Page 21 of Spirit Storm

Asher points at himself. "Was that last one directed at me?”

I blow him a kiss. “You know it.”

The three of us grab our winter coats, stuff our feet into our boots, and leave through the sliding glass doors. The air outside has a bite to it, and I watch for ice as I descend the porch steps.

“We have to decide what we’re doing for New Year’s.” Asher pegs me with a serious look. “It sets the tone for the year to come, and Birdie knows we could use a little intention in that column of our lives.”

“Birdie knows?” Wylder repeats.

I chuckle. “It’s Asher’s new expression. Instead of God knows, since Birdie is the Goddess Mother, it’s now ‘Birdie knows’.”

He arches a brow. “Don’t you think that’s a little familiar? The truth is that no matter what happened in the years she was watching over you, she is still the Goddess Mother.”

Asher scoffs. “Familiar-shamiliar, once you snake a cock ring out of someone’s bathtub drain, you’re beyond all formalities.”

The wide-eyed horror on Wylder’s face makes me burst out laughing. “It was only three weeks after she moved into our building, and she swore it was definitely from the previous tenant.”

Asher shrugs. “Potato-tomato.”

The crust of snow on the ground quiets a little under the soles of our boots as we reach the cover of the forest. It’s noticeably warmer, too, the breeze cut off within the shelter of the trees.

I sweep a loose bit of blue hair from my face to wrap it behind my ear. “But you’re right. We need to organize something. The questions are: big or small, locals or everyone welcome?”

Asher lights up. “If it doesn’t break any Wiccan laws, I’d love to invite the Wichita crew. It feels like years since we’ve seen everyone.”

It does. It’s hard to believe it’s only been two months since Sebastian portaled us here on Halloween.

The three of us leave the shelter of the forest and climb the hill toward the standing stones. The closer we get, the more the Hallowind ancestral power buzzes in my cells. It’s as energizing as it is rejuvenating, and I make a mental note to spend more time out here.

“Oh, Wylder, if we run into Briar, she’ll likely ask if we’ve spoken about the Concordance Mirror.”

His dark green eyes meet mine. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

I give him a quick recap as we reach the plateau and step among the circle of ancient monoliths. “She told me to have a conversation with you, so you can remind me of the good work they do at Arcana.”

He frowns. “They do great work, but I would never pressure you to risk something of your family’s if you’re not comfortable with the idea.”

I let out a little sigh of relief, and Asher makes the sign of ticking off a checkbox in the air behind his back.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help.”

He rolls his eyes. “Of course you do. I get that. And yeah, when it comes to priceless enchanted objects, you have to look at things from all possible angles. I learned first-hand how cagey powerful witches can be.”

I take his hand for a squeeze, and marvel at how warm it is despite the cold. “What Laurel did was inconceivable. No one saw through her lies.”

“You did.”

“Yeah, she did.” Asher winks at me and raises a hand to press his palm against the nearest stone. “But, as you said, Poppy is an exceptional woman, and you’re all better witches and people for having her in your ranks.”

I blink at him. “No one said that.”

“Well, they should.”

Wylder nods. “Asher’s right. You are exactly the right witch at the right time to shake things up in Emberwood and get the empowered communities back on track. We are lucky to have you.”

Heat warms my cheeks despite the cold. “All right, you two. Rein it in. Let’s get going.”

Wylder steps into the center of the stones and pulls out a black velvet bag of glitter. When he raises his hand to start casting a circle, Asher rushes over. “Oh, let me. I’ve been practicing.”