Page 96 of Charmed, I'm Sure
“Felt what?”
“The magic.” Her voice was soft, wistful. “As soon as I stepped foot in that house, it was like the warmest hug you could imagine—wrapping around me, like it was welcoming me home. Like I was meant to be there. It’s just too bad the rest of this godforsaken town doesn’t see it that way.”
Her eyes dropped to her mug as she set it down on the floor where we’d been sitting. Plates, napkins, and coffee cups littered the spacearound us as we leaned against the cabinets. I really needed to go furniture shopping.
Wiping my hand on a paper towel, I grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward me until she settled across my lap. Gently, I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and turned her face to mine.
“You are meant to be here, Magnolia Bellevue. And if the people in this town haven’t figured that out yet, that’s on them. No more hiding, sunshine. Especially not from me.”
“It’s not that simple, Taylor.” Her voice was firm but tinged with sadness. “I can’t just go around town throwing spells this way and that. All that would do is start a witch hunt. People already treat me like a pariah; I’d rather not give them an actual reason.”
“Okay, fair. And also totally unfair. But can you promise not to hide frommeanymore?”
A tiny furrow formed between her brows as her eyes searched mine. After a deep inhale, she nodded. “I can promise to try. This is new for me, too, cowboy. Not even Jaelyn knows.”
“Really?” I couldn’t hide the shock in my voice. When she shook her head, I pressed, “But she’s your best friend, right?”
Magnolia nodded, sadness flickering in her gaze as she looked down at her fidgeting hands. “She is. But even the best of friends can start a witch hunt. It’s why my mom stopped practicing—at least, that’s what Aunt Evie told me.”
I must have looked confused because she sighed and shifted until she was straddling my legs.
“According to my aunt, Mom had a friend—Susan… Suzanne? Something like that—who was her best friend through high school, college, even nursing school. They were as tight as two people could be.”
“Two peas in a pod,” I offered.
“Exactly. Anyway, one day, Mom found a spell in the grimoire…” She paused, catching my raised brow, then rolled her eyes. “A grimoire is like a family spellbook. Or a witch’s cookbook, I guess. It’s full of spells, incantations, rituals, stuff like that.”
“How big is this book?”
“Big. But that’s not the point. Focus, cowboy.”
“Right. Sorry. So your mom and… what’s-her-face?”
She huffed out a chuckle but continued. “Mom found a spell that lasted twelve hours and would reveal a person’s innermost thoughts and feelings about a posed question or action.”
“Sounds simple enough.”
Magnolia scrunched her nose, a clear sign she was bracing for my reaction. “It is… but it requires a drop of their blood. Just a drop, it’s not like a ritual sacrifice or anything, just a simple prick of the finger—nothing dramatic.”
“Baby, calm down,” I said with a chuckle, cutting off her nervous rambling. “What happened next?”
“Well, Mom cast the spell and told her she was a witch. She even did a few minor tricks to sell it. And Mom got the answer she needed. Susan—or Suzanne, whatever—freaked out, and Mom had to give her a sleep tonic to get through the next twelve hours.”
“What happens when the time runs out?”
“They forget. It’s like it never happened.”
I let that sink in for a moment—possibly too long, judging by Magnolia’s concerned expression—then finally responded with a contemplative, “Hmm.”
“‘Hmm’? That’s your response? ‘Hmm’?”
“It makes sense, honestly. It’s a good way to test the waters without risking everything.”
“Whoareyou?” she asked with adisbelieving laugh.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her closer. I loved how perfectly she fit against me, like two puzzle pieces coming together. “Taylor Hallows. Nice to meet you.”
“Fuck off,” she said, laughing as she playfully pushed at my chest.
