The Amaranth Wand

EIGHTEEN (Ruby POV)

Iselen frowns while reading something on her phone, too focused to notice that Valentina gave me our coffees at the counter and I'm getting closer to our table, dodging other clients that are crowding the café. A lock of dark hair escapes from her ponytail and she brushes away with a movement of her hand, absentmindedly, biting her lower lip while scrolling down with her thumb. I can't help smiling... My girlfriend is very pretty.

My girlfriend... I wasn't expecting to call another woman like that, not so soon after Jessica broke my heart, I wanted to take some time for myself, come back to Blue Hill, adjust to life in a small town, enjoy loneliness and relax... None of that has gone according to my plan, of course, because of that asshole who's trying to bring his incorporeal ass to this world again, because of my great-grandmother and her coven, of great uncle Frank, of my grandmother and her sisters, of Iselen, her cat and my new witch friends. And now I have a second cousin I know nothing about. My life is upside down and I should be freaking out. The truth is that I'm dealing with all this in a very mature way given that the situation is pretty difficult.

I guess it's because we can't waste time freaking out, we have to study the old grimoires and draw up plans against the clock because we must lock up that necromancer, or whatever he is, back in his cell in two weeks, and besides, I'm very satisfied with this turn of events. I don't mean the fact that we found out what that evil shadow intends to do with all the energy running under the forest, I'm talking about my new serious, stable and monogamous relationship. The lovely witch who hugs me every night is a gift of fate and I'd be stupid if I let her slip away.

And in addition to this, our great-grandmothers approve it and gave us their blessings. I guess that removes any doubt I could have in my mind. Iselen is the one...

"Thank you, I needed this," my girl takes her mug and drinks a long sip while I sit down next to her. "I hope this helps me to wake up definitely."

"I didn't know you had to get up so early to go to work, we shouldn't have stayed up so late reading our great-grandmothers' books," I answer frowning, concerned when I notice the dark circles under her eyes contrasting with her pale skin.

"Christmas is coming and my regular clients are buying their gifts online, I have to ship the packages before it's too late for them... This is a stressful time always, I drink too much coffee every year and sleep less than I should, but everything works out in the end." My girlfriend shrugs, smiling. "It's important for me that these clients are happy, I couldn't keep the Amaranth Wand open without them, even if lot of tourists visit Blue Hill every summer and they buy stuff in my store, it's not enough to pay my bills during winter too."

"I understand, we all have a life and a job and we can't stop just because a crazy necromancer wants to possess the body of a baby of his blood to become corporeal in this world."

"That's a good summary of the situation," Iselen nods, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. I put my arm on her shoulders and pull her closer to my body to kiss her forehead in response, not caring if the neighbours are looking at us. At this point, everybody in this town knows that we're an item. Jahzara told me that we're protagonists of all the gossiping in the beauty salon this week. "The girls are here..."

Kateri waves her hand to greet us, Valentina is making more coffee behind the counter while Bridget talks to the ladies sitting at a table close to the door that must be her mother's friends, Jahzara arrives last, wearing her new Christmas uniform: red and with the face of a reindeer embroidered on the pocket. My sisters take their mugs and a plate full of cookies and get closer to us, sitting down quietly, nibbling at the treats and drinking coffee while we wait for Valentina to take a break, leaving her employees in charge of the counter.