Page 60 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“You’re choosing us, then?” I asked.

Victoria jerked her head back as if I’d smacked her. “What kind of witch would I be to go against Lilith? Of course, I’m with you.”

I relaxed a bit. I felt her goodness, but that didn’t mean she’d jump right to helping me. We all had free will. “I need the name and location of my first cousin if you have it. Then I need you to start finding supers and at this point, mortals who understand the stakes and want a future for their children and grandchildren. A fight is coming, whether we want it or not. We need to prepare.”

Chapter

Fifteen

Lily Joy. My cousin. What a pretty name. Victoria kindly gave us her address. Before we left, both Connor and I made sure she understood how important it was for her to keep my info on the down low, but also to prepare. Get as many people she trusted on our side as possible. I hated being the prophet of doom and gloom. I mean, for the rest of my life, however long that might be, Victoria would remember me as the woman who’d brought on the end of days.

I’d much rather be remembered as the spunky woman with the cute hair and sassy sense of style always ready with an intelligent quip and a mostly kind word. Was that too much to ask for?

“Well, if you’ll excuse us,” I said as I reached for Connor’s hand. It made things easier for us to be touching when I moved us with magic. Plus—and I would never tell him this in fear of giving him an even bigger head—I craved his touch right now. It settled me. Heading into the unknown and all that, Connor kept me anchored to a reality that I hoped we’d get to live rather than the one that currently faced us. Then I closed my eyes and focused my mind on Lily Joy’s address somewhere in the middle of the English countryside. Some little town I’d never heard of. Iknew it was the middle of the countryside because the moment I concentrated on the address, I saw the home in my mind.

When I opened my eyes again, Connor and I stood in front of a thatched-roof cottage trimmed in natural, aged wood. The window glass reminded me of the window glass used in a colonial village I’d toured once. Natural wood and utilitarian shutters framed the outside of each window. A stone path welcomed us to the front door. Plants and flowers lined the path.

I found so much comfort around witch-owned cottages. Even though I wasn’t a witch, I still kind of was. Lavender, rosemary, and sage—I got thatkid at Disneylandfeeling all over again.

“You love this,” Connor said reflectively.

“I do.”

“You’re glowing.”

“That’s nice of you to?—”

“No, Simone, you’re actually glowing. Look.”

What in the ever-loving—no way could this be possible? My skin glowed a golden, shimmery light. Uh… this was definitely new.

Connor reached his hand over to brush it along the skin on my arm. “It’s warm,” he whispered in what I considered awe. “So a new achievement unlocked.”

“It appears so.” I smiled sheepishly, but then Connor pulled me into his arms and my glow engulfed the both of us.

“I feel it inside me,” he went on. “I feel you and the glow. Like you’re separate entities but joined at the same time. I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s not just your emotions, Simone—it’s literally you. What do you think it means?”

“I have no clue,” I answered him dreamily, sighing. Then I shook my head, realizing it was a spell. Not the glowing, that was all me. But the dreamy quality I felt, it was an enchantment that Lily Joy must have placed on her home.

“What?” Connor asked, drawing his eyebrows down in evident confusion.

“Part of this is a spell. I’ll explain later.”

Let me just say, I struggled to free myself from the feeling that engulfed me. Of everything in the world that I had to do, being held close by Connor was something Iwantedto do. Still holding his hand, I walked us up to the door and knocked.

After a minute or so, the door cracked open. The woman’s eyes went big when she took us in. I expected her to ask,“What are you?”I mean, I always got the “What are you?” question. But she surprised me with a, “How did you break through?”

“Really?” Connor asked. “That’s your first question for us?”

Her exasperated sigh sounded so similar to mine. I laughed.

“Oh yeah,” Connor went on. “She’s definitely related to you, sweetheart.”

“We’re related?” Lily Joy asked.

“My name is Simone.”

Lily Joy gasped. “Lamia?”

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