Page 3 of Magic's Rise

The hand holding the pie slowly goes numb, and I shift the pan to my other hand to stick my frozen digits into my pocket for warmth. We veer off the road, crunching through a thick layer of leaves toward the olive-green house third from the end.

Delilah had embraced the festival with enthusiasm, and we have to pick our way around white and blue pumpkins. Tall lanterns sit on her stoop, filled with electric candles.

I reach up to knock at the center of the enormous wreath that hangs from her lime-colored door.

A rustle comes from inside, and a moment later, the door opens, letting out a blast of warmth.

A tall woman in her forties stands in the opening, a hat pulled over her silvering auburn hair as she shrugs into a jacket.

At the sight of us, a warm smile spreads over her lips, the skin crinkling softly on her cheeks. “Well, this is a surprise. Are you on your way home?”

“Yep. We’re here to walk with you.” I hold the pie I carry aloft. “Dessert?”

She chuckles and takes it from me. “That sounds delightful. Is it one of Jesse’s creations?”

“Number eighteen, I think.” With my hands free, I tug on my gloves.

“Let me just put this in the kitchen, and then I’ll be ready to go.” She bustles back into the house, leaving the door open, and I revel in the heat that escapes from inside.

Tris nudges me, the pan in his hands eaten down to crumbs. “Hey, that was mine.”

I nudge him back. “Jesse will bring more when they come for dinner.”

Delilah returns with a book satchel over one shoulder. Tris and I head back down to the sidewalk to give her room to lock up, and then she joins us.

When Delilah first arrived in Hartford Cove, she’d been near death’s door. It had taken a while for her to build back muscle, and the ordeal she’d been through prematurely aged her. The arrival of autumn has seen her blossom, though, as if the change of season breathed new life into her.

As we walk, she tucks her arm through mine, giving it a gentle hug. “How was your day, sister?”

Now used to her familiar ways, I squeeze her in return. It helps that she spends a lot of time at our house, visiting with her brother Ambros, my vampire mate. We’ve bonded more than I have with the other witches we brought to Hartford Cove.

“The repairs on the rec center were finished today, so it will be back open in time for the craft fair. Then I spent the afternoon taste-testing Jesse’s apple pies.” I tip my head back to study her. “How much do you like pie?”

“Careful how you answer.” Tris scrapes up the crumbs in his empty pan and licks his finger. “Rowe’s looking for a replacement at Jesse’s table.”

“I dare say that many sweets would make me sick.” Delilah’s attention drifts to the bustle of activity around us. “I can’t wait for the festival to begin. It’s so exciting, don’t you think?”

“A bit. I’ve never been to one,” I admit. “My family only visited during the summer.”

Pity flashes across her face, which I ignore.

The fact that I grew up in seclusion isn’t a source of sadness for me, no matter what Dr. Lopez says in our therapy sessions. It just means I still have a ton of new experiences ahead of me that I get to share with my mates.

Reaching out, I take Tris’s hand. Even with the separation imposed by my gloves, blue sparks dance around our interwoven fingers.

Tris looks over the top of my head at Delilah. “Do you think you’ll be ready in time?”

Delilah and some of the other coven members had signed up for one of the street booths to sell talismans and tonics.

While the wolf shifters here are used to having the magical barrier to protect them from being discovered, those who come to visit don’t usually have that luxury.

Delilah’s small group had gotten together with our mentors to come up with some charms and potions that will help with that. They’ve been working on them after class for the last few weeks to prepare everything in time.

“I believe so.” Her arm tightens around mine. “If people like them, we can also ship replacements when the spells wear off. Mel also said we can sell them in her shop once it’s up and running.”

“The old town council will have a field day with that,” I mutter.

After Horace’s attempt to oust Owen as Alpha had failed, he’d kept his dissatisfaction to a quiet grumble. The new town council had taken over, with a few of the more open-minded members of the previous one continuing in their position.

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