Chapter 3
My phone vibrated with an incoming call. I glanced at the caller ID and picked it up on the first ring. “Vera! Did you give Ambrose Blackthorn my new number?”
My older sister sputtered and coughed. “God, Becs, warn a girl before you use bad language.”
“Come on, Vee, I’m serious.”
“That’s really why you texted me, and I quote, ‘Call me, it’s serious?’”
“It is serious. That piece of shit texted me earlier and I want to know how he got my new number.”
“Well it wasn’t me. You know I’d never give anything to that worm.”
I sighed, letting my head fall back against the couch. Basil, my little lover boy, sat in my lap as I stroked his soft head. Sage was on the floor playing with her cups.
“What did he say?” Vera’s voice went hard.
“That he had lunch with Mom and Dad.”
“Our mom and dad? Those filthy traitors.”
“You know how they feel about this.”
“It’s selfish—they’re selfish.”
“Except according to them, they have our best interests at heart.”
“Becs. You should have been honest with them.”
Maybe she was right.
I rocked my jaw back and forth. Memories of that night came back in flashes.
Ambrose pulling me into a dark hallway during the Supernatural Council Gala.
Chastising me for looking like a slut because I wore a dress that ended mid-thigh.
The way he slammed me against the wall, pulled my hair, jerked my head to the side, all so he could tell me I was making him look bad.
“They’ll say I’m overreacting.”
Vera made a sound. “He assaulted you!”
“He didn’t hit me.”
“I don’t fucking care Becs! He was rough with you. It was—” Her words died in a feminine growl. “If I had more magic, I would turn him into a slug and smash him under my boot. I knew I should have punched him in the nose when I had the chance.”
I blew out a long breath.
It was Vera who’d found us. Maybe Ambrose would have hit me if she hadn’t stepped in. I’d been afraid that he might. There was this look in his eye that promised retribution. Enough to make me feel entirely unsafe.
The irony was, I could have used my magic to break free from him. But the price was steep. All because of a curse his family had cast on mine generations ago.
No one knows exactly why they did it. Rumors pointed to jealousy.
Both the Millers and Blackthorns had seats on the Supernatural Council generations ago.
The Blackthorns were jealous of our family’s power.
Some sort of drama happened, and they used blood magic to stifle our power.
We’re born powerful, but by adulthood there’s almost nothing left.
It’s cruel.
“Have you had any luck?” Vera asked, changing the subject. “With the knife?”
“No luck whatsoever. Well, I take it back. My detector confirmed there are lunarium caves here. I got tons of readings. But…”
“But what?”
“So…there was this werewolf?”
“A werewolf?!”
I told her about Axel and spent the next twenty minutes describing what an asshole he was.
When she finally hung up, returning to her shift, I felt a million times better.
I sent another text to Robbie, trying to suss out if he was my traitor sibling now that Vera was absolved. I received no answer. Which meant, as far as I was concerned, he was definitely guilty.
I needed to cool down before I sent him ten thousand angry voicemails.
I removed Basil from my lap, laid down on the floor, and let both bunnies give me a facial. Bunnies were expert groomers. And since I was their person, they wanted nothing more than to clean my entire face. They paid extra attention to my eyes, their tiny warm tongues working overtime.
A laugh burst from my chest and I felt instantly better.
It wasn’t until I was leaving campus Friday afternoon that my phone vibrated with an incoming call. I fumbled around in my bag before lifting it to my ear. “Damn it, Robbie. It’s about time—”
“Rebecca.”
I went rigid, every muscle in my body locked tight. I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at the screen. The number wasn’t one I recognized. But the voice? “What number are you me calling from?”
“That doesn’t matter. Enough with your games, Rebecca. Cease this childish behavior before you embarrass both our families.”
Indignation was enough to overcome my nerves. I took off at a brisk pace, needing to simply…move. “Childish? You’re joking, right?”
“Our parents expect—”
“Ambrose, we’re not engaged.”
“We are—”
“No. I never agreed to an engagement. I don’t care what my parents told you.”
“You don’t have a choice, Rebecca. You want your family’s curse removed? I’m offering that.”
“Oh, that’s what you’re offering, is it?”
“How can you be so selfish?”
“Selfish?” I burst out laughing. I didn’t care that several passersby threw me curious looks as I walked. “Me? Really?! It was your family who cursed us.”
“I didn’t curse you,” he scoffed. “My parents didn’t curse you. I’m trying to undo something done generations ago.”
“Right.” What a piece of shit. I didn’t understand how I hadn’t seen it earlier. How I’d fallen for his act. It only made me angrier. “If you really cared, you would undo the curse without requiring my hand in marriage. I will not be marrying you.”
I promptly removed the phone from my ear and hung up, punching the button with more force than necessary.
“Everything okay?”
I whirled to find Frank, an older Black man, the owner of Pet Pantry, setting up an outdoor display in front of his shop.
“I…” I steeled myself. “I’m fine. Just an annoyance from my past life.”
“Sounded like more than an annoyance.”
“Yeah. I suppose it was.”
“You let me know if it becomes a problem.”
A soft smile pulled at my lips. Everyone here was so nice. I loved it—loved the change from living in a big city. “Thanks, Frank. I will.”
I said the words even though I knew there was nothing he could do to help, not against a powerful witch who came from an even more powerful bloodline. Not when he was human. Not when even I, a witch, could do nothing.
My eyes darted to the side and snagged on the display. “Are those on sale?”
Frank’s laugh was full-bellied. “I knew it would catch your attention.”
“You know my bunnies love those treats.”
“Twenty-five percent off all exotic pet treats, through this weekend. And we just received a delivery of those puzzle toys your babies like.”
“Stop it,” I said gasping, clutching my heart. “You did not.”
“Just for you, sweetheart. You can come on in and take a look.”
“I’ll be doing exactly that. Give me just a second.” He nodded, then returned to his work.
I fired off a quick text to Vera, letting her know what had just happened between Ambrose and me, then snatched up five bags of Basil and Sage’s favorite treats—the carrot and dill flavored ones in the shape of little hearts—before heading inside to check out the new merch.
The door chime sounded as I walked in.
“Hi Agnes,” I called when I spotted Frank’s wife behind the counter.
“Becca. I knew it was only a matter of time.”
“You know me and my bunnies,” I teased. Since moving to Redding, I’d already been in here three times. “They are going to bankrupt me.”
Her expression softened.
Between the special-order Timothy hay, the treats they consumed, the fresh organic greens, and all their toys, I spent more money on them than I did on myself.
That didn’t even include their vet bills.
Which reminded me, I needed to give the local vet here a call.
Get them on the roster so that in case any emergencies came up, they already had all their info from my previous vet.
“So, Frank said something about puzzle toys?” I grinned at Agnes.
“Wait until you see them. They’re over in the enrichment section. Just let me know if you have any questions.”
“Will do,” I said, breezing by. I dropped the treats on the counter as I went.
When I saw the new toys, I squealed. Basil and Sage loved their cups. But I also made a point to do some DIY forage activities for them. I’d been wanting some of the more durable options, though. Things to keep their little bunny brains sharp.
I picked out a giant star that had little treat compartments for hiding treats.
Then I grabbed a set of wooden boxes that had little drawers and openings they had to figure out if they wanted to find the hidden treats.
There was also a new style of ball, with an opening that dispensed small morsels if they pushed it around.
After looking over everything, my arms were full when I reached the register.
Agnes, with her dark curly hair, bronze skin, and the best smile, laughed when she saw my haul. Apparently she and Frank had been running this shop for nearly thirty years. A dream of theirs when they first moved to Redding.
“Those cuties are going to have some fun this weekend.”
“You better believe it! I’ve got so much grading to do, I’ll need to keep them occupied.”
“Well, this will definitely do it.” She began ringing me up. I pulled a couple canvas totes from the side pocket of my messenger bag. By the time we were finished, I had my arms full.
Instead of dropping by The Roost, I went straight home. I was too excited to hold back my gifts.
I let my buns out of their enclosure. Then set both bags on the floor and began unpacking. Curious things that they were, the buns started sniffing everything.
Once I got them set up with the puzzle star, I set my stuff out on the dining table and got to work grading, hoping I wouldn’t hear from Ambrose again for a good long while.
I was wrong.
The first text from an unknown number hit my phone Saturday morning.
This time, I was sitting in The Roost at my favorite table.
Unknown Number
Ignoring me won’t make this go away, Rebecca.
My heart spiked and I promptly blocked the number. But an hour later, a text from a different number arrived.
Unknown Number
Your parents want you home. You’re being irresponsible.
I blocked that number too. And then the next, and the next, as I grew more agitated. His messages swung between aggressive and placating.
Unknown Number
There’s still time to accept the post doc position at WU. I pulled some strings.