Witches on Parole: Unlocked (A Modern Witch trilogy book 1) Read online

  “Nuh, uh. I mind-yelled. Aunt Jennie didn’t hear, but someone else did. She’ll let us in.”

  Well, that answered one assessment question. Clearly someone was a mind witch with fairly powerful projection skills, if they’d managed to push an answer back to Aervyn. Most people couldn’t mindspeak through walls, himself included.

  He figured their mind witch was the cute blonde who opened the door, since the first thing she did when she spied him was to slam down her mental barriers. She smiled at Aervyn, however. “Hey. You must be the kid who likes snickerdoodles.”

  He grinned. “I do, but we hafta save some for Auntie Nat. She gets awfully sad if we don’t. I think it’s cuz of the baby in her belly.”

  Jamie watched in appreciation as Aervyn wrapped the blonde around his little finger in ten seconds flat. Man, he wished he was still four and adorable.

  The girl looked up at him and snickered. Huh. He hadn’t expected her to be able to pick up his stray thoughts with her barriers that tight. You have some nice training, he sent.

  Stay out of my head.

  Damn. How come he always got the prickly witches to test?

  Aervyn watched the two of them with interest. Can I test her, Uncle Jamie?

  She might not want you in her head either, little dude, but we’ll give it a try. Let’s make it to the kitchen first, huh?

  Four-year-olds could still be distracted by cookies.

  Jennie looked up as they entered the kitchen. “Hello, my boys! You’re just in time.” She held out two cookies, still steaming. “Fresh out of the oven.”

  Aervyn bit into his and danced around like an Irish step dancer on speed. “Hot, hot, hot!”

  Jennie laughed. “Hasn’t anyone taught you a cookie-cooling spell yet?”

  “Oh.” Aervyn giggled. “I didn’t think of that.” He waved a hand negligently at his cookie and then crammed the rest in his mouth. “Wow, these are the awesomest.”

  “Lizard made them.” Jennie pointed to his blonde companion. “She’s an awesome cook.”

  Aervyn’s eyes gleamed. “Really?” He turned to Lizard, ready to make a new friend. “So, are you the fire witch?”

  She grinned. “Nuh, uh. Are you?”

  He nodded, mouth still half full of cookie. “Yup. I’m pretty much every kind of witch. I’m a’posed to help test you.”

  Jamie met Jennie’s eyes and grinned. Okay, she’s not going to be a challenge. She’s clearly a well-trained mind witch, and a strong one—she heard Aervyn from outside.

  I think she’s had lots of reason to practice, and not all good ones. Jennie began restocking his Tupperware containers. But I agree with you. I think her magic is solid. She’s a water witch as well, if I’m not mistaken—very minor talents, though.

  Jamie looked at Aervyn and sent a quick message. The answer came back in seconds.

  Yup, she is. And she’s nice. I like her.

  Jennie smiled. You have a good heart, kiddo.

  Aervyn grinned. “Can my heart have another cookie?”

  Jennie reached into a basket and pulled out a biscuit stuffed with egg and bacon. “How about a sandwich first? Lizard made these, too.”

  Jamie drooled and put on his best puppy-dog face. They smelled like heaven.

  Jennie laughed and handed out more biscuits. Aervyn grabbed Lizard’s hand and pulled her to the table. “How did you get such a cool name? Does it hurt to get a ring in your nose? Why is the dragon in your tattoos smiling?”

  “He still hasn’t learned that he gets more answers if he actually stops talking.” Jamie spoke quietly in Jennie’s direction as he watched the two at the table. “She’s really suspicious of me, but those two are going to be in love in about three more minutes.”

  Jennie smiled. “Good. She needs some uncomplicated love in her life.”

  If that’s all she needed, there was plenty of that to go around. “We’re having a water-balloon fight on Saturday. Dibs for her on my team.”

  Jennie laughed. “You might need reinforcements. I hear the terrible trio has worked up a secret plan.”

  No way was he losing his title of water-balloon king to nine-year-old triplets, even if they were his nieces. “Just bring her by. She’ll be on the winning team, I promise.”

  He looked around, suddenly remembering he was supposed to be testing two witches. “Where’s your other student?”

  Jennie looked pained. “On a trip to the corner store looking for tofu.”

  Jamie wiped biscuit crumbs off the counter and shook his head. “Crazy woman.”

  “Not nearly crazy enough.” Jennie sighed.

  Huh. Whoever this woman was, she was clearly causing his aunt some consternation. Speaking from long experience involving everything from flying plastic snakes to teleportation accidents, he knew that was actually fairly difficult to do.

  He reached for her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure her out.”

  Jennie grinned. “That’s Nat’s job. We just need to make sure she doesn’t burn anything down in the meantime.”

  Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Nat’s job?” How had his wife managed to get tangled in this since he’d seen her at breakfast?

  “Elsie’s going to do an internship in her yoga studio. I just had lunch with Nat—it’s all set.”

  A fire witch in his wife’s beloved studio? Shit. “Can’t she get Lizard instead?”

  Jennie grinned. Gotta love a family where piercings and tattoos are easier to place than a woman in a suit.

  Jamie thought she was joking until he heard steps in the hallway and looked up. Who the heck wore a suit to go to the store for tofu?

  The stranger who had just entered the kitchen stuck out her hand. “Hello, I’m Elsie Giannotto.”

  Italian fire witch? That figured. “Hi, I’m Jamie.”

  Jennie took the grocery bag from Elsie’s hands. “Jamie is one of our best witch trainers. I asked him to come here to assess you and Lizard.”

  Elsie cocked her head. “I submitted a full talents profile to WitchLight. I can get a copy if you like, but my magic is fairly minor. A little earth talent, just like my mother.”

  Great. A fire witch in denial. He opted for a professional approach and reached out a hand. “We just like to be sure—sometimes talents are missed. Do you mind if I do a quick scan?”

  The polite mask on her face never flickered and neither did her mind. Maybe she really didn’t know. “I’d prefer not to, thank you. No offense intended, but I don’t know you or your credentials. I applied to WitchLight for their service opportunities, not for magical training.”

  She showed the first signs of distress. “I’m sorry—I made that quite clear in my profile. It’s a bit disturbing that no one seems to have read my paperwork. I put significant effort into making sure it was complete and thorough.”

  Well, hell. Jamie’s ethics were sometimes flexible, but you didn’t scan people who had specifically refused to be scanned.

  Now what? he sent to Jennie.

  Now we send her to Nat. And we go very, very slowly.

  Jamie scowled. He was not at all excited to have an untrained fire witch anywhere near his pregnant wife.

  I’m not either, Jennie said. I’ll set up a rotation of witches in her yoga classes for the next few days. We’ll make sure she’s got magical backup in case all hell breaks loose.

  Crap. Just what he wanted—lots more yoga classes. Jamie sighed. Sign me up for the morning shift.

  ~ ~ ~

  -------------------------

  To: [email protected]

  From: Jennie Adams

  Subject: The plan—the short version.

  ------------------------

  Dear Vero,

  I’m glad to hear you think highly of Nat—I’ve asked her to take Elsie on as an intern. There’s no one better to help guide Elsie out of her head and back into her body.

  Since she currently won’t permit us to work with her magically (she
declined Jamie’s assessment), non-magical paths will have to do. We’ll take appropriate precautions—there will be a larger-than-normal contingent of witches rotating through Spirit Yoga’s classes in the coming days. Jamie’s coordinating that as we speak, and I’ll be there daily as well.

  I’m less worried about my other placement. Lizard will be interning in Lauren’s real estate office. Lauren’s a flexible and creative woman, and a talented mind witch. I think she’ll be able to help Lizard find a sense of purpose without being distracted by surface impressions. At the very least, it will introduce Lizard to more of Berkeley’s witch population, and perhaps give her a different community in which to drop anchor.

  I’ve also asked Lauren to help find my two students an apartment. It’s entirely possible—perhaps even probable—that they’ll kill each other within the week. The thought does keep me up at night.

  However, they’ve each, in their own ways, ended up in a comfortable, and very unhealthy, rut. Nat and Lauren will surely shake them out of their comfort zones during the day. I’m hoping they’ll do the same for each other when they return home at night.

  I know the value of a dark cave to crawl into—but I think it’s necessary to take away any semblance of their old world for a while. Living with each other ought to guarantee that much. I hope.

  Melvin took an enormous risk when he put a camera in my hands. This is my attempt to pay that forward. I expect they’ll be as ungrateful as I was.

  Hold us in your thoughts,

  Jennie

  Chapter 5

  -------------------------

  To: [email protected]

  From: Vero Liantro

  Subject: Re: The plan—the short version.

  -------------------------

  Dearest Jennie,

  You’re a brave, brave woman. Melvin sends his congratulations, and wishes to know if you desire a set of body armor. His old set might fit you in a pinch.

  I am impressed by your placement for Lizzie. Not that I ever doubted your ability to see past her outer surfaces, but I think you’ve picked something that might truly tap into her need to care for others, but in a more healthy way. Helping a family find a home is a delightful form of service, and maybe one that will give our Lizard a taste for the value of a real home as well.

  My only concern is in leaving Elsie in Nat’s hands. Natalia is an amazing woman, and an inspired choice, I think. But putting a pregnant non-witch as the first line in dealing with a repressed fire witch sounds like a very tricky path to walk. However, I trust the witching community will keep Nat safe—she is one of ours. Tell Jamie that I have a couple of good friends who would be happy to take a monitoring shift during Nat’s seniors’ yoga classes.

  I’m sure the next few days will be eventful ones for you. We’ll be waiting to hear.

  Blessed be,

  Vero

  ~ ~ ~

  Jennie walked out of her den, wishing she felt a little more like Vero’s brave woman. Hopefully the placements would be satisfactory to both women, but she was entirely sure the living arrangements were going to be poorly received by both. As might the aquamarine pendants in her hands.

  She squared her shoulders and stepped into her kitchen. Once more, into the breach.

  “Good morning, you two. Lizard, breakfast smells lovely again. Thank you.”

  Lizard shrugged. “No big. You had some stuff sitting in your fridge. I don’t do yogurt.”

  Jennie looked at the crisp waffles, fresh strawberries, and mountains of whipped cream. Then she looked at the bowl of yogurt in front of Elsie, and gave thanks that she didn’t have that kind of self-control.

  Someone needed to tell Elsie that one of the serious side benefits of letting your magic free was the ability to eat pretty much anything you wanted.

  Jennie took a few moments to make an artistic whipped-cream face on top of her waffle. One of the best parts about being a grandma was rediscovering the fun of playing with your food. Yes, she was procrastinating.

  She carried her breakfast treasure over to the table and had a seat. “I’m glad you’re both here. I wanted to talk about your service assignments, but first I have a small gift for each of you.”

  The blue stones in the pendants glinted as she held them up. “These are given to every WitchLight student as a small sign of our commitment to you.” She touched the one around her neck. “They contain some gentle spells to help clear and open all of our minds to the work ahead.”

  Elsie took her pendant. “I hope spellwork isn’t required for a good working relationship, but I appreciate the gesture, thank you.”

  Her other student looked like the pendant might bite. “Not my style.”

  It certainly wasn’t. Jennie bit back her grin. “Feel free to carry it in your pocket.”

  “Probably got a freaking homing beacon inside,” mumbled Lizard, shoving the necklace in the pocket of her leather jacket.

  Trust could take a while to build. Jennie opted to change the subject. “And now, onto your assignments. I hope you’ll be happy with the placements I’ve arranged for you.”

  Lizard snorted. Like it matters if I’m happy.

  Feel free to be rude out loud, child. But yes, it does matter. Just like this divine breakfast matters. Jennie nodded in approval as the girl’s face lost its combative scowl. Her mental barriers didn’t budge an inch, but it was a start.

  Elsie set her spoon down neatly beside her bowl. “I’m looking forward to learning more about our internships.”

  Jennie reached over to the counter and grabbed a pair of photographs—one of Spirit Yoga, and one of Berkeley Realty. “I have two lovely women looking forward to meeting you.

  “Natalia Sullivan owns Spirit Yoga, and she’s looking for someone to help at the front desk and with some of the lifting and cleaning, since she’s pregnant. She also has a yoga-teacher training program with an empty slot, if that would be of interest.

  “Lauren runs Berkeley Realty, which serves most of the witches in town, along with other clients looking for homes in the Arts District and core neighborhoods. The office is growing, so she’d like some help with showings and interviewing prospective clients.”

  Jennie sat back and watched in amusement as Elsie reached for the picture of Berkeley Realty. Good. She was glad to be not quite that predictable. Reaching forward, she slid that photo over to her blonde chef.

  “Lizard, you’ll be interning with Lauren. She’s expecting you at ten o’clock this morning. The bus runs right to her office, or I’d be happy to loan you my moped.”

  The girl looked up in shock, quickly covered with a scowl. “I think you’ve confused me with someone who wears a suit.” She slid her eyes Elsie’s direction.

  Elsie nodded. “I have to agree. There’s a certain first impression required in a real estate office, as in most professional settings. And I’ve never done yoga.” She paused, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I’ve never been overly skilled at physical activities. Surely it makes more sense to switch our placements?”

  Jennie smiled and spoke gently. “I’ve no doubt you could be an asset in Lauren’s office, Elsie, but that’s not why you came to WitchLight. You wanted help finding your inner compass. I think you’ll find Nat a most excellent teacher for that. Yoga’s simply a tool.”

  She watched as Elsie’s face shifted back into studied politeness. Damn, she hated that look. She continued more briskly. “I’m going to ask you to trust me for a week. You’ll each have weekly meetings with me, and if you feel the placement isn’t appropriate at that point, we can certainly discuss changes.”

  Elsie nodded in acceptance and stood up from the table. “I’ll need to stop downtown and acquire some appropriate clothing for yoga, then. When is Natalia expecting me?”

  “Ten o’clock, and I think you’ll find everything you need in her store.” Jennie sighed inwardly as Elsie walked away, and then decided she really couldn’t leave it to Nat to bre
ak the worst of the news. “If you swing by Lauren’s office at the end of the day, she’ll have the keys to your new accommodations. It’s close to both of your new workplaces, and it’s fully furnished, so I think you’ll have everything you need.”

  Elsie’s face froze in horror. “Both our workplaces? We’re going to be living together?”

  Jennie smiled. “Yes. I think the two of you could be quite good for each other. I hope you’ll give it an honest effort.”

  Elsie gaped, then looked at the clock and turned and left the room, her face blank and her mind radiating angry disbelief.

  Jennie turned to look at Lizard. “Well?”

  More scowls. “I’m not cooking her breakfast, and I don’t own a suit.”

  “It will be up to the two of you to work out the division of chores.” Jennie waited until the girl met her gaze. “You get to create a home from scratch. And while Elsie might not be your ideal roommate, she’s not a jerkwad. You have some choices to make. Choose wisely.”

  She stood up from the table. “As for a suit, this is Berkeley. I have a closet upstairs you can raid, but if you show up in a suit, you’ll be hopelessly overdressed. Come.”

  Lizard stood up to follow her. Thank goodness for small mercies.

  ~ ~ ~

  Elsie paced up and down the narrow room and took deep, calming breaths. She always told her clients that it was best to avoid making decisions in a moment of high emotion.

  You didn’t come from a family of Italians without learning that lesson young. Her father’s relatives were always launching themselves into some kind of drama or another.

  So no matter how badly she wanted to march downstairs, throw her WitchLight paperwork—that no one seemed to have read!—in Jennie’s face, and walk out the door back to her normal life, she would wait until she was calmer to make her decision.

  While she believed in the value of keeping your commitments, WitchLight had seriously misrepresented their services. First, she had significant reservations about Jennie’s qualifications. Whatever credentials the woman might have, clearly she didn’t understand professionals and their needs.

  Yoga and cleaning duties were hardly going to help her develop some clarity about her ethical obligations—which was why she had sought out WitchLight in the first place.