Page 20 of Hallows End

I blink and then let out a laugh. “I hope fate wouldn’t do that to us.”

I stand and reach for the rag I use to take the kettle off the stove, then get to work fixing our tea.

“I’ve added protection to this brew,” I inform Lucy as I pass her a cup. “I’d like you to drink it.”

“Sure.” She sips and then looks at me in surprise. “It’s good.”

“You thought it would be bad?”

“I don’t know. Thisis1692.”

I simply sip from my cup and then shake my head. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I’m finding it hard to believe, too.” She yawns and looks over at my bed. “Can I curl up for just a little while? I won’t sleep. I’d just like to lounge.”

“You’re welcome to anything I have.”

She smiles and then stands to walk to the bed. Seeing her curl up and lay her head on my pillow is another jolt.

This amazing, beautiful woman is in my home, lying on my bed.

And if all of this is to be believed, she’smine.

“When did you know you had magic in you?” I ask and cross my ankles in front of me, stretched out to enjoy her.

“I was little,” she says and turns onto her back to stare at the ceiling. “I always just wanted to be outside in nature. If I was scared, I’d crawl into my mother’s hollyhocks, and it was as though they’d fold around me to protect me. The plants, trees, and flowers are my friends. I have a maple tree in my front yard that is very special to me. It’s where I offer my finished spells back to the earth, and where I go when I need a boost of energy. What about you? When did you know?”

“I was also a child.” When I think back to those times, it feels like it was only a short time ago rather than centuries. “My parents were part of a coven—a secret one, of course. And in the privacy of our own home, we were taught and practiced. I had two sisters, both younger than me.”

“Did your parents live to old age, or were they caught?” she asks as she turns back to watch me.

“They died in their eighties. My sisters moved out of Salem. One went to Philadelphia, or so I heard, and the other to New York. I don’t know what happened to them after that.”

“I could help you find out, if you’re ever curious.”

I smile softly, longing to curl up with her, but I stay where I am. “Thank you.”

“Can you openly be a witch here in Hallows End?” she asks as her eyes drift closed. “Or do you have to hide it?”

“We don’t flaunt it,” I reply, standing to cover her with a blanket. “But we don’t have to practice in secret.”

“Good.” She sighs sweetly, and I lean over to kiss her forehead. “So sleepy.”

“Go to sleep,” I whisper in her ear. “I’ll be here.”

“Just for a minute.”

Nera’s head comes up, and I nod, letting him know that all is well.

I have some reading to do. I don’t know how any of this is possible, nor do I know if I will find any answers in the texts I have here at the cottage.

But I need to try.

This isn’t only about me anymore.

“Jonas.”

I blink my eyes open and then sit up in surprise when I realize that Lucy and Nera are still here, and the sun is already up.