Page 45

“Ash!” Claribel cried from her chair. “You let a witch into the house? His magic is clawing.” She massaged her neck and glared at August. Ashley also felt the now familiar fizzy tingling in her throat of August’s magic. Like someone had told a joke just as she took a swig of pop and now the carbonation was trapped in her sinuses.

“Feet off the table, witch,” Ashley demanded. “And tone down that wretched magic, or I’ll burn your antique house to the ground.”

He huffed but took his feet off the table, and the tingling went from mildly painful to a slight annoyance.

“We’re here to see Aunt Hannah. Is she up?”

“AuntHannah?” Claribel pulled her cross-stitch from between the couch cushions and began stitching excitedly. She was such a gossip.

“I’m guessing she doesn’t talk about me.” August shrugged.

Claribel huffed. “That would be a good guess.”

“Well, I brought Esther to interview her for her practicum. She’s archiving the Platt family records, and who better to talk to than a Platt intimately familiar with the collection.”

“You did what?” Ashley grabbed August by the collar. “Whatever game you’re playing, witch, you leave Esther out of it.”

Gus squeaked from the commotion and rustled his way farther into the curtains.

“Interesting.” The soft shush of thread pulling through cloth indicated Claribel was getting quite some cross-stitching in. “Who is this Esther?”

“That would be me.” Without her loud boots on—because Esther was polite enough to take off her shoes—and in all the commotion, Ashley had lost track of her. Esther reached out her hand to Claribel. “It’s good to meet you.”

Ashley dropped August’s collar and bolted between them before Esther took a step closer, blocking Esther from Claribel’s view. “She’s a classmate. That’s it.”

Slowly, Claribel lowered her stitching to her lap. “And she knows…”

Ashley glanced over at August, still fixing his collar over on the couch. “About witches. Yes. But that wasn’t my doing.”

“Hmm.” Claribel moved her project to the cushion next to her and stood. “I see.”

“No, it’s fine.” Ashley took another step back, pulling Esther farther behind her. “If the witches want to go around broadcasting who they are, that’s their problem.” She waved her hand like she was swatting away a fly. “You don’t need to…”

Claribel waited. “I don’t need to…what?”

“Ashley.”

Ashley jumped as Hannah descended the ancient stairs without making a sound.

“What is he doing here?” Hannah asked.

“Nice to see you too, Aunt Hannah.” August brushed imaginary dust off his shoulders and straightened his shirt as he stood.

She was a foot shorter than August, at least, but still managed to look down her prim nose at him. “What is it you’re looking for, August?”

He took his time, returning her glower with one of his own. Ashley thought he might not answer until he finally gestured to Esther. “I’ve brought someone to interview you. This is Esther Green.”

Esther broke free of Ashley’s grasp and stepped out from behind her but didn’t offer a hand this time.

“A graduate student at the college,” August continued. “She’s archiving the family records and has some questions about a particular piece that I thought you could help her with.”

Hannah looked Esther up and down then nodded to the study. “This way, if you please.”

Ashley tried to catch Esther’s eye, but Esther followed Hannah without a second glance.

“Watch him,” Hannah instructed, nodding to August before closing the door behind them.

The conniving witch definitely had some ulterior motive, and Hannah’s recommendation to watch him was well warranted. But Esther was in a room alone with a powerful vampire who may or may not have heard that Esther was privy to too much information. So, Ashley went back to where Claribel sat and crouched near a floor vent she knew connected to the study.