Page 22 of Witch's Rite
"You're kidding!" Juno's mouth dropped open.
"No," I said and proceeded to tell her my life story, and how I came about knowing my truth. Or at leastoneof my truths.
I told her about growing up in the middle of nowhere, with my deeply religious parents and their community. How I never felt like I truly belonged but couldn't put my finger on why. My parents didn't approve of me going to college, for fear of my mind being poisoned with sin and worldly ideas. I got my first taste of the real world in college. I indulged in things like caffeine, alcohol, and premarital sex. I enjoyed the so-called sinful things much more than my strict, uptight home life, but guilt and obligation kept me from leaving home or pursuing a career.
It wasn't until last year that I cut the cord for good. I left home and took a Greyhound bus as far as I could afford, which happened to be San Francisco. I met Nona and started up my successful tea shop. Last month we went to a party and had our fortunes told by a tarot reader, who seemed to know an eerie amount about me.
Everything changed that night.
I started having dreams and Diana showed up at my place the next day. She informed me that my parents adopted me and I was born from a long line of witches.
"Wow." Juno's massive eyes stared at me unblinking. "That is one hell of a story."
"The exciting parts are, at least," I chuckled. "There's a whole lot of boring in between."
"If I may ask," Juno said gently. "What happened to your birth parents?"
"My mom died soon after I was born," I said truthfully. "And my dad apparently didn't want me so he took off."
I didn't want to get into potential death deals with demons, nor my current love life with said creatures. As nice as Juno seemed, she was still a stranger and I had no idea if she carried the same feelings toward demons as my grandmother did. Talking to another witch was great but my instinct was to protect my guys first.
"I'm so sorry," Juno said sympathetically. "I can't even imagine a childhood without magic, without that part of you being cultivated and encouraged."
The green tones in her aura shifted to a cool blue, indicating her empathy for everything I missed while growing up. I didn't feel pity from her though, which I appreciated.
"Well, I'm doing my best with the hand I was dealt," I replied.
Three hot men from the depths of Hell does make it a little easier in some ways, although they come with their own cans of worms.
"You are definitely catching up quickly! I never would have known," she said excitedly. "So is it just your grandmother teaching you? Do you have a coven?"
I shook my head. "You and she are the only two I know."
Except for the bartenders at Triple Moon, but no one else needs to see me necking in a dark corner with three demons.
"Oh, you've got to meet our High Priest and Priestess," Juno declared, leaning forward eagerly. "It can be hard to find a good community and they're very welcoming to newcomers. You could even attend a coven meeting and see what we're all about."
"Really?" I blurted, feeling like I was invited to a super secret, exclusive club.
"Yes, really. There's no commitment to join. They're actually very selective about who officially becomes coven members. You have to mesh well with the group and be dedicated throughout the long process. But there's no harm in casual meetings."
"A meet-and-greet doesn't sound bad," I said cautiously, although a tremor of nervousness fluttered in my stomach. Juno made no mention of the darkness in my aura yet, but Diana said it wasn’t overwhelming. Would the older, more experienced witches be able to see it too and suspect demons in my company? And if so, how would they react?
"I'll give you my number," Juno said, pulling out her phone. "And we can arrange for you to meet Laurel and John, then take it from there."
"Sounds good," I agreed.
We exchanged information and only then did I look through the shimmery veneer of the glamour spell to check on Nona. The poor girl was dealing with a line going out the door, so I said a quick goodbye to Juno and jumped behind the counter to help her.
I mumbled my apologies as I flew back and forth, preparing orders with a renewed fire under my heels. The idea of meeting more powerful witches was both exhilarating and terrifying.
12
DEJA
As if I didn't have enough excitement for one day, Raum decided to show up right before closing.
"You guys will be the death of me," I said, my body already heating with desire.
