Page 13 of The Witch’s Daughter

I ducked into the receptionist’s office to hide the basket and returned to my sisters, who were still standing in the hall, waiting for the answer.

“It’s Jaxon’s birthday,” I muttered.

“Trish Cerberus.” Meg’s jaw dropped as she planted her hands on her hips, looking so much like our mother that it made me chuckle. “You are excited to see him.”

I shook my head vehemently. It was purely coincidence I remembered today was his birthday. Things had been busy. We hadn’t seen each other in a while.

At least four months, my wolf whined.

But I wasn’t counting.

“I knew it,” Alec smirked. “I’m telling you, you should go to this festival. Convince Jaxon to go too.”

“Now wait a minute.” Meg held up her hands. “Let’s not be too hasty. That summons said—”

“I know what it said,” I growled as I pushed past them, marching down the hall to Alpha Kera’s open office.

“There’s my girls.” Kera looked up from her desk where the stupid summons lay spread out in all its ominous, aged-parchment glory.

Aunt Alpha Kera was a fiery red-head with Dad’s blue-gray eyes. She was still a beauty, despite her age, and could kick some serious ass.

Rumor had it that she’d single-handedly taken on the human city in a siege and saved her Alpha mate, Uncle Jareth, by throwing him over her shoulder and carrying him out of the battle.

I’m sure the story was exaggerated, but Mom and Aunt Coral didn’t deny the rumors. Supposedly, they’d all been there too.

Whether Alpha Kera was a war hero or not, she was still one of the toughest females I’d ever met. And she made it her mission to train the three of us.

One of us more than others.

Alpha Kera rose to hug Alec and me, but I didn’t miss the tension as she nodded at Meg.

Alpha wolves and their posturing. My beast shook her head.

“Did you find out anything more on this Vincent guy?” Alec leaned over Kera’s desk, reading the summons out loud.

I didn’t even need to look. I already had it memorized.

You are cordially invited to a momentous occasion.

A test of power and strength.

Join the best and brightest among you for a trial of magical feats to prove yourself worthy of joining the elite forces united under Vincent Matthis.

More details to come at the kickoff ceremony for this century’s magic festival of witches and warlocks.

“Do you think he’s really building an army of witches?” Meg asked, as if not speaking his name would prevent her from summoning him.

Vincent Matthis was some East Coast warlock, but we’d all heard the rumors, even way out west.

Supposedly, he had more power than any warlock of our generation. I didn’t believe that, but not everyone knew all the things I knew.

Alec snorted. “If he is, then why invite Trish? Unless he’s looking for another atomic bomb.”

“It was one explosion!” I cried, tired of being reminded of my failures. But Alec touched on something. The same question that had been niggling me since the summons arrived.

Why me?

I wasn’t the best or brightest… Not anymore.