Page 25 of Witch's Promise

She appeared in the hallway, her words cutting off abruptly as she took in the scene before her. Jessy, disheveledand tear-stained, supported between Gabe and Giana. Gino, uncharacteristically serious, bringing up the rear.

"What in the name of all that's magical happened?" His mother demanded, already moving forward to help.

"Mom," Gabe started, but was interrupted by his father's arrival.

His father took in the situation with one sweeping glance, his expression hardening. "Living room. Now. All of you."

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. Jessy was settled on the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket that his mother summoned with a flick of her wrist. Gino was dispatched to make tea, while Giana hovered nearby, ready to help but unsure how.

Gabe found himself face to face with his father, his dad’s piercing gaze demanding answers.

"Alright," his dad said, his voice low and controlled. "Start from the beginning. What happened?"

Gabe took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. He gave his parents a concise rundown of the evening's events – the shopping trip, the scream, finding Jessy in the alcove, the shadowy figure that had escaped.

As he spoke, he watched his parents' reactions carefully. His mother’s face was a mask of concern as she tended to Jessy, but Gabe could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. His dad, on the other hand, looked grim, his jaw clenching tighter with each detail Gabe provided.

"And you're certain the attacker wasn't human?" His dad asked when Gabe finished.

Gabe nodded. "The way it moved, no normal person could have disappeared that fast. Plus, my magic was going haywire. Something about that thing set off all my alarms."

His dad exchanged a loaded glance with his wife, a silent conversation passing between them that made Gabe's stomach clench with apprehension.

"What is it?" he asked. "What aren't you telling us?"

For a moment, His dad looked like he might deflect, but then he sighed heavily. "We were hoping to keep you kids out of this, but... it seems that's no longer an option."

"Dad?" Giana's voice was small, worried.

"For a while now," his dad began, his voice low and serious, "there have been disturbances in Salem. Strange occurrences, whispers of dark magic. At first, we thought it was just typical supernatural mischief. But it's been escalating."

Gabe felt his Shadowguard instincts kicking into high gear. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have-"

"Could have what, Gabriel?" his father cut him off. "Abandoned your life in New York? Your job? Your responsibilities there?"

The words stung, but Gabe couldn't deny the truth in them. He'd been so focused on keeping his Shadowguard life separate from his family, he'd never considered they might be facing magical threats of their own.

"What about the other covens?" Gino asked, returning with a tray of steaming mugs. "Surely they've noticed something's up?"

His parents exchanged another loaded glance.

"The covens aren't as united as they once were. There's been infighting, power struggles. And the Wisteria coven..." His mother said carefully, accepting a mug of tea and passing it to Jessy.

She trailed off, looking at Jessy with a mixture of sympathy and wariness.

"What about my coven?" Jessy spoke for the first time since they'd arrived, her voice hoarse but steady.

His dad sighed. "We don't trust them, Jessy. I'm sorry, but there's been too much secrecy, too many unexplained incidents. We can't be sure who's involved in whatever this is."

Gabe watched as Jessy's face crumpled, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "You think someone in my coven might be behind this? Behind what happened to me?"

The silence that followed was answer enough.

"Fuck," Gabe muttered, running a hand through his hair. This was so much bigger than he'd anticipated.

"So what do we do?" Giana asked, her voice small but determined. "We can't just sit back and do nothing."

His dad nodded, a hint of pride in his eyes. "No, we can't. But we need to be smart about this. Jessy, I know this isn't easy, but we need to keep your presence here a secret for now. At least until we can figure out who we can trust."

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