Chapter 10
“AREN’T YOU JUST THE cutest munchkin there ever was?” Glinda made a silly face at bitty bat slash wittle witch, earning a perplexed stare from my daughter and an eyeroll from her sister. We were crowded around the crib, waiting for the baby to drift off.
The nursery was quieter now that the storm had passed. The rainbows were back, and feathers rained softly outside the windows, drifting down from where Broomzilla swept them off the roof and out of the belfry.
Most of our guests had left, relieved and rattled from the most eventful baby shower any of them had ever attended.
Hermosa and Papa Ernesto had gone downstairs to catch up over a plate of pawpaw doodles, and Nathan and Daisy had disappeared off somewhere, likely working on a batty sibling for Asher.
Traumatic events had a way of bringing lovers together.
My own batty beau hadn’t left my side. Asher had stayed close too, still giddy about his new cousin. I knew better than most that cousins weren’t all they were cracked up to be, but spell-crafting with Glinda and Emmy had me in a nostalgic mood.
DeeDee offered to drop off the fancy Peruvian rug at the drycleaners on her way home, and Zelda called to let us know that Ingra had been good and exiled from Assjacket.
Nobody hexed the Shifter Wanker without earning a magical spanking.
I only wished I had been there to see her in action, but I’d been busy with a banishment spell of my own.
Isaac made three West witches in all who were no longer welcome in the Baba Yaga’s Shifter town. Home sweet home. And hey, our reputation as the wickedest family in Kansas was still intact. Not that I cared about the reputation of a family I wasn’t really a part of anymore...
Well. Maybe just a little.
“Only the most wicked wittle witches get snakenadoes for their birthdays. Ain’t that right?” Glinda cooed, growing more smitten by the second. She walked her fingers up the baby’s tummy and tapped her gently on the nose.
“Newborn vision isn’t strong enough to see more than a foot away,” Emmy told her. “The only thing she can see is the wart on the end of your nose.”
Glinda gasped and touched her face, grumbling when she realized she’d been had. Emmy stuck her tongue out, cracking the first real smile I’d seen since she’d dropped in.
“I don’t suppose you’ll be welcome back in Kansas after this,” I said, wondering if it would hit her later the way it had Glinda.
Emmy shrugged. “It’s just the excuse I need to head back to Europe early. I have a corrupt parliament to terrorize and a warlock waiting for me. Speaking of...” She turned to her sister. “Mother ruined dinner sooner than expected, and we never got to meet your warlock.”
“Oh, no big. Maybe next time.” Glinda gave her a tight smile. I’d let her keep her secret for now. The day had been full of enough surprises.
“You’re welcome here anytime,” I told Emmy. “And since you’re both here now...there’s a little witch in need of a name.”
“And a bitty bat,” Asher said, not realizing the baby was playing for both teams. He reached through the crib bars and stroked her cheek.
“I still like Elphie,” Emmy said. “Names that start with vowels always prove the most powerful in the West family. Almira, Evillene, Gran’s sister Isobel.”
“Emmy,” I added with a grin. We could leave Isaac off that list. We’d just defeated him, after all.
“You should name her after Gran,” Glinda said. “Fae is a pretty name, and it would be a lovely tribute, considering you just used the magic you inherited from her to defend your offspring.”
“What about a Hernández family name?” Dylan offered. He seemed hesitant to inject himself into our witchy discussion. Though I could hardly blame him after all the childhood stories I’d shared.
“Well...” I tapped my chin thoughtfully. “Ellie starts with an E.”
“Ellie Fae,” Emmy said. “It has a nice ring to it.”
“Ellie Fae,” Asher echoed, nodding his head enthusiastically. “It sounds a lot like Elphie. Maybe I’ll call her that for short.”
“Perfect,” Dylan agreed, looping his finger through the curl on Ellie Fae’s forehead. He gave her a tender kiss on the head, and then pressed one to my lips, before taking Asher’s hand and leading him downstairs. “Let’s go share the big news with Mama Hermosa and Papa Ernesto.”
Emmy watched them go, waiting until she was sure they were out of earshot. “There’s something else you should know. About the family fortune.”
“I really don’t care what they do with Gran’s money,” I said, waving my hand glibly. “They could spend it all on bedazzled flip-flops for all I care.”
“If only it were that simple.” Emmy pushed away from the crib and turned to face me. “Only the heir who inherits the sky cauldron can access the hidden coffer in the West house.”
“Dorothy drop a house on me,” I swore.
It all made perfect sense now. My mother’s desperate attempt to convince me to return to Kansas. Ingra’s insistence about the naming ceremony and Evillene’s training. They needed me. Even Isaac’s assault served more purpose than jealousy.
If I died, the sky cauldron would pass on to a new heir. Maybe him. Or maybe Emmy. Which is why I supposed Ingra hated the idea of her daughter returning to Europe so soon.
But I was stronger than they’d counted on.
Mentally and magically. I was established in a new community and with a new family.
I had no reason to go back to middle-of-nowhere Kansas to be treated like dirt by a family that seemed content to forget I existed until I possessed something they needed.
And the storm cauldron was too strong to force me or destroy me.
I was just lucky Glinda and Emmy had outgrown our parents’ ambitions, too.
“They won’t stop until they get what they want,” Emmy said, concern pinching her brows together.
“I wish I could just mail them a key or something, but there’s no way I’m going back to Kansas. I don’t trust them not to try something sketchy. This is the West family we’re talking about.”
“I get it.” Emmy nodded. “Well. Just don’t get yourself killed or anything. I’m not interested in participating in any witch hunts if your storm cauldron powers transfer to me.”
“She should be safe in Assjacket,” Glinda pointed out. “The Baba Yaga is here, and she’s already sent both of our mothers packing.”
“There’s a reason the family sent them in first.” Emmy pointed a finger at her.
“Evillene is wicked, not stupid. I know,” Glinda huffed. “Dad and Uncle Redrick haven’t played their hands yet, either.”
“Your father divorcing your mother was a shock to everyone,” Emmy said. “But he did threaten he would if she didn’t return with you. And he’s a warlock of his word.”
“Of all the qualities to commit to.” I shook my head.
“Mother suggested he intends to use Nessa as a scapegoat and paint himself as a victim of her frigid temperament, as well. As if that would somehow charm you back into the fold.”
“Well, naturally,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“If you really want them off your back,” Glinda said, fingering a squishy bat on the crib mobile, “show up unannounced, unlock the coffer, and split before they have a chance to pick their jaws up off the floor.”
“There’s an idea.” Emmy snorted, but it didn’t sound like such a bad plan to me. Of course, it would take some careful planning. And there was a real possibility of my honeybat having an absolute meltdown.
But until my greedy, estranged family had their hands on the family fortune, my new family wouldn’t be safe. Not really. Even if we stayed in Assjacket and never left.
Three West witches were banished, but the worst three remained. And the three who had forged their own paths would soon be parting as merrily as they’d met.
“I have to go,” Emmy finally said, reaching into the crib to brush the back of one finger down Ellie Fae’s cheek. She’d dozed off somewhere in the midst of our family turmoil. “I’ll send a postcard when I stop off in Paris.”
“I should get going too.” Glinda leaned over the crib and kissed Ellie Fae’s tiny hand. “Roger is waiting for me, and I promised him an extra special dessert tonight.”
Emmy hitched a brow at her sister, but she thankfully didn’t ask for details.
They each placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled in silent farewell before Glinda’s lime electricity zapped them out of the room.
The ends of my curls lifted with static.
I discharged it by touching the metal diaper can under the changing table before dragging the rocking chair closer to Ellie Fae’s crib.
She was too precious to leave alone for even a second. And with wicked witches still gunning for me, I didn’t dare.
These days were precious and sacred. But they also felt numbered—if I didn’t take the necessary precautions.
Which is exactly what I intended to do. And soon.