Page 2 of Sanctuary with a Dragon
A courier?
Had I ordered something and forgotten about it?
I opened the door, blinking at the older, balding man holding a thin, crisp envelope.
“Package for Miss Winters.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Sign here, please.”
I signed, thanked him, and shut the door, examining the return address. It was from a lawfirm I’d never heard of. The envelope was lightweight, and it bore a real wax seal. Frowning, I carried it to my kitchen table, setting it down beside my now-lukewarm tea.
Inside was a handwritten note—from Gran.
My breath caught with overwhelming emotion, and I quickly unfolded it.
Dearest Everly,
I can only imagine your surprise upon receiving a letter from your deceased grandmother. I'm sorry for the shock, my dear, but I have a few things I need to share with you. If this letter has reached you, it means I wasn't able to tell you in person.
Consider this my plan B.
I sniffled and laughed. Gran and her backup plans—she was famous for them.
If you're anything like the other women in the Winters family, you're probably feeling a bit lost right now.
You may feel alone after my passing.
I'm sorry, my dear.
I'm so sorry.
But for one thing, you're not alone. I'm in heaven, it's true, but I'm still watching out for you, my only granddaughter. You are precious to me, no matter which side of the veil I'm on. I'm on your side, Everly. And so is your grandfather. We love you dearly.
And secondly? Well, brace yourself, dear one. Your life is about to change—dramatically.
First, I need to share a bit of Winters family history with you.
Several centuries ago, one of our ancestors saved the child of a famous warlock of that time. She leaped into a river heavy with floating chunks of ice and managed to get the little girl to shore before the river pulled her away again. The warlock came running at the sound of his child's screams, and after the child tearfully explained what had happened, he rushed to save our ancestor.
He did rescue her, but her health was never the same.
Her name was Miranda Winters. She developed pneumonia from the frigid water, and on her deathbed—after the warlock had done all he could—he promised a blessing of magic upon all Winter female descendants.
The blessing, in essence, is this: Every female descendant who has not found happiness, fulfillment, and joy by the time they reach forty years of age will have the magic placed upon our matriarchal line activated.
And the magic never seems to work the same way twice.
My grandmother was transported to another time, fell in love, and returned to ours. My mother was transformed into a cat and taken in by a lonely man. When the spell broke, boy, was he surprised!
I laughed and put my hands to my cheeks. Oh, that must have been a shock. That poor man.
The magic didn’t affect me at forty because I found Henry shortly after my twenty-first birthday. One day, for no apparent reason, I was fired from a job I had held for years. The only work available at the time was with HenryCaruthers—my hated nemesis. He came from a prominent family, rich as the day is long. Their family owned nearly everything in town. I swallowed my pride, applied to their logging company to keep their books, was hired… and the rest is history. Despite our rocky start, Henry and I fell in love.
Everly, I don’t know how the magic will change your life, but it will. The change might seem difficult at first, but take heart—nothing truly good comes easily. We fight for what matters most, and you—my dearest—are a fighter. You may not see it, but I have. Whenever life got tough, whenever you faced heartache, whenever setbacks came, you rallied.
You've done so much good, dearest.
