Page 34 of Who Owns You?

“I did.” She pauses for a breath before continuing. “I was given up for adoption at birth, so there was a lot of learning to do. We can learn together, and Eloise will be our overly sarcastic professor.” She teases the other woman with and undercurrent of admiration.

I want to just hang up so they can spend more time together, but I need a real plan.

“So, you’ll both help me learn what it means to be a witch?” I ask softly, trying not to really hope, but this is all still so fucking weird.

It doesn’t feel like my life at all. I just wanted some quiet self-contemplation to make some art in order to get my inheritance, but I guess this is the proverbial fine print of the situation.

“Of course. Come over tomorrow morning around nine, and we’ll start with history,” Dara says soothingly.

“OK, thank you. Thank you both so much.”

“Good night, Charlotte,” she says before ending the call.

My heart stalls in my chest, but all the fight has flooded out of me. This is enough for now. The promise of learning is enough.

When Dara said we would start with history, I didn’t expect there to be this much. It’s more intensive than any high school or college classes but only half as boring because of the use of magical runes to convey meaning. Learning from a book has never been my strong suit, but when it comes to the history of local covens, witches of note, and big magical events that happened over the last decade under the noses of mortals, I’m pretty dang good at remembering things.

“I believe your parents were a part of a coven that disbanded some time ago. There have been no other covens in the area—besides mine—for quite some time, and your aunt was not a member of mine.” Eloise looks over an older map that Dara pulled from their attic.

Sitting across from the couple in their living room with all manner of papers and books spread out between us feels like we’re on some sort of novice detective show. I’ve held myself back from cracking stupid quips about working hard and hardly working due to Eloise still being a little grumpy about last night.

“What causes a coven to disband? Why wouldn’t my aunt go with my parents to America?” I ask, leaning over to try and read the map in the other witch’s hands.

“A lot of things, deaths or disagreements, taxes and tariffs.” Eloise scoffs. “Or simply just moving away and not keeping in contact.”

“It doesn’t happen often,” Dara says, “because covens are close-knit groups for the most part and tend to be generational after their formation. Your aunt may have been from a different line but considered family due to the coven relationship.”

“Your last name is Ryan, correct?” Eloise asks, setting down the map and grabbing a book bound in cherry-red leather.

“Yes, I kept it after the adoption,” I murmur.

It was technically an adult adoption, so I filled out all my paperwork myself, but it didn’t feel any less significant not totake my family’s last name. I huff, trying not to let the internal guilt settle.

“Well, that’s a fairly common Irish last name, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.” She drops the book on the table with a thud, and the pages seem to furl out on their own, lengthening to the size of the coffee table and spilling over the edges. Hundreds of names fill the space, all with the same surname.

“Holy shit,” I croak. My eyes feel strained, skipping from Ryan to Ryan as I try to fish my parents out of the sea of similar names. “Can’t any of this be alphabetized?”

“Would you like to argue with the magical text about how they decide to organize their internals?” Eloise asks with a soft scowl that Dara responds to with a roll of her eyes.

“Most magical tomes don’t just house magic but are magic. They often decide how the contents will be laid out,” Dara explains, pushing a set of reading glasses up her nose.

I was stunned by her when we first officially met this morning. Her skin is the color of rain-soaked bark, her smile warm and inviting. Her humor is just a little biting. She keeps Eloise on her toes as much as she provides comfort and support. From what I can tell, they’re a spectacular match.

“That’s incredibly cool.” I lean toward the text. If it is magic, then maybe, just maybe, it can be persuaded to be more useful. “I mean, I can’t quite understand the order, but the spacing”—I give a little snap—“it’s incredible.”

Eloise chuckles softly, shooting me a sly wink as she nods. “You’re right there. This book is incredibly neat and tidy. It does a good job of keeping itself presentable.” She pats the pages gently. “Let’s get to reading. We have twelve pages of Ryans to get through.”

I blanch but nod, ready to find out who my parents really were.

Chapter 14

ATLAS

“Where has the pest gone to?”I ask Julius as he steps into Darius’ office.

“I think she went to visit with Eloise. I believe being a witch is something of a surprise to her.” He plops down in one of the chairs we dragged in to make for a more comfortable command room.

“Enough talk of Charlotte.” Darius scowls, loosing a sigh before he stands from behind his desk. “Now that we are able to, I believe it best if we begin taking over our old duties,” our alpha begins.

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