Page 10 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)

CHAPTER SEVEN Sloane

We only had two fire accidents with Blue, which were quickly snuffed out, and he received loads of reassurance that he was still the best emberwolf in all the land.

Somehow, I had not managed to stay awake until midnight and had dragged myself upstairs, Blue flying in front of me like a fat bumblebee drunk on nectar, before collapsing in bed.

You would have thought after years of wondering what my magick was going to be, I’d be bouncing out of my skin to wait for the clock to chime midnight, yet the long days of travel to get here in time for my birthday had caught up with me, and I’d crashed.

Or maybe I was just avoiding reality.

For one night longer, at least.

The smell of smoke teased my nose, and an alarm bell rang in my head.

My eyes shot open to see Blue, his wings tucked around him, slumbering blissfully between my feet.

His little paws moved, scrambling at the blanket, chasing something in his dream.

He grunted, a small stream of fire erupting from his nostrils, and singed the fabric of the blanket.

“Oops,” I said, reaching over to tamp out the burning edges of the fabric.

I could see how this might become a touch problematic. Did they make fireproof sleep blankets? He looked so cute, snoring away. When he let out a wee roar, fire once more pluming from his nostrils, my eyes widened.

The last thing I needed was to burn the house down on my birthday.

“Blue,” I hissed, nudging him as I beat out the flames on the blanket. “Wake up, buddy.”

Blue grunted, coming awake mid-snore, and blinked sleepy eyes up at me.

“Hey, bud. It’s time for breakfast. Are you hungry? Do you want some cheese?” We’d learned last night that cheese was his favorite food, and none of us could fault him for his taste.

At that word, he shot off the bed, caught himself mid-leap, his wings springing open and keeping him from hitting the floor. From there, he did a lazy lap of the room, his wings sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Wait, sunlight. Did that mean the snow was gone?

Bounding over to the window, I peered out, only to see the neighbor from yesterday clearing his sidewalk. When he saw me at the window, he repeated the same two-fingered salute from yesterday. I waved cheerfully, again . This was our thing now.

The formerly rolling green hills were still completely covered with a soft blanket of pristine white snow, a few streams of smoke twirling from the turrets of the castle and into the sky, and fat cotton-puff clouds hung above us all.

And the sun shone, reflecting icy diamonds across the snowcapped roofs.

Knowing the respite was brief, because irrespective of our curse or not, this was still Scotland, I threw on my Keep Calm and Carry a Wand jumper over my pajamas and tore downstairs.

Blue zoomed ahead of me, his tongue flailing behind him as he flew, his mouth open in a smile.

I could just picture him saying, Wheeeeeeeee .

It was like he was new to flying and having just as much fun with it as we were watching him fly.

Broca had informed me that he was around two years old, so well past his baby years, but still quite young for his kind.

A sweet old witch had taken him in and trained him before Broca had brought him home to us.

“Happy birthday!”

I skidded to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, a room full of people staring back at me, and Blue swerved in midair, caught unawares by the crowd.

His wings flapped against my face as he tried to land on my shoulder, but he was too big and too clumsy to maneuver that, and we ended up tangled together in a heap on the floor.

I cradled Blue to me while he nervously licked my face, shooting looks over his shoulder at the group staring in shock at us.

“Um, happy birthday?” Nova asked.

“Oof,” I said, shifting Blue in my arms, scrambling for purchase as I tried to stand. Why were there so many people in our house? I glanced down at my faded pajama pants and sighed. So much for any sort of dignity this morning. Finally, standing, I nodded to the room.

“Hello, um, everyone. Quite a gathering we have here at”—I slid a glance to the clock on the wall in the kitchen—“seven thirty in the morning.”

“Yes, well, no time to waste. Have you figured out your magick yet?” Mandy Meadows—for some reason I could only think of her by her first and last name—stood and crossed to me.

She’d changed her pantsuit. Today’s was a rose-petal-pink tweed with black and white stripes, and she’d added another strand of pearls at her neck.

The Charms were here, including Raven and another woman I hadn’t met yet.

“Is that an emberwolf?” Tam asked. She must have run here—like a maniac—given her pink cheeks, exercise leggings, and red fleece jumper. “Cute little fella.”

“This is Blue.” I turned to the room, so Blue’s face showed, like I was showing off my new baby to the world. I guess I kind of was. “Broca gave him to me for my birthday. Blue, say hello.”

Blue gave a sharp yelp—a sound caught between a bark and roar—and a spear of flame shot out and singed Mandy Meadows’s suit. Her eyes widened, fury rippling across her face, and I quickly patted out the small flame on her arm.

“This. Is. Chanel. ”

“He’s still learning,” I explained, giving her a wide berth as I crossed the room to where Tam held out her arms.

“Give me the fierce beastie. I bet you like a cuddle, don’t you?” Blue collapsed in Tam’s lap, and she scratched his belly, cooing over him.

“Um, so, hi.” I raised a hand awkwardly at the middle-aged woman I hadn’t met yet.

She wore slim black trousers, a silk blouse, and a matching black jacket.

Gold winked at her ears and neck, and her blond hair was sleeked back into a knot at the nape of her neck. She walked over and held out her hand.

“Deidre Valor.” Two pumps, a firm grip, and a sharp nod of the head.

“Hi, Deidre. I’m Sloane.”

“I own Valor Real Estate.” A card materialized in my hand, and I blinked down at it, then back up at her. “I’m a house witch.”

“Ah, right.” A house witch typically specialized in all spells for hearth and home, particularly in the protection of an abode. It made sense for her to be a Realtor. “And one of the Charms?”

“Aye.” Another brisk nod, and Deidre returned to scrolling on her phone as she flipped through a stack of manila folders.

“Is she… working?” I asked out of the side of my mouth.

“She’s never not working.” Tam shook her head. “Her cortisol levels have to be through the roof.”

“Right, now that we’re all here”—Mandy Meadows clapped her hands—“we can call our first official meeting of the Charms as a whole.”

“Is this the entire coven?” Lyra looked around from where she sat curled on the couch, a latte in hand that looked professionally made. Knowing her, it had cinnamon and honey, with a touch of cayenne sprinkled on top.

“It is.” Broca smiled at me from her armchair, where she was stitching sequins to a purse. “There’s nine of us here, and that completes the coven.” Witches and their multiples of three. Go figure.

“Mandy, Felicity, Tam, Deidre, Raven, Lyra, Nova, Broca, and… me.” I pointed a finger at myself. “The Scottish Charms.”

“At your service,” Raven trilled, looking fresh as a garden rose this morning in a soft navy jumper and faded wide-legged jeans.

“I brought snacks,” Felicity said, from where she sat hugging her tote on a dining room chair next to Deidre. Blue poked his head up, interested.

“I think just coffee,” I said, backing slowly away from the room of women as though they were a bomb that could go off at any moment.

This really wasn’t how I thought my birthday morning would go, and tension knotted my shoulders.

Were they expecting me to perform or something in front of everyone?

I was awkward on a good day, and I had barely been awake long enough to brush my teeth, let alone privately test out my magick.

I could sense it, though.

Humming, just below the surface, like that little tingle you get when you get zapped by static electricity. Waiting to be used. Calling to me. I wondered if I could just ask it what it was…

“Sloane.” My name was the only warning I had before the tray of doughnuts and croissants slid off the counter and went flying toward my feet.

Blue roared from across the room, but my hands were already up, and… I felt it.

My magick unfurled, stretched, and stepped into the light.

The tray stopped before it hit the floor and hung there, levitating. I froze, uncertain what to do next.

“Tell it where you want it to go,” Broca instructed.

Go back to the counter , I instructed in my mind.

The tray trembled but then floated gently back to the counter.

No way. I’d just done that. Me. Whirling, I looked at the group, my mouth hanging open. Blue lifted his wings and air-waddled his way over to me, and I caught him in my arms. He licked my cheek, seeming to be proud of me, and I beamed at him.

“Levitation,” Tam said, giving me a pleased nod. “Well done.”

“Right, then, Charms. Looks like we won’t be needed here as long as we thought.” Mandy Meadows sniffed and checked a slim gold watch at her wrist. “I’ll see you at the cèilidh later.”

“Och, I can’t wait. I do love to dance.” Felicity clapped her hands.

“You’re just leaving?” Nova glanced from Mandy to me.

“Aye. It’s a basic skill, at best.” Mandy adjusted her necklace, her nose wrinkled in distaste.

“Ew.” Lyra glared at Mandy.

“Did you just call Sloane ‘basic’?” Nova crossed her arms over her chest, her tattoos standing out against her pale skin.

“ Yeah ,” I said. Was Mandy Meadows calling me a basic witch?

“It’s a rudimentary skill. We can all do it.” Mandy Meadows was already gathering her purse, a quilted cream Chanel, and moving toward the door.

“Rude,” Lyra said.