Page 225 of Castings & Curses

Whenever I was in a sour mood, I brewed a pot of my mother’s special blend. There was nothing a good cuppa tea couldn’t solve. At least, that’s what Mom and Nan both preached, and it was what they’d taught me, my sister, Nessa, and my brother, Abel.

Tea was everything to a Montrose. In fact, it was our biggest seller at the farmer’s markets where we sold the produce we grew atMontrose Farms, along with homemade baked goods, jams, jellies, organically sourced honey, and our own herbal tea blends.

I was the only actual earth witch in the family, but the entire Montrose clan had a general affinity for growing things. My magic was just amped up, and a little more in tune with the OG Goddess,Mother Earth, herself.

“Seriously. Talk to me, Jade,” the water witch insisted.

I appreciated her. Really, I did. It wasn’t too long ago that Rio was first introduced to the magical world, and I had oodles of respect for the way she handled it all.

I don’t know what I would have done in her place. Magic was not new to me. I’d been born into a magical family. Had huge family annals with histories of my early ancestors. We boasted six earth witches in my family tree, dating back to the first Witch Crusades in 654 AD.

My mother and father were a typical class C witch and wizard couple. Nothing too crazy about their powers, though Mom favored gardening. In magic, balance was a must, and many witches and wizards kept gardens on hand to give back to the universe.

It was from both sides of the family I got my elemental powers. Nessa, my older sister, and Abel, my younger brother, were both average practitioners. Neither had been invited to Westwood to study.

Feather in my cap?

Heck yeah.

It was tough being the middle child—even for witches. Especially with the two of them being tall and willowy, and exceptionally good looking, like Mom. I received Dad’s genes; that meant short and rotund.

Sigh.

I was the only Montrose in a hundred years to receive such distinction, and it was a total mystery to most why I had been given this opportunity. Typical middle child crap again. I already established I was not the prettiest, but it should be noted I was also NOT the smartest out of my siblings.

Plain Jane,er, Jade, that was me. Abel had earned an advanced degree in supernatural environmental engineering fromPalmer’s School of Occult Technologywhen he was just sixteen. Nessa earned her first certification as an award-winning class 6 herb grower—the top commendation a witch could receive when growing ingredients for potions—around the same time Abel earned his degree.

They were doing amazing things, and here I was, an actual elemental earth witch, and all I’d done was get into school. Oh yeah, I also passed out now and then, and I got stuck under a pile of rocks.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

“Nothin’ to talk about. Really, I’m good, Rio. Want some tea?” I asked, offering her a small smile.

“Oooh, is it that lavender and green tea blend?” she asked, and her eyes sparkled like seawater.

“Yep,” I replied.

“Score! Yes, please,” she said, and practically hummed with joy.

Gosh, Rio was pretty. Tone deaf, but pretty. Her hair had turned bright blue, along with her eyes, when she came into her power. It seemed like every day new threads of aqua showed up as she learned to control her element.

Maia, our resident air witch, was much the same, only her hair had turned a silvery platinum color along with her increased magical prowess. Tana was a natural redhead, and as the fire witch got better at her craft, her own mop of flame colored waves brightened.

I was the only one who wouldn’t receive a cool supernatural makeover. Brown was brown, and I’d always had brown hair. My eyes were okay, though. They were a pale amber color that looked great in the sunlight. I didn’t mind them so much. Of course, being five foot nothing and weighing in at a buck seventy-five meant I had other things to worry about. Like the fact my ass was bigger than I’d care to admit, and chub-rub was truly hard on the thighs in summer.

Oh well.

Food and playing in dirt were my two favorite things. Not very glamorous, but that was okay. I had no illusions about myself, and I was typically happy as a clam—whatever that meant.

I mean, were clams all that happy?

Who knew?

Maybe Rio would—

Anyway—where was I?

The scent of my mother’s lavender tea filled the small kitchen area as I poured the boiling water into the pot to let it steep. Rio clapped her hands excitedly and my magic swirled around me, reacting to her happiness. That was something I was used to.

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