Page 68 of Which Witch is Willing?
An ethereal form of Aunt Justine floated above them, translucent and peaceful.
Tierra scrunched her face into a frown and then turned to her baby. She held Violet’s cheeks between her fingers, so that the baby would look at her. “Violet Mirelle de Moray. You put Aunt Justine’s soul back right now.”
The little girl dropped her hand.
A second passed, and then another, and then Aunt Justine sat upright, inhaling a full breath of air. She blinked a few times, obviously surprised to find everyone circled around her. She gripped the arms of the chair and dropped her gaze to her body.
Several long seconds later, Justine lifted her head, looking slightly dazed. “What’s going on?”
“Great Goddess,” someone in the crowd whispered.“The baby stole Justine’s soul.”
Gwen pinched her lips together and shook her head. “A sure sign of ominous things to come. This is dire. Very dire indeed. We can’t allow this abomination to exist.”
Abomination?Good Goddess. Gwen was talking about a baby. Claire and her sisters had to do something and fast, or the whole coven would be after Violet.
Claire stood and start laughing. She eyed Aerin who caught on and did the same. Claire grinned at the crowd. “I’m sorry we had that laugh at your expense, but we couldn’t help it. Everyone in town has been so concerned that Tierra’s baby wouldn’t be normal that we simply had to play a joke.”
The group remained stoic and unconvinced, and Aerin’s and Claire’s laughs faded into grim reality.
Then Aunt Justine began to giggle, and the mood of the room turned to confusion. She laughed so hard that tears formed in her eyes and, slowly, others began to chuckle along with her.
“As you can see,” Tierra said over their joviality. “My aunt is just fine, and my lovely daughter is perfectly normal.”
“Just fine,” others murmured, but Gwen narrowed her gaze.
Martha moved closer to Aunt Justine’s chair and glanced between Aerin and Claire. “I have to admit you got me with that one. You two witches might be okay after all.”
Claire gave a weak laugh and smiled. “Thanks.”
Tierra waved her hands as though to clear the atmosphere, and her bracelets tinkled in response. “It might be a while before they forgive you for that one, sisters.”
The party continued, and Aunt Justine didn’t seem to be the worse for wear. Claire wondered if the older woman had any idea of what had really happened. If so, she’d played her part well.
Aerin and Claire made their way to the edge of the room again where they could watch everyone. “Did thatreallyhappen?”
Claire exhaled a year’s worth of anxiety. “It must have. Didn’t you see Aunt Justine floating?” she whispered.
“I don’t know what I saw or what just happened, but we need to get these people out of here before something else goes wrong.”
Aerin picked up a small, classic black and white striped gift bag from a side table. She held it out as she strode toward their sister. “Last but not least, here’s one from Moira and me.”
Tierra bounced Violet on her lap as Aerin approached, and then she held out her daughter to her sister. “A trade?”
Aerin sighed heavily and took the baby. She stood in front of Tierra holding Violet away from her while Tierra opened the bag. Tierra slid out a small jewelry box and flicked a quick glance toward Aerin and Violet. “Should we see what’s in here, honey? Something from your Aunties.”
With a gift that size, Claire imagined whatever her sisters gave Violet would need to be put away until the little girl was much older.
Tierra opened the box and inhaled a strangled breath. She jerked her gaze upward to Aerin and quickly snapped the box closed.
Aerin frowned. “Don’t you like it?”
Tierra blinked several times, obviously confused. “It’s…it’s lovely. Thank you both so much.”
Aerin’s frown turned into confusion. Claire sensed that both had more to say, but it was obviously something they couldn’t speak of in front of guests.
Undeniable tension filled the room, and Tierra stood. “Thank you all for coming.”
A belch worthy of a drunken seaman erupted from sweet little Violet, and Aerin yelped in surprise. She shoved the baby at her sister, who wasn’t prepared to catch her.
