Page 79 of Night of the Vampire
“Holy crap.” Her teacup clattered on the table as she suddenly set it down. “You actually care about him.”
I looked down at my hands, twisted together on the table. She was right. I did care about Killian. Of course, I did.
“Yes, well, even so, I have to say I'm not comfortable with this, Lizzy. And what about you?”
“What about me?” I asked her.
“Honey, by some miracle, you've made it this far in your life without hurting anybody with your magic. But that's not gonna last. The older you get, the more powerful you will be.”
I tried to blow off what she was saying, but she gripped my wrist tight, forcing me to look at her.
“You have magic inside of you, Lizzy. We all feel it. I can feel it roiling around in there right now. It’s powerful, honey. And if you don't know how to contain and control that power, things can get really bad really fast. You could hurt someone. You could hurt yourself.” She released my arm, rubbing her temple. “I wish you would stay here with us.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Jude, but I can't. Broadway has always been my dream, and I'm going for it. It’s not New York, but it’s as close as I’m ever going to get. Besides,” I tried for a smile, but didn’t quite make it. “I’ll be back to visit whenever I can.”
My aunt searched my face. “You belong here.”
I shook my head. “I’m not a witch. And I never will be.”
“But that's where you're wrong,” Aunt Judy said. “You are a witch. And you always will be.”
I didn’t try to argue with her, knowing it would be pointless.
“What about the store?” she asked.
“I’m going to see if Mike wants to take over for me while I’m gone. I don’t want to sell it,” I assured her. “It’s been in the family for a long time.”
“Maybe I’ll have one of the girls help him out. That is, if you’d like.” She raised her eyebrows in question and I nodded. “And that way, we’ll have access to the back room. If you agree.”
Pulling the spare key to the store from my pocket, I slid it across the table to her. “That's okay with me,” I told her.
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”
“Nothing at all,” I told her gently.
Her smile was sad. “Well, you’re a grown woman. I suppose you can make your own decisions.”
I snorted. “Thanks.”
“But you know where I am,” she told me. “Please, please don't hesitate to call me if anything at all happens. I don't care where you are. Or what time it is. You call. We will come to you.”
“I will. I promise.” Standing up, I took my cup to the sink and then reached down and gave her a hug.
“I’m sorry about everything,” I told her. “I really am.”
“Oh, I know you are, honey. And I am, too. We’re family, Lizzy. I’ll always be here for you.”
“Same here,” I told her. After all, this woman and her coven were all I had other than Killian. And honestly, I didn't want to live my life alone. It was nice to know someone would always be there.
“When you get all this showbiz stuff out of your system,” she said. “You come back to me.” Grabbing my hand, she stood up. “Promise me that you'll come back to me.”
“I promise,” I told her with another hug. She squeezed me back with more strength than a woman her age should have. Gathering up my things, I got ready to head to the door.
“And don’t forget, call if anything strange happens. Anything you can't control. If you notice an ant doing what you tell it to do, you call me.”
“I will.”
The day after the audition, at the shop with Mike, I found out I'd gotten the part. "Hey Mike!" I called into the back room.
