Page 9 of Charming Her Monsters

I have ugly and selfish thoughts: Will Arran’s and Maxum’s feelings for me change if I don’t have Osen attached to me anymore? Will they still feel the same? Or subconsciously, was Osen my whole appeal? The incubus ghost probably radiates some strong sexual vibes. His influence would explain my sudden appeal to the local monster population.

Amira announces she wants to check out the rest of me. Arran and Maxum hurry to help. Sweetly, Flint looks embarrassed and turns to give me privacy.

The witch unbuttons a few buttons on my shirt. She sneers and points at my grandmother’s pendant. “Where did you getthis?”

“My grandmother?” I lean away from the witch. My hand instantly clasps the necklace protectively. “Why?”

“I thought they said you didn’t know you were a witch? When I accidentally touched it, something pulled at my magic.”

“I’m sorry.” I put out my hand in a feeble attempt to protect myself.

Arran draws me back to his chest and snarls, picking up on my fear.

“Everyone, calm the fuck down,” Maxum snaps.

“You didnotjust tell two witches tocalmdown.” Amira glares at him.

Maxum wisely says, “Sorry about that, but we need to keep our heads right now. Arran is about to beast out to protect Jade, and you don’t want to deal with his berserker. Let’s figure out what secret this pendant holds, because from what I’m picking up from Jade’s surface thoughts, she has no clue that it holds any actual power.”

Amira’s shoulders relax, yet she eyes me like I might start throwing spells.

I can’t eventhrow handsright now. Or ever, if I’m being honest. What can I say? I’m a lover, not a fighter. Now, if I could subdue my opponent with ear scratches and belly rubs, then I’d win every fight.

Hmm, I suppose I worked that move with Arran. I just didn’t know my new dog was actually the enemy at the time.

Maxum touches the pendant. “I don’t feel a pull on my magic. Perhaps it only draws upon witch magic?”

Arran tries and has the same results.

Staring down at the jewelry in question, I explain, “My abuela gave me this pendant. She said it was a protection charm and not to take it off. I’ve had it for over thirty years. It can’t be that bad.”

“Don’t assume that to be true.” Amira studies my face and then the offending piece of metal. “So your abuela is the one with the witching lineage?”

“I guess so.” I nod. “She told me when I was little. But my mom didn’t let me talk about her much, and I was told she died when I was a child.”

“Wait,” Maxum stops me. “Why does it sound like you don’t believe that anymore?”

I look at Amira and then back to Maxum, unsure what to share with this stranger about Osen’s vision. “I’d rather talk to you and Arran in private about that. Let’s just focus on the pendant for now?”

“Her being alive might be pertinent,” Amira says. “If this thing attempted to drain my magic, it might be slowly siphoning yours.”

“Take it off,” Maxum says. It’s a request more than a demand, but he will insist. I can hear that much in his tone.

The unease that idea creates in me is overwhelming, as if an irrational fear takes hold. My hands hold the chain, but I can’t lift the damn thing over my head. And it isn’t just because I’m feeling weak right now. “I… can’t.”

Amira sighs, but pivots her approach. “It looks like a locket. Can you open it? Have you done that before?”

I stare at my heirloom and wonder what secrets it holds. “I’ve tried before, when I was a kid, but it didn’t open.”

“You should take it off and see how you feel,” Maxum encourages me with a hopeful look.

“But I’ve never taken it off.” I clutch it in my hand and dread stabs my heart.

“That alone worries me.” Amira softens her energy. “Someone could be influencing you.”

My grandmother’s face flashes in my mind. However, it’s not from when I was a child, but from Osen’s death vision. Are witches the bad guys here? Is it possible I am related to one of the worst? Or was it a glamour like the guys are able to use?

I want to scream in frustration. I don’t know if I can talk to the guys about this revelation. If Osen returns, he will tell them I might be a traitor after all, because he thinks it was me or my grandmother who killed him.

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