by T K Eldridge
“Thanks, Grampa. I really appreciate it.”
The call disconnected and I pulled up to Mira’s where I unloaded the packing supplies onto the front porch, then unlocked the door. “Mira, I’m back.” I called out.
“I’m in the kitchen,” she replied.
There were already tote bins and reusable shopping bags filled and stacked in the living room. I brought the supplies to the kitchen doorway and stood in awe. Every cabinet was emptied and the contents stacked on the counters and table. “Want me to make boxes or load the stuff you’ve already got packed up?”
“Load up what’s out there first, then come make boxes and help me? Don’t worry, we’re not hauling all the dishes, just my crystal, a couple of mugs and the food.”
“You got it. Oh, and Grampa said he’s got one of his guys shadowing Leah, Tom, and the boys to make sure they’re okay.”
I watched the tension slide from Mira’s shoulders at those words. “Oh, thank the gods. That makes me feel so much better.”
“Yeah, me too. My Grampa is the best. Okay, I’ll get to work.”
Between the two of us we had everything packed and loaded in a couple of hours. Before we left, the moving guys showed up and we walked through the house with them. I told Mira what we already had at the house and she selected the things to go into storage and the things to move to the house.
“Let’s go, love. We need to empty that room for Ethan’s things.”
She left a key with the manager on the job and we headed towards the cottage.
As we drove down the road to the farm, I slowed so Mira could see how beautiful the landscape appeared. We parked side by side in the driveway and I watched her face as she got out of her car and looked around.
“Oh, Sinclair, it’s gorgeous. Why didn’t you tell me how pretty?”
I moved ahead of her and unlocked the house, then turned to scoop up Mira and carried her in, both of us laughing.
Mira slid down to stand once we got inside, kissing me the whole time. It was then I heard a throat being cleared and looked up at my sister, my Grandma, and my aunt Sett all standing there with grins on their faces.
“Um…Mira, I’d like to introduce my grandmother, Alicia Fortin, my aunt, Cosette and my sister you’ve met.”
Poor Mira’s face was bright red, but she took a deep breath, turned around and put a smile on her face, hand outstretched to my grandmother first. “Hi, it’s lovely to finally meet you.”
Grandma chuckled and reached out to hug Mira. “Welcome to the family, darling girl. You are so very welcome.”
Mira accepted the hug, then turned to Sett and got a handshake and a wink before Sid gave her a hug and chuckled. “Not quite the welcome you were expecting, eh sis?”
“Sis?” Mira said and laughed. “Well, no, not quite the introduction I was planning, but it is lovely to meet all of you.”
“Is it safe to use magic?” I asked Grandma.
“Yep. Shop is closed, Danes are gone,” Grandma said. “Let’s get things unloaded and sorted, shall we?”
Mira’s gaze landed on Gram’s t-shirt and I heard her choke on a laugh.
I leaned over and whispered “It’s true. There’s wine for later.”
Grandma pulled out the bottom of her shirt and nodded. “I brought three bottles.” The shirt was bright blue with yellow writing that said “Hocus pocus, I need booze to focus”.
Sid took my keys and turned to me and said, “Show your lady her new home, will ya? That way she can tell us where she wants things to go.”
I saluted Sid and turned to Mira, “Okay, let’s go look around so you can direct traffic.”
“Direct traffic?” Mira asked.
“You’ll see,” I assured her and then gave her a quick tour of the house. Sid and the others had already emptied out her room and repainted it a light blue with white trim. The same color as Ethan’s room at the other house. What would be our room had also been repainted a soft, pale green. The bed had a new comforter and sheets that complemented the new paint color, and new blinds on the windows. Even new throw rugs on the shining hardwood floors.
“Wow, they really made everything look so nice,” Mira said. “I love the green, and your bed is bigger than my old one, so we’ll just use this one. If that’s okay?”
I smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss. “Whatever you want. If you don’t like the colors, we can fix it however you desire.”
“No, it’s perfect.”
Then we heard the door open and the sounds of laughter and voices. Boxes labeled ‘bath’ and ‘Ethan’s room’ were floated up the stairs and I heard Sid call out “Take them, Sin. I can’t see past the landing.”
I whispered a word and guided the boxes into their respective rooms while Mira stared.
“I keep forgetting your family are witches too,” she whispered.
“Now you know why I asked. Floating everything into place will be just as exhausting, but without the muscle pain and the risk of smashed fingers or broken items.”
“That’s pretty cool. Now I can see why you said we’d be ready for Ethan.”
“That’s right, love. Magic.”
Mira laughed and headed down the stairs to help direct where things needed to go. The cars were soon emptied as the truck pulled up. Since the movers were supers, those of us who could float things, did. The rest helped unpack some of the boxes. Two of the movers put Ethan’s room together and unpacked his toys and books. It was easy for them, they’d done the packing of that room. Mira went up to make Ethan’s bed and put his clothes away while Sid sorted the groceries in the kitchen and I helped one of the guys move stuff into the storage barn down the road.
Keys returned to Mira and thank yous all around, the movers left and only family remained. Grandma ordered pizza to go with the cake she’d brought over – and the wine – and we all sat down to catch our breath and eat.
“The supervisor said he left the ceiling light on in the bathroom and all the blinds drawn, so no one would realize you’d moved yet. The stuff is still on the front porch to keep with that illusion, but we can go get it later. Sound okay to you?” I said to Mira.
She nodded and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I had no idea this could be done this quickly, or efficiently. You’re all amazing.”
Grandma handed her a glass of wine and Sett slid a plate of pizza in front of her. “We take care of each other, Mira. That’s how this family works.”
I looked over at Sid and gave her a smile. She winked at me and stuffed half a slice of pizza into her mouth.
“You sure you’re okay with all of this?” Mira asked the group at large, but looked at Sid.
Sid nodded, her mouth full, while Grams answered. “We’re very okay with this, child. When one of us finds our Chosen, it is to be celebrated and welcomed.”
Finally, Sid spoke. “I’ve always wanted a sister. I’m happy you’re here, and I’m happy for my brother to have found you. And I’m very happy that Grams let me have Jolie’s old apartment. It’s fun having my own place at last.”
“She’s just glad she doesn’t have to share a bathroom with a guy,” Sett teased and Sid high-fived her.
Mira laughed and glanced over at me. “As long as he remembers to put the seat down and not leave shaving hair all over the sink, we’re good.”
“He’s…okay about that. Not a hundred percent, but most of the time,” Sid said.
“I grew up with a twin sister and we’ve always shared a bathroom. I learned fast,” I replied.
Grandma had been quiet for a while, pizza eaten and wine sipped. She poured herself a little more and lifted her glass. “To Mira and Sin. May your new home be filled with laughter, joy, and love. Remember to always talk it out, avoid going to bed angry, and know that no matter what, you’re each other’s best advocate in this world.”
Glasses clinked and sips taken to seal the toast. Witches didn’t toast often. You see, a spell is simply words spoken with focused will and intent. A
toast was much the same. Words had power, and Grams had just given us a gift.
A gift Mira and I would cherish for a long, long time.
Chapter Twelve
Sid
Watching Mira and Sin tonight was bittersweet. They were so in sync with each other and so connected, it was really awesome to see. It was also tough to see someone else in sync with my twin, other than me. I wasn’t used to that. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a new thing.
Living on the farm, we all contributed to the wards and protections, feeding a thread of our energy into them so that if something tripped them, we would feel it.
After leaving Sin and Mira, even after all of the wine with Sett, the moving them in, and more wine afterwards, I was restless and not ready to sleep. I shifted to my black leopard form and patrolled the farm’s boundaries. About a mile from the closest border to the cottages, I felt it. A slowly building pressure that kept going. I shifted to my raven and went high so I could try and get an aerial view of what was causing the strain. I spied two figures in black hoodies and jeans standing off the road near the fence that showed the physical border the wards were woven along. They both had their hands raised, palms out, and a blue-green glow shimmered along the fence line in front of them. I wheeled about and flew towards the cottages where I met Grams, Sett, Sin, and Mira all on the road in front of Sin’s place. I landed and shifted back, causing Mira to gasp in surprise. In my running shorts, tank top, and sneakers, I winked at her. “Forgot we were shifters too, huh?” I teased, then my smile faded and I turned to Sett and Grams. “Two men just off the road, dressed in black hoodies and jeans. Their hands are glowing blue-green and the fence is glowing as well. I only saw the two, and their Jeep is a few feet behind them.”
Sett nodded and turned to Grams. “You and Mira go to the heart and feed it there. The twins and I will deal with the two at the fence.”
Sin gave Mira a kiss and turned to follow Sett and I.
“They’re probably fae, testing the boundaries, thinking Ethan is here,” Sin said.
“Probably,” Sett replied. “Sid, can you give us an aerial view and let us know if you see anyone other than those two?”
“Sure. Just be careful. Whatever they’re doing, it keeps making my ears feel like they’re going to pop or something.”
Sett nodded and Sin gave me a wink as I took a breath and let the shift flow over me. It didn’t hurt any more because I didn’t fight it. It was just a little disorienting for a moment as my vision and other senses changed to fit the body I shifted into. I took flight and landed on Sin’s shoulder for a moment to speak to him. “I’ll come land on you if I have to share information.” I told him.
Sin nodded and spoke to Sett. “She says she’ll land on me if she has to share info.”
I took off then and flew towards the two attacking the fence. Silently I rode the air currents above them, watching the area. One of them seemed to be running out of energy. The stream of light from his palms to the fence kept flickering out and he swayed a bit on his feet.
“We’re not going to get through this one,” the swaying guy said.
“We have to. You want to go back to the King and tell him the dimension is going to implode because we didn’t get all of the kids?” the other guy replied.
“How do we know the kid is even here?”
“The whole household moved, idiot. Of course the kid is here.”
“We can’t feel him.”
“That’s because these wards are blocking everything.”
Sett called out from behind the two, the keys to their Jeep twirling around a finger. “Yoo hoo, boys. Did you forget something?”
Both of them stopped and turned to look at Sett. The bossier of the two gave her a half-grin and held out his hand. “Didn’t forget anything. We left them in the Jeep on purpose. Wanna bring them over to me?”
“Why are you two out here?” Sett asked.
I spotted Sin on the other side of the fence, just standing there and watching.
“We saw a deer and it looked like it was hurt, so we stopped to try and help it,” the swaying guy said.
“Uh huh,” Sett replied. “Well, there’s no deer out here.”
“How do you know?” Bossy said.
“Because they don’t like the wolves and big cats that patrol out here,” Sett said with a smile.
Sin shifted to his wolf form and launched himself over the fence to land behind the two men. A low growl had Bossy turning around while the other whimpered.
“What the hell?” Bossy yelled as he saw the huge wolf, backing up towards Sett and half-dragging his buddy with him.
Sin paced slowly towards them as they kept backing up, a low, rumbling growl making him seem ready to eat them for dinner.
Convinced that if there was anyone with them, they would’ve shown up by now, I landed behind the Jeep and shifted back, then walked up beside Sett. “They were trying to get to Ethan,” I told Sett.
The two yelped when I showed up out of nowhere and the swaying one backed into the side of the Jeep and slid down to the ground. “Don’t let him eat me,” he whined, arms covering his head.
Sett sighed and moved towards the bossy one. “Turn around and put your hands on the hood of the car,” she told him.
He folded his arms and looked down his nose at her. “No.”
Sett tossed me the second set of cuffs and I moved towards the one whining on the ground. I grabbed one of his wrists, slapped the cuff on and pulled his arm down, then told him to put the other hand behind his back. He did and I cuffed him and got him to his feet. “Stand right there and don’t move or the wolf will chase your ass down, got it?”
Sett smiled at her perp and shook her head lightly. “I said to put your hands on the hood of the Jeep. You’re under arrest for trespassing and attempted breaking and entering.”
He took two steps backwards and Sin moved in to nip at the guy’s leg. Suddenly, his hands were on the hood of the Jeep and he was doing his best to not make the same noises his companion had been making.
Sett got him cuffed and made them both sit in the back seat of the Jeep. I sat in the front passenger’s seat and Sett drove. Sin loped alongside as we made our way towards the farm’s store. We weren’t going to do their job for them and drive them past the wards. Nope. We went along the fence line, down the road to the back of the store, then around to the front to park. I called the SPD and asked them to send a cruiser out to pick up the two guys and a tow truck to take their Jeep. Sid shut off the engine and turned to look at them. “What are your names?”
“I’m Sh…” whiny guy started to say, and the bossy one slammed into him and hissed “Shut up.”
“We’re not saying anything,” the bossy one said.
“That’s fine. You’re going into SPD custody and since we have three SPD officers who all witnessed your attempt to break and enter private property, you will be charged and imprisoned even if you remain silent,” Sett said.
A cruiser pulled up, lights flashing, and Sett went over to talk to them. Shortly afterwards, the two men were taken and put in the back of the cruiser. Sett yawned and looked at me. “You good with waiting for the tow?”
I nodded and took the keys she tossed my way. “Good, I’m going to bed. Goodnight you two.”
Sin and I both said goodnight and he looked over at me. “I’m not leaving you out here alone. I’ll wait with you and then we can shift and fly back.”
I smiled at him. “You don’t have to stay here with me. I know you want to get back to Mira. Go, Sin. I’m fine. Anyone tries to cause me trouble, I’ll shift and drop them.”
“You sure, sis?”
“I’m sure. Go.”
He squeezed my shoulder and jogged around the side of the shop, then a moment later I saw him swirl overhead in a flash of dark wings before he flew off.
It took the tow truck another twenty minutes or so before it showed up. I was yawning hard enough to pop my jaw by the time they got here. I c
hecked the ID and signed off on the tow and gave him the keys. Once they started getting it hooked up, I waved and made my way around the shop and shifted to my raven. I circled above to make sure they got the Jeep loaded, then flew my tired butt home. I had my own entrance to my apartment, but I went in through Gram’s front door anyway, just to check on her. She was in the kitchen, having tea.
“Got enough hot water for me?” I asked and she nodded, so I fixed myself a cup and sat with her.
“You and Mira do okay?”
“Of course, Siddie. She’s a lovely girl with some impressive power. I didn’t even have to explain about a heart stone. She remembered the one her cousin had when she first came through the veil.”
“They don’t have heart stones on the other side?”
“No, no need to. Heart stones are only needed here because magic needs a place to pull from and be fed into. On the other side, everything is magic, even the stones and air. Not so much, on this side. Heart stones are like the batteries that feed our wards and protections, when you have a large area to protect.”
I sipped my tea and gave my Grams a faint smile. “I think Mira is awesome, and I’m happy for Sin, but it feels weird.”
Grams reached out and squeezed my hand lightly. “Change is always a little strange at first, Siddie love. I like her energy and how it melds with Sin’s. They’re a good complement to each other. Don’t worry, my girl. Your Chosen is out there, somewhere.”
“Oh, gods, Grams. I’m not worried about that. I don’t need a partner right now. I’m happy just being me and figuring out how to do this policing thing. I’m not so sure this is where I’m supposed to be, but I’m going to give it a few months and an honest shot.”
“I’m sure no one will blame you if you change your mind after you give it a few months of your best efforts, Siddie. Now, tell me what you three found out there?”
“There were two men trying to break through the wards. One of them said something strange, and I forgot to mention it to Sett. I’ll have to tell her in the morning.”
