Page 62 of The Witch is Back

Both were toasted and on plates in the next five minutes, and with that done a stilted conversation was taking place. With the memory of The Kiss hovering, it was hard to act normally, as unsophisticated as that was.

Emma turned with an overwhelming sense of relief as her cell chimed. Except it wasn’t her phone.

Dread drummed in time with her heart as she slid the compact out of her purse. Only Clarissa ever messaged her through the mirror. Not like she had other friends in the witch world, besides Tia.

She smoothed her hair, pinched her cheeks, breathed in and out as she caught Bastian’s stiffening posture, and opened the gold compact.

To find Kole’s face looking back at her. “Hey, squirt,” her older brother said with a grin. “Miss me?”

A rush of pleasure made her lips curve involuntarily. “Kole. I thought you were still at sea.”

“Just got back this morning. Did the dutiful son thing and then thought I’d hit you up, see how you’re doing.” His eyebrow, the same color as his and her hair, lifted. “With the Truenote dick.”

Bastian looked torn between annoyance and amusement. Emma stifled a smile, shifted to make sure Kole couldn’t see that the man in question was in her apartment.

Out of her four older brothers, Kole was the closest to her in age and therefore the one she’d spent the most time with. He was six years older, so while she was growing up, he’d mostly been at boarding school. But when he’d been home, he’d plagued her like a brother should, unlike her other siblings, who’d taken after Clarissa and alternately ignored and/or scorned her. He now researched water magic with other scientists, which meant he was rarely at home. He’d always been the smart one.

“Kole,” she admonished, half meaning it. “We’re over that.”

“You cried. I still owe him broken legs. But the reason I’m calling, I found a warlock to block—”

Panic made her hurry to cover his words. “We’re over it, Kole. Look.” She lifted her tattooed wrist so he could see the proof. “And we’re all here.”

Looking far from convinced, he let it go when he realized what she meant. “Mother must have been on him like slime on a frog when he got back into town. Poor dick didn’t stand a chance.” He smiled as he said it, knowing Bastian could hear him. Because he was actually ten. Before she could comment, he added, “All I can say is he’s getting a treasure.”

“Kole,” she said, touched.

“I am going to be one hell of a brother-in-law, after all.”

Funny guy. “I can cast spells through the mirror,” she reminded him.

“Must have been practicing, since you couldn’t even build a proper snowman with Sloane’s help last time I was in town.”

She let out a high-pitched cackle, heart ramming her ribs at the mention of Sloane’s name. “You can control water,” she objected, trying to breeze past it. Nothing to hide here.

“Yeah, yeah. With the Exhibition coming up, all I’m saying is—”

“Exhibition?”

“Mother didn’t... Of course she didn’t.” Disgust appeared on his face, so similar to hers but much more handsome. “An Exhibition ceremony has been arranged to celebrate the match. You know how society likes to judge.”

And how Clarissa would do anything to show off the family. Except she knew Emma wasn’t as strong as the other Bluewaters, lastborn and all...which meant another mirror message was in her future, demanding she practice. Or worse, go over to the manor to practice.

Her body chilled at the thought.

“I can help?” her brother offered, clearly reading the despair.

Bastian wandered into her line of vision, eating a bagel, and an idea bloomed in her mind.

“Maybe. I’ll get back to you. I think it’s better if you concentrate on other things.” Like breaking the Joining clause. Sloane. Everything that went with her.

On the wavelength they’d fine-tuned when they were young, he nodded. “All right. You free for lunch? We can catch up. I have some news.” His eyes gleamed with underlying meaning.

“Absolutely.” And thank the Goddess. She might at least be able to let one of her secrets go. It was getting tough to juggle them all, even as a woman.

They spoke for a few more minutes, arranging for him to pick her up at the bar, before she snapped the compact closed. She looked at it a minute and then placed it on one of the end tables, next to a drooping plant. Magic leaped to her fingers as she touched the leaves, urging the fern to thrive again.

If only everything was so easy.

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