No doubt Aerin was correct. “Still, who in their right mind would subject themselves to silly games and mindless chatter, all for the sake of a baby they don’t even know? There are other, better ways of gaining information.”
Aerin snorted. “But this is the easiest way. They know she’s not just any baby. How could they not? She was born of one of the four who were never supposed to live. They know who we are, know that we’ve opened six out of the seven Seals, and I’m sure they’re wondering who the hell Violet is. Or should I say, what she is.”
A tendril of fear snaked through Claire. “This was a mistake. We shouldn’t be letting anyone close to the baby. Not until she’s old enough to protect herself.”
“Yeah. Though I’m not entirely sure Violet can’t do that already. She has extremely strong powers.”
True enough.
Claire reached out to Dru with her senses, needing to feel him near in case anything went wrong. His presence reassured her, and she knew the other three horsemen weren’t far away. Out of sight, but not too far should they need them. Death would be the nearest, of course, closed up in a room just off the parlor where the baby shower would take place.
Personally, she could care less if the coven accepted little Violet, but she supposed if there was going to be life after the apocalypse, the sisters would all want Violet to be accepted by her peers, something Claire, Aerin, and Moira had been robbed of.
Two witches approached the house, one dressed in a flowing purple skirt and the other in a flaming orange Victorian dress and matching feathered hat, and they strode through the white picket gate. The hat partially obscured the orange-clad woman’s face until she looked up to climb the front porch stairs.
Gwen.
“Here comes the bitch squad now,” Aerin said.
Every time Claire encountered Gwen, half of her wanted to run, and the other half wanted to smash her face into the dirt until she screamed. If it had been up to Gwen, Claire would have been dead before she’d ever had a chance to escape from Dru or meet her sisters.
Luckily, fate had intervened, and Dru really did have a heart.
To make matters worse, Gwen hadn’t taken kindly to the fact that Claire had stolen Dru’s heart, something Gwen had always wanted for herself but had never obtained.
Claire steeled her gaze on the ghastly woman.
Gwen forced a smile as she reached the top step. Most likely, Gwen thought if she didn’t, she might be denied entrance. Claire would have loved to push her backward and watch her land on her ass in the dirt and grass. But Tierra would have her hide for ruining the party and for any damage to Tierra’s garden.
“Welcome to the de Moray mansion,” Aerin said coolly.
Both women responded with thanks to Aerin and completely ignored Claire as they passed into the house. Claire sneered after them. “If this wasn’t Tierra’s special day…”
Aerin chuckled. “But it is. However, if you’d like, I’ll help you search our grimoire for a noxious spell to get even with Gwen once this is all over.”
Claire grinned. “Deal.”
When the last of the coven had gone inside, Claire and Aerin closed the doors and double warded them. Honestly, the place was locked down tighter than the Gates of Hell. No one was getting in who wasn’t supposed to be there.
Claire and Aerin hovered at the entrance to the parlor. The second Tierra spotted them, she waved them in. “Come on in, guys. We saved spots for you.”
Tierra patted the folding chair next to her. “Aerin?”
“Goddess, help us,” Aerin muttered and stepped farther into the room.
Tierra pointed toward a couch near her that was already three-quarters full of two plump, older ladies. “Claire, you can sit next to Martha and Hattie Mae.”
Claire pasted on a friendly smile for the sake of her sister. Great. Martha and Hattie Mae.
“Hello, ladies,” Claire said and sandwiched herself between a severe-looking black woman who narrowed her eyes at Claire in distrust and an older blonde who reminded Claire of a faded version of Marilyn Monroe who’d refused to age gracefully. Hattie Mae’s stifling, cheap perfume brought tears to her eyes, but at least she emitted a friendly vibe.
Aunt Justine stood, looking like she was years closer to the grave than she had when Claire had first arrived in town. An apocalypse could do that to a person. The older woman clapped her hands together. “It’s so wonderful to see everyone together. My friends,” she said, and then glanced at Claire and her sisters. “And my family. In times like these, we must stick together.”
Claire was certain she couldn’t get any closer to members of the coven than she was right now. At least not with Martha and Hattie Mae.
Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the room, but Claire sensed the disharmony between the coven members and wanted to call bullshit. Ever since Lucy’s short stay with the coven, dissension amongst the group reigned supreme.
Martha sniffed loud enough to draw Claire’s attention. “I noticed that your sister Moira isn’t here, and I wonder where she could be on such a momentous occasion.”
Claire gave a half-smile. “She’s a little under the weather today and didn’t want to share her germs.”
Hattie Mae scooted closer to the edge of the couch as though Claire might pass along whatever Moira had. Claire grinned inside, appreciating the extra space on the couch.
Aunt Justine looked toward the kitchen. “Sunny? Do you have the bottles ready?”
Sunny strode in, all turquoise hair and piercings, with a huge smile on her face. She carried a tray of baby bottles, each half full of different colored liquids. “Hi guys. I’m helping Justine with the shower, and she put me in charge of the games. So, this first one is called Drink Up, Baby. The goal of the game is to be the first to finish your baby bottle.”
31
Claire choked on a breath. “Wait. What?”
Sunny wanted her to drink from a baby bottle? Uh…no.
Aerin shook her head. “There’s no fucking way I’m drinking from a nipple.”
Tierra nudged her. “Come on, Aerin. You have to join in. It’ll be fun.”
Sunny strode to Aerin first. “Don’t worry. It’s not that bad. I filled them with wine so that everyone will relax and have a good time. You can pick from rosé or pinot grigio. Or for those who aren’t up for drinking alcohol, we have a selection of Tierra’s teas.”
Aerin lifted a defiant brow. “I would like my wine in a glass.”
Tierra shook her head. “Nope. You have to play along.”
Martha lifted her hand and called out. “I’ll take the pinot.”
“Same,” Hattie Mae said.
Sunny gave Aerin one last chance and then headed toward the couch where Claire and the two witches sat. She handed bottles to the two elderly women on either side of Claire and then looked expectantly at her.
Claire quickly waged an internal battle. Wine to help her manage this insane affair…or dealing with these lunatics sober. “I’ll have the rosé.”
Aerin shot her a traitorous look, and Claire shrugged. “It’s wine.”
Sunny handed out bottles to the rest of the ladies and set the remainder on a side table.
“Wait,” Aerin called out, and Sunny turned to her. “I’ll have pinot,” she said, her words dripping with irritation.
Tierra grinned as Sunny selected a baby bottle for Aerin and strode toward her. “It’s not bad,” Sunny said. “I tried it out last night and got a little wasted.”
Aerin accepted the offering with much distaste. “Wine should be consumed slowly so that one can savor the flavor.”
Sunny chuckled. “We have more in the kitchen if you’d like to savor some later.”
Aerin shifted her gaze to Claire and shook her head, letting her know the depth of her disappointment that Claire had caved to social pressure.
Claire grinned. Aerin had done exactly the same. Sisterhood had far more influence than either one of them obviously expected.
>
Sunny glanced about the room. “Everyone ready? When I say go, start drinking. As soon as you’re finished, hold up your bottle. The winner will receive a fantastic prize chosen by me.”
Claire lifted the bottle close to her mouth and studied the nipple. How long could this possibly take?
“Go!” Sunny yelled.
Claire stuffed the nipple in her mouth and began to suck. Not nearly enough wine came with each attempt. She glanced about the room and choked on a swallow at the ridiculous sight before her. Witches of all ages drank from their bottles as if their lives depended on it.
She shifted her gaze to Aerin who’d unscrewed the lid from her bottle. Aerin raised a saucy brow, lifted the bottle in a toast to obviously how foolish Claire must look, and took a sip. Leave it to her Air witch sister to rebel.
But Claire wasn’t one to ignore a brilliant idea. She unscrewed the nipple and took a drink. When she finished, she held up the bottle.
Sunny berated her with a pointed finger. “No, Claire. You have to drink through the nipple, or you’re disqualified. Keeping going, ladies.”
A few minutes later, the woman in the purple skirt who’d arrived with Gwen thrust her bottle into the air. “Done!”
The other ladies lowered their bottles, and Sunny strode toward the purple clad witch with a small bag in hand. “Here you go, Melody. Nice job.”
Melody accepted the gift bag and stuffed her hand inside. She pulled out a gorgeous amethyst necklace that Claire suddenly coveted. She so should have stuck with the nipple.
Sunny followed with a “guess the baby items inside the diaper bag” game, which Claire and Aerin didn’t even attempt to win. Claire opted for a second baby bottle instead.
Afterward, Aunt Justine stood. “We’ll pause now for lunch. Sunny and I will serve. But get your gifts ready, ladies. We’ll let Tierra have a bite to eat and then start opening them.”
At least Aunt Justine was sticking to the rushed party schedule.
“What about seeing the baby?” Martha asked in a loud voice.
Tierra’s face flushed. “She’ll join us after her nap. I promise.”
Aunt Justine and Sunny served Tierra’s famous tea and Moira’s spicy, fried chicken pó boy sandwiches. Claire hoped their guests also appreciated the fresh fruit and vegetable trays since Tierra’s garden was the last dependable source of produce on the Olympic Peninsula.
After fifteen minutes, Aerin gestured to Claire to follow her, and they regrouped at the entrance to the parlor. “Time to open gifts, wouldn’t you say, and finish this farce?”
Claire wholeheartedly agreed. “Yes. The sooner we can get them out of here, the better.”
Claire headed to the kitchen and snagged the pink gift bag with sparkly polka dots and returned to the party. She leaned close to Aerin. “I’ll go first. We’ll have these bitches…I mean witches out of here in no time.”
Aerin laughed out loud, obviously not caring who heard.
Claire approached Tierra who sat in a circle with many of the party guests. By the look of sheer happiness on Tierra’s face, it was clear to Claire that Tierra had had a good relationship with many of the ladies, some of whom she’d likely known her entire lifetime.
Claire eyed the circle, wondering how many of them had known their mother, Mirelle. She also wondered how many had turned away, refusing to help their mother when others had sought her out for evil purposes. How many of these women might have helped, but didn’t, with the hunt for the poor woman about to bring four prophesied daughters into the world?
Also, how many of them had outright agreed the babies couldn’t live? And who among them had conspired to kill her and her sisters?
Claire couldn’t think of that now, or she’d likely lose her head and do something stupid. “Hey, sis,” she said brightly to Tierra. “Let me be the first to give my gift.”
Claire handed the bag to her sister and offered a warm smile. Claire’s cheerful interactions with most of the guests might have been phony, but her love for Tierra and baby Violet was as real as it came.
Tierra blinked back several tears of happiness. “Thank you, dear sister.”
She opened the bag and lifted out a frilly spring green dress with matching shoes and headband. “Oh, my Goddess, look. The shoes have amethysts on them.”
Claire smiled. “To signify my love and commitment to caring for little Violet.”
Tierra turned to her guests. “I’m not sure how many of you have met Claire, but I want you to know she’s a wonderful person and one of the fiercest fire witches I’ve met.”
Some in the circle smiled, and Gwen coughed into her hand.
Claire ignored her.
Tierra stood and pointed toward Aerin, who quickly shook her head. “Over there is Aerin, an awe-inspiring air witch. She’s unbelievably amazing and runs her own highly successful corporation.”
Aerin gave a half-hearted smile, while whispers circulated the room that some believed Aerin had learned to fly.
Jealous witches.
“My water witch sister, Moira, couldn’t be here today,” Tierra continued. “But she’s as gifted as these two and has the biggest heart I’ve ever known.”
Martha cleared her throat. “Your sisters are very lovely, I’m sure, but we’d really like to meet your new daughter. I hear she’s gorgeous, with astonishing eyes.”
Tierra’s pure joy faded into nervous happiness. “Of course. I know everyone’s eager. I’ve been waiting for her to wake from her nap. We don’t want a cranky baby.”
Some of the guests chuckled, but waves of expectation filled the rose-wallpapered room.
Tierra looked toward Aerin with a hesitant expression. “Would you mind checking on her for me and bringing her here if she’s awake?”
Aerin lifted perfectly-shaped brows and panic splashed across her face. “Me?”
Tierra smiled and nodded.
Aerin turned to Claire, silently pleading for help. Claire shook her head, not wanting to have to fetch the baby, either. Besides, if anything went wrong, Aerin was the one who could transport them both to safety in an instant.
32
The second Claire sensed Violet’s presence growing closer, all of the guests quieted. Claire assumed they must know the baby was nearby as well.
Aerin stepped into the room holding sweet Violet. The witches released a collective gasp, followed by comments on her beauty, how much dark cherry red hair she had, and how big she was.
The baby surveyed them all with the same intensity, but she didn’t make a sound.
Tierra stood and held out her arms. A brilliant smile lit Violet’s face, and Claire knew she’d spotted her momma.
Once the child was in her mother’s arms, Tierra turned so the guests had a better look at Violet, and she beamed with pride. “This is Violet Mirelle de Moray. Named after my mother.”
Melody, drew her thick eyebrows together, giving her a unibrow. “She’s only a few weeks old, you say? Looking at her, she seems much older, much more…”
“Alert?” Justine added from where she held court, sitting in the prominent pink Queen’s Anne chair. “Perhaps wise? Yes, she’s very aware of her surroundings.”
Claire had feared the witches’ reactions concerning how fast Violet had grown. But what could they do about it?
Tierra shrugged. “Violet’s been a surprise to us all. A very happy surprise.”
Aerin started to walk away, but Tierra quickly grabbed her by the elbow. “Would you sit by me while I open gifts? Violet would love you to hold her.”
Aerin gave her a curt nod. “Of course.”
“Claire,” Tierra said. “You can pull a chair next to Aerin and help me remember who to thank for which gifts.”
Tierra was obviously nervous having Violet in the room. Claire sent her a reassuring nod and moved closer.
Tierra relaxed her shoulders, but apprehension still tinted her green eyes a darker shade than normal.
Claire wondered if there was an
undercurrent that Tierra sensed that she could not and wanted Aerin and her close by, just in case. Claire glanced across the gaggle of guests, doing another sweep for anything that might seem suspicious.
She stopped on Aunt Justine, who’d slumped against the back of her chair with her mouth wide open.
Good Goddess. They must have worn out the older woman.
Claire snickered and leaned to whisper to Aerin. “Oh, my Goddess. Aunt Justine fell asleep. In the middle of the party. She can try all she wants to hide her age, but it’s showing.”
Aerin chuckled and turned her gaze toward their older aunt. Claire watched her sister, waiting for her smile to grow, but it dropped completely from her face. She quickly glanced to Tierra who hadn’t noticed and then back to Claire. “Look at her. I don’t think she’s breathing.”
Alarm dove deep into Claire, and she straightened. She didn’t want to ruin Tierra’s shower by announcing their aunt may have died, but there wasn’t much she or Aerin could do otherwise.
Claire hurried to Aunt Justine and knelt next to her. She gripped her wrist to feel for a pulse. Aerin joined her and shook their aunt’s shoulders to try to get a response.
The older woman slumped forward, and Claire reached out to stop her from toppling to the floor. “Dear Goddess.”
No pulse.
Words of worry from their guests flew about the room. “Someone call for emergency services,” Claire said, and then she wondered if ambulances were even operating any longer.
Tierra stood, her face ghostly white. “Nooo!” Her cry came from across the large room.
Tierra clutched Violet and rushed forward. When she reached Aunt Justine, she dropped to her knees next to Claire. “What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked breathlessly.
Claire shook her head, feeling certain the woman had passed to the other side. Emotion closed her throat, and she had to force out an answer. “I don’t know. She was fine, and then she wasn’t.”
Which Witch is Willing? (The Witches of Port Townsend Book 4) Page 16