Page 2 of Shadow Witch

Paige wiped at her sore, red-tinged nose. “Oh, I’m sorry I’m upset that I just found out my mom died.”

“No one’s blaming you for that, darling. But we’re all here for you. Yes, the evidence we found is a blow–“

“A blow?” Paige scoffed as she crossed her arms. “It’s more than a blow. You found a body that was identified as my mother. That’s…the final nail in the coffin, not a blow.”

“Not necessarily,” Devon answered.

Dewey fluttered into the storage room and landed on Paige’s shoulder. “Yeah, Paige. Dimples says it’s fake.”

“Oh, Devon says. Right, let’s just take Devon’s word for it because he’s been truthful all this time.”

Devon heaved an annoyed sigh. “I only lied a little bit right in the beginning. And not even that much.”

“Quiet, Hotness, when we want to hear from you, we’ll ask,” Dewey said with a wave of his paw.

“And we don’t,” Paige said with another sniffle.

“Right. No one cares if you have a clue to find Paige’s mom where she really is. Just keep that to yourself.”

Paige snapped her gaze to Dewey, her forehead creasing. “What?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Hot Stuff has nothing to say. Right?” Dewey choked out the last word through clenched teeth, shooting Devon a hostile glance.

“Whatever, man,” Devon said with a wave of his hands in the air.

“Don’t you think we’re all feeling this?” Drucinda asked.

“She was my mother!” Paige cried.

“And she was my best friend. I knew her far better than you. I actually spent time with her when I was more than twenty-four hours old. And I’m not blubbering like a baby.”

Paige stared at the woman with a blank expression. Was she actually comparing her grief to Paige’s? “My mother is dead. After all the hope of her being alive, she’s not. I think I have the right to grieve. And yes, I think a mother is different from a friend.”

“Exactly,” Drucinda said. “Yet, here I stand, a pillar of strength, forged by the fire of my love for Reed.”

“What?” Paige asked, her eyebrows knitting.

“Whoa,” Dewey murmured. “That line…say it again. I need it for my romance.”

“Shut up, little man, there’s no time for that now. Though I will give it to you later if you promise to credit me.”

“Done,” Dewey said with a nod.

“Now,” Drucinda said, “let’s put on our big girl leather trousers and start dealing with this.”

Paige pouted, crossing her arms as she stared at the floor. “I don’t have leather trousers.”

Drucinda’s features registered shock for the first time in Paige’s history with her. “Haven’t got…my heavens, it’s far worse than I imagined. No wonder you’re so terrible at things.”

Paige crinkled her brow. “Are the leather pants…magical?”

“Magical trousers? You've finally lost your mind. No, darling, they are not magical. But every competent female in the magical world owns a least one pair of leather trousers. They are a staple.”

Paige stared at her for a moment before she shook her head. “I can’t even.”

“Obviously not, you haven’t got the trousers for it.” Drucinda and Dewey chuckled over it. “Heavens, even Devon has leather trousers.”

“Fitting, since he is a vampire,” Dewey said. “I’ll include that detail in my book.”

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