Page 58 of Bewicched

Wilbur was out of control. I sighed. “Yeah. If you could throw it as far as possible, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course.” He spun, chucked it farther than it’s ever gone, and was facing forward, wiping his hands on a handkerchief in the blink of an eye. Okay. Maybe Declan had a point. I couldn’t move anywhere near that fast. I’d be dead before I could spell him.

The vampire returned his gaze to mine, and I remembered too late I wasn’t supposed to look a vampire in the eye, as they can mesmerize their victims. This one, though, didn’t seem to be doing that. “As I believe we explained at the time of our intrusion in your lovely cottage, my wife”—he had an arm wrapped around a woman who he pulled into the light—“had been abducted, had been gone for a week, so I was beside myself with worry and, unfortunately, not at my best.”

The woman elbowed him. “Apologize.”

Declan crowded me again, suddenly very interested in the third person on the deck.

“I do, of course, most grievously regret frightening you.” The vampire bowed his head in a strangely antiquated mea culpa. “I’m afraid I don’t recall if we even introduced ourselves at the time. I’m Clive and this is my wife Sam. She was quite determined to meet you once she learned from Dave”—he patted the angry-looking demon on the shoulder—“where he was headed this evening. The lateness of our arrival is all my fault, I’m afraid.”

The woman was beautiful, though her long brown hair kept flying into her face. The vampire brushed it back and held it, his hand becoming her ponytail holder. She had killer cheekbones, green eyes, and a cleft in her chin. Huh. The eyes and chin were so much like…

“Holy—” I breathed.

“Hi!” She gave me a little wave and said, “Sorry. We didn’t mean to interrupt your evening. I just really wanted to meet you and thank you for the chess set.”

“Mom!” How? How did I not know? How did I not make the connection?

Her smile faltered when I shouted, but she continued, “It’s saved my life more than a few times. Oh, hi.” She cautiously greeted my stern-looking mother while leaning more firmly into her husband.

The vampire moved so his shoulder was now blocking her from Mom and me. He was clearly concerned about our reaction to her.

“Mom, this is Sam, the woman I made the chess set for. Sam,” I repeated to her. “Quinn. Who has Bridget’s eyes and chin cleft.”

Mom’s eyes went wide and then glassy. She stepped past the men and cradled Sam’s face in her hands. Both the half-demon and the vampire were on high alert. Mom wasn’t paying attention, but I was. If she made one wrong move, she’d be dead. Twice.

“Are you really Bridget’s?” Tears ran down Mom’s face.

Sam’s startled gaze darted all around before settling back on my mom. She nodded. “My mother was Bridget Corey, yes.”

Mom wrapped her in a tight hug and sobbed. All these emotions weren’t like her, but in her defense, she’d been dealing with a lot. She pulled Sam into the studio and turned her to me. “Look, Arwyn, she has Bridget’s eyes. I’m looking into my sister’s eyes.” Mom held her hand to her mouth, trying valiantly to stop the tears.

Dave walked in behind her and leaned against a wall looking bored, like he was waiting for the family drama portion of the evening to come to a close. Only the vampire remained on the deck.

The tennis ball bounced across the deck and he spun, kicking it halfway across the ocean. Wilbur gave a happy bark and sped away.

“We have a puppy,” he said. “This one seems rather similar.”

“Okay, fine.” I waved him in. “Apparently, you’re family.”

“Very gracious,” he murmured, moving past me to stand beside his wife.

“Where have you been all these years?” Mom asked, glancing back toward the window. “Is Bridget with you? But…no. You saidwasdidn’t you?Bridget Quinn was my mother.”

Sam looked like a deer caught in headlights. She twisted her wedding ring—a gorgeous blue diamond Art Deco design—shifting her focus between my mother and me. “Sorry, I’m a little turned around. I didn’t know Mom had more sisters. I only knew about Abigail.”

At mom’s stricken look, Sam quickly added, “But she never talked about her family. When I asked, she teared up and wasn’t able to speak, so I stopped asking.” She glanced at all of us again. “I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if you’d be all that happy to see me. I was a little worried you might try to kill me. Truth be told, I’m still on edge about that.”

Clive kissed her forehead, whispering something to her.

“You know what,” I interrupted, “let’s all sit down and try to untangle this.”

Mom had yet to let go of Sam, so they sat on the couch together, with the vampire on Sam’s other side, holding her other hand. I was struck all at once that I couldn’t do something so simple. It was a stupid thought, out of nowhere. I looked at those joined hands and my own gloved ones and wished—not for the first time—that my gifts had been different ones.

Feeling off and strangely separated from the drama unfolding, I took my chair, leaving Declan and Dave to pull over the folding chairs. They looked like mirror images, both sitting with their muscular arms crossed over their massive chests, monitoring the situation.

“Arwyn’s very first vision was about you,” Mom said to Sam.

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