Page 9 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)

CHAPTER SIX Sloane

I think Grumpy McProvost has the hots for you,” Lyra said as I drove us carefully home through snow-slicked streets.

“Totally does,” Nova agreed from the back seat, where she’d opened a package of blueberries and was popping them in her mouth one by one.

Heat rushed through me, the mere thought of Knox’s hands on my body doing strange things to my insides, and I shook my head.

“You’re too used to seeing love everywhere. You can’t help it.”

“I’m used to seeing people fall for me ,” Lyra clarified, not being remotely arrogant. She was just stating the facts. How she remained down-to-earth, I did not know, but somehow my stunning sister was just as sweet as she looked. “His eyes weren’t on me, Sloane. They were on you.”

“That’s because I’m in the driver’s seat.”

“Hardly. It’s because he wants to play spin the bottle with you.” Nova made kissy-faced sucking noises.

“What are you… a child?” I flicked a glance at the rearview mirror to see Nova enthusiastically kissing her hand. “Who even plays spin the bottle anymore?”

“I don’t know. I figured it was something you ancient folks played at parties in high school.”

“Ancient? Kindly go screw yourself, Nova. You’re barely two years younger than me.”

“Aww, did I strike a nerve, darling?” Nova beamed, happy with herself. “I’m told werewolves are quite bitchy around that time of the month.”

“I’m not going to be a werewolf!” I slammed the brakes a touch harder than necessary in front of our house and slid the front of the car neatly into a snowbank. “Lovely, just lovely.”

“I know a hot… muscular… dreamy”—Lyra panted the words, putting on a sex-bomb act, trailing a finger down her chest—“grumpy provost who will help you out of a jam.”

“I should have left you two at home,” I grumbled, getting out of the car and walking to the snowbank to assess the damage.

The front of the car was tucked into the pile of snow, but not far enough that it would be an issue.

At least I hoped not. Considering myself parked, I opened the back door to a grinning Nova and snagged some of the market bags.

“You love me,” Nova insisted.

“Nope. Not even sure you’re my sister.”

“We’re definitely sisters. Who else would put up with your attitude?”

“ My attitude? You make me look like sunshine and lollipops, dear.”

“Yes, that’s you. Just an explosion of sparkles everywhere you go.”

“Maybe not sparkles, but at least I don’t make people reach for their weapons.”

“Aww, thank you.” Nova paused at the front door, holding a hand filled with shopping bags to her heart. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Rolling my eyes, I pushed the door open, looking back at Nova as I stepped inside.

“Being intimidating is not a positive personality trait.”

“Maybe in your world it’s not.” Nova preened. Sighing, I turned and skidded to a stop, Nova slamming into me from behind.

“Surprise!” Broca sang.

The entire first floor had been transformed.

Gone were the moldy sheets covering the furniture and the thick layer of dust on the baseboards.

Streamers crisscrossed the ceiling, twinkle lights fell in curtains along the walls, and a pile of presents awaited opening on the living room table in front of the couch.

“Happy birthday, babes.” Nova smacked a kiss on my cheek and ducked away before I could swat at her with my grocery bags.

“Broca! You were supposed to be resting up. Not doing all this.” I hurried over to where Broca stood with her walker, in navy-blue high-waisted trousers and a sequined jumper.

“Pssht, it was hardly a bother now, was it? Just a smidge of magick and everything was put to sorts. Go on, go on, sit.” Broca waved me toward the couch.

“My birthday is tomorrow,” I pointed out, dropping the shopping bags on the kitchen counter and taking off my coat. After hanging it up, I moved to the couch and plopped down, staring at the pile of gifts. Anxiety kicked up. Gesturing at the pile, I opened my mouth—

“Yes, we know we have to move all the time, and we shouldn’t have bought you so much stuff and where will you put it and there’s no space and all that…” Nova waved away what she knew I was about to say.

“But don’t worry, we thought ahead,” Lyra promised, closing the front door behind her and dropping the rest of the bags in the kitchen. “This is an extra-special gift for our favorite witch.”

“Sixty percent of the time.” Nova slanted me a look, and I gave her the finger.

“We wanted to do something today, because we know the Charms will show up tomorrow to see what your magick is, and it’s just a nice moment with us girls, isn’t it?

Family.” Broca eased herself into the armchair, waving away my offer of help.

Once settled, she slapped her hands on her thighs.

“Now, shall we have ourselves a wee party?”

“Let me just put this stuff away. I was thinking maybe soup and a nice salad, some picky things, for lunch.” Lyra loved putting together charcuterie boards, and she hummed as she quickly put the groceries away, leaving the ingredients out she’d need for later.

Once finished, she brought a tray with orange juice, a bucket of champagne, and glasses over to the table.

“Should I drink?” I glanced at Broca, not knowing if alcohol would affect the manifestation of my magick later on.

“Don’t worry, I thought of that.” Lyra beamed at me. “Nonalcoholic.”

“Oh, good.” Was it? I had no idea. A glass of champagne might soothe the nerves currently playing the drums in my stomach.

All day I’d been trying to ignore this Big Thing that was hanging over my head, the unknown of what magick—my magick—would be.

As the hours crept by, the drums intensified, and I worried I’d have to make a run for the bathroom soon.

An odd snuffling sound came from the back room.

“What was that?” I made to get up, but Nova hopped up and pointed at me.

“Sit.”

“But—”

“It’s fine, Sloane. Nova, go see.” Broca waved at Nova.

I suppose since she insisted on being the intimidating one, she could be nominated to investigate the weird noise for all I cared.

“Now, Sloane. Don’t be nervous. This is such an exciting time for a witch.

I promise you, whatever your magick is, you’ll learn to love it. ”

“I’m sure, once I know how to work with it, everything will be just fine.” At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

Nova came in from the back room, cradling something under a blanket in her arms. My shoulders stiffened.

“Nova, I swear to the goddess, if you throw a rat on me or something—”

“Chill.” Nova grinned at me. “It’s your gift.” Bending over, she deposited a warm bundle in my arms and my mouth dropped open.

I blinked down at a gray-and-white dog—just like a Boston terrier, except for one huge difference. As he stood on his wee paws in my lap, he shook his body out and the blanket fell off to reveal his wings.

Beautiful, milky gray, pearlescent wings in soft shimmery scales.

“An emberwolf,” I breathed.

Emberwolves, a cross between wolves and dragons, had once been fierce predators and even fiercer protectors in Scotland.

Domesticated through the ages, it was now rare to find them in the wild, many preferring the comfort and luxuries of living in houses.

Still, they were an unusual and highly exotic pet, and I’d never seen one of this variation—with a soft coat, big loving eyes, and a mile-wide smile that made him look just a bit like the Joker from Batman but in a nonpsychotic way.

Leaning up, he swiped his rough tongue across my cheek, and a laugh escaped me.

“He likes you!” Lyra exclaimed.

“But how? Where? Can I even have one?” I looked to Broca, my hands automatically reaching up to stroke his soft coat.

“A friend owed me a favor.” Broca leaned forward to look at the emberwolf. “He was orphaned, but from what we can tell, he comes from a long line of working emberwolves, bred for their companionship. Can you believe these lads used to be as big as this room?”

“Then they learned we had couches.” Nova snorted.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was just about the cutest animal I’d ever seen.

“And yes, you can have one.”

“What about when we go?” I reached up to scratch an ear, and he leaned into my palm, letting out a soft snort of contentment.

His wings stretched, fluttering out, and I waited to see if he would try to fly.

Instead, he settled contentedly onto my lap, tucking his wings back at his sides, his eyes drooping closed.

“That’s the whole point of you being here, Sloane.

” Broca’s tone took on a serious note, and I finally raised my eyes from the emberwolf to her.

“To finally sort out this curse nonsense. So you don’t have to leave.

At least, if you don’t want to.” Stay here, instead of leaving?

Instead of packing everything into a car, saying farewell to yet another house, another set of friends, another semi-settled existence.

It had been so long since we’d simply… stopped. Made a home become a home.

I turned to look at my sisters, who had varying degrees of emotions flitting across their faces. Our childhood home hadn’t been a happy one, and staying in one place wasn’t something we were used to. What if we didn’t want to stay? Reading us like a book, Broca sighed.

“At least try to break the curse before you make any decisions about staying in Briarhaven. I know that I’d like to stay. I’m tired of moving, girls. I love Briarhaven, and I loved our time here, even though I know how much your mother struggled.”

“You know, growing up… How come we could stay here so long?” Lyra asked, easing carefully onto the cushion next to me and reaching out to stroke a finger over the emberwolf’s back.

“Copious amounts of magick,” Broca admitted.

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she steepled her fingers, flipping through the pages of the past in her mind.

“The Charms. Every time a new curse emerged, we worked to distill it. We never managed to completely erase it, but we managed it, for a while at least. Until your mother got too tired of trying.”

“Standard operating procedure there.” Nova sniffed, coming to sit on the other side of me. Together, all three of us lightly stroked the emberwolf, none of us ever having been able to have a pet before.

“Yes, I know.” Broca shook her head. She never made excuses for our mother, something I deeply appreciated, instead just accepting the facts of what was. “But now I’ve had my vision, and I really think you’ll be able to break this curse and settle here. If you’d like.”

I highly doubted I’d stay in Briarhaven, even if we did break the curse, but that was a discussion for another time.

“Tell us more about your vision,” Nova said, pulling out her sketchbook to start drawing an outline of the emberwolf.

“I’d been in Portugal, actually. Delightful lovers there, you know.”

“Broca! No, ew!” Nova hissed, and Broca laughed.

“How have you all turned out to be such prudes?” She marveled.

“I think it’s fabulous,” Lyra said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Can we focus?” I asked, shaking my head, amused.

“Naturally, my love. So it was after a particularly vigorous session with—”

“Noooo,” Nova whined.

“My masseuse,” Broca finished with a wink. “And I was feeling loose and relaxed, and then it just came over me. It was a vision of you three, in Briarhaven, finally breaking the curse. ‘Three sisters to right a wrong, a heart shattered, once again strong.’ ”

“What does that even mean?” Lyra wondered.

“I have no idea, and I have tried, many a time, to get more information. But the scrying ball does not let me see.” Broca held her hands in the air.

Her scrying ball was a simple crystal ball, or sometimes she used a mirror, and when particularly invested, Broca could determine deep insights into the future.

“Do we have to be a part of the coven in order to break this curse?” I asked. I really wasn’t keen on joining the Charms. The emberwolf shifted, letting out a snuffle, and then he rolled so his stomach was available for scratchies. We all cooed in delight.

“You are a part of the coven.” I met Broca’s steady gaze. “You all have legacy seats. The MacGregors have been a part of the Charms for a very long time.”

“But…” Nova poked out a lower lip in a pout. “Never harm, always charm?”

“It’s trite, but effective. As good slogans often are.”

“I think it could be fun,” Lyra said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

“I think I don’t like other people telling us what to do,” I said.

“Ah yes, always in charge.” Broca made a tsking noise with her lips. “I don’t know if that is a firstborn trait or because of your mother, but you can let others help, you ken?”

The emberwolf snorted again, a puff of smoke coming through his nose, and my sisters and I gasped, the Charms forgotten.

“Will he shoot fire?”

Broca looked at me like I wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.

“He’s an emberwolf.”

“Oh my goddess, we’re going to have to fireproof the place.” I looked around, imagining all the streamers going up in flames.

“It’ll be fine, Sloane. You worry too much. Just look at the sweet darling. He’ll be just fine, won’t he, then?” Broca cooed over him from her spot on the chair.

“What’s his name?” Lyra looked up at me.

“Blue,” I said, without hesitation. “His name’s Blue.”

At that, Blue let out a little rumble of satisfaction, rolled to his feet, and took off on an easy glide around the room.

We all gasped, and I clapped my hands together, my heart dancing inside my chest. When he landed on the kitchen counter and promptly buried his nose in a plate of cheese Lyra had left out, I jumped up.

“Blue,” I said, testing his name.

Blue looked up at me, a cheeky grin on his face, full well knowing what he was doing.

“Och, you’re just the bestest boy, aren’t you? Can you fly to me?” I asked, holding out my arms. Blue launched himself into the air and flew to me, slamming into my chest with all the aplomb of a sodden paper towel, and I gasped out a laugh as I caught him.

“Right, graceful you are not. But you don’t need to be, do you, sweet thing?” I beamed down at where he leaned back in my arms, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, my heart full.

“Welcome home, Blue. I think we’re going to be best friends.”