Page 22 of Cursed Sight
“Junior, take a breath. Serena is merely trying to help and you’re being an ass!”
When he did as Brandy and Debbie had asked, his magic drew back.
“You okay?” she asked Ethan.
The muscle in his jaw was clenched.
“Take a breath,” she said again. His second breath cleared the air, and things clattered onto the table.
No one spoke as the aggressive energy in the room lingered. Serena looked at Brandy and swirled her finger in gesture before blowing breath out.
Raising a hand, Brandy opened one of the french doors before calling air forth. A breeze blew into the room, gathered the negative energy, and swept it out. It was something Serena could have done easily enough, but she did not want to stir any more problems.
“What was that?” James asked.
“All the tension needed to be removed from the room. Brandy used her power to gather it and send it off,” Ryan told them.
“What about the shit that floated? Who did that?” Carter asked.
“Ethan,” Max stated.
Serena looked down the table at Junior and forced herself to remain open and calm. “Junior, you’re obviously the head of the household for the Brodericks now that your father has passed. I respect this fact. On the other hand, as a high priestess, I will be shown respect. I won’t be bullied or spoken to in this manner. If not for your sister, brother, and Ryan, this would have gone differently. I do not answer to any of you.”
“Junior,” Debbie hissed.
“I apologize,” he stated halfheartedly and sighed. “I don’t even realize I’m even doing it.”
“I’d be more than happy to help you master your gift,” Serena said, surprising herself at the offer. Next to her, Ethan tensed, and her friends watched her closely. She was not quite sure what it was about this family. “My father abandoned my mother and me when he chose to work for a demon. She and grandmother raised me. My mother was gifted the elemental power of earth. She could take any plant on the verge of death and not only bring them to life but it would become three times its size. It was amazing to watch. My grandmother, on the other hand, was the coven oracle, like your brother is now.”
Ethan dropped his head as his name was whispered around the table. Serena squeezed his hand once more, and their eyes met. She gave him an encouraging smile as pride filled her.
“It turns out I was chosen for the gift of sight, and I’ve accepted my place among the Bishop Coven as their oracle.”
The room erupted with excitement and awe, and his brothers and sisters-in-law bombarded Ethan with question after question. It hadn’t been her intention to divert the conversation or share his news, but it slipped out. His family deserved to feel the same pride Brandy and she felt.
Chapter 15
“So what’s going on with you and the high priestess?” Andrea asked as she walked Ethan to the door.
“She’s a great mentor,” he said, nodding.
“Mentor… Is that what we’re calling it nowadays?” She chuckled.
Ethan kissed her cheek. “Good night, trouble.”
“Good night,oracle.” She teased, but he saw the delight shining bright in her eyes.
Things had gone in a different direction than he’d expected tonight. His family had accepted Serena with surprisingly open arms by the end of the night. The rocky bit after their meal had made him want to whisk her away from his brother. Junior always meant well, but the depth of his love for their family meant he tended to go too far at times.
At home, Ethan grabbed a glass and filled it with water. He swallowed the cool liquid and set his glass in the empty sink before padding to his room. He wondered what Serena thought of his family. He debated with his desire to check in on her. Instead of possibly intruding on her privacy, he plucked his phone from his back pocket and dropped onto his bed.
Ethan: Sorry about Junior tonight.
Serena: You already apologized.
Ethan: I know. I just feel awful. He was a dick.
Serena: He loves you guys.
