Page 45 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

"I'm not a bodyguard," he clarified. "Nor am I Edna's boyfriend or her paid escort. I'm here as a representative of the clan, and my job is to ensure that you behave."

Jasmine had to bite her lip not to pick up that line and run with it.

But then it occurred to her that he'd said 'clan.' What clan?

Before she could inquire further, however, Edna lifted her hand to put a stop to the banter.

"Before we begin, tell me a little bit about yourself."

Edna's pale blue eyes were unnerving, and Jasmine wondered if she was a powerful hypnotist like Kevin. Come to think of it, why hadn't Kian sent Kevin to talk to her?

If the guy could convince Modana to be born again, he could get her to tell him anything he wanted.

Maybe she wasn't important enough to bother Kevin with.

The truth was that she had nothing to hide except her witchy ways. They were harmless, but some people thought that they were evil or dangerous, while others scoffed at all Wiccan practitioners, regarding them as lunatics.

Come to think of it, Kian had decided to send Edna to probe her after Jasmine had admitted to him and Amanda that she was Wiccan. But then Amanda had also admitted to dabbling a little with the occult, so maybe they had no problem with it.

Still, maybe it was better to preempt any potential criticism by explaining why she'd chosen that path to follow and the solace and comfort it provided her with. She should tell Edna about that in her own words instead of the woman picking up some odd ritual and thinking that Jasmine was a devil worshiper because she saw a pentagram in there.

"First and foremost, I'm an actress," Jasmine said. "Acting is my passion and what I enjoy doing the most. I'm not famous, and I can't make a living doing what I love, so I work in customer service to pay the bills. I'm also a Wiccan. I know that some people have negative preconceptions about Wiccans, but for me, Wicca has been a blessing and a solace. The embrace of the Mother of All Life, the connection to nature and the divine feminine have helped me through some tough times." She smiled. "The life of an actor is full of rejections, and everyone deals with that in their own way. I think mine is healthier and more nurturing than most."

To her surprise, Max suddenly seemed very interested in what she had to say. "Did you say Mother of All Life?" It sounded like an accusation.

Jasmine nodded, taken aback by his tone. "Yes, she's one of the central deities in Wicca. Why?"

Max shook his head. "Nothing. Go on."

He sounded dismissive, which was so aggravating because so many people made fun of witches.

"Wicca is listed as an official, legitimate religion by the government, with recognized holidays that practitioners can claim." Jasmine's tone was a little sharper than she'd intended. "It's not some fly-by-night cult."

Max snorted, his expression turning derisive. "Yeah, because the government is always such a great arbiter of what's real and what's not. Your so-called religion is just another sham organization that calls itself a faith to get tax-exempt status."

Why was he being so hostile?

What had she ever done to him?

Jasmine bristled, anger and indignation coursing through her veins. "Wicca has no churches," she snapped, "and no one makes money off of it unless they run a store, which wouldn't be tax-exempt anyway. We don't have any central authority or hierarchy. It's a personal, individual path."

There were covens, but they were usually small, ten to fifteen people, and Jasmine didn't belong to any. She was still a rookie witch who didn't know enough to even ask the right questions.

Max looked like he wanted to argue further, but Edna held up a hand, silencing him with a pointed look.

As she turned back to Jasmine, the woman's expression was one of gentle curiosity, with no trace of judgment or condemnation. "Tell me, Jasmine, has your practice ever produced any tangible results for you? Any instances where you felt like your spells or rituals had a real, measurable impact on your life?"

Jasmine nodded, a smile tugging at her lips as she remembered the countless times her incantations had seemed to work in her favor. "Absolutely. I always do a special ritual before going on auditions, and more often than not, I end up getting the part. It's like the universe is conspiring to help me succeed."

Edna's expression turned thoughtful, her head tilting slightly as she regarded Jasmine with a piercing gaze. "So, would it be fair to say that you've never auditioned for any truly major roles? No leading parts in big-budget productions or anything like that?"

Jasmine felt her cheeks heat up, a twinge of embarrassment mingling with the ever-present sting of self-doubt. "Well, no," she admitted. "But that's because I knew those parts were out of my reach."

"From divination?" Edna asked.

Jasmine nodded.

Something like understanding flickered through Edna's eyes, shaded by a hint of sadness or pity. "Perhaps it would have been better if you hadn't consulted your cards or your crystals whether you should audition for bigger parts. It's possible that you channeled your doubts and lack of belief in your own abilities into your divinations, producing the results you expected to see. And those results, in turn, only fed back into your insecurities, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy."

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