Page 103 of Witches Be Damned

We took them inside, and distributed the aluminum between the guests. Everyone helped themselves to the meat, sides, and salads, except for Molly and Jack, who avoided any vegetables despite Janet piling small portions onto their plates. I plated Mom some steak and vegetable couscous salad since her shaky arms gave her trouble.

I smiled for the entire meal, pleased to be surrounded by my family and extended family. Our time together in the Guardians tore Knoxe, Raze, Pascal and me apart. Supergal came in at a crucial time and saved us from implosion. Sure, we had rough times, thanks to the tension stirred by my contraband sales, Raze’s identity and banishment, Knoxe being an ass, Pascal’s communication issues, and Supergal hiding Raze’s secret. In the end, it brought us all closer, we forgave each other, worked together as the team we were meant to be after we lost Jaz, and earned our freedom.

Honestly, my time in the Guardians, while dark and depressing, ended up being one of my life’s most important lessons. I didn’t give up on my family or friends despite the hardship. Prison taught me resilience, loyalty, and a strength I never knew. It introduced me to the love of my life, and if I had to do it all again to save her or my family, I would.

Raze and Knoxe ate us out of house and home in the meat department, cleaning up the leftovers. My niece and nephew cleaned up when it came to dessert and didn’t stop bouncing around on their sugar highs. Raze rumbled the whole time, getting up several times to play with Molly and Jack, spinning them around and playing flying airplane games, giving me a rest for once.

Mom didn’t stop smiling the whole time, delighted to have all her family with her, and the chaos of the past twelve months finally subsiding.

Supergal kept touching me when she got the chance, and I soaked up all the attention from my girl and the smiles that had my heart soaring.

I checked in with Pascal to see how he was doing with new people in his space, and he coped well with little bursts of music to soothe his senses. I was really proud that he didn’t rely on it as much as he previously did, braving his new surroundings with a determination rivaling the one Supergal brought to the prison.

While my family and guests played a card game after dessert, Janet and I got up to do the dishes, setting the plates and cutlery in the dishwasher and manually cleaning the larger bowls that didn’t fit in.

My sister leaned her hip on the counter to face me. “It’s nice to see you happy, baby brother.”

I glanced at the packed table, overflowing with my biological and extended family. Pascal tapped beats on the table, teaching Jack and Molly how to drum. Astra squished between them, holding onto Raze and Knoxe’s thighs, chatting with my mom about future plans, while they brushed her back or neck. Yeah, life was right again.

“Thanks, sis.” I flicked her with my towel, and she got me back with suds. “How’s your new job?”

She dunked another bowl in the soapy water. “The hours are really good for dropping off and picking up the kids.”

I grabbed the next bowl and towel-dried it. “That’s excellent.”

She deserved a supportive role. Work at the hospital was chaotic, and they put her on at nights and double shifts when she was struggling to raise an infant and two-year-old after her dirtbag husband left her.

“I met someone,” she admitted casually, catching me by surprise.

I flicked her on the arm for withholding that news from me. “Since when? It’s the job of your brother to check out potential suitors and scare them with threats not to hurt you.”

She chuckled and flicked me again with water and suds. “You and your friends are not scaring him away.”

“You sure?” I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder. “Raze is a terrifying guy and he’ll sort him out.”

“Are you saying you’re not scary and don’t have big enough balls to?” Janet teased.

I never tired of our little game.

“Oh, I have the balls, sis.” I draped the towel over my shoulder and brought her in for a hug. “I’m happy for you and hope he’s as nice as you say, so I don’t have to get Supergal to dissolve his balls.”

It felt just as freeing to laugh about the team’s magick since my family knew about my sentence in a magical prison because little old me let out the secret on a phone conversation that saw me punished by the warden.

“No baby brother threats are needed just yet!” She slammed my chest with a wet hand, leaving a palm mark on my shirt.

We laughed and finished the job, teasing each other for the remainder of the task as brother and sister should.

A Helms’ family dinner wasn’t complete without a Tor finale.

I clapped my hands together and announced to the table, “Excuse me everyone, can I have your attention?”

The room died down and they gave me their undivided attention, and my inner attention whore preened.

I pulled out the velvet box I’d been holding onto for a long time and dropped to one knee beside Supergal, making her shift in her seat and frown. Time to pull out the big guns and deliver on the promise I made to her over a year ago.

“Supergal, I once gave you a candy ring with the promise of my commitment,” I started, shaking with equal nerves and excitement. “You wore it every day until it was sticky, dirty, melting, and growing something green, and in the best interests of your health, you sadly had to take it off.”

Molly and Jack giggled.

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