Familiarity Breeds Witchcraft

by Nora Lee

  Gemma hadn’t expected that. Fox knew Gemma’s skills ran more toward tech services than spell-casting. “What do you need?”

  “Promise you won’t laugh.”

  “You know I can’t promise that.” Gemma fought down the nervous titter welling up within her again. “But I can promise I won’t be making fun of you.”

  “Okay…um…”

  When Fox couldn’t come right out and ask for what she wanted, Gemma became even more nervous. She hoped her friend didn’t want her to do something illegal or immoral. Nothing that would go against her better judgment. Not that she was some goody-goody or anything. She just hated telling people no.

  Moments later, Fox blurted out her request. “I need a love spell.”

  “I’m sorry. What did you say? I don’t think I heard right.”

  “I’m sure you did.” Fox took a deep breath on the other end of the line. A few more moments of silence passed before she again said, “I said I need a love spell.”

  Confused by the request, Gemma could only say, “Have you…looked in the mirror?”

  Fox gave what sounded like a laugh of relief. “Sure I have. That’s why I’m asking.”

  “But you live in Seattle! Don’t you meet attractive and eligible women all the time?” Gemma just couldn’t imagine someone as hot as Fox not being surrounded by other beautiful people.

  “I work from home a lot. And just being around more people doesn’t make finding someone compatible any easier.” Fox’s computer chair creaked on the other end of the line. “Finding someone who really gets me is tough, you know? I don’t quite fit that ‘normal’ mode a lot of people like.”

  “You’re a witch, too.” Gemma couldn’t believe Fox would ask such a thing of her. Didn’t her supposed online BFF know her at all? “Have you tried your own spell?”

  “I’m not good enough yet. And hey…no groaning about this. I know I’m asking a lot and wouldn’t dare make the request if I thought I could pull off a spell like this on my own. I just don’t want…” Fox’s voice lowered. “I don’t want to mess up.”

  Gemma thought Fox sounded lonely and felt a strong surge of sympathy for her. She’d often felt the same way herself. But a popular artist and model like Fox shouldn’t have trouble meeting people. She went out all the time, traveling to make personal appearances at conventions. Why would she need help with a love spell when most women should be throwing themselves at her feet? And that she’d ask Gemma, the queen of the shut-ins, for help boggled her mind.

  How Fox’s life looked to Gemma didn’t matter. She’d asked for help with a delicate matter and trusted Gemma enough to bring up the subject in the first place. Fox was her best friend. No way would she turn her down. Especially not after she’d donated so much money to the Ash Academy fund.

  “This isn’t my specialty, so I need to talk to the other witches in our coven,” Gemma said. “But I promise to do my best to get this done for you.”

  “Really?” Fox gave a happy squeal. “You’re awesome, babe! Thank you.”

  A lump formed in Gemma’s throat and she fought back the sting of tears. She felt confused and lost and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed for the next several months. After regaining some semblance of self-control, she said, “Least I can do for our major donor.”

  Chapter 6

  THE WALK TO Rowan’s house heated Gemma up more than she’d expected. The temperature in Secret Hallow wasn’t too warm, nowhere near the summer sizzle of most other places, so wearing darker colors wasn’t a problem most days. She’d never broken a sweat on the walk between houses in the past and couldn’t figure out why she felt so hot today.

  She took off one of her sweaters and tied it around her waist, pushing up the sleeves of the one she wore underneath. The brown skin on her arms glistened with a slight sheen of perspiration.

  A canopy of red and gold leaves arched overhead, like always, with just enough underfoot to make a pleasant crunch as she walked. The feeling of autumn in the air created a nice balance: a hint of cool breeze in the shade and the warmth of sunbeams passing through gaps in the trees. The rich smell of fertile soil and decaying leaves filled her nostrils as she took an appreciative sniff of the air.

  She plucked a ripe green apple off a tree as she passed. When she took a bite, the tang of the tart fruit caused her mouth to pucker. Gemma wiped away the sticky liquid with the back of her hand before taking a second bite. She walked and chewed, her thoughts elsewhere, as she made the final leg of the short trek to the Middlebrook house.

  Reaching the end of the lane at the same time as she finished her snack, she tossed the apple core to the ground, then swung open the creaky gate and stepped through.

  She saw Rowan sitting on the front steps of the home she’d taken over from her parents, oversized belly causing her to spread her legs in an unladylike fashion, hand making a stroking motion at her side. After a moment, Gemma realized Rowan wasn’t stroking the steps, but the furry black cat that blended very well with the dark paint on the stoop.

  “Don’t just stand there gawking.” Nana Winterblossom’s voice filtered out through the screen door. “Rowan could have the baby any second!”

  The cat rose and stretched before sauntering away.

  Gemma walked over and looked down at the mother-to-be. “Hey. Are you in labor?” She took Rowan’s extended hand. With some effort, she helped the other woman to her swollen feet.

  Nana appeared in the doorway, leaning heavily on her cane. “She’s overdue, isn’t she?”

  Rowan gave Gemma a tight smile as she rubbed her baby bump. A hint of discomfort shadowed her eyes and she looked as though she hadn’t slept well in weeks. She placed her free hand against the small of her back and arched her shoulders as they climbed the few steps to the porch.

  “Still nothing?” Gemma felt a surge of sympathy for the other woman.

  They entered the cool gloom of the house and headed into the living room.

  “If by ‘nothing’, you mean ‘intense misery that isn’t labor pains’, then yes.” She cast a fond glance down as she cradled the mound housing her unborn child. “So what spell did you need to talk about?”

  “Shouldn’t you have a seat? I’m sure standing can’t feel very good right now.”

  “Couldn’t make her if you wanted to.” Nana Winterblossom circled around to settle into a cushy chair under the large front window. She placed both hands on the head of her cane and leaned her chin on them. “But you should go ahead and sit, Gemma. This isn’t a play and I’m not your audience.”

  Gemma felt a surge of guilt when she looked over at the pregnant woman waddling in circles, but sat down anyway. She didn’t want to be on Nana’s bad side. “Wait a minute,” she said as a thought occurred to her. “Was that your cat, Rowan? I didn’t know you’d gotten a familiar.”

  “Nah, she’s just a neighbor. More than happy to eat the food Garrett sets out, though.”

  Nana made a grumbling sound and hit the floor with her cane to regain the attention of the younger women. “We don’t have all the time in the world here. Accept it or no, we have a baby coming! What spell do you need, Miss Ash?”

  Gemma’s hand went to her phone. “We should wait for…”

  The screen door squealed and banged shut and Enid rushed in before her sister could dial. “Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything?”

  “Nothing yet.” Nana gave as severe a frown as she could ever manage. She wasn’t as gruff as she sounded. The excited twinkle in her eye betrayed her true focus: the increasingly intense hope that she was about to meet Rowan’s baby.

  “I need your advice about a love spell,” Gemma said. “A friend of mine is willing to fund most of the school rebuilding project if I can put one together for her. I’m not confident enough to work one on my own so I thought I should involve the whole coven.”

  “Wow, way to go.” Enid nodded approval. She then turned to Rowan. “Want me to rub your back for you?”

  “Please
.” Rowan lowered to the couch beside Enid. If possible, she looked more uncomfortable than she had while on her feet.

  Enid began rubbing her shoulders. Rowan closed her eyes and relaxed into Enid’s healing touch.

  “Love spells tend to be simple,” Nana said, eyes narrowed in thought. “We could all help you design and establish one with no problem. They tend to work best if they have a little oomph to them so the more witches involved, the better. You’ve done right to bring this to the group.”

  “How’s the pressure, Rowan?” Enid asked.

  “But…” Rowan interrupted herself and took a moment to release a sigh of happiness. “That’s perfect, Enid, thank you.” She gave a low moan of pleasure and took a deep breath before speaking again. “Gemma, you do realize that someone has to go to your friend to cast the spell, don’t you? This can’t be done over a distance.”

  Gemma’s hands froze on the loose thread she’d been tugging. She looked over at Enid and Rowan with a frown. “Really?” Then she looked to Nana, who nodded in confirmation.

  “The traditional Secret Hallow construction of this type of spell is to have the seeker be a part of the process. We can create the spell without the person present, but can’t cast from a distance.”

  “To make sure she’s a willing participant?” Enid asked.

  “Yeah.” Rowan drew back from Enid with some reluctance. “That felt perfect. You have—”

  “Magic hands?” Enid giggled as she wiggled her fingers.

  Gemma groaned at the pun. “Fox lives over in Seattle. Who would go all that way?”

  “Your spell, you go.” said Nana. “We build, you cast. Timing with the full moon would create the best outcome. Since we’re still waning, we have a little time to prepare, assuming that Rowan’s baby doesn’t make too prompt an appearance.”

  “Which she won’t,” Rowan said grimly.

  Gemma swallowed the lump that rose in her throat and looked down at her dress, now picking at a stray thread poking out from one of the colorful embroidered flowers.

  Traveling to Seattle would mean meeting Fox for the first time. In-person, anyway, since they’d video chatted a few times. She’d been wanting to go for a while…but like this? She felt weird meeting for the first time to cast a love spell for her online BFF.

  She swallowed again, but the lump in her throat wouldn’t go away.

  Ugh. Why did she feel so nauseated by the idea of helping her best friend find true love? She should have been overjoyed by the idea. Nobody deserved to be lonely, especially not Fox.

  “I’ll start gathering the coven together.” Enid got to her feet and looked over at her sister. “How about we meet out at the Leif farm later? We’ll need to gather up supplies…and you should bring Bronson, too. He’s probably done with his morning nap by now. We can get together again after lunch.”

  She realized Enid was giving her a temporary out from the initial steps of the process. Time enough later for her to fight off her uneasiness and participate in a group activity with the rest of the coven. Gemma wanted to see Bronson, and preferred not to spend too much time in a crowd, so she nodded agreement.

  Gemma also stood. “Do you need anything, Rowan?”

  The exhausted mama-to-be looked about ready for a nap, eyes heavy, and just said, “Blanket?”

  Gemma pulled a colorful quilt off a folded stack sitting in a basket beside the couch and covered her friend. She tucked one end behind Rowan’s back and the other under her feet. As she brushed her friend’s stomach, the baby moved, the impression of a tiny foot appearing near Rowan’s ribcage.

  Rowan sighed and pulled the quilt up to her chin as she curled in a ball. Almost at once, she dropped off to sleep, her breaths deep and even.

  “All right, time to go.” Nana Winterblossom said in a low voice as she waved them out. “See you later.”

  Gemma followed Enid out the front door into the late-morning light. She stretched her arms to her sides and turned her face up to the sun. The house had been cool and a little on the stale side so the warm fresh air felt wonderful.

  The black cat from before once again lay on the bottom step. She stretched one leg out to the side, her small pink tongue licking her fur into place. She gave a brief glance upward when the door shut, her golden eyes wide, then went right back to the task at hand without a blink.

  “Everything okay?” Enid asked in a low voice. “I know this spell might be hard for you.”

  “I’m worried that I’m a little rusty,” Gemma agreed. “I’m nervous about going to Seattle, too. You know I don’t leave town much.” She tried to give a nonchalant shrug to reassure her sister even as her stomach roiled with nerves. “I’m sure we can work out the details with no problem.”

  Enid patted Gemma’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up before heading down the stairs. She had to step around the cat, who didn’t pay her any mind as she switched to grooming her other leg.

  Chapter 7

  A SHRIEKING KEENE ran circles around the leaf-covered front yard of the Leif farm with Thorn, his mother’s eagle, circling overhead. Gemma paused at the gate and smiled at the boisterous little boy who looked so happy to be outside playing. He jumped a tree stump, kicked around some fallen leaves, and circled with his arms out at shoulder height as though he were a bird riding the thermals high above with Thorn. He stopped short when he saw Gemma and Bronson standing near the fence.

  “Doggy!” Keene ran over to join them.

  Bronson settled on his haunches and panted, drool streaming from the side of his mouth, as the little boy hugged him. The Saint Bernard licked the child’s face, catching the edge of his shaggy hair and pushing the strands until they stood up in a peak on one side of his head.

  Gemma gave Keene a fond smile as she tried to pat his hair back down. The boy’s cowlicks were bad enough—he didn’t need Bronson’s help to look disheveled. “Are your mommy and daddy in the house?”

  Keene nodded. “Daddy!” He stood and patted his leg. “C’mon, doggy!” Not waiting for Bronson to follow, he rushed up the steps and ran inside, the screen door slamming shut behind him.

  Gemma looked up at the farmhouse, painted a rich golden-brown that seemed to glow in the afternoon sunshine, the shutters at the windows a complementary shade of vivid orange.

  Matching chimneys built of local stone adorned either end of the structure, smoke curling from the one at the end where she knew the kitchen to be. Like so many other members of the coven, Kimberly Leif loved cooking, though she shunned modern conveniences and created culinary masterpieces on her oversized hearth the same way her ancestors had back in the day.

  Thorn swooped down and landed on Gemma’s shoulder. The eagle took care not to stab her with his sharp talons.

  She smiled, reaching up to stroke the feathers on his breast. It was impossible to tell if he liked it or not. The eagle always looked furious with his bright eyes and hooked beak. She took the gentle squeeze of his talons to be a good sign, though.

  “Hey there, gorgeous,” she cooed to Thorn as she opened the creaky screen and let herself in through the massive wood and glass front door Keene had left ajar. “Looking for a ride, big boy?”

  The majestic bird tilted his head and stared at her with those brilliant golden eyes. He gave her shoulder another slight squeeze in response to her question.

  Up close, his feathers shone with a healthy glow, the color complementary to the varying shades of brown covering the interior walls of the living room. Spots of color in the form of hand-woven baskets containing pumpkins and squash, as well as the few embroidered throw pillows on the leather sofa and a rich tapestry hung from one wall, broke up the almost monochromatic paint scheme. Not only did the oranges and yellows and greens decorate the living room, but also the eating area she passed through, as well as kitchen she entered, finding the master and mistress of the house. The couple turned and smiled in her direction as she joined them.

  Thorn swooped off and crossed the room with three flaps of his
strong wings before alighting on Kimberly’s shoulder.

  “C’mon, doggy!”

  Gemma heard the heavy thump of Keene running around the house, followed by the scrabble of Bronson’s nails on the polished hardwood floors. The dog’s deep bark echoed throughout the space.

  Playing with children was Bronson’s one and only exercise—and probably the only reason he didn’t weigh as much as an elephant, considering how much he loved bacon.

  “Play nice!” Maddock called out to his son. With a twinkle in his eyes he looked to Gemma, his fond smile an indication he wasn’t really upset with either his son or the dog. Nodding toward the back door, he said, “Rowan’s out in the barn getting supplies together if you’d like to go meet with her. We can keep an eye on Bronson.”

  “Thanks.” Gemma took a sniff of air heavy with the smell of fresh-baked goods.

  After giving her guest a brief smile of welcome, Kimberly returned her intense gaze to the ingredients she stirred in a large bowl she held with practiced ease. Several loaves of bread just out of the stone oven built into one side of the hearth lay out on the oversized table.

  Though she’d just eaten, Gemma’s mouth watered. She nodded toward the bread. “Looks like another great batch and smells delicious.”

  “Thanks,” said Kimberly, blowing a strand of hair out of her eye. The smudges of flour dusting one cheek and the tip of her nose did nothing to detract from her beauty, as fierce and withdrawn as Thorn’s. “I’ll send one home with you if you like.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Gemma gave Kimberly a grateful smile as she headed out back.

  White accents broke up the vivid red paint job on the exterior of the main barn on the Leif property. The structure seemed just what Gemma expected a barn to be, maybe in part because she’d grown up with this one, but also because all her childhood books seemed to have red barns in them, too. The building looked so well-cared-for that it seemed more like a second house than storage space for farm implements and animals. Antique lanterns hanging from hooks on either side of the open doors swung in the gentle breeze.