Page 6 of A Warlock for Halloween

“No phone? You use doves to carry your messages instead of pigeons, right? Or magic.”

Indignation flares through me and I fight to keep my tone level. “Of course, I use magic.”

“You’re cute.” Natalie rummages around in her purse and produces a pen. Before I’m aware of what she’s doing, my hand is cradled in hers.

I’m transfixed by her touch. This is the first time she’s willingly touched me. Her fingers are soft against my skin. Pinpricks of energy flare at each point of contact, and it’s glorious.

She writes a series of numbers on the back of my hand. When she releases it, I nearly whimper at missing her touch.

“Call me and we’ll set something up,” she says, tossing the pen back in her purse.

I’m unable to bear the idea of being parted from her. “Tonight,” I rasp in a voice filled with need.

Her nose scrunches up adorably, and I can’t believe I’ve gone over four hundred years without having that sight in my life.

“Sure, why not? We’ll work out the details later.”

Natalie gives me a parting smile and then she’s gone.

CHAPTER FIVE

AMBROSE

In a daze, I make my way slowly back to our Trice Adored tent.

My sister Silvia takes one look at me and snaps her fingers, freezing time.

“Patience!” she yells, which brings my other sister running.

Both of them peer at me and grin.

“It’s finally happened! You found her!” Patience declares before charging me and wrapping her arms around me in a hug. Silvia throws her arms around the two of us and hugs us tightly.

“She’s human,” I manage to force out.

Their arms loosen, and as one, they take a step back. Despite seventy years between their births, they act more like twins than mere sisters. They’ve been thick as thieves since the time Silvia turned sixteen. They exchange a glance full of meaning that I cannot decipher, then turn to face me.

“Surely not,” Patience states, idly twisting her fingers about in the air sending a stream of orange-colored magic into a never-ending loop.

“What does it matter?” Silvia interjects, crossing her arms as her eyes bounce between me and Patience. She has yet to find her soul mate but seems unbothered by that.

I open my mouth when Patience talks over me. “A human, Silvia. With no magic, no powers, just a living, breathing, MORTAL.”

The way she stresses the word mortal has me wincing. I had forgotten that part. Every witch and warlock have the option to embrace immortality when they turn twenty-five. Naturally, almost all do.

Our mother is seven hundred years old and our father is five hundred. They are living in Europe currently. They laugh over their children’s quaint habit of running a business and living in a monster town instead of one populated entirely by witches.

“It doesn’t matter that she’s mortal. I’ll make her immortal.” The idea of losing Natalie in sixty or so years to death is appalling. I’ve only just found her!

Before either sister can comment further and try to bring down my happiness, I hold out my hand. “She wrote this for me,” I say proudly.

Shoving a fist in her mouth does no good as Silvia’s giggles sneak out from around her hand.

Patience grins broadly and nudges her. “Big brother scored his first phone number.”

Their eyes connect and they collapse into a heap, wild giggles blasting my eardrums.

“What’s so funny?” I snap.

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