Family Magic, Chloe Price [christmas read aloud .txt] 📗

greatest pleasure I offer Batsheva her rightful place. I am also happy to grant her husband and son entry,” Mom continued, “with my sponsorship and that of the Hayle family.”

Minus one. I thought it but wanted to say it. A fluffy tail slapped my leg. Sass glared at the newcomers, tail thrashing. His eyes met mine, glowing with demon fire. I glanced over at them before turning back to him but he already saw enough, I guess. I barely caught the final flick of his tail as he disappeared up the basement stairs.

Make that minus two.

Batsheva beamed at the crowd, meanwhile, stepping forward. Guess who wore the pants? Nice to figure that out early.

“We are so happy to be here,” she gushed. “The Hayles are family and old friends. I have known many of you since I was a child. We feel like we are being welcomed home.”

If she poured it on any thicker, no one would be able to keep dinner down.

Guess that was just me. There were murmurs of welcome.

Several people stepped forward to speak to the Moromonds. Mom took her place beside me again and fixed a smile on her face as the coven greeted their newest members.

“I don’t really have to marry him, do I?” I whispered to her.

Mom’s lips twitched. She shook her head ever so slightly. “Honey, can you ever forgive me? Honestly, it was so long ago... I wasn’t even sure Batsheva remembered, and you were a baby then.”

“Yeah, I got that from Sassy,” I told her, keeping a smile on like her. “Do they really have to join?”

“Yes, Syd, they do.”

“Just as long as lover boy knows to keep his hands to himself,” I told her.

She choked on a laugh. “I don’t think you have to worry about that,” she answered. “Somehow I think he was less enthusiastic about the whole thing than you were.”

“Like that’s possible,” I answered. A frown followed. Hey, wait a second. He didn’t want to marry me? Jerk. “Thanks a lot. Not good enough for him or something?”

Mom shot me a look of humored exasperation.

“Well aren’t you the end all,” she said, eyes sparkling.

“What?” I answered, trying not to be offended.

“Never mind,” she said. “I love you, Syd.”

I turned back to the action and caught Quaid watching me again. This time, I smirked at him.

Funny, he wasn’t smiling anymore. Chapter Eight

I waited until everyone left to retreat back to my room. It was almost dark by then. I undressed, digging out my favorite grubby pajamas, dropping my clothes on the floor out of the habit of pissing off my mom. I knew she would glance in on me. I heard the long sigh of suffering she would heave at the unruly pile of clothes. I flipped open a textbook, trying to study and sighed myself. Damn, she was good. Even in my imagination, she could make me restless with guilt. I threw aside the book and glared at the pink chandelier. I slouched out of bed, put the clothes away, and went back to studying, feeling decidedly huffy.

It didn’t take me long to concede defeat. I sucked at chemistry. I was about to toss the book across the room when I felt a surge of power so strong it shook the house to the foundation.

I leapt to my feet, out my door before I knew I moved. I took the stairs three at a time, practically flying. I made it to the basement doorway ahead of the typically timely Sassafras. He ran at my heels as I pounded down the steps and hit the floor, freezing at the bottom.

My mom sat on her backside on the edge of the pentagram, the remains of her casting strewn about her. Her clothes smoked from the dispersed magic. The shocked look on her face would have been funny under different circumstances.

Sprawled across from her, equally as startled, lay two vampires. Which would have been an event in itself if these particular vampires didn’t live in our basement.

My Uncle Frank, forever preserved at boyishly handsome, with his sense of humor intact, flashed my mother a grin, showing fang.

“Morning, Miriam,” he said.

Mom shook her head as if to clear it, the last of the smoke dissipating.

“Frank!” She said. “Are you all right?”

Uncle Frank patted his hands over his black hair, plain white t-shirt and torn, faded jeans.

“Looks that way,” he said. “Sunny?”

Uncle Frank turned to the beautiful blonde vampire beside him. She smiled at Mom and me, her own delicate canines carefully hidden behind plump lips. Sunny always tried to pass for living and breathing.

“Wonderful,” she said in her vibrant voice. I didn’t have the heart to tell her no matter how hard she tried her voice would peg her as undead every time. Nobody sounded that good unless they had help.

And, yes, Sunny was her real name. Most unfortunate for a vampire, but she thought it was funny.

I crossed the pentagram, feeling a thrill of residual power as I did. Mom was doing magic this close to sundown? I offered her my hand, which she took with a look of gratitude.

“What happened?” I asked. I couldn’t help but notice the doors of Frank and Sunny’s elaborate cupboards gaped wide open. They must have woken up, their auras colliding with Mom’s, causing the explosion.

Uncle Frank and Sunny stood without appearing to move. It always freaked me out, no matter how many times I saw it.

“Miriam lost track of the time, I guess,” Frank winked at his sister. He appeared to be about twenty-one, his light blue eyes dancing with mischief, despite being closer to forty.

“I’m so sorry,” Mom said. “I… I thought I had time...” She looked at Sass who rubbed against her legs, his big head butting her knees in sympathy.

“It’s autumn,” Sunny dismissed it. “Sunset comes earlier now.”

“It was an accident, Miriam,” Frank said. “No worries.”

My mother shook her head.

“Inexcusable,” she muttered. “I don’t know where my head was. We could all have been badly hurt.”

She wasn’t kidding. Different magic sources did not mix. The vampires didn’t necessarily do magic, they were magic, animated by it. The reaction was strongest when they woke. Human power butting against the newly risen undead turned into an explosive combination, which was why Mom had to be so careful and made sure we were, too. Had things been a little further along with her spell, all that would be left of our house, and us for that matter, would be nothing more than a gaping hole.

Totally not like my mother.

“We weren’t,” Frank rolled his eyes. “I know you’re careful. Now get over here so I can suck your blood.”

He was kidding, of course. Neither of them drank human blood from the source. Still, the thought always made me queasy.

Mom crossed out of the pentagram to hug her brother.

“Are you all right?” He asked her almost too quietly for me to hear.

“I’m feeling a little weak,” she admitted, pressing one trembling hand to her forehead. “I think I’ll go upstairs and lie down.”

“Feel free to use my cupboard,” Frank winked at her.

My mother laughed. “You will never get me in that thing, Jonathan Francis Hayle.”

I snickered at his full name. He made a face at me.

“Go rest,” he shooed her off.

“Sydlynn,” Mom turned to me, “thank you for being here.”

“You almost blew up the house,” I said, wincing inside. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I added.

She smiled a little before leaving us.

Sassafras stalked to my side and smacked my leg with one heavy paw.

“That was productive,” he snarled. “Honestly, Frank, the girl is a walking disaster. Deal with it.”

With a flick of his tail, the fat silver Persian ran after my mother.

I turned to Uncle Frank, expecting some kind of sarcastic comment, only to be met by a worried expression.

“Did something happen?” Uncle Frank asked.

“Like Mom trying to marry me off to some witch without telling me then inviting them to join the coven?” I told him. “You could say something happened.”

Frank exchanged a glance with Sunny.

“Tell me everything,” he said.

I went to them on their side of the basement and filled them in. Despite Uncle Frank’s usual flair for amusing comments, he was silent, which made me nervous.

“I don’t like it,” Frank told me. “I wish Batsheva hadn’t been invited to rejoin. Miriam always thought they were so close, best friends. But we could all see she was only using your mom for her position and influence.”

“You wouldn’t know it by the way Batsheva tells it,” I said. “Chum city.”

“You know your mother would never make you marry this boy,” Sunny said, her flawless face concerned, clear green eyes earnest. I loved Sunny. She was the nicest dead person I knew, aside from Uncle Frank.

“I know,” I told her. “Anyway, you guys missed the fireworks, lucky you.”

“Not exactly,” Frank said, brushing at some imaginary dirt on his shirt. “After all, your mother almost blew up the house, remember?”

I made a face and laughed.

“Honestly, Syd,” Frank said. “Your Mom told me about the other night.”

“Naturally.” I didn’t feel like having that particular conversation, not even with my understanding uncle.

“I can see you don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “But you need to get your stuff figured out, kiddo.”

“And why is that?” I challenged him.

“Because,” he said, “if you really intend to leave this life forever, it’s probably a good idea to figure out why you want to leave in the first place so you have a good argument for them.”

“I just do!” I cried. “Isn’t that enough?”

Uncle Frank laughed and hugged me. He smelled of wood polish and fabric softener. I felt Sunny’s arms slip around me from behind, adding her comfort and the scent of roses. As much as I loved them both, I was eager to let go. The silk of Sunny’s blouse did nothing to shield me from her and Uncle Frank’s t-shirt wasn’t much better. Trouble was, neither of them had eaten anything. Their cold bodies made me shiver.

“Just because isn’t good enough,” Uncle Frank said. “Trust me. From one rebel to another.”

I knew he attracted a lot of trouble with the family when he came home a vampire with an undead girlfriend in tow. And I knew he was right.

“I don’t know why,” I admitted in a whisper to his white t-shirt.

“Then figure it out,” he answered, “or make something up. Because otherwise, they’ll never let you go.”

Uncle Frank and his brutal honesty. I couldn’t be mad at him for it.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said. “Now if you two don’t mind, it’s a little chilly being the center of a vampire sandwich.”

Sunny laughed in my ear and let me go. Uncle Frank took a little longer.

“I’m here for you, anytime,” he whispered.

“I know,” I whispered back. “Thanks.”

Uncle Frank stretched. “I love a happy ending,” he winked at me. He looked over at Sunny and grinned. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” she said back.

Totally creepy.

Sunny kissed my cheek in passing as they spun into mist and disappeared.

I was wrong. That was totally creepy.