Page 64 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

She visibly swallowed. “Nana Clara introduced me to them.”

I clutched my stomach, feeling as if I’d been punched. “Nana Clara?” The woman who’d raised me and Ethyl after our parents had been killed. My mom’s cousin and Ethyl’s grandma who had been like a grandmother to me, too.

“She’s one of the Insurgi.” She shrugged, letting out a nervous-sounding laugh. “Well, she was before she retired.”

I was tempted to ask Des to teleport us to her retirement community and tell her off for keeping such a huge secret from me. “I need to sit down.” I plopped back onto the bed and took my son’s hand.

“It’s okay, Mama,” he said again as he rubbed my back like I’d done for him countless times.

I blinked at him through a sheen of tears. Was he just trying to comfort me, or did his amazing brain know something I didn’t?

Ethyl knelt in front of us, her hand upon my knee. “Luci, the Insurgi are the ones who hid us from the succubi after yourparents were killed. They changed our identities. They paid for you to go to the Salem School of Witchcraft.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “That was a scholarship.”

“Yeah.” She laughed. “And you were the only candidate.” She toyed with her pentagram charm again. “They also financed the loan on your bakery.”

“That was a private investor who loved sweets.” I had always suspected it had been Colin’s parents, though he’d vehemently denied it.

She shook her head. “It was your aunt.”

My jaw nearly hit the floor. I had an aunt? My parents had told me they were only children. “My aunt?”

She worked a tic in her jaw before slowly standing. “The general of the Insurgi.”

Oh, hex no!“W-what?” I stammered. “Why am I finding out about all this now?”

She kissed the top of Puffy’s head after he flew into her arms. “Because Serena wanted you to have a normal life.”

“Serena?” Where had I heard her name before?

She gave me a look as if she was a toddler who’d been caught stealing sweets. “Your mom’s sister.”

“My mom didn’t have a sister.” But even as I denied her words, I knew them to be true. Her eyes were paler than I’d ever seen them.

“She did,” she said as she stroked Puffy’s scaly spine. “Serena has been battling succubi since before you were born.”

I didn’t know if I should’ve been overjoyed or annoyed at this news. I had an aunt. Did she look like my mom? If so, I wondered what it would feel like to look at her, to be held by her. I didn’t realize until that moment how much I’d missed my mom, but I did miss her—terribly. She’d been taken from me too soon, and in such a brutal way. It was all too overwhelming. My eyes filled with moisture. “And she never thought to visit me?”

Ethyl’s eyes glossed over, too, as she continued to stroke her dragon’s back. “I think it was too dangerous, but these are questions you can ask her.”

“No,” I blurted as I swiped away tears. As much as I wanted to see my aunt, I also didn’t want to see her. She could’ve visited me years ago, like when I was grieving my lost parents. Instead, she chose to avoid me. And now she wanted to force my son and me into her rebel army den? No, thanks.

Ethyl’s jaw dropped. “What?”

I stood, heaving my suitcase onto the bed and murmuring a fusion spell while pointing my wand at the hinges. “Do what you want, but Des and I are going home.” I nodded toward my son. “Pack your things, sweetie.”

I’d had enough of this dragon-shit-show. I wasn’t about to drag my son into whatever my aunt was scheming. I felt bad about leaving Ric before his trial was finished, but I’d already accomplished what I’d set out to do. I’d given my testimony in the Lenny Ledbetter case. I couldn’t help with the case from eighty years ago.

“Luci,” Ethyl whispered at my back, “you’ll be hunted wherever you go. You need the Insurgi.”

I tensed at that, fearing these Insurgi needed us more, especially Des, to wage a dangerous war against the succubi. There was no way in nine hells I was letting them put my child’s life at risk.

I jumped when I heard a loud roar outside, followed by several pops like fireworks and terrified screams.

Puffy landed on Des’s shoulder and Des jumped to his feet, pointing at the small window above Ethyl’s bed. “They’re here, Mama.”

“Who?” I asked.

---