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“You must speak with Charlie’s mother.” He raised a brow.
“How did you know?” I asked in a surprised whisper.
“You wear your feelings on your face.” He smirked, and my heart leaped at the sight.
I pouted playfully. “I don’t want to.”
He gave me an affectionate smile that made me giddy, but when he waved his hand urging me away, I sighed. Standing, I turned to the kitchenette, where Zaide opened his arms for me to curl into. He was being very protective since I told him about my vision, which melted me.He will make such a lovely father.
“We haven’t officially been introduced,” Elizabeth said and held her hand out.
I took it and shook once, keeping my face blank so she didn’t know how awful I thought she was for treating Charlie so poorly when they first met. “No. I’m Clawdia, Charlie’s familiar.”
“And I’m Elizabeth.” She grimaced. “Despite being his birth mother, I tried to kill him.”
Surprise made me blink. “At least you own up to it.”
I eyed Charlie, who grinned at me and confirmed my suspicions. “I warned her about your bloodthirst, Clawdicat.” He glanced at Baelen and mumbled, “Although maybe it’s not the time to bring up blood thirst.”
Laughing, I patted his hand and ushered Zaide out of the way of the sink so I could wash our plates.
He didn’t move too far and picked up the dish cloth, ready to help dry as he said, “We are encouraging her temper.”
“We are?” Charlie asked with a laugh.
“Perhaps not this week, though,” I muttered as I handed Zaide a plate. He gave me a wicked grin that sent a shiver down my spine.
Elizabeth cleared her throat and set down her cup. “While I appreciate the invitation for tea, I assume it wasn’t just for me to witness the cage you fashioned?”
I felt Charlie’s gaze but kept my eyes in the sink as I replied, “No. Although we are very proud of Charlie for his first magic trick, I have a … question. About familiars.”
“Magic trick?”Charlie’s indignant voice echoed in my mind, and I lowered my face to hide my smile.
“Oh?” Elizabeth asked, “What’s the question?”
I handed Zaide the last plate and used the end of his dish cloth to dry my hands. I licked my lips and said, “I am … bleeding.”
“Bleeding?” I peered at her from under my lashes and saw the moment it dawned on her. “Oh.” Her brows slowly rose. “Oh.”
“Is that bad? What does it mean?” I asked.
Elizabeth coughed and sputtered, “It means you will need a potion for birth control.”
I frowned, and my panic subsided. “But aside from that. Familiars are fertile?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Generally not.”
“So why am I? Or is that not what it means?” I gulped, and tears flooded my eyes as I thought about losing that vision of the future just as I realized it could be true. Zaide took my hand and squeezed it.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Elizabeth said, and my hackles rose. Sitting down always meant bad news, but I followed her back to the sofa and sat next to Baelen’s cage again, wishing I could touch him. Zaide and Charlie took seats at the table and waited for Elizabeth to continue. I braced myself, but she asked, “What do you know about familiars?”
I shook my head. “Just that they are souls that needed a second chance and are tied to witches to support them and share power.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and grimaced, “Familiar documentation is largely witch propaganda, but to know so little about yourself is criminal.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Let me explain the history, because it is clear it is yet another thing that has been lost to time. Familiars are the human realm’s only naturally occurring magic other than the portals. They are animal gods. When humans worshiped an animal, the prayer and faith, which is a kind of magic in itself, awakened a consciousness inside them and gave them power.”
