Page 94 of De-Witched

Tia reluctantly toasted with her empty glass. “Always the quiet ones.”

21

“You have to be Leah.”

At the unfamiliar feminine voice, Leah twisted from where she was tugging rope with the energetic collie, Buster. The cool air fluttered loose curls around her face as she peered up against the sun. “Yeah. Can I help you?”

The figure moved to the right and Leah saw it was a girl, around Sloane’s age, with the coltish frame of someone who hadn’t yet grown into her limbs. She held the promise of beauty, with a swing of black hair that framed a heart-shaped face topped with hazel eyes and an infectious smile. She wore snug jeans and a white T-shirt that exposed her stomach beneath a cute lilac denim jacket. Something familiar tugged at Leah but she couldn’t place what.

“I’ve come to help out,” the girl announced, as though it were a done deal.

Despite the American accent, it was that authority that clicked it for her. Surprise shot through her veins. “You’re Gabriel’s sister.”

“Yes!” Melly’s smile widened. “I guess we kinda look alike, right?” She looked around. “Is he here?”

“Not yet.” Discomforted, Leah arced her arm back and let the rope fly. A delighted Buster charged after it, joined by the other dogs she’d had out in the fresh air. She who was rarely lost for words found it suddenly hard to form a sentence. With no idea how much Gabriel had told her—and Leah really hoped he hadn’t told his fourteen-year-old sister everything—she felt like she was trying to drive through fog. Her smile turned vaguely queasy as she faced Melly.

Who didn’t appear to notice. “Perfect. That gives us time for a tour before he comes.” Melly linked her hands in front of her, a silver charm bracelet dangling from her wrist. “He’ll hate that I’m here.”

Leah had a feeling.

“But I won’t get you in trouble.”

When Leah couldn’t hold back her snort, Melly looked at her with as much delight as Buster. “You’re not scared of my brother?”

Only when he withholds orgasms and I feel like I might die.

Right. Like she could say that to his little sister.

Deflecting, Leah pushed hair behind her ear. “Should I be?”

“Please, Gabriel’s all bluster. Not that I won’t get in trouble, but it’ll be worth it. I’ve been dying to come here.” Melly took everything in with a fascinated expression. It reminded Leah of herself whenever Emma or Tia spoke about the witch community. “He’s talked about this place a lot.” Her eyes went sly as only a teenager’s could. “And you.”

Leah’s stomach jittered ridiculously.

“And Mrs. Q likes you. So, I thought, why should I stay home alone when I could come and check it out myself?”

Gabriel would blow a fuse. Two fuses. Hell, the power would be out in the whole state for days. If she was smart, she’d tell the girl to go home before her brother got there.

But she didn’t do that. Mostly because Leah didn’t see the harm in letting Melly hang out for a bit. Leah had often been the one left out of things, and she knew how bad it felt. Besides, if Melly’s control over her magic slipped, Leah could always just steer her away from the others.

“You can help me with some of the chores if you want,” she said, making the decision and whistling for the dogs.

After herding them back into their kennels, Leah put a mop in Melly’s hand, grabbing a broom for herself. Even the prospect of cleaning didn’t dampen the girl’s enthusiasm. Over the next fifteen minutes, she chattered about her school, movies, even a hairstyle she was thinking of getting before moving on to how cool it must be to work with animals every day.

No wonder Gabriel put up with her so well, Leah thought with some amusement. He had his own chatterbox at home.

“Have you ever had animals?” Leah asked as she deposited swept-up dirt in the bin.

Melly, who was swinging the mop around with more enthusiasm than skill—definitely Gabriel’s sister—shook her head. “I think Gabriel was overwhelmed enough looking after me; an animal would’ve been too much.”

“A handful, huh?”

A grin brightened Melly’s face. “Only when some of my, uh, experiments go awry.”

Potions, Leah hazarded, with a strike of envy. She was obsessed with potions, had even talked Emma and Tia into letting her try to make a few, but they never worked. If she could only talk openly to Melly, she could’ve asked so many questions, but the last thing she wanted was to endanger the little Goodnight.

“I bet he handles that well.”

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