Page 16 of Captivating Magic

“Better.” Offering up a smile, she gestured him closer. Once he’d seated himself sideways on the mattress, with one leg tucked under him and facing her, she nodded toward the living room. “Are the others still here?”

“No. Your ghostly self heaped abuse on Castor’s head for being a dick, and he left in a huff. Alastair wanted to consult with his son, Nash, at Thorne Industries. Maybe see what they could find in the family book.”

“Family book?”

“Grimoire. It’s where we store the spells passed down through history.”

“Those exist?” When he nodded, Ebba shook her head in wonderment. “I’ve watched witchy shows and movies, and I’ve always loved the idea of a spellbook. But I’ve never considered the reality of one existing before.”

“Would you like a little history?”

His willingness to share surprised her. Perhaps it shouldn’t have, considering he’d revealed what his family could do, but she didn’t think he’d be as open as he was.

After she nodded and scooted to the side for him to get comfortable beside her, Lo launched into the tale of the Goddess Isis.

“Six original families were gifted with abilities. We’re from her direct line, while others descend from different gods or goddesses. Over time, some married mortals and diluted their power, but?—”

“Wait! Are you saying if you marry someone who doesn’t possess magic, you lose some of yours? That’s bogus!”

He laughed. “No. I’m saying that any children from a non-magical union might not be as powerful as I am or my ancestorsbefore me. Theymaybe, but the likelihood is great that they won’t.”

“Oh. I thought it was some witch supremacy bullshit like you had to keep the lines pure,” she grumbled.

He expressed great amusement, and his amber-colored irises appeared lighter than earlier.

Ebba frowned as she stared into his face. “Your coloring is a tad different than your family. Why is that?”

Lifting his arm, Laszlo rolled up his sleeve and casually examined his olive-toned skin with an unconcerned air. “It’s probably a throwback to my Egyptian ancestors. Or maybe an illicit affair somewhere in the family tree, resulting in a child born on the wrong side of the sheets.”

“You joke, but wouldn’t itdiluteyour power?”

His grin was quicksilver, causing her heart to flutter. “Not if both parties possessed equal abilities.”

“Good point.” With a bump of her shoulder against his, she said, “Tell me about the other families. Would I know any of them?”

“I’m not sure. We’re not so different from anyone else, with one small exception. We work, fall in love, marry, and produce children just like the next person.”

“Liz and I met in middle school. I still can’t believe she never accidentally revealed what she was.” She’d be inclined to teach mean girls lessons in kindness. Although, looking back, she couldn’t recall anyone being particularly awful, so perhaps Liz had.

Knots formed in Ebba’s stomach whenever she thought about the colossal secret her best friend had hidden.

“Ebba, it isn’t that my sister didn’t trust you. She, like the rest of us, was under strict orders not to reveal what we are to mortals. Remember what Castor said about consequences?”

Frowning, she nodded slowly.

“Throughout history, when one of my kind believed they could trust another with the truth, bad things happened. Our most recent past consisted of the Witches War, where those who feared us tried to wipe us out.”

“What?Who would do that?” The knot in her belly expanded and squeezed her heart. The ghastly images of Lo or Liz being hurt because of some stupid war plagued her mind. “How recent?”

“The war was about twenty years ago, but the last of the Désorcelers Society wasn’t disbanded until a year or so ago. They were hellbent on destroying all witches, and the Thornes in particular. We couldn’t use our real names whenever we traveled for fear of repercussions.”

Seen in that particular light, she could understand why the Thornes had remained mute about what they could do. The burning sense of betrayal wasn’t as fierce, though it still lingered.

“Liz had to know I could be trusted, though, right?” She gazed up at him, silently urging him to take her side. “How can you be friends with someone for close to thirty years and still think they’d stab you in the back?”

“Do you consider us friends, Ebba?”

“Of course!”

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