Page 22 of Witch's Promise

The memory of their father, pajama-clad and wild-eyed, brandishing his wand at a group of terrified party-goers, brought a reluctant smile to Gabe's face. "Maybe something low-key this year? A nice dinner, just family?"

"Boring," Gino declared, but Giana was nodding thoughtfully.

"Actually, that might be nice. It's been so long since we've all been together without some kind of magical crisis interrupting."

The words hit Gabe like a punch to the gut. How many family gatherings had he missed because of his work with the Shadowguards? How many times had he used the excuse of his "private security job" to bail on birthdays, holidays, simple Sunday dinners?

The guilt must have shown on his face because Giana's expression softened. "Hey, we get it, Gabe. Your work is important. We're just glad you're here now."

"Yeah," Gino chimed in, his usual joking tone tinged with sincerity. "The Three Gs, together again. Mom would be proud."

Ah, yes. The Three Gs. Gabriel, Gino, and Giana. Their mother's clever way of making sure she could always remember which child she was yelling at. The nickname had stuck, becoming a symbol of their bond as siblings. Gabe felt a lumpform in his throat at the thought of how he'd been neglecting that bond lately.

"Speaking of work," Giana said, her tone casual but her eyes sharp, "how about you cut the bullshit and tell us what's really going on with you, Gabe?"

Gabe nearly choked on his water. "What? I don't know what you're talking about."

Gino leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Come on, bro. We're not idiots."

For a moment, Gabe considered deflecting, falling back on the carefully constructed lies he'd been telling for years. But as he looked at his siblings' concerned faces, something inside him cracked.

"You're right," he said quietly, the words feeling like a dam breaking. "I haven't been honest with you. With any of you. And I'm sorry for that."

Giana reached across the table, squeezing his hand. "Whatever it is, Gabe, we're here for you. You know that, right?"

Gabe nodded, his throat tight. "I know. It's just complicated. And potentially dangerous. I didn't want to put you at risk."

"At risk?" Gino's eyebrows shot up. "Okay, now you've got to spill. What are you, some kind of secret agent or something?"

The levitating mozzarella sticks chose that moment to arrive, bobbing gently in the air above their table. Gabe used the interruption to gather his thoughts, to figure out how to explain the unexplainable.

"Before I say anything," he said once the waiter had left, "I need you both to promise me something. You can't tell Mom and Dad. Not yet. I need to be the one to do that, when the time is right."

His siblings exchanged a look, having one of those silent conversations that only people who've grown up together can have. Finally, they both nodded.

"We promise," Giana said solemnly.

"Cross my heart and hope to be turned into a toad," Gino added, making the appropriate gesture.

Gabe took a deep breath, feeling like he was standing on the edge of a precipice. Once he said this, there was no going back. His siblings would be dragged into the dangerous, chaotic world he'd been trying to protect them from.

"I work for an organization called the Shadowguards," he began, his voice low. "We're... well, I guess you could call us supernatural law enforcement. We deal with magical threats that regular authorities can't handle."

He waited for the disbelief, the laughter, maybe even anger at being lied to for so long. Instead, Giana and Gino just looked... relieved?

"Oh, thank the spirits," Giana breathed. "I was worried you were mixed up in something illegal."

Gino nodded emphatically. "Yeah, we had this whole intervention planned. Giana was convinced you were in some kind of magical fight club."

Gabe blinked, feeling slightly off-balance. "You believe me? Just like that?"

Giana shrugged. "Gabe, we grew up in a family of witches in Salem. Is it really that much of a stretch to believe there's a secret organization dealing with supernatural threats?"

"Plus," Gino added, grabbing a mozzarella stick out of the air, "it explains a lot. Like that time you came home looking like you'd gone ten rounds with a chimera."

"That's actually pretty close to what happened," Gabe admitted, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He hadn't realized how much the secrecy had been weighing on him until this moment.

As their main courses arrived, he found himself spilling years' worth of stories. He told them about the Shadowguards'headquarters in New York, about his team and their various magical specialties. He recounted missions that had gone well and others that had nearly ended in disaster.

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