Page 93 of Clearly Charmed

‘There’s more to it than just the search,’ I confessed. ‘Weird things have been happening when Bryce and I are together.’

‘What kinds of weird things?’ she said with her mouth half-full.

‘Flaring lights when…’ I closed my eyes. ‘Let’s just say when things got intimate between us, the light fixtures in his bathroom exploded.’

Her brown eyes widened. ‘Holy shit! Really?’

The sound of footsteps kept me from saying more. The conversation about her leaving was not over, though.

Aster came around the corner. Brown mascara made shadows beneath her eyes, and her hair sat in a tangled mess around her shoulders. She slowly mounted a stool and whispered, ‘Coffee.’

Lia popped a pod into the machine. The deep nutty scent of espresso wafted toward us. Once it was done, Lia pushed a mug across the counter. Aster took a slow sip and smiled. ‘Coffee truly is the best morning gift.’ After another gulp, she said, ‘I heard you guys talking about some kinda explosion?’

Lia went back to gobbling eggs out of the pan. Aster let out a disgusted huff.

‘You want some?’ Lia said with a full mouth.

‘Gross, no. And stop being a heathen. Eat off a plate like a normal person.’

I focused back on my own food until Aster said, ‘We’re not doing this. I hate it when I come into the room and you both quit talking. Stop protecting me. I am not ten anymore!’

Her chin became granite. The edges of her fingertips turned pink as she gripped the countertop.

‘When Bryce and I were together the other night… there may have been a power surge that blew out the bathroom lights.’

She pressed a hand to her mouth. ‘Um, okay. Is the electricity faulty in his cabin?’

I stayed quiet while Lia snickered.

Aster’s gaze swung between us. ‘Oh shit. You don’t think…’ She broke off like she was too afraid to say the words.

‘I don’t know,’ I finally confessed. ‘Some stuff’s been off between us.’

Aster filled her coffee all the way to the lip with creamer. ‘What do you mean by “off”?’

‘When I first met Bryce on the trail, I can’t explain it, there was an instant pull toward him. Like I was hooked on a line and being slowly reeled in toward him.’

Aster nodded. ‘That’s your connection I was talking about last night.’

‘There’s something else going on. On the ridge that day with Mara, it was more than the animals acting odd. I sensed Banjo. That he was hurt, all without touching him.’ I took an unsteady breath. ‘It’s like the moment Bryce arrived, everything got amplified. Has anything like that been happening to either of you?’

They shook their heads.

I kept my mouth shut about the suddenly bubbling gravy. The wilting lavender. What I’d just revealed freaked them out enough.

Lia finished the rest of the eggs while Aster sipped her coffee. Every part of me wanted to be quiet about Belladonna. She hadn’t left Clo’s in a week, but she would soon, and I needed them to know she was here before they got confronted with it in town.

‘There’s one other thing.’

They both went still.

‘Belladonna is back. She’s staying at Clo’s.’

The color seeped out of Aster’s cheeks. Those familiar hard lines formed around Lia’s mouth. ‘Why is she here?’

‘I didn’t stay around long enough to ask.’

‘What did Grandmother Clo say?’ I hated hearing the heartbreak in Aster’s voice.