Chapter Eleven
I was a witch, with powers, and a wand to prove it.
“Iwasn’t!” I spun around a little too quickly and wobbled.
Rylan was there to stabilize me, and my whole body warmed as if his touch were a heated blanket. Then, a feminine cough came from behind him, and I remembered we weren’t alone.
“Thanks,” I murmured before returning to Imogene’s and Remy’s sides. My roommate acknowledged the others before stepping up to the vendor and beginning her questions. I was about to listen in when a blonde ponytail swished in my face.
“Aw, aren’t you the cutest?” Delanie Templeton stood beside Rylan with a big fake grin. She looked at Imogene and me with false nicety. Hopefully, her special talent in pageants wasn’t acting because she sucked.
Imogene smirked, and my mouth dropped as she stepped closer to the pageant queen. “You look like a dried apple. I’ll give you the number of my surgeon. He’ll do wonders on those crow’s feet wrinkles.”
I think she was serious. If Imogene truly used a surgeon for her body, then he was worth it. She had fairly smooth skin for her age.
The smile on Delanie’s face dropped. Her hands flexed at her sides like she’d smack Imogene, but then a masculine laugh captured our attention.
Rylan’s lips tightened, but the laughter burst through again.
Delanie shot him an open-mouthed look then stomped off into the crowd with a squeal.
Imogene stepped back to my side and yawned. “So sorry your girlfriend is a bitch. A handsome man like you deserves someone with a good heart.”
I was too busy watching the squealing adult disappear that I missed the way Imogene’s head tilted in my direction.
“Temperance, it’s your turn,” Remy called over to me, and to my surprise, both Imogene and Rylan took up space beside me. Despite the tent being open to the air, it felt a little snug with them so close.
The male vendor smiled at our group then proceeded to give us his spiel. Remy patiently stood to the side with a wand-stamped bag in her hand.
The vendor lifted a red wand and rolled it between his fingers. “I’m sure you’ve learned by now that wands are conduits of magic. You form a special bond with your wand, and it with you. They are made of nature from our realm. We have a selection of metal, wood, and stone here.”
He waved his wand over an assortment of choices set on a velvet tablecloth. The wands lifted and started to roll like a rotisserie chickens.
“First person, place both of your hands over the table, palm down please.”
I was excited and closest, so I stepped up with my hand out.
“Excellent. Now, I want you to close your eyes and allow the magic to guide you. If you feel like moving your hands, follow that sensation.” I followed his instructions and closed my eyes. I gasped as colors popped into the darkness behind my lids. It was like seeing a fireworks show.
The vendor spoke softly, and I took a deep breath, calming myself to listen. “It may be overwhelming at first to be this close to so many magical items. Just let their essence mingle with yours. The wand that matches your energy will draw you forward.”
I kept breathing, focusing on the colors and the tingles in my palms. My body swayed gently, allowing me to sync up with the flow of inside and out. Swishing to the right, then left, and right again before finally stopping. My feet moved and I warmth radiated, almost tickling my fingertips.
And before I knew it, my fingers closed around a wand.
I opened my eyes as the vendor clapped his hands. “Wonderful choice.”
“Oh, that’s pretty,” Imogene said, complimenting the wooden wand in my hand.
It was sixteen inches or so. It felt light in my hands and smooth like it had been freshly sanded. Carved swirls wove tightly around the handle then spread out like dancing partners all the way to the tip.
A blue gem nestled at the top of the handle. As I tilted the wand, a flash of white caught my eye.
A star.
“Aster Azulimine. Or as your world calls it…” The vendor scanned a sheet of paper with his fingers and then snapped them. “A star sapphire.”
A star sapphire.
It was beautiful and felt right in my hand.
“Thank you,” I whispered, unsure what else to say.
I wasn’t just a mother of a college student anymore.
I was a witch, with powers, and a wand to prove it.
A hand pressed against my back, and I stepped to the side so the others could have a turn. But the hand stayed splayed against me.
“Beautiful,” Rylan whispered.
I nodded, my fingers touching the shimmering star. “It really is.” I smiled and looked up at him only to find he wasn’t looking at my wand, but my awestruck face.
Oh.
My smile faltered as his face brightened. And not in an expression sense… his face was lit up because I was glowing again.
Ugh.
“For fuck’s sake,” I cursed. I rubbed my hands over my face like I could scrub the light out of my skin.
Gently, Rylan’s hands wrapped around mine and lowered them.
“Sir! Your turn,” the vendor called out and interrupted whatever was happening between us. To which I was grateful because I didn’t want to analyze my glow, his touch, or his words. Nor did I want to acknowledge how they made me feel.
Rylan glanced at the vendor, then proceeded to lift my hand toward his pink, cupid’s bow lips. He wasn’t going to…
I didn’t get to find out because a plume of daisies shot out of my wand, blasting the tent right into the air, causing flowers to fall all over the Witch’s Fair.