Page 31 of Warrior Witch

Addie shook her head. “Nothing, same as me and Lindsay. We’re all from the same under-funded orphanage of abandoned magical brats. Well, mostly magical.”

Lindsay sighed, finally turning away from the window. “Actually, that’s not entirely true.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Not about your magic. Sorry, Ads, that one’s still a mystery. But we do know something about Harlow’s mom.” He dragged the wooden desk chair over and took a seat close to Addie. “Harlow got a call when we were…must’ve been around nine or so. Her mom had just died in jail.”

“She never told me that.” Addie’s voice was barely above a whisper.

He gave her a sympathetic smile. “She doesn’t like to talk about it because she never really knew her mom. I don’t think she even remembers her name. She was arrested while pregnant, so Harlow was born in jail and sent straight into the system. Kinda like you.”

“My mom was in a car accident and died of her injuries after,” she explained to me, her voice cracking. “Apparently, the last thing she said was for the doctors to save me instead of her. There wasn’t a dad to take me home, or maybe he didn’t want me, so here I am.”

“He would have wanted you,” I said, leaving no room for arguments. “If he’d been there, he’d have brought you home.”

Addie wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. “I dunno about that. He was probably a dirtbag who knocked up my mom and ran.” She sniffed and forced a smile at me. “But thanks, it’s a nice thought.”

I had no idea why I felt so protective of this kid I’d only known for three days. Maybe it was because I saw how fiercely Harlow loved her. It would destroy her if anything happened to Addie. But there was also something familiar about Addie’s eyes. As I stared, it finally clicked. They were the same blue as my mom’s. Her right eye was even a little smaller than the other. How strange to meet someone like that here, the place where I might finally complete her research. The fates were tricky things.

After a moment, Bruin asked the question on everyone’s mind. “How did Harlow’s mom die?”

“At the time, we were just told there was an accident. But this was the first Harlow had ever heard about her mom. They’d never met or spoken to each other. She kept on asking and calling the prison directly but got nothing. She even started going to the library to research it.” Lindsay smiled for a moment, then dropped it as he continued, “Eventually, we discovered that there was a riot that got real crazy. A few hours in, it caused some kind of electrical explosion. Her mom was right at the center of it.”

The room fell silent. No one wanted to make the comparison between Harlow’s magic and her mom’s death, but maybe it was an accident. We had no way of knowing if it was her magic that caused the explosion. It could easily have been fate’s ironic and sick sense of humor.

A creaking in the other bedroom broke the quiet, with footsteps following behind.

“What the… I thought they’d be asleep.” Harlow’s voice was quiet. There was a small click, then light bloomed beneath the adjoining door.

“We’re in here!” Addie called out.

“Lookie who decided to finally come back.” Lindsay tsked, the tension finally relaxing from his shoulders as Harlow opened the door to our room. For the first time in hours, he looked like himself. “What took you so long?”

Harlow stood in the door frame, her hair oddly mussed and dirt covering her cheeks. She looked like she’d lost a fight with a herd of cows.

Jeez, what happened to her?

“I got a little… caught up,” she answered, shrugging out of her jacket with a tired smile.

A deep voice I didn’t recognize spoke from behind her. “Where did you say your friend’s clothes were?”

Lindsay’s jaw dropped as he scampered into the other room, pushing Harlow out of the way before yelling, “Yes, Harlow! Get some!”

Bruin and I exchanged a confused look, our curiosities piqued by the mysterious voice.

Laughter and muffled threats continued to spew from the room while Addie cautiously moved towards the door, calling out, “Harlow? What’s going on in there?”

Before she could get a look inside, Harlow dashed into our room, slamming the door behind her. “Nothing your adolescent eyes need to see.”

“Well, now I gotta know!”

Harlow sighed. She looked exhausted, even without the dirt on her face and leaves in her hair. “It’s a long story, but his name is Ranto, and he says I’m his mate.”

“As in the fated kind?” she asked. “I thought that was a shifter thing.”

“Sparky, did you bring a naked man back from the woods? Are we not enough for you?” Bruin grinned mischievously.

He gestured between the two of us, and I immediately turned away to focus on packing up the cards. Why was I being brought into her possible relationships? Sure, I was definitely attracted to her, but I had no idea if she had any serious interest in me.

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