Page 5

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“You did what?” Prim asked, staring at Indigo like she’d lost her mind. They were sitting out front of The Witch’s Brew, the coffee shop and café that was two doors down from Brooms that Vroom.

Indigo glanced away, pretending she didn’t hear her sister chastising her.

“She told the man she’s clearly head over heels for to date her new employee,” Lily explained. “Because she’s an idiot. I mean, who does that?”

Indigo scowled at her sisters. The two looked like twins with their identical incredulous expressions. It didn’t help that they both were blond with blue eyes and had the same delicate features. If she hadn’t been there to see that they were born ten months apart, she never would have believed that they didn’t share the same birthday. “Stop giving me shit about this. I’m not going to date Niko. So why should I care if he dates someone else?”

“A twenty-one-year-old?” Lily asked, shaking her head. “Please. Niko isn’t going to get serious with a college girl. Have you met the man? He’s the oldest thirty-three-year-old I’ve ever met. The man reads for fun and heads home by nine when Brax gets together with him for boys’ night.”

Indigo couldn’t help the laugh that sprang from her lips. “You make him sound like he’s eighty.”

“I’m just saying that he’s not gonna be a good fit for a college girl,” Lily said. “You, however, have been known to turn in early in your old age.”

“Old? Watch it, little Easton,” Indigo said, though she couldn’t deny the truth of her sister’s words. When she wasn’t on a date, or hooking up with a hot guy in Florida, she was known to turn into a pumpkin when the clock struck nine p.m. “Those are fighting words.”

Her two youngest sisters smirked at each other, but then Prim turned a serious gaze on her. “We worry about you, Indy. You can’t keep pushing people away because of your past. It’s not healthy.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Indigo stood. “As much as I love to be grilled on my nonexistent love life, it’s time for me to get to the shop before the college girl shows up.”

“Wait!” Prim grasped Indigo’s wrist, stopping her. “I forgot to tell you why I wanted to meet this morning.”

Indigo raised her eyebrows. “You signed me and Niko up for dance classes down at the mansion?”

“No, but that’s a really good idea. I’ll get right on that.” Prim gave her a wicked smile, transforming her sweet face into one of pure mischief.

A sudden image of Indigo being twirled around the mansion above the bluff that had been turned into a community center flashed in Indigo’s head. It was a welcome image that she liked far too much for her own good. She glared at her sister. “Don’t you dare.”

Prim laughed. “Okay, fine. If I agree not to sign you two up for dance lessons, can I count on you to help with the masquerade ball fundraiser for the new Befana Bay library?”

“There’s a new Befana Bay library?” Indigo asked, confused. “It’s not at the old library, is it?”

“You mean Gothic Books?” Lily asked, already nodding. “Yes, actually. Dante wanted to honor the original building, so he’s dedicating part of the upstairs as a local library.”

“That’s…” Indigo’s eyes stung with tears, taking her off guard. She let out a soft chuckle. “I don’t know why I’m getting choked up. That’s just so wonderful. Of course I’ll help. Just let me know what you need.”

Prim’s smile widened. “Lily and I just came up with the idea last night, so we’re in the initial planning stages, but we’ll need your help to cast some spells and work on advertising the event.”

“Sure.” Indigo squeezed her sister’s hand. “I’m happy to. Let me know when and I’ll be there.”

Lily and Prim both stood, giving Indigo a hug before sitting back down to finish their coffees while Indigo took off to get the shop ready to open for the day.

* * *

“Indigo?” Kinsley asked as she limped up to the counter, holding one of the brooms from the stockroom.

“Yeah?” After showing Kinsley around, she’d asked her to check in some new stock in the back room. Her eyes focused on Kinsley’s left foot. “What happened? Did you hurt yourself?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I twisted my ankle last night and have a minor sprain. The ibuprofen has just worn off. I’ll take a couple more pills and will be fine.”

“You have a sprained ankle and you’re walking around?” Indigo gasped out. “Why didn’t you tell me? Come behind the counter and sit. You shouldn’t be standing on that all day.” She held her hand out to the other woman and guided her to the stool behind the counter. “Sit.”

After Kinsley did as she was told, Indigo grabbed the empty trash can and turned it over. “Prop your foot on this.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kinsley insisted even as she followed Indigo’s orders. “Really. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re limping. That’s enough for me. I won’t have you putting pressure on it while it heals. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kinsley smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you. I could have hobbled through it, but I have to admit that it’s aching.”

“No thanks necessary. All we’re doing here is selling brooms and a little magic. No need to exacerbate an injury.” She nodded to the broom still in Kinsley’s hand. “Now, did you have a question about that?”

She glanced at the broom as if she’d forgotten she was holding it and then turned her attention back to Indigo. “These aren’t spelled, right?”

Indigo shook her head. “Nope. I do that myself.”

Kinsley’s eyes lit up. “Can I be there when you do that? I’d love to watch you in action. Learn a thing or two from you.”

A prickle of unease washed over Indigo. Unless she was with her sisters and grandmother, she was always a little hesitant to work her magic around anyone else and preferred to work alone. But she had made an exception for Luke, her assistant who’d been working with her for the last five years. She supposed she’d have to do the same for Kinsley since she’d be working there for the foreseeable future.

There was no real reason to be so private about her spells. She wasn’t doing anything that couldn’t be looked up in an advanced spell book. It was just that after the incident she’d had in college, she’d hated casting around anyone other than her trusted circle.

“Sure,” she forced herself to say. “But not that one. Let’s start with one of the beginner brooms. That one is for advanced riders and requires a lot of energy to get the spell right.”

“There are different performance levels?” Kinsley asked, her eyes wide.

“Of course,” Indigo said with a chuckle. “There are ones that might as well have training wheels. And then there are the ones that are as responsive as a high-performance sports car.” She nodded to the gorgeous, sleek onyx one in Kinsley’s hand. “Once I’m done with that one, it’ll go zero to sixty in 2.2 seconds flat. It’s really for the most experienced riders.”

“Hmm, maybe that was my problem,” Kinsley mumbled to herself.

“Problem?” Indigo walked out from behind the counter to give her employee her full attention.

“Oh.” Kinsley waved a hand and let out an embarrassed laugh. “I went on a broom ride last night and borrowed my sister’s broom. She rides all the time, but honestly, I haven’t been on one since I was a kid. And let’s just say it didn’t go well. If it hadn’t been for Niko, I’d have likely crashed hard into the bay.” She swallowed hard. “Who knows what would have happened to me?”

“Niko?” Indigo asked and immediately clamped her mouth shut. The woman had just told her she’d almost had a catastrophic crash on a broom, and all Indigo could think about was the fact that she’d been with the man Indigo refused to date.

“Yeah. He invited me to go along with him on his ride.” She gave Indigo a tentative smile. “It was okay that I went, right? I mean, you two…” The young woman bit her bottom lip. “I figured he wouldn’t have asked if you two were… involved.”

“We’re definitely not involved,” Indigo said firmly. “In fact, I told him to invite you.”

“You did?” she asked, her voice rising a few octaves.

“Yeah, he asked me, but I had to turn him down, so…”

Kinsley beamed. “That was very kind of you. He’s really dreamy.”

He definitely was that. And sexy. And the only one who’d caught Indigo’s attention in the past five years. But that was beside the point. “It was nothing. Hopefully, you had a good time despite the malfunction that almost dumped you in the bay.”

“Well, good time might be stretching it,” she said as she glanced away.

She definitely had Indigo’s full attention now. “You didn’t have a good time?”

“No. Not really.” She wrinkled her nose. “I couldn’t master the broom, and like I said, Niko had to help me get it under control. And then when we went in for the landing, that’s when I fell off and hurt my ankle. To say that I was mortified would be an understatement. I suggested I get right back on. You know, that whole thing about getting back on the bike… That stuck with me as a kid. But Niko wouldn’t let me. Then it started to rain and he put me in my car and told me to go home.”

“Ouch. That sounds awful,” Indigo said, cringing for her. As much as she hadn’t wanted to hear that Niko had spent the evening with her, she had to admit that she was relieved the date had crashed and burned, so to speak.

“It was. I’ve never been so humiliated.” Kinsley sighed as she thumped her head on the front counter. “And on top of that, I was so nervous I rambled about the most embarrassing stuff. I’ll never be able to show my face around him again.”

This time Indigo did chuckle. She patted her new employee on the shoulder and said, “I’m sure it wasn’t that horrible.”

“You have no idea.” Kinsley made a face and then handed the broom over.

Indigo took it to the back room, grabbed a couple of the beginner brooms, and made her way back up to the front counter. “Okay, since it’s slow, let me show you how I do this, and then you can practice on the second one. You game?”

Kinsley sat up straight. “Really? That would be amaaaazing.”

“Sure. Why not?” Indigo wasn’t sure what possessed her to make the offer to the other woman. Maybe she was feeling a little sorry for her. It sounded like she’d had a night she’d just as soon forget.

“Okay, I’m ready. Where do we start?”

Indigo laughed, kind of loving how eager her new employee was. It was nice to have a little excitement in the shop. She laid the broom on the counter and then grabbed her salt and a few herbs from a locked cabinet.

“Do you keep the herbs locked up because they are dangerous or because they are expensive?” Kinsley asked.

“Both. They aren’t especially dangerous, but if someone without knowledge tried to use them, it could go south quickly. It’s just more responsible to keep the raw herbs locked away.”

Kinsley nodded, suddenly looking serious as she waited.

“Okay, first we make a salt circle around the broom. That’s just a safety precaution. Though it does help concentrate the spell so I don’t have to use as much energy. So don’t skip that step.”

“Got it.”

Indigo made the salt circle and then retrieved the herbs that would seal the spell. Once she ground them together with her pestle and mortar, she placed the bowl next to the broom. “Okay, now that the herbs are ready, it’s time for the incantation. Once the spell is set, we burn the herbs and sprinkle the ashes on the handle.”

“Seems easy enough,” Kinsley said.

“It’s not difficult, you just have to focus your energy.” Indigo closed her eyes, pictured the broom in her mind’s eye and then raised her arms and said, “Air and earth, I call on the spirit of the Easton witches and ask for strength to compel this broom to fly. May the spirit bless this broom with energy and life to keep its riders safe. From east to west and north to south, please protect this broom and its riders. Three to one and one to three, here my call, so mote it be!”

Magic pooled at the ends of Indigo’s fingers, and she immediately placed her hands on the broom, infusing the magic into the wood. Then she stared at the herbs in the bowl and ordered, “Ignite!”

The herbs instantly turned to ashes, and Indigo called, “Scatter!”

The ash rose in the air, spread out, and then gently fell onto the broom handle, making it glow for just a moment before the light winked out.

Indigo grinned at Kinsley. “All done. Are you ready to try?”

Kinsley blinked at her. “Now?”

“There’s no time like the present.” Indigo took the freshly spelled broom from the counter and placed it behind the register. It wouldn’t be ready to stock until they test rode it. “Grab the other broom and put it in the circle.”

Once the broom was laid out, Kinsley asked, “Do I need to redo the salt circle?”

“Not unless it gets damaged. This one looks fine.” She handed her charge the herbs and instructed her to follow the recipe. Five minutes later, the herbs were ready to go. “Excellent. Now it’s your turn to try the incantation. Keep focused on the broom the entire time with the intent on directing your magic toward it.”

“But I can’t call on the Easton witches, can I?” Kinsley looked worried. “I have to use my own line, right?”

“Normally, yes. But when you’re in my shop, my line is available to you as well. Use whichever comes easiest to you while you’re learning. Mine is pretty powerful just because of our family line.”

“I know. I can feel it. It’s more intense than mine. Probably because my great-aunt Bertha denounced her witchy side and tried to curse my grandmother. It really put a dark mark on the family energy.”

“She tried to curse your grandmother?” Indigo asked, pressing a hand to her heart.

“Yeah. It was ugly.” Kinsley shuddered. “But she landed in the clink for it, so I guess she got what she deserved.”

Indigo wasn’t sure what to say to that. Her new employee certainly had a way of blurting things out that took Indigo off guard.

“So I’ll use the Easton energy,” Kinsley said, closing her eyes. “I place my hands on the broom?”

“Not yet. Raise them in the air, but keep your mind focused on the broom as you say the incantation.”

“Okay.” Kinsley raised her arms in the air and repeated the incantation. A whisper of magic appeared at her fingertips, making Indigo frown. There should have been more of a spark.

“Try the chant again. This time imagine you’re pouring magic into the broom,” Indigo said.

Kinsley nodded, and a few seconds later her fingers were glowing with magic.

“Perfect. Now grab the broom handle and direct your magic into it.”

“On it.” Kinsley gripped the broom and then screwed her face up in frustration as she tried, but failed, over and over to get the magic to take. She opened her eyes and stared at Indigo. “What am I doing wrong?”

Indigo chewed on her bottom lip before walking behind her new employee and covering Kinsley’s hands with her own. The magic was strong and pulsing with energy. There was no reason it should be blocked.

Concentrating on the magic flowing from Kinsley, Indigo helped nudge it toward the broom handle. “Feel that? I’m using my will to send the magic to the broom. Can you do that?”

“I don’t—oh! There it is.” The magic poured into the broom and Kinsley’s face lit with a happy grin. “That was amazing!”

“You’re not done yet. Burn the herbs and then seal the spell to the broom,” Indigo instructed.

“Right.” Kinsley stared at the bowl of herbs for just a moment before they went up in flames. And just as Indigo had done, her apprentice manipulated the ashes with her mind and instructed them to cover the broom. It glowed just like the previous one had, and then the flash of light disappeared suddenly.

“Well done!” Indigo cried. “You did it on the first try.”

“Well technically, second, but who’s counting.” Kinsley let out a whoop of excitement as she stood suddenly and then immediately winced. “Oops. I forgot all about my ankle.” She rotated it as she eyed the door. “If I can hobble out there, can we test these out?”

Indigo didn’t have the heart to say no, so she nodded and said, “Just take it easy, okay?”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Kinsley grabbed the broom she’d spelled and hobbled out quicker than Indigo imagined she could.

After a moment, she joined her employee outside, ready to test the brooms. But just as she was climbing on, she heard a shout from across the street. And when she looked up, she spotted a woman who was staring at her arms as black dagger tattoos appeared out of nowhere on her forearms and then seemed to light with fire, making the woman scream bloody murder.

Indigo dropped her broom and ran.