Page 67 of Heart of a Witch
“Whatever. Here.” She threw it to the ground in front of me, missing my hand. “Have a good day.” With that, she stormed out the door. After it shut, I looked at Cas incredulously. “She’s got an attitude on her.”
He chuckled. “She’s seventeen. You were worse.”
I picked up the bag. “I wasn’t using dark magic.”
He huffed out a breath. “We will deal with this another time. We need to get to the shop to open it. I’ve spread the word among the church community.”
“Elijah said he would be there, but I doubt he’ll come after yesterday.”
“No matter.” He grabbed his jacket from the coat stand. “It’s chilly outside.”
I nodded, grabbing my coat. “Tell me more of these rumors about Damian on the way.”
“There’s not many more.” He opened the door, and the harsh cold air hit me when I stepped outside, watering my eyes. “Apparently he sent away a human for doing witchcraft some years ago. His children’s nanny. Oh, and he’s terrified of disappointing the high priest who comes to town annually. He was Damian’s mentor, and he’s after the job. He’d do anything to become high priest, but there can only be one.”
We reached the gate, and I hugged my coat tighter around my black-and-red dress. “Anything else?”
“I did hear something from Lady Montague. She said the maids at the mansion have said that Damian has some kind of sexual suppression, that he punishes himself when he feels anything down there.” He cleared his throat. “Mental case.”
“That is a huge rumor!” I said. “We can use it.”
“How? Are you going to torture him with seduction? I don’t think you could or should have to stomach that.”
I clicked my tongue. “Absolutely not, but I will find a way to incorporate it into our plan. We vowed to do anything to make him suffer.”
He lowered his gaze to the carpeted ground of skeletal leaves. “I know. We’ve lost so much. I’ve heard news that Mother’s health isn’t any better. She’s worried about us.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. “She’s safe away from all of this.”
“She’s heartbroken.” The lump in his throat moved. “I’ve written to her. Once we’re done here, we will go back to her.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood erect. I forgot there was an after to our plan. Would I be able to move on? An image Ember’s fear-laced eyes from that night swam in my mind, palpating my heart. I squeezed my fingers into a fist. How could we go back to being a family when we were one missing? A hollow feeling followed me down the road as I followed Cas into town. I wished we’d ordered a carriage, but the walk ended up being good for my head.
“We have an audience,” Cas whispered when I stepped up beside him, approaching the curved windows of our shop. The painters had coated the exterior in dark green, making it stand out from the two, with flaky paint, on either side. Above the first curved window was our name, Weathermore, and over the second window, the lettering “Apothecary.” Pillars of dark green lined either side of the door, with gold embellishments curling around it. In the dimly lit windows, bottles and vases stood on the polished mahogany shelves behind the glass crossed with lead.
Cas shook the hands of those in the small crowd, all members of the church community who’d gathered to support us. He opened the narrow double doors and pushed back the curtains covering the arched glass on them to let in some light. “Welcome.”
I followed in behind him. I noticed he’d added some charms for the superstitious—a clever move in this town, I had to admit—and some Noelle decorations on the shelves filling the three walls.
Behind his counter were cabinets, over them, the word Dispensing. I checked the time on the clock on the wall between two shelves. It was only ten in the morning. The day was going to be long. I’d almost forgotten how work felt, it had been so long. I opened some of the drawers, rolling the bottles filled with various powders and herbs, and blew out a long breath. It was a long stretch from our colorful shop back home, but I was still proud of Cas. His last shop had been falling apart with waning supplies. Now, he had enough to last him a year. He’d opened the business he’d always wanted.
My heart ballooned when I saw it, the perfume stand in the corner. It was an odd addition to an apothecary shop, yet it fit perfectly. I hadn’t known he was having one fitted, a nod to our Ember. I swallowed thickly and found him talking to two customers. He pulled out two teas, rose mint and sweet thyme, both his own signature, and handed them in pouches to customers.
I moved to another section. Sweet-smelling herbs replaced the more earthy smells, with a hint of spice. The bell tinkled all day over the door as more people came and went. We sold more than expected, and Cas was grinning ear to ear. I replaced two bottles of lavender and sage and restocked the soaps.
“Victoria.” Fingers tapped my shoulder, jolting me. “It’s only me.”
I turned slowly. I knew his voice. “Elijah. I am surprised you came.”
“I know you want me to stay away.” His expression hardened. “But I said I would come, and I wanted to thank your brother in person for saving my life. It was, after all, his antidote which helped the snake bite.”
And my sharing the bite, I thought bitterly, then shook my head, snapping myself out of it. “I was upset yesterday.”
“Say no more.” He turned toward where my brother was standing at the counter. “I will go say my thanks. I also have a business proposition for him.”
I reached forward, my fingers lacing against his. “Elijah, wait.”
He stopped mid-step. “What?”
