Page 2

CHAPTER 2

E lora let herself into Cece’s big, ramshackle house. Cece and her mom and aunt had moved into the house shortly before Cece’s mother died when Cece was twelve. Even though the house was rickety, dilapidated, and basically crumbling around her, Elora doubted she’d ever convince Cece to sell it.

She grunted as she tried to close the front door. It tended to stick and not latch properly, and Lilianna made a disconcerting, almost human-sounding laugh when Elora finally just slammed her body against it to close it. She locked the door and left her bag and her shoes at the front door before wandering through the large foyer to the kitchen at the back of the house.

It was empty, and she frowned, cocking her head and listening. All she could hear was the rasp of Lilianna grooming her feathers as she clung to Elora’s shoulder. “Where is everyone, Lilipad?”

She could see her breath, and goosebumps had already formed on her skin. Heating the house cost a fortune, so Cece spent much of the winter wearing layers or, on particularly cold nights, sleeping on a mattress in the living room in front of the only working fireplace.

Lilianna cawed softly before grooming Elora’s hair. Elora returned to the foyer and started up the grand staircase. She walked down the hallway, some of her unease dissipating when she saw the light coming from Cece’s bedroom.

She stepped into the room, smiling when she was immediately thwacked in the face by the long tendrils of the spider plant on a wall shelf next to the door. She paused for a minute, surveying Cece’s room. She’d been in this room thousands of times but was always just the slightest bit gobsmacked by the sheer volume of plants.

Various plants of all shapes and sizes sat on tall wooden shelves, short metal shelves, thick wall shelves, and the floor itself. Each corner of the room held a wooden 5-tier plant stand, and plants loaded down each stand.

A beautiful hexagonal wooden plant stand covered with plants stood in front of the only window, and so many vine plants were hanging from the ceiling that you could barely see the ceiling. They grew lush and bold, and in a few years, they would hang so low that if Cece didn’t trim them, she’d be forced to push through the vines like a jungle explorer to get to her bed.

The whole room smelled of rich, dark earth with a sweet floral scent beneath it. While Cece preferred greenery over flowers, several of her plants produced flowers and provided a beautiful pop of colour against the greenery.

It was a beautiful private garden that thrived and bloomed and grew despite the winter season and the coldness of the room. Not that Elora was surprised - Cece was an apprentice green witch. Always obsessed with plants, Cece had naturally been drawn to the power of nature, and as she’d studied and practiced her witchcraft over the last year, her magic had grown significantly the more she involved plants, flowers, herbs, and even stones.

Elena trudged across the room to Cece’s bed. Cece sat cross-legged on the bed in a hoodie and thick sweatpants, with fingerless gloves on her hands and a knitted cap covering her long blonde hair. A book was on her lap, and with another soft caw, Lilianna flew off Elora’s shoulder. She landed on the bed before Cece and strutted across the quilt. She rubbed her beak along Cece’s fingers, and Cece stroked the midnight feathers on her chest.

“Hello, Lilikins.”

“What are you reading?” Elora climbed under the quilt and snuggled up to Cece.

Cece showed her the book cover. A Modern Guide to Witchcraft was written across the front in bold blue font, illustrated with flaming candles and roses dripping blood.

“I’ve read that one,” Elora said.

“It’s pretty good,” Cece said. She flipped the book back to her spot, and Elora rested her chin on Cece’s shoulder, scanning the page.

“Ooh, you’re reading about conduits.”

“I think the idea of a conduit is terrible,” Cece said.

“Why?”

She shrugged, stroking Lilianna’s feathers as the bird hopped on her knee and studied her. “A witch or a warlock finds a human who -”

“Or paranormal,” Elora said. “It doesn’t have to be a human.”

Cece waved her off. “Yeah, yeah, so they stumble onto this human or paranormal who’s a conduit for their magic, right? Like, they touch them, and it somehow feeds their magic, which makes it stronger, yes?”

“Yes,” Elora said. “And the more intimate the touch between them, the stronger the magic becomes.”

“Right,” Cece said. “So, they discover that fucking this person makes them stronger, and what do they do?”

“Fuck them more?” Elora said. “The extra power doesn’t last forever. It’s like a battery. Fucking the conduit charges the magic battery, but it slowly drains if you don’t keep fucking them.”

Cece tapped her finger on the page. “So, the conduit basically becomes a servant to them. Forced to serve them sexually so they can increase their magic.”

“The conduit feels an attraction to the witch or the warlock,” Elora said. “They get a high off the magic that flows between them. They want to stay with the witch, so it’s not really like a servant thing. Didn’t you read that in the book?”

“I did,” Cece said, “but the affection and the desire they feel for the witch or warlock is false. The conduit only stays with the witch because of the magic and their addiction to it. Would they be with that particular witch if they weren't a conduit?”

“They might be,” Elora said. “There are lots of reasons why people fall in love.”

“But this isn’t love. This is magic,” Cece said. “I don’t see how it’s any different from giving someone a love potion. You’re using your magic to make them fall in love with you.”

Elora thought it over for a few minutes. “I think the intent is what makes it different. You give someone a love potion because you want to manipulate them into falling in love with you even if they don’t want to. That’s a misuse of magic and just plain fucked up in general. But a witch or a warlock aren’t deliberately using magic with their conduit. It’s out of their control.”

“But the witch does have a choice. They could walk away from the conduit, give up that more powerful magic, and allow the conduit to live their life,” Cece said. “But everything I’ve read says that once a witch finds their conduit, that’s it. None of us are strong enough to resist the power we get from the conduit. So, the conduit,” she made finger quotes, “belongs to them for the rest of their life. And everyone says it’s all fine and good because the conduit is happy to fuck the witch for the taste of magic they get from it. But what if that person was meant to be with someone else, and they just had the dumb luck to touch the witch they were a conduit for?”

“You make a good point, but conduits are incredibly rare,” Elora said. “So, it’s not like there are a bunch of humans and paranormals out there attached to witches because they’re a conduit.”

“I know,” Cece said. “I don’t even know why I’m getting worked up about this. Only blood witches have conduits, not apprentice witches. It’s not like I’ll ever have to worry about it.”

Elora bonked her head gently against Cece’s shoulder. “Where are Kinsley and Maisey?”

“I sent them home,” she said.

Elora frowned. “Cece, you shouldn’t be alone. I only went to work today because I knew Kinsley and Maisey were with you.”

“They need to pack for their Europe trip,” Cece said. “They leave in two days, and even though they’re gone for a month, neither has even started packing. I’m getting hives just thinking about their disorganization.”

Elora laughed. “They thrive on chaos, you know that.”

“I do,” Cece said. “How was work today?”

“Fine. Charissa gave me a spell book with a spell that she says will free Lilianna.”

“Really?” Cece stared at Lilianna. “Do you believe it’ll work?”

“It’s an ancient and powerful spell,” Elora said. “So, maybe.”

“I hope so. I really want to meet her. The real her.”

“Me too,” Elora said. “I hope human witch Lilianna doesn’t turn out to be a jerk.”

“Crow Lilianna has her moments,” Cece said, “so maybe don’t hold your breath.”

Elora laughed again. “Good point. When I walked into the potions store in Barton and saw Lilianna for the first time, she was trying to snap off any finger that even came close to her in her cage.”

“I can’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to be locked up in a cage,” Cece said.

Elora reached out to smooth her fingers along Lilianna’s back. The crow cawed softly and turned her head to groom Elora’s fingers. “She was dying in that cage, Cece. I spent nearly all my savings that day buying her from the store owner, but it was worth it. I wish I could break the spell that has her trapped as a crow.”

“You will,” Cece said confidently. “You have the spell now. Charissa says so, and she’s never wrong.”

“True that,” Elora grinned. She turned somber, studying Cece and the dark circles under her eyes. “How was your day?”

“Okay,” Cece said. “Spoke with the lawyer about some of the estate stuff for Aunt Sybil. Then I called Leonard at the greenhouse and said I’d return to work on Monday.”

“Are you sure? That’s pretty soon,” Elora said.

“My vacation time is used up, and I can’t afford to take unpaid leave. Besides, I have to do something,” Cece said. “I can’t just sit at home and think about her.”

Tears slid down Cece’s cheeks, and Elora put her arm around her shoulder, holding her tight as Cece swiped at the tears angrily. “I’m tired of crying.”

“I know, honey,” Elora said.

“I miss her,” she said, her voice hitching. “I miss her face and her voice, and I even miss how she used to cook that disgusting cabbage and meat thing every Sunday night. It isn’t fair that she’s gone. It isn’t fair that some stupid, meaningless car accident took away the only person who… who cared about me and loved me. I’m all alone. And I hate that our last conversation was a fight about magic. I don’t know why she loathed me learning magic, and now I never will.”

She was crying hard now, and Elora hugged her even more tightly. “Oh, honey, you’re not alone. Maisey, Kinsley, and I love you, and we’ll always be here for you, okay?”

Cece nodded, resting her head on Elora’s shoulder. “I know. I’m just full of self-pity today.” She made a hiccuping laugh. “Kinsley and Maisey told me today that they would cancel their trip. They’ve been planning and saving for the damn thing practically since we met them, and half the shit they’ve paid for is non-refundable, but they were just going to cancel it.”

“Because they love you,” Elora said.

“I told them I’d put a hex on both of them if they tried to cancel,” Cece said.

Elora laughed. “You would, too. Look at you going to the dark side.”

“They deserve to go on this trip,” Cece said.

“Yeah, they do. It’ll be fine. You have me, and I won’t leave your side, I promise,” Elora said.

“I appreciate that, but you have your own life to live as well,” Cece said. “I’ve appreciated you staying with me more than I can ever say, but I think I’m ready to be here alone.”

“Are you sure?” Elora said.

“I am. Besides, the guest room bed is not comfortable. Plus, the house is always freezing, and you don’t have the extra junk in your trunk like I do to keep warm.”

“I’ll just bunk in here with you,” Elora said with a small grin.

“You recite spells in your sleep,” Cece said. “It’s weird, and it creeps me out.”

“It’s not weird!” Elora said.

“It’s so damn weird. Also, sometimes, when you recite them, I have tiny fireballs floating around the room. They go out fairly quickly, but I’m afraid one might land on a plant and then,” she glanced around the room, “poof, this room goes up like a tinderbox.”

Elora stared at her. “I don’t!”

“You do,” Cece said.

“Well, that’s horrifying, and I’m sorry,” Elora said.

Cece smiled faintly. “It’s okay. You know I love you, even if you conjure up tiny balls of fire in your sleep.”

“Maybe that’s why the last guy I slept with looked so freaked out in the morning,” Elora said. “Maybe I singed him with a fireball.”

“Maybe,” Cece said.

Elora studied Lilianna, who had flown to one of the plant shelves to use as a perch to nap on. Her eyes were closed, and her body completely hid her legs and feet.

“I guess it’s a good thing that Lilianna is such a cock blocker. I’d feel terrible if I set one of my booty calls on fire,” Elora said.

That got a soft giggle from Cece, who said, “I still can’t believe you haven’t had sex since you got Lilianna. That’s two years, Elora.”

“You know as well as I do that Lilianna freaks out if any guy other than Bren touches me.”

“You could lock her in another room while you’re getting… intimate,” Cece said.

“I tried that once,” Elora said glumly. “Lilianna screamed so loudly that the neighbours thought I was murdering someone and called the cops. They showed up just as I was about to get to the good stuff with Rajesh.”

Cece laughed. “Oh shit, I forgot about that. Okay, well, you could leave her at home and have a booty call at the guy’s place. Lilianna wouldn’t even know.”

Lilianna’s eyes blinked open, and she immediately flew off her perch and landed in front of Cece. She made four soft but menacing caws before pecking Cece’s leg through her sweatpants.

“Ouch! Lilianna, that hurt!” Cece said.

“She would know,” Elora said.

“I think you’re using Lilianna as an excuse for not being in a relationship because of what Doug did to you.”

“I’m over Doug and his ‘I could never be with a witch more powerful than me. It’s an insult to my manhood. My balls will shrink and fall off, and I’ll never get my tiny dick to stand at attention again if I date someone whose magic is stronger than mine now’ pathetic whining.”

“Oh my God, you never told me he said that,” Cece asked.

“I’m paraphrasing. Besides, you’re one to talk,” Elora said. “When was the last time you got laid, Cecelia?”

“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you,” Cece said.

“All I’m saying is that, unlike you, I have a good reason for not getting banged - Lilianna plucking out their eyeballs would be a real mood killer.”

“Ugh,” Cece said. “But I have a good reason, too.”

“Thinking you need to lose forty pounds first is not a good reason,” Elora said. “You’re hot with great tits and an ass that won’t quit. Men love curves like yours.”

“Darren stopped loving them,” Cece said.

“Fuck Darren. You were always too good for that guy.”

“I’m not interested in being in a relationship right now,” Cece said.

“I know that. It’s why you’re on Tinder and not some love match dating app. Which, by the way, you get plenty of interested men on Tinder who would happily bang you for an evening. You need to start swiping right, girl.”

“You know what happened the last time I swiped right, Elora,” Cece said with a shudder. “Anyway, the point is, I think I’ll be okay staying here alone.”

“I don’t feel good about this plan,” Elora said.

“I need to try,” Cece said. “You can’t put your life on hold for me forever.”

Elora frowned, but before she could say anything else, Cece said, “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“No.”

“Okay, let’s order some dinner and get caught up on The Amazing Race . I swear if those two arrogant gorilla shifters don’t start communicating with each other instead of just freaking out and shifting every time they can’t complete a challenge, they’re gonna get kicked out.”

“I still can’t believe they tore down that gazebo on the last episode. I thought Phil was going to lose it on them.”

“Me too. Anyway, what do you think? Pizza and bad behaving gorilla brothers?” Cece asked.

“I think that sounds like a brilliant idea, Miss Cecelia.”