Page 28 of Pure Magic
SARA BETH
Sabbath goes on regardless of the drama that played out earlier. The long table stretches half the length of the lower gathering room. Most coven members are in attendance. A feast is laid with chicken, pork, turnips, carrots, and potatoes.
The crowd is lively, and at the far end, Kaden MacNab commands a feminine audience keen on his levity.
Three places down on my left, Adam scowls and eats his chicken as if the poor animal did him harm.
Sylvia’s laughter cuts through the din, as she enjoys a having a new man in the house. It’s probably the first time in two hundred years five men sat at the coven table for a meal.
Seated next to Sir William, Henry Dove looks ready to fight for her attention, though he says and does nothing.
More country witches than usual are present for Sabbath.
I lean toward Prudence. “Great Mother, what do you think of the addition to the group we’ve assembled tonight?”
“Sabbath is often a time to see how a coven melds. This coven is in transition. I see warmth.” She points to William and Esme chatting with Minerva and Jonah. “Family.” She gestures to June at a small table caring for the two toddlers. “Frivolity is a nice inclusion.” She smiles down the table at the ladies vying for Kaden’s attention.
“I don’t think he’s living in the light of Goddess.” My gut twists with an all too familiar worry. If Kaden is dark, then what of Adam? “Perhaps not, but he’s not looking to become part of our coven. I’m not entirely certain why Kaden has come.”
Prudence levels her gray eyes on me. “What will you do?”
A wiser witch wouldn’t have invited an unknown to her bed, but I can’t regret the night spent with him. Each evening, I sense his desire to be back in the sheets with me, but I resist. Now that part of his past has been revealed, perhaps that was the smartest thing I’ve done regarding Adam MacNab. “Wait and see. It’s better to have Kaden close and watch over him than be surprised by him.”
“It is wise to keep your enemies close.” She eats a few bites of mashed turnips with butter and cream.
“Are we certain he’s an enemy?” Kaden and Adam are so different yet so similar.
Winnie Treacher leans over and says something to Adam.
He laughs, and his smile sends a thrill to my belly.
With a steady glare down the table, Prudence says, “He is not a friend, but I can’t say for certain he’s an adversary. He bears watching.” She eats the last of her food. “I noticed the friendship between you and Adam has cooled. Is his brother the reason?”
“Caution is the reason.” It’s honest enough that Prudence won’t ask any more personal questions during a crowded feast. In the past, I might have been furious with Adam for withholding vital information. The last few years have taught me that people remain silent on subjects for many reasons, and they are not all bad. Still, him having two dark witches in his family could be a sign I should remain wary.
The meal ends, and witches clear the table. The tables are moved to the sides of the room. Neighbors begin to filter in, each bringing some kind of sweet or wine. Several stand in the corner with fiddles and a bass and begin playing a lively tune.
Sylvia and Kaden start dancing, and others join in.
I take a small glass of wine and make sure to speak to each of our neighbors. Many of them have been raised next door to the coven, as had their parents before them.
The music grows soft, and Sylvia joins me by the door for some air. “You should dance, Sara Beth.”
“You like this Kaden?” I ask. Sylvia isn’t one to hold back, and I’ve always felt I could be direct with her.
She shrugs. “He’s fun and full of life. Not the settling-down type though.”
Smiling so the others in the room don’t know the serious nature of our conversation, I ask, “Is he worth alienating a man who might be the settling-down type and certainly has shown his interest in you?”
With a quick scan of the room, her gaze settles on Henry standing like a guard by the back door. “Henry Dove is not a witch.”
“No. Is that a quality that’s important to you?” I feel Adam’s attention on me but force myself not to look for him.
Wide-eyed, she stutters. “I never considered the—I mean, I’m not a bigot. It’s only that I always assumed if I settled down it would be with a witch.”
“Ideas change. Just look how much this house of ours has changed in the last year or so. If Kaden is worth losing the way Henry looks at you, then find your joy where you can, Sylvia. I only want to point out that you seemed to enjoy Henry’s attention for the last several months.”
Men, women, and witches all in one place and enjoying the bounty of life on a Sabbath night. It’s a fine night.
