Chapter Eight
Gigi
Those two were at it again. Bless his soul, my Lennon could never keep his emotions straight when it came to our safety.
Real threat or no, he was always an overthinker.
I hummed, making my way to the door where I slid my feet into my favorite part of clogs. Smiling, I tapped the toes of them together. Lulu told me once these were the ugliest shoes she’d ever seen.
And they probably were. But, that didn't make me love them any less. If anything, I loved them all more now. My granddaughter may be the light of my life, but she’s had far too many opinions for someone who recently called to ask how to steam her jeans.
Chuckling to myself, I made my way out the front of the house, a basket draped over my arm.
The Salus Glen farmers market was the best I’d seen, not that I’d seen many, and I wanted to pick up some fresh produce for dinner tonight.
No doubt we would need some carbohydrate intervention to stop Lennon and Lulu from tearing apart the dining room with their differing opinions.
And I had just the recipe.
Fresh basil, thyme, the last of the summer tomatoes and a bundle of Karen’s homemade spaghetti noodles weighed down the basket when I finally got on my way home.
I took the long way, enjoying the spring sun on my head as I breathed in the sights and sounds of the little town.
The wind shifted, the sharp scent of magic in the air as I cruised past everyone’s favorite coffee shop.
Joe waved from behind the counter, but as usual, Kenneth was absent, likely upstairs knee-deep in creation mode.
And I couldn’t stop the smile from gracing my lips.
That boy was always up to something. Someday, I would ask him what his latest creation was, but I wasn’t much into potions these days.
Half my magic was used to keep Lennon and myself spry and young.
Not that it wasn’t worth it, but I didn’t have magic to burn.
At least not like some of the others did.
When I was close to the house, I slowed, switching my basket from one arm to the other. Something was wrong. I could feel it, the magicked house practically screamed at me as I came in through the back yard and made my way through the house before coming to a stop on the front stoop.
Carefully, I put down my purchases and reached into the inside of my sleeve, to the carefully sewn pocket there.
My wand was never far and would come to me should I call to her. But, even I knew that something was different now. I wanted to have it ready.
The gravel crunched under my feet as I made it around the corner to where Lennon had started yet another landscaping project this past week, at my behest of course.
The pulsing grew stronger as I ducked under the low-hanging branches of our favorite willow and found myself staring straight at an incubus.
And he wasn’t alone.
In his arms, he cradled my Lulu, her eyes closed tight.
My wand was in my hand before I could think twice.
It didn’t matter that I knew this incubus. That his secret had been conjoined with mine since the first moment I’d laid eyes on him. It didn’t matter that I could feel his distress screaming at me.
I curled my lips back, my magic blooming as my wand pulled it down my arm, making my hand shake as I raised it to point at his chest.
“Tell me incubus,” I said, my voice trembling as my power hummed against my palm, “What exactly are you doing with my granddaughter?”