Page 35 of These Witches Don't Burn
“To be fair, I have witnesses that can prove I did not start that fire. And I’m fairly certain I told the detective we should wait for you.”
Dad crosses his arms, scowling. “That is not the point.”
“The point,” Mom cuts in, “is that we explicitly told you to stay out of trouble. Lady Ariana warned you not to use your powers in public, but given the ‘unusual’ way the fire burned itself out before the fire trucks arrived, you clearly did not listen.”
“What was I supposed to do? Let the house burn to the ground?”
“Yes,” Mom says at the same time Dad says, “No,” which earns him one of Mom’s signature glares.
He deflates and leans against the counter. “We know you’re not a bad kid. So level with us, Hannah. What happened tonight?”
“I don’t even know where to start.” I glance at Mom, but she just tips back her glass and reaches for the bottle. “Gem invited me to the party, and I thought it’d be a good distraction. So I went.”To investigate Evan.Thankfully, I keep that truth locked inside. “I was talking to this new girl when the fire started. I got her out, then went back in.”
Mom pinches the bridge of her nose. “Why would you possibly do that?”
“Benton was trapped inside on the second floor. I couldn’t leave him there.”
“Hannah.” Dad sounds exhausted. But what is he going to do? Yell at me for not letting someone burn to death? “You don’t have to be a superhero.”
“I wasn’t trying to! I just didn’t want him todie.”
Mom scrutinizes me, her eyes narrowing as her gaze sweeps across my throat. Her lips press into a thin line. “What is that?”
“What’s what?” But my traitorous hands reach for the stones hanging around my neck.
“Hannah Marie Walsh, if those are spelled stones, so helpme...” Mom steps forward and holds out her hand, snatching the stones away the second I place them in her palm. She winds the metal chain around her hand, and the stones begin to glow. “Let’s try this again, shall we? Why did you go to the party tonight?”
Heat pours into my chest, stronger and more demanding than the secondhand effects I felt at the party, and I’m delighted to answer. “To question Evan.” The serene feeling evaporates the second the words leave my lips. Cold sweat prickles across my skin.
What did I do?
If Veronica’s magic was even a fraction as strong as Mom’s, Evan must have felt so violated. And Morgan... God, I’m a bigger creep than Nolan, messing with her emotions like that. She probably has no real interest in me at all. Even if she had a tiny crush when we first met, the stones probably forced it into something more.
I feel sick.
Mom squeezes the stones in her hand. “And why, exactly, did you usemagicto question a Reg?”
Some small part of my brain protests, but the urge to tell my mom everything is too strong to ignore. I tell her all about Evan visiting the shop, both before the bonfire and the day I found the bloody runes. I tell her about scrying for a Blood Witch with Veronica. About how we thought it might be Evan.
Then the rambling really begins. I tell my parents about Veronica spelling the stones for me, about Evan’s family troubles, and even the kiss with Morgan. I’m completely mortified as I listen to myself worry about how the stones violated Morgan’s trust and how can I possibly hope to date her without apologizing but how can I apologize when she doesn’t know magic is real.And then I finally get to the smoke and the rushing, the moment I realized the fire couldn’t be the work of a Blood Witch. My justification for diving back into the house to save my friend.
“I swear I don’t have a hero complex, but I couldn’t let Benton get hurt.”
There’s silence in our kitchen after that. Mom’s second glass of wine stands forgotten on the counter.
Dad reaches for Mom’s hand, takes the stones away, and sets them beside the bottle of wine. “Do we have to be worried about the detective? Does he know anything that puts the coven in danger?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. He acted like he thought I did it, but he never filed charges.” A humorless laugh escapes my lips. “He doesn’t have any idea what’s really going on.”
Dad is less amused. “What did he ask about specifically?”
“He thought I was responsible for the animal sacrifice last week.” I close my eyes and try to remember if there’s anything else, anything that would give our coven away. “He was more concerned with who set the fire, not how it went out so quickly. I think we’re safe.”
My parents share a look, but it’s guarded enough that I can’t read its meaning.
“Are you going to tell Lady Ariana?” She’s therealexecutioner, after all. If she deemed it necessary, she could petition the Council to strip me of my powers, and with them, everything that makes me an Elemental. Everything that makes me who I am.
Mom shakes her head. “We haven’t decided yet. We’re going to call Veronica’s parents in the morning and make sure they’re aware of her part in this.” Mom nods to the crystals on our counter. “But I don’t think involving your grandmother will benecessary. We’re perfectly capable of dealing with your transgressions ourselves.”
