Page 16 of Pitch a Witch
“You never intended to unlock my magic, did you?” It all shifted and rearranged itself inside my head like the pieces of a puzzle, and everything came to me in a whoosh.
For almost a month, Danika had been acting snappy and frustrated, disappearing for hours if not days. All the punishments were not just to keep me out of sight from the covens. It was to buy time for herself, too. As I voiced my suspicions, I could already see the confirmation of my accusation written all over her face. She had the decency to pretend she was ashamed, I’d give her that.
“I did not, no.” With a patronizing sigh like I was being difficult, she pierced me with one of her trademark scowls. “You must understand, everything I’ve done is for your own good, Hazel.”
“Are you sure about that?” Because I sure as fuck was not. “Let’s stop with the bullshit, mm-kay?” Another thought slapped me like a wet sock across the face. “You also asked River to come and join the coven. Now we know he sprouts wings. Imagine that, huh?” Widening my eyes, I mockingly gaped at her. “Pretty boy is here to do what, exactly? Kill me if I get too out of control?”
Sissily’s gasp was drowned by the animalistic growl coming from deep within Blondie’s chest. My friend’s grip on my shoulder at that point was painful as hell, but it helped keep me grounded so I didn’t slap her away.
“Aww, I’m sorry.” Titling my face, I fluttered my eyelashes at River’s furious glare. “Did I hurt your feelings, pigeon?” A firm press of his mouth was my answer.
“You have every right to be angry, Hazel,” my grandmother interjected before Blondie and I started on each other.
I decided I’d deal with him later. “You don’t say.”
“As I was saying,” Danika snapped, forcing me to clench my jaw so I didn’t yell at her, “be angry with me all you want. I would do it all again, and I won’t apologize for anything. You have magic that none of us have seen until now. You understand that, don’t you? It could be destructive, for all we know. If hating me makes things better and helps you cope with the burden your mother bestowed you with, so be it. But make no mistake, Hazel Byrne, I saved your life at the cost of my own child. If you don’t control yourself, I will also take it away. Believe me, I don’t need Mr. Blackman’s help for that.”
The expression I’d seen many times but only fleetingly on her, the one I could never decipher, hit me like a brick and left me dazed. Resentment. Danika hated every breath I took because she had to save me instead of her daughter. Indignation spread through me, but I bit the inside of my cheek and held it down. I could argue that I’d never asked for any of it, but I knew it’d make no difference.
Nothing ever did when Danika set her mind on things.
“Did you just threaten me?” Flabbergasted, I searched my grandmother’s face, hoping with everything in me that I was wrong.
“Don’t be absurd.” My tense shoulders sagged a tad bit too fast. “I’m only telling you the truth, as I promised. I left you in Mr. Greywood’s care because I know he can protect you while I search for a way to train you on how to use your powers. Obviously, it was too much to ask for you to do what you are told for once in your life.”
“That’s where you are wrong. You see, I have no problem doing what I’m told.” Anger started warming my chilled insides. “What I have big issues with is being pushed around like some inanimate object with no explanations and half-truths. You get what I’m saying?”
Amber would be proud when I told her that, despite all the bombs Danika had dropped on my head like a pro-baseball player, I had kept a tight leash on my emotional state. Well, as far as the magic was concerned. The ground didn’t rattle, and I didn’t blast anyone into a decorative pile of bones. For everything else, I was ready to be locked up in a padded room.
“She deserves to know the truth.” Sissily’s tone, although barely above a whisper, made more impact on Danika than all my raging. My grandmother sucked in a sharp breath. “You know, all these years, I believed that everything you did, the way you treated Hazel … that it was to make her tough. Because you loved her too much and wanted to protect her from all the harsh, unnecessary words the world would throw her way.” Twisting at the waist, I watched a tear trickle down my friend’s face, and my chest felt so tight it physically hurt. “But you are just as stupid as me,” Sissily spat in disgust.
A jolt rocked my body.
Sissily had never dared say a wrong word to my grandmother, even when she stood up for me. To hear her call Danika stupid, in her face, was something I’d remember for as long as I lived. Or as short. Seeing my grandmother’s face was priceless. But Sissily was not done.
“You are afraid,” my friend accused with a trembling finger aimed at Danika as more tears made tracks down her cheeks. “When I saw the power manifest from Hazel, I was angry and felt betrayed.” Her glossy blue eyes slowly lowered and landed on my face. “I thought you knew all this time but never trusted me enough to say a word. I’m a dumbass. I know that now, but it’s the truth. Even after your grandmother confessed about making a deal with Leviathan to seal your magic, I thought it was just a story the two of you agreed on so no one would know the truth of what really happened.”
“I would never—”
“I know, Hazel. I swear I do. I just needed time to get my head out of my ass.” She sob-laughed and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “After replaying every second for a week with no sleep, I came to tell Danika that I was coming to pack lands so I could beg you to forgive me. But I found you here, instead. I wanted to apologize. I hate that you thought I was afraid of you.”
“No need to apologize, but you owe me one now.” My smile wobbled with hers.
“Like I would ever be scared of you, big jerk.” She socked me on the back of my head. “Magic or not, I’d still kick your ass.”
I had my friend next to me in the middle of a shit storm. One ass kicking was nothing as long as she had my back.
11
“She’s lying.”
Head craning to make sure no one was around, I followed Sissily toward the infirmary. After noticing that I’d figured most of it out, if not all, Danika kicked us out with some crap about my wellbeing. Apparently, the imp bite had to be checked before we wasted time discovering all her deceit, although my forearm was already healed. My poor boob was traumatized from being shamelessly exposed, but my skin was as good as new. At this point, I believed that short of someone chopping my head off, I’d be good.
More than good, actually.
“I think so, too,” Sissily gibbered, unconcerned if anyone heard us as she stewed in her anger as well. “I feel so dumb, you have no idea. Instead of being a jerk and convincing myself that you didn’t tell me the truth, I should’ve been on her ass to see what she was up to. I want to rip my hair out right now.”
“Down, girl. Your poor hair has nothing to do with this.” She slapped my hand hard when I tried to pat her head. “I hate to say this, but I kinda wish I was a dud after all the admissions from queen bitch.”
