Chapter Fifteen
It’s a beautiful day. I focus hard to keep my mood even, so it doesn’t rain, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.
Most of the town has turned out to say their goodbyes. Everyone is dressed in the brightest colors, and each person is carrying a flower. The priest reads a poem as the crowd stands quietly, soaking in his words about life after death.
Hannah grips my hand tightly, her eyes on the casket.
I was unsure about her being here today, but right or wrong, I let her decide.
Losing her mom will be hard, even if I left her at home.
At least this way she’ll get some closure.
Shepard and Riggs stand on the other side of Hannah, each of them keeping guard while Austin stands next to me, his fingers laced through mine, offering me support in the only way he can.
When we first arrived, Shepard noticed right away that my father’s grave had been filled in.
Riggs, with his quick thinking, told him he’d arranged for it to be done, so it wouldn’t detract from Dawn’s day or upset me.
He laid it on a little thick, but Shepard seemed to buy it, his concern for me overriding any suspicion.
And as he pointed out, the scene had been processed, and he had everything he needed from it.
Knowing my father was buried only a few feet from where we stood made the day that much more bearable. Austin had to elbow me a time or two for smiling in that direction.
“Can I go say bye to Mommy?”
I look down at Hannah and nod, giving her small hand a squeeze, the bracelet I made her catching the light.
I lead her forward as the priest keeps talking, feeling the crowd’s eyes on us.
Nobody says a word, held captive by the poignant moment.
When we reach the casket, I let go of Hannah’s hand for a moment, and I pick up the small bouquet of daisies someone had placed on the ground.
I hand it to Hannah, who takes it in both hands.
I wrap my hands around hers, pushing power into the flowers.
The result surprises not just me but the crowd too, and I can hear the ooh and ahhs.
I aimed to make the daisies bigger and ensure each one was open and in full bloom.
But using Hannah as a conduit changed things.
Even though she won’t come into her power for a long time yet, we’re now holding a huge bouquet of wildflowers in every color known to man.
Her power is there, buried deep inside her.
I don’t know why Hannah has power, but Dawn didn’t.
Perhaps that’s the way it presents in their bloodline.
Either way, Hannah will be a target for wayward hunters, which means I need to make sure she’s prepared and ready to defend herself at a moment’s notice.
I might have to ease her into things, but I won’t hide either the risks or the rewards of being a witch.
I will never be one of those people who believe keeping her in the dark is the same as being safe, because it’s not.
It’s far easier to sneak up on someone in the dark, especially if they aren’t expecting you, and I refuse to let that happen. My anger at the thought makes my pulse thunder in my chest, and one of the flowers catches fire.
“Whoops.” I snuff out the flames and look at Hannah sheepishly, who giggles. “You ready? I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
Standing in a pink tutu and a purple T-shirt with her hair in braids and a ladybug clip pinning the wispy parts of her hair back, she looks like she should be going to a party, not burying her mother.
I wish life were kinder to those of us left behind and that the weight of grief wasn’t so heavy a burden to carry.
When she lifts her head high and nods, I know she’ll get through this.
She has no idea how strong she is, but she will, even if I have to remind her every day.
I take a deep breath and let go of the bouquet.
She struggles under the weight of it for a moment, and though I want to help her, I know it’s important she does this part herself.
Determination crosses her face as her little arms shake, but she places the bouquet on the coffin without dropping it, then presses her hands to the wood.
“I love you, Mommy, and I miss you. I really want you to come back home, but Calliope says you can’t because you’re in heaven now watching over me like an angel. Did you get your wings yet?”
I swallow around the knot in my throat, tears slipping down my cheeks.
“I hope I see them one day. Maybe you could fly down for a visit. I wouldn’t tell anyone. I promise.”
She’s quiet for a minute. I’m about to move in closer when she speaks again.
“Calliope says I can stay with her forever if I want. But princes live in castles, so when I get married, I might have to move. Maybe I could marry a cowboy instead, like Mr. Riggs. I like him best because he makes cookies with me, but I think he needs to get a laser eyeball for under his patch. He could help Mr. Shepard catch the bad guys then.”
I hear laughter from the crowd and find myself chuckling through my tears, too. Where the heck does she come up with this stuff?
“Mr. Shepard is teaching me how to kick butt, so no punk-ass boy puts his hands on me. What does punk-ass mean?”
I turn around and find Shepard, who looks at me and grins without repentance.
Hannah leans in a little closer and starts whispering, but in that way kids do, which makes the whisper louder than her everyday speech. “Mr. Austin is kinda grumpy and sometimes scary, but he gives the best hugs. And when I’m sad, and I miss you, he picks me up, and he makes me feel safe.”
Her head dips, and her shoulders bow as I cover my mouth with my hand. Movement catches my eye, and before I know it, Austin is there scooping Hannah up. She doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and lay her head against his shoulder.
This. This version is what makes it impossible to hate this man. I know he’s every bit as bad as people say he is outside of our bubble. But he’ll defend those inside it until his dying breath. He turns to me, a question in his eyes about what to do next.
I reach for his hand, making an on-the-spot decision, one I hope I don’t end up regretting. “Let’s go home.”
“Whose home?”
“Ours.”