by Abbi Glines
She took her time delivering the food and making sure we had everything we needed. When Heath didn’t send her to get him something more, she seemed disappointed. Maybe this one wasn’t a good idea. She was starting to appear more needy by the minute. When she left us to our meal and went to help another table, he relaxed then smiled at me.
“He’s fine. Stop worrying about it. I don’t regret letting him move in so quickly.” Heath was trying to shut me down. I decided for now I would let him but I was going to keep an eye on Rathe.
Six
The Cousin
Twinkling lights covered almost every inch of our backyard, and it was a massive backyard. The only spot spared from my Aunt Marigold’s favorite decorative enchantment was my small garden. Simply because her powers couldn’t manifest there. Only I could enter it, only I could cast within it. This evening only the casters present would be able to see my garden, although they wouldn’t go near it. I’d protected it from others a long time ago.
The guests would be amazed by the fantasyland this place now appeared to be. Purple passion flowers covered every chair, archway, fence line and even the tree trunks. It was past the season for the Passion flower to bloom. Had my aunt thought of that while covering the place with my mother’s favorite flower? Obviously not. The black Hollyhocks were also something she didn’t think about. At least they were used for decoration and she didn’t have them growing from the soil. This wasn’t a British garden. We were in Savannah, Georgia, and it was October.
I admitted the purple intertwined with the black was striking, but if anyone with a green thumb came tonight, they’d know exactly how rare the flowers were, and mother would have to explain that. A large white tent sat in the middle of it all and like everything else was covered in twinkling lights. Bunches of passion flowers hung from the ceiling of the tent, giving the covering its fairytale like appearance.
“Leaving me here all day with these witches was a bitch move.” My cousin Duely’s voice came from behind me, and I turned around to see him standing just outside the tent with his hands in the front pockets of his suit pants.
“I’m sorry. Was it awful?” I asked him.
“You know it was a fucking circus.”
I laughed and walked over to hug him. Before Heath and Margo moved next door, Duely had been my only playmate as a child. Maybe it was because he hadn’t been born female that made him the only Kamlock without a blackheart. He was three years older than me, and until three years ago, he’d lived two hours away from Savannah, but our mothers visited each other often. Now, Duely owned a bar in Savannah, but I didn’t see him as much as I had when we were younger. I missed him.
“Your weather is perfect,” he added, as he took his right hand out of his pocket and waved it at the clear evening sky.
“It was my summons this morning,” I assured him.
He gave a small laugh. “I have no doubt. They’ve been at it all day. The color scheme and flower choices changed three times. Geneva and your mother can’t agree. This,” he said pointing at the current choice, “was my mother’s doing.”
Aunt Marigold had lived in North England for several years. I knew when I saw the Hollyhocks that my aunt had done, not only the lights, but the flowers as well. “It’s beautiful,” I replied.
He shrugged. “Eh, it’s a dressed-up nightmare. We both know that. Where’s your friends?”
Duely had always been attracted to Margo and Heath, but because I had begged him not to show interest in either of them, he had left them alone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to share them; it was that I didn’t want Margo to date a warlock. He was still from the same evil bloodline as I was. Margo was innocent, and this world only darkened those who got too close. As for Heath, he wasn’t into guys, but Duely had been known to convince men they wanted to experiment. I didn’t want Duely using any magic with Heath. Luckily, Duely loved me enough to refrain from manipulating my friends to indulge in his desires.
“They’ll be here tonight. I couldn’t think of an excuse to keep them from coming. Not inviting them would have hurt their feelings.”
Duely understood my need to keep them safe from our world. He too had mortal friends who had no idea our world existed. Explaining to someone you were born evil and it was possible that you didn’t even possess a soul wasn’t a way to make or keep friends. Besides Margo and Heath had lived through their own darkness. They didn’t need mine to add to it.
“Understood. The only way I got out of inviting my newest friend was my mother being here. He didn’t want to be around her since she disapproves of my dating men.”
I frowned. When had Aunt Marigold cared who Duely dated? “When did she start disapproving?” I asked him.
He smirked then and shrugged his shoulders once “Oh, she doesn’t give a shit who I date, but that kept him from wanting to come.”
Understanding then, I laughed. It was for the best, even if it had been a lie. No one needed to be brought into this world if it could be helped. It would only endanger them to know we existed.
“Does this poor bastard marrying your sister have any idea what he’s asking for?” Duely then asked me.
I sighed and shook my head. “No. He’s completely obsessed with her. It’s sickening.”
Duely frowned. “I wonder if one of the Kamlock females would be able to fool a man who wasn’t spoiled and wealthy. Someone who had to work hard for what he had and didn’t assume they would always be given the best…”
That was a very interesting question. The Kamlock women had no legacy of money. They married it. With each generation that died, so did the money they’d possessed from the men they’d taken it from. Simply put, they ran through their money and had no ability to handle wealth properly. I knew of no Kamlock woman to show interest in a man who didn’t have riches.
“I can’t think of one in our history who ever tried,” I replied, after thinking it through.
“Didn’t you date a regular guy once?”
I paused and looked away from Duely. I didn’t want to talk about that. It was a very brief teenage relationship. “If we go by that then the answer is all men are idiots. Because, he too, ended up in bed with Geneva.”
Duely snarled as if he was disgusted. “True.”
“If you two are done catching up,” my Aunt Marigold called out loudly from the back veranda, “The staff is arriving. Please go make yourselves presentable before the guests arrive.”
I was still wearing the jeans I’d had on all day. Duely, however, was in a designer suit. He turned to his mother and held out his hands as if exasperated. “What’s wrong with this?”
She waved a hand in his direction and the black shirt he had on under his coat turned white while his hair was suddenly slicked back instead of his curls being free. “That’s better,” she replied then glared at me. “Now you go do something with yourself before Persephone sees you.”
When Marigold went back through the open double doors with a swish in her lavender formal gown, I turned to look at Duely.
“I like my fucking curls,” he complained.
“I do, too,” I assured him, then gave him a quick wink before his hair returned to its former style. “Blame it on me,” I told him.
“Thanks, and I will. Only because you’re the only one they don’t fuck with.”
“That’s not true,” I said, thinking of how they torture me and make my life hell daily.
He rolled his eyes. “Please tell me you don’t still believe that. You’re twenty years old, Catalina. If they weren’t scared of your power, they’d have forced you into the power of three by now. They haven’t because they’re scared of what you can do.”
I shook my head to disagree. How could that be right? Sure, my mother was never one to consider another’s choices; yet, she wasn’t forcing me to do what she wanted most. But why would she be scared of my power? I
controlled the weather, and I saw those who have passed on. That wasn’t a lethal combination. Furthermore, my father was not a warlock. That should make me less powerful than my mother or sisters.
“You’re still as naïve now as you were when we were kids,” Duely said with a smile then walked toward the woods. I let him go find a place to hide and asked him nothing else. This wasn’t the first time he’d called me naïve. I just never put much stock in Duely’s opinion of things. He saw the world in a different way than most. I was the one who had lived with my mother and endured her disdain for me. Persephone was not, in any way, scared of me.
Seven
The Wedding
I stayed in my room until Margo texted that they were on their way. I checked my hair in the mirror to make sure Mother would have no reason to complain. I had left the natural curl and pulled it up in a side bun. I touched the sparkly headband I’d added to the look and smiled. I was sure Geneva would bitch about that. She was wearing a tiara instead of a veil, and this was a slight detail I added just to annoy her.
The only order I had obeyed was to wear the black dress she chose. I had no issue with wearing black. However, I made a few alterations to the dress she’d left for me before putting it on. Nothing that I thought she’d notice. With one last adjustment, I added red lipstick to complete my look.
The arrival of guests was in full swing as I descended the staircase. The banisters were also covered in purple passion flowers, and if I’d needed to hold onto it to balance in my heels, I would have been in trouble. Nothing had been cast to keep guests away from the stairs, and although there were several protective spells upstairs to keep others away, I didn’t think letting guests climb these stairs in heels was wise.
Keeping my smile in place, I whispered the incantation to dissuade anyone who may get close to the stairwell from going any further. My mother’s head turned from the guests she was welcoming, and her eyes locked on mine. She’d heard my almost silent whisper.
With a slight nod of her head, she agreed with my action, but for different reasons than I placed it, I was sure. She didn’t care about others’ safety. She just wanted to protect her privacy. Regardless, it was done, and I moved toward the entrance to take my place beside Leanne.
“You’re late,” she whispered, after the newest guest moved past us.
I didn’t respond. I rarely did to her little comments meant to anger me. I gave her a smile and turned my attention toward the older couple now entering the house. My mother charmed them with her stunning smile; the tone of her voice was even alluring to normal people. After they had been welcomed, both Leanne and myself flashed our smiles then Duely appeared to lead them to the backyard. He wasn’t thrilled to be given this job along with three of the groom’s cousins, but appropriate fear of his mother and mine had him doing it anyway.
“I smell weed,” Leanne said, low enough that the guests entering didn’t hear her.
“Of course you do. Duely’s here,” I replied then smiled my greeting at the very classy couple who had arrived. They had to be related to Miles.
“Can he not?” she asked annoyed. As if the scent of her cigarettes was better. I said nothing.
“Leanne, you are as breathtaking as your mother,” Circe Kamlock announced in her deep southern voice. Circe was the only daughter of my grandmother’s sister. She had been married three times yet still held the Kamlock name with pride.
Leanne soaked in the attention and all but glowed from the compliment. Looking like our evil mother had always been a trait Leanne bragged about. I was just happy it hadn’t been me who got those looks.
Circe stopped in front of me. She said nothing, but the expectation in her eyes was clear. Was she waiting for me to do something? “It’s nice to see you Circe,” I finally said.
A slight lifting at the corners of her mouth might have been an attempt at a smile. “Catalina,” she said my name with an odd tone. “It’s always … an experience to see you.”
Had Circe gone mad and no one told me? Most Kamlock women not born to the family of three did go crazy as they aged. Possibly it was already happening to Circe. “So much like your… father,” she continued.
“Duely, please show Circe and her guest to their seats,” my mother ordered, before Circe could say more. I wanted to hear what about me looked like my father. No one in this family ever mentioned him.
Circe then shot me a wicked grin, before taking the arm of the young man by her side. Duely greeted them, and I watched as they walked away. I was going to find her later, after the ceremony, when my mother was otherwise occupied and see if she would elaborate on my father.
“Catalina, your guests have arrived. Please escort them to their seats and then return.” My mother’s words drew my attention back to the door as Heath, Margo, and Rathe walked up the steps toward the entrance.
“Who is he?” Leanne asked, her voice full of interest.
“Better question is why is he here?” I replied annoyed.
Leanne turned her head to look at me. “Do you know him?”
I could save him from my sister, or I could let her draw him in just to use him. “He isn’t wealthy,” I told her, although I wasn’t sure of that. He had paid Heath upfront for his rent. I studied my friends’ faces for an answer to Rathe’s being here. It wasn’t like Heath enjoyed being around him.
“I don’t have to keep him, but I’d like to play,” she drawled.
He shouldn’t have come, but he had, and now he was going to be sucked in by my sister. There wasn’t time to figure out a way to stop it when they walked in the door, and Leanne was stepping forward to completely ignore Heath and Margo to get to Rathe.
“Leanne,” my mother called her back instantly. Her voice said all she needed to say. She had been warned. Leanne, reluctantly, stepped back, but she kept her eyes locked on Rathe and the full magnitude of her appeal had been released. I could feel its power.
“You made it,” I said to both Heath and Margo, before barely glancing at Rathe. I didn’t want to see his reaction to Leanne’s siren call.
“It looks amazing, I mean this house is gorgeous all the time, but the flowers and lights are out of this world,” Margo gushed.
“Yes, my aunt is very talented when it comes to decorations,” I said, taking Margo’s hand and leading her away from the entrance. Heath and Rathe both followed, without a backward glance in my sister’s direction. Rathe seemed unaffected by Leanne. That was odd. Margo was busy gawking at everything.
“She must also be British,” Rathe said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Pausing, I made eye contact with him this time. “Who?” I asked, already knowing what he meant but needing to make sure I didn’t misunderstand him.
“Your aunt,” he replied, holding my gaze.
“She lived in England for a time, but she’s definitely not British,” I explained, hoping he wasn’t going to add to that comment.
“I didn’t know one could find so many Hollyhocks in the southern part of the US.”
“And I didn’t know you were a Botanist,” I shot back, wishing he’d shut up and stop being smart. Did he need to be both attractive and a walking encyclopedia?
His chuckle gave me a shiver, and it wasn’t the bad kind. I wish he had a terrible personality flaw that I could find. Something awful that would make me hate him. He’d be safer that way. Although, knowing he would soon fall under Leanne’s spell should make me hate him. It would make it easier to fight off my attraction to him but I wouldn’t hate him for it. He was human. It was to be expected.
“The flowers are beautiful. Your aunt did a great job,” Heath said, as if he needed to assure me. He was probably confused by our conversation. I smiled at his natural kindness. I often wondered if the spell I’d cast when we had been eleven to protect Heath from my sisters’ charm actually worked or if he was simply not drawn in by th
em because he knew how awful they had been to me over the years.
Duely passed us one aisle over as he walked back out to greet another guest. His eyes scanned my friends and Rathe then he winked. Rolling my eyes at him, I continued until we found the row of seats I was instructed my friends were to sit. It was closer to the back on the far left. Margo went in first then Heath and finally Rathe.
“I’ll meet y’all after this fiasco is over,” I said in a whisper, leaning forward and looking around Rathe at Margo then Heath. I didn’t glance at Rathe when I turned to leave, but I heard him. His whisper was so low if I didn’t have impeccable hearing I might have missed it.
“Seems a bit unfair to outshine the bride.”
I paused. Goosebumps covered my arms and I inhaled deeply while trying to decide if I should respond. He’d complimented me. It had been a very long time since a man complimented me or noticed me for longer than a few moments. I didn’t seek or welcome the attention, but I wouldn’t lie to myself: I enjoyed the way his words made me feel. I’d missed feeling noticed.
“You’ve not seen Geneva. I assure you I won’t outshine her,” I said, as quietly as I could, but I didn’t look him in the eyes. I bolted as elegantly as one could flee.
eight
The Prosecco
Miles Dartmore had been so moved by my sister’s beauty, he had teared up. His mother had also teared up, but hers hadn’t been happy tears. Her only son had just married a woman who his mother already knew was a mistake. Mother’s instinct, I imagine, or just common sense. Men were charmed easily by Kamlock women. Women weren’t as easily fooled.
Geneva hadn’t wanted others to stand with them for the ceremony and distract from her, so luckily, Leanne and I were seated beside our mother. On the other side of our mother sat Geneva and Leanne’s father, Zephyr. That was his only name, as if he were Eminem or Beyoncé. He was a powerful, evil warlock, but he wasn’t a superstar.