Page 66 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

“Start with the beginning,” I said.

“Oh!” She let out a burst of laughter while toying with a big, shiny ring on her finger. “That would take all night. I’ll start with the basics,” she said. “You’re a descendant of the most powerful witches in Italy, the Sagredos.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “LikeMagaSagredo?”

She nodded. “Endora Sagredo, my mother, your grandmother.”

A bolt of shock shot through me. “She’s my grandmother? Holy hex!”

She flashed a half smile before staring off into a darkened corner of the cavern. “The history of the phoenixes dates back thousands of years. One is born about twice every millennium, and at least half of them have had Sagredo blood. The succubi knew this and that the next phoenix would most likely come from the Sagredo line. There’s a secret cult that worships the succubi called the Vindicti, all trained to lure unsuspecting witches into succubi hands.” She paused, giving me a pitying look. “Your father was a Vindicti.”

I’m pretty sure time slowed to a standstill as I gaped at my aunt. She had to have been lying. There was no way my father was part of a demon cult.

“He was born into the cult,” she said. “He was trained in seduction and groomed not just to seduce Samanta, your mother, but to impregnate her in hopes he would father the next phoenix.”

I clutched my roiling gut. I was going to be sick.

“What they didn’t count on was your parents falling in love.” She flashed a smile that didn’t mask the sadness in her eyes. “He fled the priesthood, and they went to our parents, your grandparents, for protection, but they turned him away, saying a cult follower wasn’t fit to marry their daughter.” Her voice cracked as she looked away. “Your grandparents tried to separate your parents, but by this time, Samanta was already pregnant, and she refused to leave his side.” She visibly swallowed, smoothing trembling hands down her dark pants. “They had nowhere to go, and I knew they’d always be hunted, so we had to do the unthinkable—the severance of souls.”

I sucked in a hiss. The severance of souls was a dark spell that erased striga from not just everyone’s memories, but also from the registry. “That’s forbidden magic!” Not to mention dangerous magic. If the spell had gone wrong, she could’ve killed all of us.

“I know it is, but we had no choice.” She shrugged a shoulder, acting as if what she’d done was no big deal. “The spell required too much magic for your mother and me at the time, so we had to enlist the help of Ethyl’s mother, Tabitha, and grandmother, Clara, who were our trusted cousins on our mother’s side. We severed Samanta from our family. We erased her not just from our parents’ memories, but from every living striga’s memories. Our cousins and I were the only ones who remembered her, and the world now believed me to be the only Sagredo heir. I severed your father from his cult and the world, too. Nobody knew they existed, so they were free to start new lives in America.”

“That explained why my parents never liked talking about their past,” I said.

“They lived happily in anonymity until you were three.” She heaved a weary breath. “I don’t know how, but the succubi discovered their existence. First, they either killed or captured our family’s fairy godfather. We haven’t seen him since.”

“Fairy godfather?” Why was this the first time I was hearing we had a fairy godfather? Fairy godparents were reserved only for the richest, oldest striga families. I had read they were able to grant small wishes, such as an iced lemonade on a hot summer day as opposed to curing baldness or making their families insanely wealthy. Still, I wouldn’t mind a freshly squeezed lemonade. Too bad I didn’t remember having a godparent.

“Shu!”

I looked over my shoulder to see Des standing with a wide smile, one slice of pizza in his hand and a juice box in the other.

“That’s right,” Serena said as she smiled at him. “How did you know his name?”

“Shu!” He repeated, rattling the table.

“Omigoddess!” My hands flew to my mouth when I knew what my son was trying to tell me. Every muscle in my body tensed as I faced Serena. “I know where he is.”

She leaned toward me, her eyes widening. “Where?”

“At the succubi’s house, locked in an old shed. We heard banging, and Des kept yelling Shu.” I mentally kicked my behind for not investigating the shed, but we had barely escaped with our lives. “I thought he was shooing something, but I think he knew they had the fairy godfather.”

“Shu has been with our family for centuries. I’m glad to know he still lives, but he must be miserable.” I didn’t like the look she gave me. “We must free him soon.”

“Of course, but finish your story about my parents,” I said gruffly.

“Oh, yes.” She clasped a pentagram charm hanging around her neck, almost identical to the one Ethyl wore. “Where were we?” She scrunched her features, looking lost in thought before her eyes lit up. “By this time, the succubi were threatening not just your parents, but our other relatives, too, so I sent Ethyl’s mom and grandmother to live with your parents. They remainedin hiding for another twelve years until the succubi found them again and—” She turned away, biting down on her knuckles.

I didn’t need her to finish, for I knew what happened next. I swiped moisture from my eyes. “I was there for that.”

She got up and sat next to me, taking my hands in hers. How odd it felt to be holding hands with the woman who looked exactly like my mom after so many years of missing my mother’s touch.

“I know, and I’m so sorry.” She heaved a sigh, the lines framing her mouth looking more pronounced. “My magic was much stronger by this point, so Nana Clara and I did another severance of souls. This time I believed it worked, because you were able to live in anonymity until now.”

I looked down at our joined hands, hardly believing my mom had a twin. Was it wrong that I imagined it was my mother sitting next to me, giving me tender smiles? “How do you know about Des?” I asked through a tightened throat, then I tensed. Did I want to know?

“Because I visited you both when you were infants sleeping in your cribs.” Smiling affectionately, she squeezed my hands. “The Sagredo line has always produced very powerful witches who all possess unique gifts. My gift is revealing auras, even when they’re masked with concealment spells.”

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