Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Suddenly, Merlin’s back arches, and he bares his teeth, hissing.
“What in the world?”
I turn and look up to where he’s staring, up the staircase.
“There’s nothing there.”
I don’t think there’s anything there.
“Molly? Is that you?”
A door slams upstairs, and Merlin cowers between my legs.
“That’s just Molly. I’m sorry, sweetie, I should have introduced you.” I pluck up the cat and nuzzle his black face. “Molly, this is Merlin. He’s my familiar, and he’ll be staying here with me for a while. Please don’t frighten him. He’s no threat to you.”
The door slams once more, and then the lights above the staircase, that I currently have turned off, flicker.
“Maybe she’s not a cat person,” I mutter with a scowl as Merlin growls low in his throat. “Okay, you can go with me today, but you’ll have to be in the carrier.”
Something tells me he won’t mind that. I can feel that he’s frightened, and I don’t like that at all.
“No need to be a jerk, Molly,” I say loudly enough for the ghost to hear. “He’s just a cat. You need to work on your mood.”
Grateful that I already thought to buy Merlin a new carrier because I would need to take him to the vet soon, I pull it out of a closet and set it by the door, ready for when Giles picks us up.
“Come on, sweetie. Let’s go get some chores done before it’s time to go.”
“You found Merlin,” Lucy says with surprise when she sees me carrying the cat in his little carrier. Nera is at her side and leans in to give Merlin a sniff. The cat just purrs at him as if having a little familiar conversation. “Oh, Breena, I’m so happy for you.”
“Me, too.” I hold him up so Lucy and Lorelei can look in at him. “Molly, the house ghost, wasn’t being very nice to him earlier, so I brought him with me.”
“Spirits always like to taunt the animals.” Lorelei smiles. “Aww, he’s so sweet. He even has the same little white mark on the tip of his ear.”
“I know. I wasn’t expecting him to look pretty much exactly the same.”
“Oh.” Lorelei’s eyes widen, and she squats to be at eye level with Merlin. “Is that right?”
“What did he tell you?” I ask.
“Just that you’re struggling a bit, and he’s worried about you.” Lorelei stands and narrows her eyes at me. “We’re all worried about you.”
“Giles helped.” I shrug and look down when both Lucy’s and Lorelei’s eyebrows rise. “Not like that.”
“And why not like that?” Lucy wants to know, but before I can answer, a raven lands on a low limb in the courtyard behind the aunts’ house, and Lorelei makes a point to walk in the opposite direction.
Before our eyes, Xander shifts from the raven into himself, shoves his hands into his pockets, and scowls at my cousin’s back.
Lucy and I share a look. “So, nothing’s changed there,” I say softly, and Lucy shakes her head.
It’s so pretty back here in the courtyard that we have our coven meetings here when the weather allows. My mom comes outside carrying a tray of orange and rosemary cookies—my favorite—and when she sets them on a table, I hurry over to give her a big hug.
“Well, hello to you, too.” She laughs. But when she pulls back and sees my face, her smile falls. “What’s wrong?”
“Just a bad dream.” I hold her hands reassuringly. “I’m okay, but it’s really good to see you.”
“Oh, sweet girl, it’s always good to see you.”
“Do you have a peacock writing quill?” I ask, remembering the nightmare.
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Lorelei’s mom, Aunt Astrid, bustles out the back door, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Hello, everyone.” She smiles in welcome. “Hilda and I made cookies, and there are plenty more inside, so help yourselves.”
“You make the best cookies,” Giles says as he grabs one and takes a bite. “Oh, yeah. Good stuff.”
“Your mother is here, you know,” his mom deadpans.
“Sorry, Ma.” But Giles just grins and eats another cookie.
“I’d like to get started right away,” I say to Xander, who raises an eyebrow at the request. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to overstep—”
“Not at all,” Xander assures me, shaking his head. “It was just unexpected.”
“I don’t want to lose the whole workday,” I confess and bite my lip. “I have so much to do.”
“Then let’s jump in,” Mom suggests as we all take seats in a circle, some of us in chairs and others on the grass. Some witches prefer to sit on the ground and feel the Earth’s energy radiating through them.
Lucy is one of those. Nera lies beside her.
“First, I think we should update everyone on what’s been going on,” Xander says and looks over at Jonas and then Giles. “You should tell your story first.”