,” she says. “And new.”
“It’s actually old. Miss Sophia gave it to me.”
“I love it.” She smiles. “I need to get myself a talisman. I just haven’t decided what I want.”
“You can always try out different ones and then go with the one that feels the best.”
“Good idea.”
We’ve walk over to where Mama’s sitting with my sisters and Cash.
“Can we sit here?” I ask.
“You can,” Mama says and then turns cold eyes to Dahlia. “But she’s not welcome here.”
I frown and glance at Dahlia, who seems completely unfazed.
“Mama—”
“No, it’s okay,” Dahlia insists. “I need to go say hello to someone over there anyway.”
She walks away, and I sit next to Lucien. “Mama, that was rude. Dahlia’s my friend.”
“You should not be friends with that woman,” Mama replies. “Her soul is dark.”