2 Kiss My Witch Read online

  I winced. "Well technically we didn't."

  Sera leaned up against the wall. "I'm not even sure I know what you're talking about."

  Em smirked. The magical wind sweeping over her faded, and as her cloud of hair fell, she brushed a strand from her extremely high, bone-colored cheeks. "Oh. So it was some sort of freak accident that a cloud of bugs landed on your house?"

  "Mosquitoes," Grandma corrected. Good ole Grandma, being sure not to take one for the team. Just go ahead and rat us out, will you?

  "Whatever," Em said. Her jewelry tinkled as she entered the house and took a seat on a chair. "I'm sure it'll be in all the papers tomorrow." She splayed her hands out in front of her. "Freak Accident at Apel House. Mosquitoes Attack Residents."

  "So? Freak accidents happen all the time," I said curtly. "People get attacked by killer bees. That's a freak accident."

  She scowled. "Once the witch council reads about it, they'll know good and well it wasn't no freak accident. They'll be investigatin'. They'll realize the truth and—" She waved her index finger over her throat in the kill gesture.

  Sera slapped her thighs. "So they're going to boil us alive. Is that what you're saying? The council is going to arrive, find us guilty of working magic in front of regular people, and they're going to put us to death. No questions, no explanation, they'll just do whatever they want."

  "Right," Em said.

  Grandma lifted her fist. "We'll fight to the death! I'm not going down without a bloody battle."

  All of this was unfortunately true. It was basically a cardinal witch sin to work magic where regular people, or nonmagics, could bear witness. The punishment for this was, in fact, being boiled alive. Yes, I know. Super gross. You didn't have to tell me twice.

  I scratched my forehead. "Is there any way out of it?" The thought of my family being found guilty for my actions made my heart flutter. "I don't want anyone to die. It wasn't their fault. It was mine. Isn't there something we can do?" Was I begging the queen? The woman who'd unleashed my powers and opened up this crazy world of witches to me?

  Yes. In fact I was.

  Em yawned. "There may be a way out of it, but I cain't make no promises."

  "Well what's the good in that?" I said, slamming a fist on an end table. "I want promises. I want guarantees."

  She clicked her tongue. My heart pounded against my chest. This cat was up to something. I bet she'd been biding her time, just waiting for me to screw up so she could sweep in and save us. An unsettling tingle crawled over my skin, making me feel cold and clammy. Maybe it was just the bug bites.

  "Can I have some itch cream?" I asked Sera.

  She tossed me the tube.

  From her seat, Em rolled her eyes. "Oh, for goodness’ sake. How is it that when y'all need to use magic, you don't, and when you don't need to use it, you do?"

  Reid frowned. "Huh? Can you explain that again?"

  "Y'all need to be usin' your dang magic to fix your bug bites, instead of plasterin' on some silly cream." Em waved her hand. I watched as the welts disappeared off Sera's flesh. I glanced down at my arms. Mine were gone, too. Sweet! Looked like the queen couldn't be too angry with me. After all, that was a random act of kindness, from a decidedly unrandom person.

  I beamed at her. "Thank you."

  Em twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Don't thank me too quick."

  Oh right; there was still the threat of the council to contend with. "So how are you going to keep the council from finding out about my blatant use of magic that almost got me and my family eaten by mosquitoes? Because God forbid it was an accident and that the council sees it that way. So what is it? What's your plan, Em?"

  Em cleared her throat. "It just so happens that right now, at this very moment, I'm holding a little soiree."

  Sera knitted her brows together skeptically. "What kind of little soiree?"

  Em smiled like a panther about to eat a pig. "A small one to introduce you to witches."

  I rose. "Witches? Why would you want us to meet any of them?"

  Now, here's the thing about witches. I had been warned several times that witches were bad—some liked to steal other witchs’ powers. Not all, mind you, but some. So after one tried to kill me, which was only a few weeks ago, I'd decided to stay away from all witches—except family of course—for pretty much the rest of my life.

  Looked like I was failing.

  Em inspected her coral-colored fingernails. I had to say, it was a fabulous color for her. All that cinnamon and crimson hair, the bone-colored skin, the coral accessorizing. Who did I have to murder to get coloring like that?

  Kidding.

  Mostly.

  "Why wouldn't you want to meet any witches?" Em said.

  "Because," Reid said, "they'll try to kill us."

  "Your sisters," Em corrected. "Not you. You don't have any power." She jutted her bottom lip. "Poor thing."

  "I was only saying," Reid said. She hunched her shoulders and set about pouting over the fact that she was powerless and would remain so for probably the rest of her life. Oh, teenage angst. Why can't the world do everything an eighteen-year-old wants? Why can't it bow down like it should?

  I bit my cheek before I started laughing. I had better things to focus on, after all. "So you're hosting a little party of witches. I assume you want us to meet them?"

  Em nodded. "Yes. Come meet some witches. I can't guarantee none of them won't try to kill y'all, but at least you'll be introduced to a handful of your sisters."

  "So only a handful?" I asked, a swell of hopefulness filling my chest.

  She shrugged. "More or less. They're in town for the weekend. All you have to do is spend some time with them."

  "And you promise we'll be off the hook? You'll make the whole mosquito story disappear?" Sera asked.

  Em snapped her fingers. "Done."

  I glanced at each of the women in the room in turn. "Time to meet some witches."

  ***

  We pulled up outside the landmark Balmore House. Built by one of the founding fathers of Silver Springs, Alabama, the home was currently a popular wedding venue. Nestled outside of town and surrounded by two-hundred-year-old oaks, the manor was a splendid retreat for someone looking to get away from the big city for a few days. It had a ballroom and beautiful gardens, as well as an entire top floor full of rooms for guests.

  As we pulled up in my old sedan, I saw a throng of women spill out of the front door. "Must be another party here," I said. This was not a handful of witches. There were about thirty women wandering about the lawn, holding drinks and mingling.

  "Yeah," Sera said with more than a hint of bite in her tone. "Must be."

  We parked along the side of the house and got out.

  Grandma exited in a series of grunts and heaves. Reid and I each took one of her arms, and we pulled. Only then did the car release its imaginary hold on her. "Dylan, what kind of terrible vehicle is this?" Grandma said. "I need to get you something more comfortable for me to ride in."

  "Like what?" I asked.

  "How about a chariot?" She ran her hand down my arm like she was envisioning us in this ancient contraption. "Imagine it. Horses in the front, you riding in back eating grapes while a good-looking man stands at the helm."

  Helm? "I'll think about it, Grandma. But right now we've got bigger fish to fricassee."

  She snorted. "Yes. A gaggle of witches beckons us."

  We threaded our way past the crowd and into the building. Em met us inside. She'd spelled her way from our house to Balmore, which was apparently a much faster way to travel. The queen gave us all smiles when her gaze settled our way.

  She tapped the glass in her hand with one of those coral nails. "Everyone! Everyone! May I have your attention?"

  A blanket of quiet settled about the place. Footsteps ticked over the parquet floor as women from outside worked their way into the steamy (this is July in Alabama) surroundings.

  "Is everyone here?" Em asked.


  No one said anything. Em nodded as if she took that for a yes. "Thank y'all for comin' on such short notice. I know that plenty of you have heard of our esteemed guests and have been itchin' like someone put scratch powder down your shorts to meet 'em, so here they are."

  She pointed at me. My face heated. I glanced around at the shining faces. Witches—short and tall, squat and thin—smiled at me. My lips curled uneasily.

  "You look like you're constipated," Sera whispered.

  I stopped smiling.

  Em cleared her throat. "I'd like y'all to meet the Apel family. Hazel—"

  "Actually, I'm a Horton," Grandma said. She fluffed the ends of her triangle-shaped head of hair. "I'm Hazel Horton. I already know some of you."

  "Yes," Em seethed between clenched teeth. Queen Witch did not like being interrupted. "Hazel Horton and the Apel sisters. This is Dylan and Sera," she said, pointing both of us out.

  "And Reid," Reid said.

  "You're not important," Em replied.

  Reid's face fell. I'd have to find some chocolate for her to eat. That always seemed to make her feel better. I know. I know. Don't reward sadness with food. It starts a bad habit. But listen, I'm not her mother; I'm her sister. I don't have to follow that adage.

  Besides, it's not a very happy rule.

  "Please introduce yourselves to our newest sisters," Em said. "Mingle about. Do what you were doing."

  The crowd erupted into groups of murmurs.

  Grandma threw one side of her scarf over a shoulder. "I'm going to find some punch. I'll be back."

  When she was gone, Sera leaned over. "I wonder which one of them wants to kill us."

  I gaped at her. "Why would you say that? Are you trying to wish something on us?"

  "No. I'm only saying. I mean, this is Em's revenge, right? For having her arrested? Dump us in the middle of a bunch of witches and see which one tries to steal our powers."

  "I doubt Balmore House has any secret rooms where someone could do that sort of nasty work."

  By nasty work I meant skin us alive. Yep. That's how witches steal one another's power—by skinning a person while they're still breathing. I know. Disgusting. Only a truly sick individual could do something that despicable.

  Sera shrugged. She wasn't convinced. I turned to continue the argument but found myself interrupted by two women—witches, apparently—walking toward us. They were pretty, with short brown hair that ended in points that rested on their chins, twinkling coffee-colored eyes, and bright smiles. I smiled back. As I stared at them, I realized that they were twins.

  And they wore matching polka-dot dresses.

  Did I mention, they looked to be about forty?

  I stared as the two made their way over to us. One of them tugged the brim of her straw hat while the other giggled.

  They stuck their hands out at the same time—one for me, one for Sera.

  "Nice to meet you," one gushed.

  "We've heard so much about you," the other said.

  They glanced at each other and tittered. "Actually," the first corrected, "we've all heard so much about you. About how brave you were, Dylan, since you didn't know anything about your past, about the fact that"—she leaned forward—"you know, you're one of us."

  I nodded. "Right. I'm Dylan. Nice to meet you."

  One of the women smiled. "I'm Sumi. This is Loretta. We're twins."

  "You don't say," Reid said, craning her neck into our conversation. "I never would have guessed."

  I kicked her shin.

  "Ow!"

  "It's so nice to meet you," I said.

  "Yes. Where are y'all from?" Sera asked.

  "We're from here and there," Sumi said. She looked at Loretta, who laughed like a teenager on her first date.

  "Yeah, we sort of go where the wind blows us. Lately we've been living in Tennessee near Sewanee. It's pretty up there. Lots of trees. Lots of wind."

  "Loretta loves storms," Sumi said. "It's her thing." She leaned forward to tell us a secret. "It feeds her power."

  "How interesting," I said.

  Sumi's eyes twinkled. "Where do you get your powers?"

  "Um. I don't know," I said.

  "You make dresses, right?" Loretta asked. She didn't wait for a reply before turning to her sister. “She makes dresses. That's what feeds her power."

  I wrinkled my nose. "How do you know what I do?"

  "Oh. It's our thing. To know what people do," Loretta said. "You make dresses. Sera cooks. Right, Sera? You cook?"

  "Actually, I bake."

  "Sounds like the same thing to me," Sumi said. Her mouth split into a smile. Both their faces did. I noticed the tiny cleft in each chin, a delicate dimple, like a button, tucked away in their skin.

  Sera rubbed her arms. "Sure. Same thing."

  "Do either of y'all know why Queen Witch asked us here?" I said, trying to figure out the motive behind all this nonsense.

  Sumi took my hand and wiggled it. "To introduce us to you. We've all been dying to meet you." She elbowed me. "Get it? Dying to meet you? A group of witches. I mean, after what just happened to you, you're probably in shell shock seeing all of us here."

  My stomach twisted. "No, not shell shock."

  Definitely shell shock.

  "Please. This couldn't be worse than the millions of mosquitoes that tried to kill us a few minutes ago," Reid said.

  Loretta—or was it Sumi?—raised her eyebrows. "Really? You were attacked by bugs? How awful. Tell us everything."

  I suspected the twins' interest had little to do with sympathy and more to do with pure, unadulterated gossipmongering. Who didn't like a good old-fashioned earful every now and then?

  I scanned the room while Reid's voice hummed in the background. Though all the witches chatted with one another, it was obvious they were keyed in on me and my sisters. Several nodded as our gazes met. It appeared they were looking for an opportunity to jump into our conversation at any moment. Apparently we were celebrities.

  Of course we were. I'd survived attempted murder by one of their kind. I'm sure they were all clamoring to know everything about me. I would want to know everything about me, too.

  Just kidding.

  I shifted my weight and glanced over my shoulder. I froze. There, resting against the door frame, dark sunglasses covering his green eyes and a toothpick playing in his mouth, stood Roman Bane.

  Our eyes locked. I mean, I think they did. He was wearing sunglasses and all, so it was pretty impossible to be sure.

  He smiled.

  Yep. Our gazes had definitely met.

  My knees wobbled. There stood the guy I had almost fallen for. Who was I kidding? I had fallen for him, and then he had let me down. Big-time. My body wanted to pivot toward him, glide over to where he stood, and pretend nothing had ever happened. In fact my left foot inched in his direction. I stamped it down.

  "Oh! What was that?" Sumi asked, looking at my leg.

  Nervous laughter bubbled in my throat. Not wanting to admit anything about Roman, I played it cool. "My leg fell asleep. It does that from time to time." I stomped several times. The thud filled the room. All eyes turned to me. "Just waking up my leg," I announced. The witches stared at me for half a lifetime before returning to their conversations.

  "Thank goodness you're here."

  I glanced in the direction of the voice. A tall, lithe woman with a head full of black hair except for a shock of white bangs, swept into our conversation. "Girls, I've been looking everywhere for you." She grasped mine and Sera's hands in her bony ones. "It's been forever and a day since I've seen you." The woman glared down her nose at the twins. "Sumi. Loretta. If you'll excuse us, we have lots of catching up to do."

  Sumi smiled. "Stormy, you don't mind if we stay and chat with them too, do you?"

  Stormy frowned. "Why? So you can print in your gossip paper everything that we say in the next five minutes? Trying to ruin someone's life already?" She tsked. "Ladies, we only just got here. You've already damaged my r
eputation. I'm sure you can let the Apel sisters get to know you for five minutes before you make their happy lives evaporate." She gave the women a serpentine smile.

  The twins bristled. In unison they squared their shoulders and huffed off without a word. Once they were gone, Stormy exhaled.

  "Thank goodness for small miracles."

  "Not much of a miracle," I said. "You pretty much told them to get lost."

  One side of her mouth curled. "That's the miracle. That they left. They're like bloodhounds, those two. Once they get the hankering of a good story, they latch onto it like leeches. It wouldn't be so bad if they only talked about it, but they run a gossip paper." She shot me a knowing look. "Did they tell you that?"

  I shook my head. "No, in fact they did not."

  Stormy nodded as if not surprised. "A darn popular paper that they print with their aunt, who's also here. Don't let their easy smiles fool you. Those twins have printed the secrets of at least half the women in this room." She stuck out her hand. "By the way, I'm Stormy Hellsmount."

  Hellsmount? Where did these names come from? "Nice to meet you. I'm Dylan, and this is Sera and Reid."

  She flipped her long ebony hair over one shoulder. Her black evening gown hung from her model body as if she'd just stepped from the runway. I tried not to be jealous of her sleek hair, her thin limbs and her large, inky eyes, but to be honest, it was hard. I tugged at the tip of the ponytail that sat high on my head and thought about how gratifying it was to eat carrots and celery.

  For every meal.

  Kidding. I had a burger for lunch. Tomorrow I'd start on the carrots and celery.

  "Pleased to meet you," Stormy said. "Those two…" Her eyes slewed toward the twins, who'd taken up residence at the side of another witch. "Stay away from them unless you want every secret in your past to become public knowledge. Five more minutes talking with them and they would've told every witch here that they knew who you lost your virginity to."

  "Wow," Reid said. "That is bad. I don't want people knowing that."

  "Reid, we all know you're a virgin," Sera said.

  "I'm just saying." Reid hunched her shoulders.

  "Anyway," Stormy said. "Let's get out of this stuffy room. Want to go outside? Get a breath of fresh air?" She leaned in. "Talk where there aren't a thousand people listening?"