Page 65 of Fresh Old Bounties

Others might’ve been disappointed by the less-than-impressive results, but I was fine with it. Greater power did not correlate to being a better witch.

It’s all in the kindness, not the power.

Grandma’s wisest words, as far as I was concerned.

We spilled into the shop, and I went behind the counter to grab a power testing kit. I poured some moon water into a small glass bowl, then opened the packet with the sterilized lancet.

“This is the test?” Alex asked. He picked up the paper strip and examined it under the ceiling light. “It looks like a pee test.”

Shane smacked his arm. “Don’t touch it.”

Alex’s expression filled with alarm, and he dropped the strip on the counter immediately. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry. Did I mess it up?”

I chuckled. “It’s fine. You won’t contaminate it. It only reacts with spirit power.”

“Cool,” Key said by my right. Ian stood on my left, while the rest crowded on the other side of the counter, leaning in eagerly. So eagerly, Mark was all but lying on top of it. Even Fluffy pawed at my leg, picking up on the anticipation saturating the room.

I was starting to feel like a fungus culture under the microscope.

One of the gorgeous ones that looked like a forest or a bouquet of flowers.

“How does the test work?” Ian asked. His voice carried none of the eagerness on display on everyone else’s faces. It helped ground me, because…

Because a tiny, tiny part of me had begun to wonder.

What if?

What if I was a late bloomer power-wise? What if I was a lot more powerful than I’d thought?

Would I remain the same witch or be forever changed? Would Grandma’s lessons still apply?

“I mix my blood with the moon water,” I explained, almost absentmindedly, “then I dip the strip and activate the spell contained within.”

Giving myself no more time to doubt my own power, I prickled the tip of one finger with the lancet, waited for a big bead of blood to form, and dipped it into the bowl. Wisps of pink spread through the liquid, faster than they might in normal water, as if the moon water knew what to do with a drop of willing blood and was eager to perform.

I cleaned my fingertip with a small square of sterilized gauze—also part of the kit—and tried to put a small bandage on top.

“Let me,” Ian murmured. He took the bandage from me and deftly covered the pinprick with it. It brought back memories of me tending to his hand wound two weeks ago. Memories of his warm skin under mine, of realizing he had been dating me without me knowing. Of our first kiss.

A furnace came to life deep inside my belly, its flames licking slowly up my chest, into my cheeks. I told it to shut down. This was not the time.

“I’ll activate the strip now,” I said firmly to my audience as well as myself.

Time to concentrate.

I dipped the strip of thick paper into the bowl and tried to concentrate. Having seven pairs of eyes wholly focused on me was unnerving, and as little magic as this spell required, it still needed my full attention. My full intention.

Power of the spirit.

Magic tingled from my fingers into the paper, awakening the small ward laid there by someone a lot more powerful than I. It sucked on the magic greedily, returning the favor with a soft tickle against my skin, letting me know that it had received my offering and was eager to get to work.

I let go of the strip. It floated on the surface, attracting the pinkish wisps of blood like a magnet.

“Cool,” Alex whispered.

Even Mark looked impressed.

After a minute or so, the moon water stood transparent again, and the strip of paper had become slightly pink. I picked it up and shook some droplets off.

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