Page 55 of Monsters' Manor

I run my fingertips over the lip of the cauldron and almost imagine I can feel the faint thrum of his power still woven into the metal.

“I took them from his workshop,” Odelia says, the barest hint of emotion putting a slight quaver into her voice. “I kept them for you, if you ever wanted them.”

Grief closes around my throat like a fist, but I swallow past the lump as I turn back to Odelia.

“Not… not yet,” I tell her. “But someday.”

She seems to find that an acceptable answer as she stands and walks out from behind her desk and takes my shoulders in a light grip.

“Whenever you’re ready,” she says, understanding sparkling in her dark eyes, my father’s dark eyes, my dark eyes.

She’s still Odelia, though, so the tender moment only lasts a few seconds before she releases my shoulders and goes back to sit down behind her desk.

“Rest up,” she says. “And take a couple days off. We’ll start working on getting everything sorted on Monday.”

“Alright,” I say, heading for the door. “Enjoy the rest of your Samhain, Odelia.”

She mumbles her own goodbye and waves me off, already turning her attention back to whatever important matters she’s got laid out on her desk. I’ve just reached the door when a wry smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

“And thanks,” I tell her, glancing back over my shoulder. “For trusting me enough not to barbecue any of our guests.”

A flash of…somethingcrosses Odelia’s face. An expression tight and strange enough to have me turning back around, suspicion rising in my gut.

“What?” I ask.

Is it… guilt? No. Not possible. Odelia Bramwell is not capable of looking guilty.

“I…” she starts, bracing both her hands on the desk. “There may have been…”

“There may have beenwhat,” I prompt, but I’m pretty sure I already know what she’s getting at.

“Look, Rosemary,” Odelia says, all business again. “They were just… a few wards. Some fire suppressants to make sure—”

Improbable, unstoppable laughter bubbles up in my throat, and before she can finish, I’m doubled over with it. Giggling uncontrollably, it takes a few moments for me to get enough air to answer her.

“Oh, my god,” I say, still wheezing. “Iknewyou weren’t that insane. I mean, yeah, you’re insane. But I’m glad you’d draw the line at incinerating some humans.”

I think I see the corner of Odelia’s lip twitch, but it must just be a play of the candlelight.

“At any rate,” she says. “It would seem those precautions were unnecessary. I knew you and your demon would do spectacularly, and you did.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Mydemon? What makes you think—”

“Please, Rosemary. What did I tell you about being able to sense Bramwell family magick? You didn’t think I’d notice all those little power spikes when you were getting up to whatever it is you’ve been doing with the demon and the—”

“Alright, alright,” I say, holding my hands up in surrender. “Noted. I’m going to do a better job of keeping a lid on things.”

“You do that,” she says curtly, then nods toward the door. “And enjoy the rest of your night.”

The way she says it, with a sparkle in her eye that almost seems like teasing, makes me laugh again as I give her a little wave and head out of her office.

Striding down the hallway, it hits me.

I’ve chosen. I’m staying. I’m a Bramwell witch of Edgar’s Acres and this is the path I’ve set myself on.

The certainty of that choice courses through me with a steady determination and a reminder of the other choice I still have to make.

The one I’m going to maketonight.

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