“Are you sure you want to keep going?” Noah asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

  This time she patted his hand. “Yes, let’s try one more time, and then we can stop for the day.”

  Noah resumed staring into his mother’s eyes and lifted his hands. “I’m again directing my energy, though the Goddess, to surround my mother and help her find internal peace, to organize that which is chaotic.”

  Patty liked the archaic-sounding word choice. “Nice,” she whispered.

  “What?” Esther asked. The inflection in the single word combined with her rubbing her palms on the table hinted at tension or anxiety from the process.

  Patty wanted to reassure Esther that everything was positive. “You’re doing great. The tan is receding again, and it’s being replaced by streaks of silver through the murky white.” She sighed happily at the transformation. Esther’s aura was unlike anything Patty had seen before. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Is it okay that the tan is shrinking?” Esther asked.

  “I think so.” Patty hesitated to offer supposition, but decided she was in the best position to do so. “Another educated guess, but it’s almost as if tan isn’t the ultimate goal for your organized magical aura, if that makes sense.”

  “Am I going to lose my analytical mind?” Esther asked and Patty picked up on her half-joking.

  “Nah, I don’t think so.” Patty patted Esther’s hand on the table. “Remember that the magical aura represents your magical abilities, for the most part. I mean, it also telegraphs personality and emotions too. Really, it tells the story of who we are.” She spread her hands wide. “But mostly it conveys our magical inclinations.”

  “That clarified everything,” Noah said drolly.

  Patty winked at him. “I try.”

  “What about the silver?” Noah asked.

  “That could be a number of things,” Patty said, as the tan continued to diminish and the silver streaks replaced it within the murky white. “It’s connected to intuition, which may be connected to Esther’s eventual magical gift.”

  “That would be lovely,” Esther interjected.

  Patty raised her eyes to the ceiling. “It also could be related to your… womanly systems.”

  Esther snorted. “You mean it could be because of the menopause.”

  Patty lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “It’s possible.” She directed her attention to Noah. “Is the pushback still there?”

  “Not as much, no.”

  “Okay, good.” The beads of sweat on Noah’s forehead matched his mother’s upper lip. “Time to wrap this session up,” Patty declared. “Noah, I need you to withdraw your energy, and Esther, tell me how you feel.”

  “I’m pulling my energy back,” Noah said.

  “The blue and pink are flowing from your mother back to you,” Patty confirmed.

  “The tug-of-war in my body is dissipating,” Esther said, exhaling loudly.

  After Noah’s aura settled back around him, Patty turned her full attention to Esther. “The tan is almost entirely gone now. The bit of silver is still there. And although the white continues to be murky, it’s not churning as much as it was at the start.”

  “That’s good, right?” Noah asked.

  “Is that better?” Esther asked.

  Patty nodded in answer to the simultaneous questions. “This was great progress. The colors have changed and the volatility has decreased.”

  “What happens next?” Esther asked.

  “We take it one session at a time. Give it a bit to see how you feel, especially if you notice any… changes of the magical variety.”

  Esther chuckled. “Understood.”

  “Everybody good?” At their nods, Patty called out, “Gentlemen, you can return.”

  Elijah, Ben, and Aaron returned to the kitchen, and Esther, Patty, and Noah gave them the short version of what they’d done and the apparent results.

  “That sounds great,” Elijah boomed, running a hand through his thick, dark brown hair. “Thank you, Patty, for the suggestion and the progress.”

  Patty flushed at the praise. “You’re welcome, of course.”

  “If you’re done for the day, I’d like to walk you out,” Elijah said.

  The offer surprised Patty, and her eyes cut to Noah, whose expression reflected the same. That did not go unnoticed by Elijah.

  “I have something I’d like to talk to Patty about,” he said, offering no further explanation, but excitement fluttered through Patty.

  The job offer! Phase I had been a smashing success. Maybe now he’d offer her a job. Her thoughts careened around in her head as she said her goodbyes and followed Elijah to the front door. The two stepped through to the porch and Elijah closed the door behind them.

  He turned to her with his hands clasped together at chest height. “Great job you did in there. It sounded like a very positive first step for Esther.”

  “Thank you.” She beamed back at him.

  “I’d already been considering your proposal, and this confirmed how invaluable you could be, to the coven and the company.”

  Patty stayed quiet, though her body trembled inside with excitement.

  “I’d like to bring you on, after graduation, as an assistant priestess to start.”

  Patty gasped. She’d never imagined he’d start her in such a prominent position. The possibility of being just a step away from the high priestess role right after graduation boggled her mind.

  Elijah’s laughter bounced around the porch. “Yes, I know. It’s a big deal. But I believe you’d be great. You are a gifted witch and a forward-thinking businesswoman. What could be better for the role of assistant priestess?”

  “Thank you, thank you so much,” she stuttered, reaching out a hand to pump his.

  His expression clouded. “There’s only one condition.”

  “Name it.” There was nothing that would stand in the way of her dream.

  “Stop pursuing Noah.”

  Her mind blanked. She’d surely misheard him. “Come again.”

  Chapter Twelve

  NOAH

  Noah’s nerves thrummed as he drove his truck to Wildcrest Wizardry to pick up Patty. He’d waited long enough to say his goodbyes to his family, and then called to invite her along when he visited patients again that afternoon. But now, he had the ulterior motive.

  Patty lifted her hand in greeting after he’d pulled into a parking spot in front of the building. An uncertain smile flitted across her face, causing his nervousness to skyrocket. She hurried to the passenger side door and, grabbing ahold of the bar assist, hoisted herself into the large truck.

  “One of the challenges of being tiny,” she quipped.

  “You’re the perfect size. Snack-sized,” he joked back, and a sizzle of attraction electrified the air between them. He hadn’t meant the comment like a double entendre. Oh well. Too late now.

  Patty focused on buckling her seat belt. “Thank you for inviting me along again. It’s great watching you work,” she said, changing the subject.

  He rolled with the change, thankful for the break from the tension. “Of course. Having your perspective offers a unique opportunity for me to see, so to speak, from the magical side, what’s happening.”

  “Who are we visiting today?”

  Noah explained the medical issue of the woman next on his list, cutting his eyes to Patty occasionally. He noted with surprise how she kept her face forward the entire time, nodding at points, but never glancing in his direction, that he witnessed. His explanation ended as they reached the outskirts of town, and he began to turn onto a dirt road.

  “Noah, look out!” Patty threw her hands up on the dash and leaned forward.

  He slammed on his brakes, even without knowing what caused her outcry. His heart thundered in his chest and he held the steering wheel in a death-grip. His gaze swung wildly to find the source of her distress. There. A desert tortoise languidly crossing the dirt path. Noah had almost hit the large brown reptile.

  Both their breathing had become ragged with the near-accident. Now their breath slowed as they watched the tortoise finish crossing.

  “Is it okay?” Patty asked.

  “I think so,” Noah answered. “It’s too bad Aaron isn’t here to ask.” He patted his jeans pocket. “I could always call him to check in with the turtle.”

  Patty chuckled, the sound strangely nervous to his ears. “It doesn’t seem necessary to bring in your family.”

  The formality of the response sounded even stranger than the chuckle. “Not my family. Aaron.” Noah cleared his throat. “Honestly, though, the turtle’s moving at a normal pace for his kind, and I don’t see any physical wounds.” His expression brightened. “I could attempt to heal his energy, just in case, if it would make you feel better.”

  Patty flushed. “That’s unnecessary. You’re right. I freaked out a little with almost hitting it.”

  Now he flushed to match her. This was becoming increasingly awkward. “I’m sorry I was distracted.”

  She met his gaze full on. “What had you distracted?”

  Noah hesitated.

  She fiddled with her hands in her lap. “Never mind. I’m sure you were thinking about your patient.”

  Noah almost took the out she gave him, but remembered his ulterior motive. To work with her again this afternoon, and when they were both relaxed and happy about helping his patient, he’d ask her out.

  “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” He blurted out the question, kicking himself for veering off the plan.

  She grinned for the briefest of moments before her expression clouded.

  “I know I said I wasn’t interested in a fling—” he said, rushing to fill the silence, assuming he was the cause of her discomfort. His words dried up when Patty placed a hand on his between them on the center console.

  “I mangled my invitation before,” she said, biting her lower lip before straightening up. “But I’m correcting that now. Yes, I would like to have dinner with you tonight.” A shadow again crossed her face, and he wondered at its cause, now that she’d accepted his invitation.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” She squeezed his hand. “I am.”

  “We can work out the details after this visit.” Joy flooded him at the thought of going on an actual date with Patty.

  She faced forward again and, if he wasn’t mistaken, her mouth turned down a moment before thinning out.

  Noah considered asking her again if she was sure, before realizing this might have nothing to do with him. She’d probably used a lot of energy helping his mother in the morning. The unexplained looks and body language almost certainly were related to that. Patty had done a phenomenal job, but this was all unfamiliar territory to the coven. She’d made her interest in him clear. After all, she’d asked him out first.

  Satisfied with this explanation, Noah focused on the path before him and headed toward the next encounter.

  Chapter Thirteen

  PATTY

  She’d said yes. An actual date with Noah. Not a fling, like she’d said before. Instead of excitement about this step forward, as she prepared for her date, Patty found herself beyond conflicted. The rest of the afternoon with Noah had been better than the awkward conversation in his truck. She could almost see him running through possible explanations for her bizarre behavior, and wondered what had worked to finally relax him. By the time they’d reached his last patient, it was almost as if they hadn’t had the verbal exchange at all.

  Patty pondered her appearance in the full-length mirror that leaned against her childhood bedroom wall. She wore a bright yellow sundress that skimmed the tops of her knees. Given that she was height-challenged, dresses always were a touch longer than she’d prefer. But the cotton fabric was nice against her skin and she smiled, watching the image in the mirror reflect the same. Her short hair curled around her face and showcased her hazel eyes. She looked good.

  “Are you turning into Narcissus?”

  She faced the desert owl perched on a sturdy fake tree in a darker corner of the bedroom and mock-frowned. “How is that helpful, Aveline?”

  The desert owl hooted again and fluffed her wings. “Ooh, you used my full name.”

  Patty pursed her lips at her familiar and then shook her head. “Yes, I did, Ave.” She’d brought the sandy desert owl up to speed when she’d first arrived home. From working on the chaotic magic with Esther and Noah in the morning to Noah asking her out when they spent the afternoon visiting patients.

  “Did Elijah really say owls eat rabbits?” the owl asked.

  “I couldn’t believe it,” Patty said. She paused in rubbing the vanilla lotion onto her arms, her mind flashing back to the morning’s conversation with Noah’s father at the front door.

  After she’d questioned Elijah’s proviso, he’d rushed to explain himself…

  * * *

  “I like you,” he’d said, taking her hands in his. “You know that.”

  She’d pulled her hands away, speechless in the face of his request.

  “I saw the interest when you and Noah hugged.”

  “And?” she’d bit out.

  “You’re not a good fit for my son.”

  She opened her mouth to question that statement.

  “Even your familiars are enemies,” he’d quipped.

  “What?” Her confusion at that moment had been profound.

  “Owls eat rabbits.” He’d looked so pleased with himself for the little joke.

  She, however, had not been pleased. “I’m going to need a bit more than that.”

  Elijah had the good grace to appear chagrined.

  “Why don’t you think Noah and I are a good fit?” She’d gripped the handle of the front door with one hand, the other planted against her hip.

  Elijah placed a hand against the door, as well, almost like he was mirroring her. “He’s worked to establish his practice and is ready to settle down. You’re still in school and preparing to start your career.” Now he clasped his hands in front of him.

  Patty wanted to shake him from his relaxed stance. “Yes, I’m preparing to start my career. That doesn’t mean I’m not ready…” She’d floundered a bit at the end. What was she ready for personally?

  “I know it seems personal, but it’s really not. One day you’ll thank me for seeing what you couldn’t,” he assured her.

  The certainty and openness in his tone and expression had flummoxed her. He really thought he was doing the right thing…

  * * *

  Aveline hooted again, bringing Patty back into the bedroom, where she recognized she was playing with fire. She’d accepted the job offer from Elijah, including the one proviso that she not date Noah. Ave, of course, being the nearly eternal being that she was, thought Patty was doing the right thing.

  “He means well,” the owl said.

  “You think so?” Doubt dripped from Patty’s voice.

  Aveline fluffed her feathers. “I do.”

  “Then explain it to me like I’m a child. Because all I see is a parent trying to control a grown man,” Patty grumbled, sitting on the cheery yellow comforter on her bed. She propped her head with her hands.

  “It’s like he told you, after the ridiculous thing about your familiars.”

  Patty could practically hear the eye roll in her familiar’s words.

  “You and Noah are at different stages in your lives, and you’re on separate paths.”

  “But you support my going out with Noah,” Patty interrupted.

  “I do. I’m explaining why Elijah thinks he’s doing the right thing.”

  “Oh yeah.” Patty collapsed back on the bed, listening to Ave.

  “As a father, since he believes you and Elijah aren’t right for each other, he’s encouraging you not to start down what he sees as a negative path.”

  Patty bolted upright and jumped from the bed. “You don’t think he offered me the job solely to keep me from Noah, do you?” She struggled to keep her voice from breaking.

  “I do not.”

  “Okay, good.” She picked a brush off the dark wood dresser and ran it through her hair. The strands fell back into place.

  “What’s going through your mind right now?”

  “It made sense to accept the agreement in that moment. Noah had told me no when I asked him out,” she said, more to her reflection than to her familiar. “I didn’t have anything to lose, and everything professionally to gain.”

  Patty met Ave’s eyes in the mirror over the dresser and offered a wicked grin. “I’m dating Noah. By the time Elijah figures out what I’m doing, Noah and I will be a couple, and he’ll never take the job from me.”

  Despite the assurance in her voice, the quiver in her belly told Patty she wasn’t quite as certain of that outcome as she portrayed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  NOAH

  “A date, huh?” Ben asked Noah. The three brothers stared at Noah’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. “It’s about time.”

  Noah cut his eyes to Ben. “Really?”

  “Big brother, we all see the chemistry between you and Patty,” Aaron said with a laugh.

  “Why so nervous?” Ben asked.

  Noah turned from the mirror and his younger brothers followed him through the bedroom to the kitchen. He stopped at the island and leaned against it. “I’m not sure,” he admitted.

  Ben sat on one of the island stools. “Walk us through it.”

  “He doesn’t want to screw it up,” Aaron teased, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of sparkling water. He grabbed glasses for the three men.

  “Will you throw a pod in the machine? I have a late night at the hospital,” Ben interjected. “Thanks,” he added when Aaron complied.

  Noah withstood the desire to roll his eyes at Aaron’s comment. “You’re not wrong, of course.” He frowned. “It’s more than that.”

  Aaron sat beside Ben, and the brothers stared at Noah. “Go on,” Ben said.

 

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