Page 108 of Bewitched By the Djinn
“The first time you used your magic, perhaps?” He turns the keychain over once more, thoughtful. “That’s not silly.”
I pause, struck by the idea. Was it? And how did he know? How does he just... getme? How does he understand it’s not just the memory, but the weight of it? “I want a little piece of this place with me.”
He sets the keychain down gently on the nightstand, like it’s precious. “Then we take it with us. All of it. The silly and the sacred.”
Downstairs, Mimi and Jackie are making cookies, the scents of sugar and vanilla drifting up the stairs. Mom and Dad are down there playing board games with Kevin at the dining table.
The sound of their antics makes my heart swell. Jackie’s laughter is stronger now.She’sstronger. Color in her cheeks, energy in her voice. It’s like someone turned the lights back on inside her.
Nostalgia hits me right in the gut. I’m going to miss this.
Bennet turns toward me, propping his chin on one hand. “It’s a good home.”
Of course he knows exactly how I feel.
“It was. It is.” I glance around the room—my cracked mirror, the posters from high school, the shelf of books now half empty. “But I’m ready for something new. With you.”
His hand finds mine. “We don’t have to leave right away.”
“I know. But I want to.” I exhale, letting the tension go with it. “This place, it held me together when I was young, then I held it together when my parents were gone. But now I can let go, breathe deeper somewhere else.”
He squeezes my fingers. “Wherever you breathe, I’ll be there.”
“God, you’re cheesy.”
“For you? Tragically.”
We both laugh, and I lean my head on his shoulder. For a few seconds, the house wraps around us in peaceful silence, the kind that comes after a storm.
A few minutes later, I’ve shoved all I can into a couple bags, Bennet slings one of the heavier ones over his shoulder like it’s nothing, and I loop my arms through the handles of the last one. My room is both too full and too empty.
I’ve packed most of the things I want to bring. I can always come back later. I will come back later. This isn’t goodbye, it’s only see you later, and yet moving to another dimension sure does have a ring of finality to it.
We head downstairs, and right as we set our bags by the door, someone knocks.
I glance over at Bennet. Who could that be?
He opens the door, and Richard waltzes in. “Anyone order a ridiculously handsome witch with impeccable timing?” He’s wearing a velvet blazer that sparkles like it’s been dipped in sequins.
“You total dick.”The fury hits so fast I’m moving before the last word exits my mouth. Bennet’s arm is across my middle, holding me back. “You knew. You got them into Aetheria—my parents—and you didn’t think maybe, I don’t know, leaving a backup plan might be smart? Or maybe telling their children so we wouldn’t spend years thinking they were dead? Wondering if they abandoned us? Watching Jackie waste away with no answers?” My voice climbs. “We didn’t even get a note!”
Richard blinks, expression schooled into something halfway between regret and theatrical pity. “I would like to remind you how useful my hex bags were, if you’re considering who to include in your wedding party.”
Is he for real right now? “Yeah, I know. The stupid hex bags were good. They warded off the dark magic. Great job. But that doesn’t erase the fact that you still acted like a complete sociopath.”
He waves a hand, unbothered. “Well, sure. And they also helped bring the right person in.”
I blink. “Wait. What?”
He inspects his nails. “I may have added a little something. Nothing too invasive! Just a wee enchantment to amplify connections, open paths, light little sparks if the timing was right.”
My mouth pops open. “You meddled.”
“Darling, I’m a witch. Meddling is in the job description. Besides, it was nothing that dramatic. I was a mere facilitator. You’re the one who fell in love. I just made sure the path was lit.” Richard grins. “How else would you have found your soulmatewho lived in another realm? How else was he going to show up at your door to teach Jackie how to access powers no one has seen this side of the veil in centuries? How else were you going to be there to let him in? Your parents had to leave, he had to come here, and you had to go there. It’s all very circular, you see.” He tips his head, enigmatic. “Even fate needs a nudge sometimes.”
My mind is exploding. Is he suggesting all of this had to happen for me and Bennet to meet? My parents had to go to Aetheria and join their band of misfits to be in the right place at the right time? But why? “Why do you even care so much?”
He offers a sly smile. “Let’s just say your line and mine have crossed paths before. Once or twice. Or even many times.” His eyes gleam, a flicker of something ancient beneath the glamour. “You could call it ancestral interest.”
