“Which one is Willa?” I asked.

“On the left there. We were all born with fair hair, but she was always dyeing hers dark for some reason. One of her many quirks.”

I noticed that Willa’s smile was more contemplative than happy. “What was she like?”

A laugh bubbled up from Faith. “So ornery! My goodness, that girl knew how to get under our skin. Classic middle child. But she also had a heart of gold. She was so good with domestic magic. Nobody could make a cup of herbal tea like her. We all wondered at times if she’d encountered Fae. She loved to wander out in the forest, and she was pretty quiet most of the time.”

I gently touched the picture of Willa, saying a secret prayer for her in my heart. Faith turned the page and pointed to an older couple, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, the woman’s head on the man’s shoulder.

“These are your great-grandparents, Calvin and Amaranthe Black. My mom and dad.”

I grinned. “They look so in love!”

Faith gave a contented sigh. “Oh, they were. Mother was absolutely beautiful, and Dad was over the moon for her.”

Moving my fingers over their faces, I suddenly felt angry again. “Why doesn’t anyone do anything about this? Chandra is a bully and a coward. Someone has to put her in her place!”

Faith looked up at me, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Honey, we tried. We did. Thing is, Chandra just had too many people backing her up. Even the council backed her up so she could use really dangerous spells. It’s terrible, but there is one thing that we have that she doesn’t.”

“What?”

I sounded more sarcastic than I’d meant to. Faith winced slightly. I gave her an apologetic look.

“People in Chandra’s coven, including her family members, only do as they’re told because they’re afraid of her. In our family, we have love and loyalty.”

Her words eased the torrent of emotions that had twisted so violently through me a moment before. Faith wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. I rested my head on her shoulder, both of us letting our tears fall.

Faith straightened, clearing her throat. “Look at us, sitting here blubbering like ninnies when there are goodies to eat. Come on, dig in.”

The bread was to die for, as if Faith had managed to bake a tasty cloud that melted in my mouth. The butter was also creamier than normal, storebought butter.

“Did you make all this by hand?”

Faith grinned. “Willa taught me how to do it…”

We were interrupted at that moment by a ferocious yowling and scratching at the door. Exchanging a worried look, we both got up and hurried to the door. I got there before Faith and opened it, my heart pounding. Jade streaked inside and stopped before us, her hackles raised, bits of leaves and sticks stuck to her fur.

Something is going on back at the townhouse, a ghost or an intruder or something. I could hear them. You’ve got to come quick, Sage!

Chapter Thirteen

I stared blankly at Jade. “Someone is at the townhouse?”

She let out a loud yowl and pawed at my leg. I held up my hands, trying to placate her.

“Easy! Just…calm down for a second, okay?”

I held a hand to my forehead, my mind racing. There had been an intruder that night shortly after I moved in. Could it be the same person?

“Do you have any idea who it could be?”

Faith’s voice sounded faint with horror. I looked up to see her cheeks draining of color.

“No. But it’s happened before.”

I chewed my lip, trying desperately to figure out what to do. I really didn’t want to go back to the house with just a cat for help, but who knew what the intruder would do if I took too long? My mind flashed back to the first intrusion, to the fact that the trespasser had gone into the basement.

“The door!”

Faith’s expression turned from horror to confusion at my outburst.

“I just remembered the door in the basement,” I explained. “It’s old-fashioned with just a bar thing across it, and it’s got some kind of magical barrier over it. I can’t get inside. The intruder must be after something in that room!”

I looked at Faith sharply when she didn’t say anything. “Do you know what’s in there?”

She shrugged. “A long time ago it was used for coven meetings, but with everything that went down with Chandra, we stopped using it.”

My heart rate sped up. “Was there anything important in there?”

“I don’t know, Sage. It’s been quite a while since I was in Celeste’s house.”

I gave a frustrated groan. “Then, come with me! I need help getting in there, and you’re way better than me at spells.”

Faith turned away, crossing her arms tightly over her torso. “I can’t.”

I stared incredulously at her. “What do you think is going to happen if you go back into town?”

She turned back to me, her expression hard. “I know exactly what will happen. I’m not willing to try it out.”

“Guess I have to do everything on my own,” I grumbled.

Turning on my heel, I flew through the front door, Jade following closely behind.

“She says she worries about me, but when push comes to shove, she can’t be bothered to look out for me or have my back.”

She’ll be killed if she goes into town, Sage.

I took a deep breath, fighting back tears. I knew it wasn’t fair to be mad at Faith for looking out for herself. She’d lost her sister and who knew how many other family members to Chandra’s cruelty.

But at that moment, I felt completely alone. Faith was the only family member I had left besides Tim, and she’d abandoned me to deal with whatever was going on in the house alone.

I briefly toyed with the idea of calling the police but dismissed it quickly. I’d seen their “work” and wanted no part of it.

The house stood quiet and dark. Before going inside, I circled to the back of the house to try the cellar doors. They stood wide open. Turning on my phone flashlight, I peered down inside and saw the wrench I’d used as a temporary lock lying on the cement floor below.

“So they were trying to get into the basement,” I murmured.

Looks that way.