Page 54 of Boss Witch

Gavin held her, but he had the eerie feeling that it was only her body—­that her mind had gone, detaching from what they’d done. And he had no inkling why he felt that way, stroking her sweat-­damp spine until her skin dimpled with gooseflesh, either from his touch or the night air.

“Are you all right?” he finally asked.

He sensed that she wasn’t, but she also wasn’t the sort of woman who confided easily.Maybe I’m not the person she would talk to either.Just because she’d invited him to one party, it didn’t mean he had a place in her life. Hell, this might’ve been good-­bye.Maybe that’s why it felt so intense but also heart-­wrenching.Gavin had heard of good-­bye kisses, but if he was right, this would be his first farewell fuck.

“I’m okay,” she answered readily enough.

Gavin didn’t fully believe her, yet he had no grounds to make an issue out of it, so he tried to press a kiss to her temple. She let him, but it didn’t soothe the unease growing inside him like a chemistry experiment gone horribly awry.

There was nothing overtly wrong, but heaviness settled into his spirit, even as she felt ever more insubstantial in his arms, like she was made of air and would soon drift away. It wasn’t the sort of fear he could articulate without sounding strange, however. In the end, he went to sleep without saying another word.

Gavin woke alone.

Chapter 17

The week of the Lughnasadh was bright and clear.

Clem hadn’t seen Gavin since she’d spent the night after the party, and it had been radio silence on his end too. The bell rang out front, drawing her out from the back, and she frowned when she recognized Pansy standing in front of their display of refurbished items. With a smile, the younger woman turned, approaching the counter.

“Barnabas told me about the tension between you,” she said, gazing at Clem with big, brown eyes. “And I was hoping I could mediate. I have a counseling certificate and—­”

“That’s kind of you,” Clem cut in. “Can you let me think about it?”

She couldn’t bring herself to set fire to Pansy’s good intentions, but if Clem knew Barnabas, he was manipulating Pansy, trying to use her to pull Clem to his side in the family feud. While she didn’t know that much about family counseling, she suspected it was better not to be related to the counselor, and whatever her qualifications and despite her age, Pansy was Clem’s new stepmother.Fucking yikes.Pansy made conversation for a bit longer, and Clem was relieved when the woman finally left.

People didn’t leave Clem be at all that week. The next day, Gram stopped by—­on a beneficent mission; she brought an herbal remedy she’d whipped up, something that was supposed to restore energy and boost immunity, along with healthy snacks. She gave Clem a hug, brimming with enthusiasm.

“Did you know Gladys has Mina keeping an eye on that witch hunter for us?”

Astonished, Clem shook her head. Mina Rodriguez wasn’t part of her coven; she belonged to Gladys’s. At one point, there’d been a single coven in St. Claire, but the group split twenty years ago because Ethel wanted to go her own way. Having Mina on watch took some of the pressure off Clem, not that she wanted Gram to know how pressured she felt. She’d asked Danica to leaf through the grimoire, and her cousin had said there were several spells they could try, but if anything went even slightly awry, Gavin would know. Instead of diverting him, the spell would lead him right to the people Clem loved.

In ninety years, there had never been such a risky Lughnasadh festival. To Clem’s knowledge, they’d never hosted one with a witch hunter in town. She forced a smile for Gram.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy this,” she said, pulling the care package across the counter.

“See you soon,” Gram called, rushing off to another meeting.

With the Lughnasadh around the corner, she must be busy. The rest of the week, Allegra stopped in with D-­Pop, and Barnabas came by as well. If Gavin hadn’t given her some space, with her family acting up, Clem might’ve snapped.

***

By the time the night of the festival rolled around, Clem was perilously close to losing her patience. But as she gazed around in wonder, she made up her mind to enjoy the occasion. The usual site had been secured with blurring charms and ten other layers of protection they didn’t ordinarily bother with. Tonight, so many lives hung in the balance, and it would be prudent to cancel, but if they did that, it not only dishonored the goddess but also betrayed their holiest of sabbats and the generations of witches who came before. Gladys would’ve hexed anybody who even suggested it, as she had some amazing plans.

Even to Clem, who had seen such festivals so many times, she had to admit the committee had exceeded all expectations. A few tents had been built, magical, billowing ones that caught the night air like a pirate ship’s sails. Multiple stalls filled the wind with delicious scents—­that of homemade wine and fruit tarts and fresh baked bread. Every witch within a hundred miles was in attendance, and Clem felt halfway guilty that she wasn’t with Gavin right at this second to continue distracting him, even though the task cut into her as if she’d mistakenly grabbed a knife by the blade.

A dedicated troupe of neuromancers, none of whom Clem recognized by name, were casting illusions to charm and delight those celebrating the harvest. Flowers came to bud in the blink of an eye, unfurling into improbable colors and configurations, racing across the ground in a carpet that led passersby to a booth where they could receive charms for prosperity or luck, provided by Ethel, who gave a jaunty wave when she spotted Clem. Percy was perched on top of her stall, offering colorful commentary to witches who stopped to check out her selection.

“Doing well tonight, my dear?” Ethel called.

Clem lifted a hand and jerked her chin in a nod. Mostly, she was still unsettled by what she’d experienced in Gavin’s arms. She’d only heard of witches connecting at that level; that was why Gram was so hard-­core about finding a proper witch partner to complete the magical match, all the gross bloodline stuff aside. It was impossible to understand how or why it had happened with Gavin.

The illusionists stayed on their craft, casting fireworks that wouldn’t be visible outside this little bubble. Hopefully. If the committee had done their work properly. Still, the risk niggled at her, and she wondered where Gavin was. If he were close by, through some awful coincidence, no wards would be able to block all this energy at close range. Green and yellow bubbles tumbled by with the whimsical images of fairies dancing inside, more cunning spell work by those casting for the sheer joy of it.

Apart from necromancers, who gave other witches a bad rep, every type of witch had a role to play tonight. The diviners had set up a fortune-­telling booth, and the vivimancers were crafting beautiful custom houseplants on demand for those who always wanted tulips that smelled like roses. Enchanters had a variety of charms for sale, and technomancers like Clem got to enjoy the festive mood celebrating a rich and fruitful harvest, for their work took place before the party, ensuring all necessary devices ran silently and endlessly without electricity. Even if witches didn’t live off the land as they had in the old days, it was important to keep the link alive. Clem believed these rituals and celebrations kept the farmland fertile with energies released throughout the year.

As a technomancer, Clem’s part of the rite was small, more symbolic than anything else. She usually paired with a vivimancer to offer a surge of power to fuel the blessing they offered the earth. A few of the local witches did farm, and Clem would enchant their machines when possible, so they didn’t break down or run out of fuel before the harvest was in.

She wandered the festival, taking in the sights. Her entire coven was here. Leanne was sampling all the wine while Margie walked around with her son, Chris, another fledgling technomancer, though Margie specialized in neuromancy. Clem spotted Priya and Kerry holding hands, feeding each other bites of a blueberry tart. And Vanessa was strolling around with Danica; they seemed to be gossiping hard, laughing every other step.

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