Page 71 of Waltzing With Witches

I look over at Abe, but his face is a carefully neutral mask. And I’m zapped of energy. I pull out of my sisters’ arms. “A drink sounds good. I need a minute.”

Abe gives me a soft smile. “I’ll find you when this is done.”

“I’m holding you to that,” I whisper.

Ten minutes later, Wren, Lou, Thea, and I sit in a red-and-turquoise leather booth at the Galloping Green Bean. Word that something happened is already getting out. Monsters sit hunched at tables, their heads together. Shock and sadness sink deep as I bring a hand up to my heart.

“I didn’t know Leighton,” I whisper. “Do any of you know who Richard’s talking about?”

My sisters and aunt shake their heads.

A clip-clopping sound rings through the half-empty diner. Hana comes level with our table and kneels down onto her front legs, putting her a bit taller than us in the booth.

“Are you girls okay?” Her green eyes are filled with tears. “Arkan’s with your Keeper and the others. I thought I should check on you all.”

“We’re all okay,” Lou says softly, chocolate eyes flicking to me. “Morgan discovered the thrall. She saved our asses. If that thing had gotten out inside the coffee shop…”

Hana’s lips twitch. “Your black magic is such a gift, my friend. I’m sure you’re exhausted, but if you feel up to it at some point, we can work to heal the coffee shop of the injuries inflicted during the thrall attack.”

I sit up, my palms itching. “Like we can fix the hole in the wall?”

“Yeah,” Hana says with a soft smile. “But the shop will be fine if we wait a few days. I visited with her now, and she felt so relieved. That is all thanks to you, Morgan.”

“You kicked ass, bitch,” Thea shouts. “I always knew you’d have the coolest magic.”

“It’s so rare, too,” Lou says. “Rainbow is a very eclectic haven, but in all my time there, I never met a black witch.”

Pride joins the other emotions spinning through me. I look up at Hana. “What do you spend most of your time doing as the black witch in a haven?”

She smiles as Alba, the diner’s owner, shoves a giant platform-like seat toward Hana. The centaur stands and seats her back half on the platform. She still towers over us, but at least she’s not on her knees.

“Well,” she says. “This is something we could do together, since we both technically live here now. We could visit each building and feel for issues.”

“Just like that?” Wren sounds incredulous. “I thought black magic was really hard to control.”

Hana and I shake our heads at the same time. She laughs when she sees my response, clasping her hands at her waist. “Not so hard to control, just very difficult to identify. The closest thing I can approximate it to is riding a bike, not that I’ve ever done it. But I’m told it’s difficult to find your rhythm, but once you do, it’s easy to learn fast.”

I nod. “I looked so hard for the magic, and it almost hid from that sort of focus. Each time I’ve used it, it was instinctive. I didn’t think about steps to take at all.”

Thea and Wren both nod.

“It was sort of like that for me too,” Wren admits. “Focusing helped to a degree, but once I felt what successfully using it was like, I picked it up faster.”

Thea snorts. “Doesn’t hurt that you had a sexy-as-hell teacher.”

Wren purses her lips to hide a smile. “No. That, err, definitely moved things along.”

We all laugh at that. Alba arrives moments later with five spiked milkshakes. She sets them down with a thankful look toward me. “There’s extra booze in yours, Morgan. I’m not really sure what all happened, but it sounds like we have you to thank for keeping Ever safe.”

“It’s what we do,” Thea says with a beleaguered sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know what the hells you did before the Hector triplets came to town!”

Alba stomps one foot, planting both hands on her hips. “Now listen here, Althea.”

But time stops for me as the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I whip around in my seat to see the Keeper standing just inside the door, his dark eyes intense on me. He jerks his head toward the door, asking if I’m ready to go.

When I turn toward my sisters, Lou and Hana, they all have the exact same expression on their face—amusement.

“Get outta here, sis,” Wren encourages softly. “Call us later if you need anything at all. We haven’t wanted to interrupt you at the castle, but we’ll come out there or meet you somewhere, or literally whatever you want, okay? We’re here for you both.”

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