House of Ivy & Sorrow

THIRTY-EIGHT





Three days later, I pace the apothecary floor in a fit of nerves. Gwen texted me an hour ago, saying her parents are finally sure she’s not dying, so she’s on her way over. I don’t know why I’m so jittery, but I can’t help myself. Promise to Kat or not, I shouldn’t be doing this. But then again, Nana and I have practically murdered every witching tradition in the last few weeks, so why not add to the pile?

“For the love, Jo!” Maggie says. “I’ve had two liters of Mountain Dew and you’re still beating me on the hyper scale. Sit down!”

“Gwen will be fine,” Kat adds. “In fact, she’ll probably be ecstatic.”

“Still, she has no clue what she’s getting into.”

A loud bang sounds from the hallway, and in walk Tessa and Prudence. Just in time. Maggie doesn’t quite have the skill level to perform a binding, and I have to participate, so I asked them to help.

Tessa wraps me in a hug, “How is Dorothea?”

“Not good,” I say, pushing back the lump in my throat. “But she would love to see you, I’m sure.”

She offers a tight smile. “We’ll visit her after we help with your friend.”

Prudence eyes Kat. “Are you sure you want to bring more outsiders into this? With your father and Katherine in the house, it seems you’ve forgotten the old ways.”

I tip my chin up. “And since when is the head of house questioned, oh rule keeper?”

Her eyes narrow.

“Considering the circumstances, Pru, I need to protect the people closest to me as best I can. Gwen almost died because of this man—the charms and enchantments I gave her weren’t enough. I won’t let it happen again.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “Fair enough. Where’s the spell book?”

“Here.” I turn the heavy, old book so she can see. A flicker of doubt runs through me. It’s a hard spell—maybe they won’t be able to do it either.

Pru scans the page, then looks back to me. “You have what we need?”

“Yeah. But be careful with the golden eagle tears; there aren’t enough for mistakes.”

“There won’t be any.” She gives me the crustiest glare, but I’m not offended. Pru is Pru. She’s always been the one who is dead serious about everything. I’m half tempted to pull out a plastic snake to lighten things up.

The doorbell rings. “That should be her.” I head for the door, but am taken aback when the blond hair I see isn’t Gwen’s. “Winn.”

“Hey.” He barely looks at me before his eyes find the ground. “Your phone . . . seems to be broken. Are you busy? I wanted to talk to you about the other day.”

I bite my lip, feeling like the worst person alive. He might have no clue why I haven’t answered his calls, and I still can’t face him. “Actually . . .”

He tries not to frown, but it doesn’t work very well. “So you’re avoiding me.”

“No!” I can tell he sees my lie, but what else can I do right now? I have a whole gaggle of witches to tend to. “It’s just that Gwen is about to get here; otherwise I would.”

“Right. Of course. She comes first.” He nods too much, which sends up all sorts of warning flags. I’ve really hurt him. He needs me to be there for him, and I don’t know how to do that anymore.

“I’m so sorry, Winn. Things have been crazy since we were up in your attic. I’ve been setting everything up for Gwen. Kat, Maggie, and I had this slumber party all planned out. You know, trying to make it feel kind of normal for her.”

He smiles, but it’s not the same bright grin he usually gives me. “You are such a good friend.”

“You are such a good boyfriend.” I mean it, even if I still don’t know what role he plays in all of this. I want so badly to be with him, but even though we’re right next to each other it’s like there’s a universe between us. It feels like if he leaves, things will never be okay for us again. The thought of really losing him slams into my chest, and I find myself saying, “Maybe I can sneak away for a second.”

“Really?” His voice is small, skeptical.

“I miss you,” I admit, even though I shouldn’t. He could be the enemy, and I don’t have any more chances to take. “I’m sorry I ran like that. I . . . I guess I got scared once you left.”

“It’s okay, figured as much. I kind of got carried away—sorry for pressuring you.” He sighs as his hands find my waist, and I can’t resist his touch. “I miss you, too.”

Someone clears their throat, and we jump apart. I really hope it isn’t my dad. Winn’s skittishness doesn’t seem so silly anymore. Luckily, it’s Gwen, whose golden hair now brushes at her collarbone. I’ve never seen it that short, but it’s gorgeous and mature.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she says, readjusting her large duffel bag.

“Gwen!” I walk past Winn and down the stairs to give her a hug. “I love your hair. Seriously, you look amazing!”

She smiles. “I thought I’d hate losing it, but it’s kind of hot, isn’t it?”

“So hot!” I turn to Winn. “Right?”

He smiles, and this time it’s real. “How am I supposed to answer that?”

I roll my eyes. “You can be honest with me, too, you know.”

Our eyes lock, and for a second I think he might understand I mean that in a different way as well. But then he blinks it away. “Fine. Gwen, you look beautiful.” He comes down the stairs and pecks my cheek. “Have fun at your girls’ night.”

“But didn’t you want—?”

“Just promise me we’ll hang out later.”

“I promise,” I say, though part of me never wants to have the conversation that’s coming. Why did I have to find that stupid history? I want everything to go back to before that moment, when it was only me and Winn stealing kisses in his attic.

“Call me, okay?”

“Of course.” I wave and smile, but inside it feels like I’m falling apart.

Once he’s out of earshot, Gwen grabs my arm and pushes me back toward the house. “You better spill, because I can’t take another day of nightmares without knowing what the hell is going on.”

“This way.” I point her down the hall.

As she takes in the apothecary, with its various skeletons and ceiling-high cabinets of mysterious bottled things, she doesn’t seem so excited. “Is this for real?”

Prudence rolls her eyes. “This will be exhausting.”

I spit in my hand and use it to conjure a snake, which I toss at Pru. She lets out a pleasing scream, shaking it off, and I make it disappear. “So you’re still afraid of snakes.”

Pru says nothing, just straightens her hair and goes back to the book.

Tessa tries to hide her smile. “How did you know that?”

“Mom said something once.” I turn to Gwen. “Sit over here.”

She takes the chair, its heavily carved wood and burgundy upholstery contrasting against her light hair, and looks at me. “You’re not like that guy who cured me, are you? Because when he was killing the shadows in my head . . . Whatever that magic was, I can’t see you being like that, Jo.”

I lean on the desk. “No, we’re not like Levi, but that doesn’t mean what we do is pleasant. Magic is dark. But we don’t let it consume us—we are in control of it, or at least any respectable witch is.”

She nods. “So what’s going on? Did . . . is that why my house is gone?”

I cringe. “It’s my fault. The people hunting my family did it to hurt me. I should have been there to protect you, but I wasn’t paying attention because Nana is dying, and—”

“Wait.” She puts her hand to her chest, as if hearing that was a physical blow. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Our eyes meet, and I know I don’t have to speak.

“It’s like what happened to me, so you couldn’t say anything?”

“Along those lines.” And then it all floods out—how my mom really died, my dad showing up, Kat finding out, the threats on my friends, Nana being cursed, Winn being a witch’s descendant, Levi, the Blacks, and Jeff, the man who killed my mother. By the time I’m done, my whole body trembles, exhausted from the seemingly endless chain of darkness.

Gwen is silent for a long time. “You should have told me,” she finally says. Then she turns to Kat. “She should have told us, right?”


“Yes!” Kat throws up her hands. “Can you believe her?”

Gwen laughs. At me. Definitely not with me. “Seriously, Jo, why do you have to do everything on your own?”

Prudence puts her hands to her hips. “Because outsiders aren’t permitted to know of us. Josephine is breaking time-honored traditions that have kept us safe for generations.”

Gwen raises an eyebrow. “What? You really think we’ll burn her at the stake?”

Pru’s eyes flare with anger. “How dare—”

Gwen stands. “Look, no offense, okay? I get the idea of the rule, but I don’t think she’s breaking anything. She isn’t risking anyone’s safety; she’s only trying to protect her friends. I know you might not think we belong here, but Kat and I are Jo’s family. I don’t care if we’re not witches. We care about her more than you can understand, and it’s really shortsighted of you to overlook that.”

We all gape at her, and I have this overwhelming urge to hug my adorable mother hen of a friend. Gwen looks my way. “So what next? I’ll do anything to help you—save Nana, kick this guy’s ass, whatever.”

I can’t help but smile, even as I grab the pliers. “First, a spell and a hell of a lot of pain. Then? Pudding.”