Faith’s huge eyes grew, if possible, even larger. “She did what?”

Trying to hide my impatience, I opened my mouth again, but she shook her head again.

“I can hear you, young lady. I just can’t believe my sister did something so abominably foolish. Come in, then, I’ll get you some tea. Oh, you’ve got a cat…”

Her voice trailed off as she looked down at the animal. She crossed her arms while Jade lifted her chin defiantly.

“As I live and breathe! It’s Jade. How are you doing, you grumpy little thing?”

Thoroughly enjoying life as a cat. Are you going to let us in or not?

Faith gave a jolly chuckle. “Yes, come in, both of you.”

The house had a similar layout to Grandma’s house, with the stairs immediately opposite the front door and a formal living room off to the left. Faith led me to the right to a cozy den with brown leather couches and a large television.

“Come and sit. What kind of tea do you want? I’ve got herbal or green or black or Earl Grey…”

I blinked slowly as I sat down. “Um…maybe peppermint?”

Faith nodded approvingly. “Any sugar or milk?”

I shrugged. “Maybe just some sugar?”

She nodded once more before bustling off towards the kitchen. I gazed around the room, which was packed with the most random assortment of knick-knacks imaginable. Several stuffed owls sat on the large bookshelf in lieu of books, staring at me with glassy, amber eyes.

The books themselves sat in stacks around the room. Most of them were trashy romance novels, which made me suppress a laugh. It looked like all the Black sisters had a weakness for steamy romance.

A stack of larger, older looking books caught my eye. Leaning over, I peered curiously at the cover of one.

Enchanting Enchantments: Spells for Safeguarding Yourself and Fending off Others.

I frowned as I studied the cover, on which a woman was turning a man into a toad. The title struck me as odd. From what I’d gathered, Faith was capable of casting complicated spells, but this book made it look like she was afraid.

“Tea’s ready.”

I jumped up guiltily as Faith approached with a tray in hand. She gave a little chuckle as she saw the book I’d been looking at.

“That’s a handy little manual. Got all sorts of nasty spells in there. You digging for ideas? Got some enemies of your own?”

“I uh…”

The rapid-fire series of questions caught me off balance. “I was just curious. I only found out recently that I’m a witch.”

Faith’s mouth opened in a little “o.”

“Did you really? Didn’t your father ever say anything about it?”

My face fell as I sat back down on the couch, accepting the steaming mug from Faith. “He didn’t like talking about Woods Crossing or his family.”

Faith sat down with her own tea, setting the tray on the intricately carved coffee table. Her expression sobered. “Yes, I suppose he probably wanted to forget it all. That would mean he was furious with his mother for giving you the inheritance.”

“He definitely wasn’t happy about it,” I agreed.

She took a tentative sip, wincing at the heat. “I don’t blame him. And if you were my child, I would have told you there was no way you would inherit Celeste’s house.”

I gave an irritated scowl. “He tried, but I’m twenty-six. He had no say in it.”

With a sigh, Faith leaned back against the couch cushions. “I suppose that’s true. But he had good reason for being angry about it.”

Leaning forward, I placed my mug on a coaster shaped like a sunflower. “That’s part of the reason I came. Nobody has ever told me anything about the family, or about why we moved away from Woods Crossing and had no interaction with family at all.”

Faith nodded thoughtfully as she set a little dish on the floor in front of Jade. A loud purr sounded at our feet. You remembered that I like cheese and crackers?

Faith laughed. “How can I forget? You ate us out of house and home with your crackers and cheese habit.”

Jade ate with gusto as Faith reached down absently and scratched her behind the ears. I looked up from Jade to Faith, my mouth agape.

“She doesn’t let me scratch her ears! And I’m housing and feeding her!”

Jade’s laugh sounded in my head, echoed by Faith’s low chuckle. Give me crackers and cheese and maybe I’ll let you scratch my ears.

Faith straightened, still laughing. “She’s always been ornery. Don’t feel bad.”

Jade ignored us as she dug into the food. After blowing on my tea, I took a tentative sip. It was minty with just a hint of lemon.

“Anyway, what brought you all the way out here to an old nut like me?”

I straightened, my heart picking up speed. “I…I need help. I’ve only just learned about my powers and I don’t know how to properly use them. Jade told me that you’re the best person to teach me.”

Faith’s eyes grew wide. She took her time putting her mug down on a coaster. “The best help I can give you is to tell you to go back home. Your dad is right, you shouldn’t have moved here.”

Giving a frustrated sigh, I put down my mug, stood up and began to pace. “Grandma left the shop and the house to me. I can’t just turn my back on my inheritance and my family. And I don’t want to go home and live under Dad’s thumb again.”

Faith pressed her lips together. I noticed she was twirling her finger clockwise over her mug. Glancing down at the tea, I saw it swirling in the same direction. Her eyes creased with sympathy. “Yes, I…can imagine your dad has kept a tight watch on you.”

“But why?” I burst out. “Why is he like this? Why was our family driven out of town?”

Faith’s gaze flicked up to me as I stopped pacing and crossed my arms. “You really want to know?”

I threw my hands in the air. “Why do you think I came all the way out here?”

Faith took a deep breath, regarding me evenly. “It’s all because of the Farrows.”

“I gathered as much, but what exactly did they do?”

Picking up her mug, Faith took a long sip of her tea. Her expression was so hopeless and lost when she looked up at me that I suddenly felt guilty for pushing her so hard.

“Chandra and her coven, the Farrows, are responsible for Willa’s death. They killed her. They also killed your mother. That’s why your father hates the idea of you being here.”