Page 20 of Dawn Unearthed

“Yes, the witch with a magic shop. I’m so surprised,” Laurel said, and Rowen narrowed her eyes at her.

“Be kind or leave. We are introducing Sage to the town. I can’t do that if you’re acting like a witch.”

I had a feeling that Rowen had wanted to use another word just then but had held herself back.

“Wait, you own a magic shop? I thought you owned a souvenir shop.”

“We’re in a town of magic. There are many souvenirs. However, itismy witch’s shop. With magic for anyone, just not the kind they may think they need.”

“Oh,” I said, blinking.

“I sell jewelry, herbs, books, stones, and many other things that all walks of life can use. We’re in a town filled with the supernatural, so I sell things that help shifters, our dryads, even the fae, who walk amongst us. And I sell things for the tourists who don’t know what they’re getting. Things that won’t hurt them.”

Shifters. Spells. Fae. Many words that didn’t seem as if they should be in a conversation about reality. And yet, here we were. And there was no going back to the normal I’d thought I once had. There couldn’t be.

“I feel like I have a lot to catch up on.”

“Your aunt will have a book or two for you. At least things sent down through the Prince line. And between the bookshop and Rowen’s, you’ll find everything else you need. Don’t worry if you feel behind. You didn’t grow up here, but we’ll catch you up. It’s what we do.”

I looked at Laurel and felt as if she wanted to say something else but didn’t. She’d said that she couldn’t do magic, but she seemed to know it quite well. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.

“The town is full of people that you will meet, who will want to get to know you. Some will have secrets, but that’s how it is with any small town. You are of the coven, or you will be. That means a lot will be asked of you.”

“I’m trying to catch up. I don’t know what any of that means.”

“You will,” Laurel said. “Sadly, you’re not going to have a choice. None of us do.”

“Laurel,” Rowen warned but then froze and looked up. “Goddess.”

“What?” I asked, and Laurel cursed before she pulled a sword out of nowhere. My eyes widened.

“Why…why do you have a sword?”

“Because I can’t do the magic I want to use, and a girl has to improvise. Stand behind me. You’re not going to like what happens next.”

As I whirled, trying to understand what the hell was going on, darkness descended. Smoke enveloped the street, crawling through the grates, around eaves. And then, someone screamed.

Chapter Six

Rome

Ilooked up at the sound of the scream, my bear pushing to the forefront. The tattoo on my chest warmed before the anchor ran down my arm, then back up to my neck, scraping at me. Claws extended from my fingertips, and I growled, huffing a bit. If I weren’t careful, the hump on the back of my neck would rise, and I would scare any passersby, not that the mundanes would know what they were seeing.

The wards tied to Rowen’s magic and soul worked hard to hide most of the magic from outsiders. It made some do a double take, to look over their shoulders one last time, but they wouldn’t see shifters or magic.

All of the warding and spells to take-no-looks and no-sees, in addition to other magic, meant that the town was an incredible burden on Rowen.

That’s why she needed her coven. That’s why Sage had been summoned. A summoning that had been years in the making and had only now occurred—something we all needed to figure out.

And yet, I couldn’t think about any of that right now.

I hurried out of Jaxton’s mechanic shop after looking over Sage’s car and growled. My bear pushed to the forefront harder, wanting to be in warrior form, but I refrained, at least for the time being, knowing I needed to assess the situation before I burned that much energy. Reserves that I might need later. Either way, my bear and I needed to see Sage.

Now.

“Is that smoke?” Jaxton asked, frowning. His eyes had gone bright gold, brighter than even mine, as he looked into the distance. As a hawk, his sight was better than any bear’s or human’s at long distances. And he could see things far clearer than anyone I knew. That was why he was wing leader of the hawks. “Damn it. It’s the darkness.”

I looked over at him, giving him a sharp look. “What? I thought that was an idea, not an actual entity.”

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