Even with the walk through the old cemetery, I returned to my house with a heaviness in my heart. Mourning was both solitary and communal, and Cliff and Abi deserved to have support. They had carried the secret of the Pearmain ancestors long enough. I promised myself I would reach out to them once things at the Jones house had settled down.
Tanner and Kaz had been busy. Bright neon pink and orange surveyors’ ribbons fluttered from some of the trees ringing the house. Evenly spaced at five feet apart, more or less, they were close enough that one person standing between two adjacent trees could touch both.
“What’s with the decorations?” I asked, pausing at the base of the porch stairs. A table had been set up for what looked like Magical Craft Hour, and my fingers itched to join in.
“Kaz is teaching us to carve runes,” said Harper, holding up a slab of wood the length of a dinner knife and about the width of his palm. “We’ll attach these wherever he put a marker.”
“But Tanner and I will be the ones to activate them,” Kaz piped up from the shed underneath the deck.
“And Aunt Busy called. She’s so excited that I’m a witch, Mrs. Jo—Calliope.” Leilani was beaming. “She’s going to visit soon, like maybe tomorrow. And she’s bringing ingredients for one of her special spells too. Enough for all of us.”
“That’s very generous of her, Lei-li. I’d like to see her again,” I added. “She shared her tent at the ritual and took very good care of me afterward.”
My phone buzzed. The gynecologist’s office. “Rowan, hi.”
I ran up the steps, dropped my bag on the counter, and slipped into my office for privacy.
“Calliope, I have more good news for you,” she said. “You’re free of STDs, and the blood test confirms absolutely you are not pregnant.”
I plopped onto my old oak desk chair and spun in a half circle. “That’s a relief. I was going to call you and let you know I went through my first ritual last weekend. Rose says I am officially in my Priestess stage. I have a pretty crown to show for it, and one of these days, I hope to have a deeper understanding of what this all means”
Rowan let out a modest squeal. “Congratulations and welcome to the Witchy Women’s Club! You’ll be in a coven before you know it and taking workshops every weekend. Did Rose talk to you about using herbs to get your menstrual cycle back on track?”
“Belle has me on drops of black cohosh, blue cohosh, and one more I don’t remember.”
“Good. Those are exactly what I would have prescribed. Also, try to stay out of stressful situations.”
I couldn’t stop the guffaw that flew out of my mouth. “Oh, my Goddess, Rowan, you have no idea what it’s been like around here.” I stopped spinning and leaned back in the chair. The wheels squeaked in protest, reminding me of Cliff’s knees. And the fact that I had news for Tanner. Lots of news. “And speaking of stress, I’ve got to go.”
“Calli, wait.”
I closed my eyes, wished I could just give the guys movie money, ask Rowan over for a glass of wine, and have a girl’s night on the back deck.
“Let me know when you get your period,” she said. “There’s something I’d like to do for you, for your Blood Ceremony.”
Blood Ceremony. The inevitability of the next step to my magical initiations hit my belly like I’d swallowed a tub of my aunt’s tomato aspic. My womb dropped deeper into the bowl of my pelvis, all saturated and heavy.
“Okay,” I answered, “but I have a feeling that once I start to bleed and Rose gets the news, it’s going to be all hands on deck.”
I hung up with Rowan and scanned the familiar shapes of the furniture and knick-knacks in my office, seeing but not seeing. I had to tell Tanner about my conversation with Cliff while I could still string words together.
Curiosity must have tugged at his shirttails. I answered the knock at my door and waved him in.
“How’s it going with the amulets and wards and whatever other crafty projects you guys are doing?” I didn’t mean to sound flippant, but I was tired. And hungry. And wobbly on my feet.
“Leilani, Harper, and Thatcher have been given temporary protective amulets. I’m sure they’ll show them off. And I spoke with Malvyn. He okayed our plan and has offered his and Jim’s help.”
I nodded my approval. “I’m curious to meet them. I don’t know that I’ve ever met a sorcerer before.”
Tanner looked around my office. I was sitting in the only chair, and my futon bed was a tumble of sheets and a blanket.
“They tend to cluster in the financial sector. And auction houses.” He gestured to my sleeping spot. “Mind if I join you?”
“Here, you take the chair.” I pushed my pillow and blanket against the far wall, and propped myself up. Any more horizontal and I’d fall asleep mid-sentence.
“Thatcher heard from Doug again.”
Crap.
Tanner continued. “I think he sees your youngest as the more malleable of the two. He’s lobbying hard for Thatch to visit him in Vancouver. And threatening to pull him from school here and enroll him in a private academy in the city.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Let me set that news aside for a moment and fill you in on a couple other things.” I scrubbed at my eyes and stood. “Would you mind following me to the kitchen? If I don’t eat, I won’t be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth.”
“Like this morning?” Tanner teased, pulling me in close to his chest. “I liked what came out of your mouth when you kissed me.”
Oh, God. I tried to bury my forehead inside his shirt, but it stayed buttoned.
“Calli, it’s okay. It was a really nice kiss.” He slid
