Page 41 of Witch Please

Danica knew damn well Gram hadn’t come for tea or snacks.

The older woman fixed a gimlet stare on her. “Do you want to explain why you’re leaving me unread? I try to be understanding, sweetheart, but nobody’s that busy. We used to be so close, and the fact that we’re not anymore… It hurts.” She glanced around the house, as if remembering how it used to be. “We had suchfunhere when you were small. You probably don’t remember your grandfather, but he loved you so much. He’d fall asleep with the two of you on his chest, and when you woke up from your nap, I’d entertain you with little illusions. You said it was better than television, and I didn’t mind even though those spells exhausted me for days. It was worth it to see you smile. I’d do anything for you and Clementine.” She reached across the table and took Danica’s hands as a wave of guilt deluged her. “You understand that, right?”

“Yes, Gram.”

Clem was home, but she didn’t come down. Maybe she thought Danica needed this tête-à-tête with Gram to wake up from her delusions about Titus. She ended up agreeing to narrow the Bindr profiles down. “I’ll pick the two best ones,” she finally muttered. “But I’m not promising anything.”

“That’s all I ask.” Gram rose and kissed her cheek. “Just keep an open mind. You’ll see, sweetheart. Your life will be so much better if you heed my advice.”

That night, Danica didn’t sleep well, and she skipped lunch the next day, opting for a glum bowl of ramen at home instead of meeting Titus like she desperately wanted. But the strength of that desire meant she shouldn’t. Things had already gotten away from her, and they’d only kissed.Look at what happened at the shop! I’ll blow a substation if we go all the way.

Danica showed up to work on time, and Clem sighed over her expression. “Oh damn. You’re even wearing your ‘Don’t mess with me’ T-shirt. Are you sure that sends the right message to our customers?”

“I’ll work in the back,” she muttered.

“That…is a terrible idea. Radioactive microwave, remember? Look, I’m sorry you’re struggling, but this is our livelihood. Get your shit together!” Clem slapped the display counter for emphasis, frowning fiercely.

Sometimes tough love was the only cure for an emotional ailment. Reality check: her cousin was right. If she ruined their business with personal stuff, she’d never forgive herself. Danica did her best to compartmentalize all the conflict and confusion while doing some breathing exercises she’d found online. While she couldn’t claim she was okay with everything, at least the lightning in her veins settled a little.

“I really don’t understand,” she said softly.

“What?”

“Why do Waterhouse witches lose their power if they marry mundanes? I mentioned it to Margie and Vanessa, and they’ve never heard of anything like that. I mean, obviously there’s some weakening of magical strength in the descendants, but neither one of them has heard about a curse that kicks in that way.”

Clem leaned on the glass countertop, looking troubled. “I heard Gram talking to one of her cronies once, and it seems like it’s unique to our line. It has to do with what happened to Agnes Waterhouse so long ago, and I suspect it’s meant to protect us.”

“From persecution? If we don’t mingle with mundanes, we can’t be singled out?” It was tough to know what had been on anyone’s mind four hundred years ago.

“I guess so. Ithaskept us safe. And is it really so wrong? Those who choose a mundane love over sisterhood should pay the price.”

Danica stared at her cousin. “You sound exactly like Gram.”

“She’s not wrong. Both our mothers eventually gave up everything for their mundane lovers, and look at them now. Witches descended from a goddess, born with incredible blessings, and they threw it all away.”

Wow, she’s really mad.

They tended not to discuss Minerva and Allegra because Danica chose to cut her mom and aunt some slack since she knew all too well how hard it was to please Gram. But she hadn’t realized that Clem was still so angry about Allegra marrying her mundane boyfriend. Danica didn’t know all the details surrounding the divorce, but Clem’s dad, Auntie Allegra’s first husband, had been an absolute asshole.

Families are so complicated.

She tried for a conciliatory tone. “That’s why we made the pact.”

“Exactly. In a few years, when we want kids, we can use the same donor service as Kerry and Priya. And we can raise our kids together without all the drama our parents put us through. We have each other. We have the coven. You’ll see. Everything will be so much better this way,” Clem said firmly.

Will it?

Her cousin seemed to think they’d both be fine with a series of discreet affairs, but how could anyone control that? She wasn’t a sex robot, programmed to take only pleasure and incapable of experiencing emotional attachment. Come to think of it, she studied Clem silently for a few seconds, worried about her mental state. Maybe the family shit had done more damage than she’d realized if her cousin believed this was the only way to attain peace and contentment.

“Let’s check the spellbook again,” Danica said at last.

“Tonight?”

She nodded. “Just you and me this time. Maybe it’s a more personal spell than I realized, but I have to sever the connection this time. It…hurts.”

I shouldn’t miss him this much already. It’s too fast, too soon.

Clem’s expression softened, her anger slipping away like a leaf boat hitting the rapids in a rushing river. “This sucks, but we’ll get through it. You know I’m here for you, right? No matter what.”

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