Page 6 of Blood Match

“Mrs. Henderson,” Dad continues smoothly, “this is merely a small mishap. I can rectify the situation immediately if you’ll allow me.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve having that…that…” Margaret glares at me, “lunatic anywhere near me!”

My cheeks flame, and I gnaw at my lip. “I’m really very sorry.” My voice is small.

“Now, now, Mrs. Henderson, I assure you that there’s nothing to worry about.” As my father begins to work his magic, I notice Poppy inching toward the door. “Oh no, you don’t,” I mutter, reaching out to grab her. Pop! Flash! Poppy leaps into the air, leaving me staring in alarm at her bushy tail…which I’ve just turned into a bunch of bluebells.

“What the hell?! You’ve turned me into a freaking floral arrangement!” Poppy lets out a squeak of alarm and bolts out the door, leaving a trail of petals behind her.

“Poppy, wait!” I call after her, but she’s already gone.

My father finishes his spell, returning Margaret to her normal color and stopping her hiccups. He shoots a look at me that says, “We’ll talk about this later,” and escorts her out of the cottage, leaving me alone in the chaos of my failed spell.

I slump into a chair, pushing my glasses onto the top of my head and burying my face in my hands. “Oh, God,” I groan into my palms. “Why do I even try?”

Because I have to, that’s why. Because I’m a Blackwood. And because there’s a gaping hole in our family that needs to be filled ever since—

A hand on my shoulder has me raising my head. Dad is standing beside me, his expression a mix of concern and amusement. “I’ve placed a small charm on Mrs. Henderson. She won’t remember the…incident.” He huffs a sigh. “She shouldn’t have gotten our details in the first place. This is not the kind of magic we specialize in.”

“Dad, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what went wrong.” I’m fighting back tears.

He sits beside me, patting my shoulder gently. “It’s alright, Rowan. These things happen. But perhaps…it might be best to practice a bit more before taking on clients.”

I nod miserably. “What did I do wrong?”

“Well,” he says, examining the spell components scattered around the room, “it looks like you muddled up some of the ingredients. And I’d say you switched a few verses of the spell around, turning a locator spell into a color hex.”

I groan, feeling utterly mortified. “I’m such a failure.”

“No, you’re not,” my father says firmly. “You’ll figure it out when you’re ready.” His tone is gentle, but I’m smart enough to read between the lines. Kara could do this stuff before she was even thirteen. I’m twice that age now and still can’t figure it out. But then again, is it my fault that my kid sister is some sort of magical genius? She may be a couple of years younger than me, but she’s already mastered some of the arts that take most sorcerers decades to grasp. And as for Mia, she would have—

I stop that thought in its tracks. It makes my heart hurt.

“You’ll get there, Ro-Ro.” Dad shoulder-bumps me. “Now, let’s see about fixing my complexion, shall we?” He glances down at his sapphire blue nails and gives a wry smile. Even his hair has a blue tint to its usual slate gray tone. “I look like a smurf!”

I manage a choked laugh at his attempt at humor, but it’s a short-lived attempt.

As Dad leaves, I survey the mess that is my cottage. Broken vials, scattered herbs, and glitter everywhere – it looks like a shimmering disaster zone. With a heavy sigh, I start tidying up, my mind replaying the catastrophe over and over.

I’m halfway through clearing the rubble when I hear another knock at the door. My stomach drops.

Please don’t let it be another client.

“Coming!” I call out, trying to sound cheerful despite my frayed nerves. I open the door to find Kara standing there, her perfect dark eyebrows raised as she takes in my disheveled appearance.

“Rough day?” she asks, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

I sigh, running a hand through my tangled hair. “You could say that.”

Kara’s eyes widen as she surveys the chaos of my cottage. “Wow, Ro. What happened here? It looks like a magical tornado hit.”

“Pretty much,” I mutter, grabbing a broom to sweep up some of the glitter. “I tried a locator spell for a client. It…didn’t go well.”

Kara’s lips twitch like she’s trying not to laugh. “I can see that. I’m guessing something turned blue?”

I groan. “How did you know?”

She looks around the room, and I notice for the first time that all the fruit in the bowl on the kitchen counter are bright blue, as are the roses in the vase on my dining room table. “Just a guess.” She points to a spot on my cheek. “You’ve got some blue glitter right there.”

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