Page 65 of Boss Witch

It’s never easy to admit this.Clem closed her eyes briefly.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I fucked everything up.”

Then she summarized what passed between her and Gavin, though she did minimize the sex stuff since Mom was in the room. Her coven sisters sat quiet, listening without judgment until she confided what had happened outside that night. When Clem finally ran out of words, she ended her narration with a weary sigh.

Danica moved first, settling beside her on the floor, and she wrapped both arms around Clem in a bracing hug. “This was too much to ask of you,” she said softly. “We’re here now, and we’ll figure this out.”

“So help me, if you say ‘together,’ I will pinch the crap out of you,” Clem muttered.

Vanessa crowded into the hug. “Together. NowIsaid it, and you better not pinch me. You know what’ll happen if you try.”

Mom suddenly dropped her phone, staring in shock. Clem eyed her. “What?”

Allegra looked fit to pop like an overinflated balloon. “Okay, I wasn’t paying attention fully, but I think I heard that you hooked up with a witch hunter. I knew you were seeing him, but you went all the way downtown? So how was it? I’ve never known a witch who—­”

“Thatis what you’re focused on?” Margie cut in.

Leanne grinned. “Wish my mom was more like you.”

“Same,” said Kerry.

“My mother has certainly never had sex,” Priya said primly. Then she swapped looks with Kerry, and they both started giggling.

Clem experienced a brief pang because Priya was so freaking sweet, and she’d missed out, but she was genuinely happy for her two coven sisters. More to the point, it wasn’t the time to fixate on lost opportunities when she had a crater of a problem to fill.

Ethel rapped her knuckles on the table as Percy called, “Order in the court!”

Kerry glared at the parrot. “One of these days, I’ll—­”

“Don’t threaten my bird,” Ethel snapped.

Danica petted Clem’s hair, her expression troubled. “I’m the one who started everything, so I have no room to talk, but we need to focus. The situation is volatile right now, and we’re in unchartered waters. We could wake up to a war zone tomorrow.”

Margie let out a little moan. “Oh goddess, should we start packing?”

“First, it’s pointless to blame anyone,” Clem said. “Yeah, Danica spiked first, but Mom had her turn tonight, and that’s on Gram. I share the blame because I forgot to get Mom one of Ethel’s dampening charms or remind her to put on a tincture. Basically, whenever we gather for our festivals, there’s risk. And that’s bullshit. Witches have lived in fear for too long!”

“Easy to say,” Vanessa pointed out. “Not so easy to solve.”

Ethel cracked open a can of beer and took a sip. “What the hell, I’ve got all night.”

***

You must choose.

That was the first line of Grandad’s email.

To protect or persecute. I wouldn’t have brought this up if you hadn’t mentioned it first, my lad, but as you said yourself earlier—­you can’t row two boats. Protecting this person you’ve come to care about will mean breaking with your father. He’s my son, but he’s not a forgiving man. To him, the world is divided by a wall, and all those who don’t agree with him stand on the other side of it.

Are you prepared for that? Do you know what it means to cut all ties with the order?

They won’t let you go. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe, you’ll have to live in hiding, as I have. Even these many years later, they’re still hunting us.

We move often. I hadn’t planned on telling you this either—­in case Jason is making use of you. But I live on a boat, Gavin, like in the pirate stories we used to read. I expect you’ve outgrown those by now. Anyway, the time is coming when you’ll have to decide.

As one who’s already chosen, I have no regrets. I love you, lad. Maybe one day, I’ll get to see for myself the kind of man you’ve become.

Love always,

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