Page 2 of Cursed Sight
Ethan Broderick.
It was Ethan’s sister, Brandy, whom Volark had wanted to strip powers from—powers unlike any Serena had ever borne witness to. Hell, Brandy was strong enough to lay claim as high priestess to multiple covens if she wanted to.
Serena wanted to take out the threat of her immediately, but a part of Serena had been too stunned by the beauty of the goddess’s gift. She tested the witch, partly driven by jealousy, and over time, she realized Brandy truthfully did not want to claim Serena’s position.
If not for Ryan, one of her coven’s witches, requesting Serena’s help in the matter, she would not have met Ethan. Like his sister, his powers were new to him. Unlike his sister, he was an underdeveloped oracle.
While Brandy could call the elements and wield them like they were a piece of her, Ethan’s gift of sight was exactly what her coven needed. There were few oracles in the world. Having one to call upon would help Serena protect her coven.
In the short time she’d worked with him, his powers had multiplied. Serena’s smile disappeared, and a frown tipped her lips downward. She could only imagine how much more he could have accomplished if they had worked together in the last month.
Ignoring the strange twinge in her chest, she set her cards on the table and placed the large smoky quartz back on top of the deck. Waving a hand toward the door, she revealed her hidden protection charm and verified it had not been tampered with. Serena repeated this once more before putting out her incense.
Her long skirt wrapped around her legs as she stepped into the private space in the back. She used it for readings, reserving the room below for her coven’s work. Serena pulled the curtain closed, separating the shop into two, before turning off the lights and slipping up the stairs to her apartment above the shop.
Ethan had obligations like the rest of them. If he wanted to continue broadening his gifts, now with the threat against his sister gone, he knew where to find Serena.
She had never chased after a man—not that anything had happened between her and Ethan—and she refused to start now. Ethan’s deep-set eyes came to mind as she wondered if they would meet again to practice magic.
Her hand pressed against her stomach when a flutter teased below the surface. “No, you’re no longer a foolish young girl. Ethan is good for the coven. That’s all,” she scolded herself.
The stairs opened into her living room. A loveseat was pushed against the wall and faced one large window. The coffee table in the center had stacks of books sitting on the bottom shelf, and a lamp in the corner cast a yellow glow into the room. Two palms decorated the room, as well as one large framed image of the moon overlooking a lake.
Serena ignored the space and turned to her left. She passed her small U-shaped kitchen with an island and dark cherry cabinets, which looked nearly black in the light of the night. If she turned her attention, she would see a large amethyst geode on the center of the countertop.
She flipped on the light in her room, then paused by the nightstand and picked up the wooden picture frame. Peace and sadness whirled within her at the image. Her grandmother’s kind and intelligent eyes were crinkled on the edges, and a smile brightened her face as she hugged Serena’s younger self.
Mimi had been the coven’s last oracle. She was the reason Serena felt she could help Ethan grow into his goddess-given gifts. Mimi had told her repeatedly to not mourn the dead, for they had found their peace. It was easy to say when a piece of you was not missing and filled with sorrow.
Mimi was not only her grandmother but her best friend, a staple in Serena’s life, and then one day, she was merely gone. No more calls or cups of tea. No more laughter or joy. No more advice or shoulders to cry on.
She kissed two fingers and laid them against the glass before setting down the frame. “I miss you, Mimi.” All the hair on her body stood on end, and she chuckled. “All right, all right,” she told no one.
Pushing aside her morose mood, she lit a cone of palo santo she kept on her nightstand before making her way into the bathroom. It was not large by any standards, but it was perfect for her needs. A single vanity sat next to a toilet, and a shower bathtub combo was across from it. In the corner was a small wooden cabinet. On top was an African violet with a large rose quartz stone in front of it.
Serena stripped out of her clothes and braided her hair as the water in the shower warmed. She wrapped her braid into a bun and stepped into the water spray. Steam billowed as she inhaled the aroma of her lavender bodywash.
All thoughts of Ethan and Mimi pushed to below the surface, where they belonged. Serena relied on her magic to hold on to the peace her routine provided her. Determined to have a restful night’s sleep, unlike the weeks past, she slid into bed after drying. The cool sheets caressed her body, and her long eyelashes fanned across the soft skin of her face.
When his strong jaw came into view, Serena’s lips pressed into a tight line.“Somnum!”she snapped, commanding sleep to take her under.
Chapter 2
Holding open the door with his shoulder, Ethan rolled his carry-on bag into his darkened apartment. With a push of his forearm, he turned on the lights as he juggled the mail he cradled to his chest. He released the handle to his luggage and turned the deadbolt, a soft click sounding as it fell into place. If he were his sister, he could have done it with a simple flick of the fingers.
It had only been a few months since he’d learned he was born to witches. Odd visions of things he never should have known or seen had plagued him growing up, but they were never consistent. Since none of his siblings had reported experiencing similar things, he’d kept his oddity to himself.
Ethan dropped the stack of mail, mostly junk, on the kitchen counter and laid his computer bag next to it. He had no intention of opening his laptop for a day at least, if not more. The resumes sitting in his inbox could wait until the morning. Exhaustion from the last month of traveling city to city interviewing candidates weighed heavily on his shoulders.
His family was his world and the only constant in his visions. Any time he worried over them or even was in deep thought about one of them, their faces flashed in his mind. The images never held for more than a second or two, but it was long enough to calm him. He should feel guilty for looking in on them without permission, but it was never meant to be an invasion of their privacy.
Everything had changed a few months ago when Brandy found herself in trouble. Now all his brothers knew their family secret, and Ethan, like Brandy, was learning how to develop his gifts.
Ethan rolled his luggage down the hall and into his bedroom. A California King filled most of his room and had nightstands on each side. Across from the large bed was his matching mahogany chest.
After parking the bag next to his chest, he removed his cell phone from it and pressed the power button. No new notifications had come through, outside of another work email, which, in that moment, did not count. Ethan ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
A month had passed, one long month in which all he wanted was to call Serena. Every night, no matter the hotel or city, he practiced calling his visions forward on command. He was fine-tuning his gift, and she was the person he wanted to celebrate with.
