Chapter 22
Jade
Tracey hissed through her teeth as Granny poked the vampire bites on the side of her neck. Then she hissed even harder when Granny smacked her head. “You stupid girl.”
I frowned. “She was attacked.”
Granny’s eyes turned toward the ceiling as Carden came in with a new set of bandages. It was weird to me that all he did now was spend his time with the witches. He couldn’t remember his life before the witches went into his head and he couldn’t remember anything from the time his brain was taken over. He was in the weirdest position and there was absolutely nothing that could be done about it. Maybe he had been a witch before and that was why he felt so drawn to Granny and the kids. Either way, I still didn’t trust him.
“She smelled that he was a vampire even before she saw him. She could have avoided this. She allowed him to get close enough to her to use his strength on her.” She clicked her tongue. “Vampires are naturally stronger and faster than werewolves but that’s after years of training. Rafe told me he was newly changed. He shouldn’t have gotten the best of you.”
“Sounds to me like you’re victim shaming,” I muttered. Tracey shot me a dark look and twitched her head to cut it out. I shrugged. I respected my elders. I adored Granny. But I wasn’t going to let anyone get away with being ugly to my friend. It explained why Tracey had been so worried before. Her father and mother would possibly feel the same way.
Granny took my hand in hers. There were calluses deep in her palms and I wondered what kind of work did that. There was a worn mortar and pestle on the kitchen table. Her shelves were filled with dried herbs and spices. Maybe that’s what did it. “I love Tracey dearly and I would never victim blame, but she can’t be coddled her entire life. Neither can you. You were a stupid girl with all of your partying. You grew and evolved like you are supposed to.” She lowered her voice. “I have a feeling this all had something to do with Knox anyway.”
Granny the all-knowing.Nalia snickered in my head.
Truly.I thought back.
The truth was imprinted in my brain but there was no way I was going to give that information up. I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
She grinned and pulled her hands away from mine. “I can taste lies too, child.”
Tracey groaned across the room. “Stop talking about me.” She looked at Carden that was dressing the side of her neck with some ointment. “Is all of this really necessary?”
Granny clicked her tongue. “Yes, I don’t waste my good herbs for no damn reason. You can go to a doctor if that’s what you want.” She smirked. “Not that they could help you, but you’re welcome to try it.” Granny pointed to the hall. “There’s the door.”
“You get sassier as you age,” Tracey winced and yanked her head away from Carden. His expression was apologetic but he still leaned back into her to continue applying the medicine.
Granny winked at the both of us. “Of course I do because the longer I live, the more I get tired of other people and their nonsense.”
“Makes sense,” I agreed with her. I couldn’t imagine the life span that had been bestowed upon me. I would probably end up just like her.
Tracey hissed. “You have to try something else.”
Granny leaned against her counter. “Nope, this means it’s working.”
“I think you get enjoyment out of torturing me,” Tracey whined as Carden brushed his fingers over her neck again.
A laugh escaped Granny’s lips and it was a contagious thing. “Do you know the hell you put me through when you were a child? Of course I get joy out of these things now. You were a pain in the ass.”
Carden coughed slightly to cover up his laugh. I tried to hide my smile behind my hand and Tracey shot us all murderous looks.
A whistle started up down the hall before Valentina, Bee’s daughter, came around the corner. She had a flower crown braided into her blonde hair and a thick leather book between her hands. Her dress looked like it was homemade. The stitching was slightly crooked but it was a cute little jumper with enormous buttons on each shoulder. She eyed Tracey curiously as she sat down at the table. She opened the book in front of her and a pressed flower slipped out. It drifted in the air like a feather but before it could connect with the wood floor, it rose up and landed right back in the book.
Valentina didn’t look up from the page while the flower came to a rest right between the pages. She hadn’t moved her hands or her lips but the flower had done her bidding perfectly. Soul magic wasn’t her only affinity. Admiration shone in Granny’s eyes.
“Valentina is a star pupil. She will make a fine witch someday.”
Out of the corner of my eyes, I watched as Tracey rolled hers. Her lip twitched up in disgust. Valentina wouldn’t acknowledge Tracey’s presence either. She grinned at me for a moment before she went back to her reading. She ignored Carden as well. That explained all the issues they were having. Valentina and Tracey were jealous of each other.
When Carden pressed the bandage to Tracey’s neck, she cursed and shoved him away. “All of you people just love to cause unnecessary pain.”
Valentina’s eyebrow quirked up before she turned to my best friend. “Maybe if you weren’t such a baby, then you could handle it. He didn’t have to heal you.”
“You what?” Tracey ripped the bandage off of her neck and rushed to the bathroom on the other side of the cottage. Granny’s nostrils flared. Carden’s face turned pink under all the scrutiny.
“Valentina,” Granny’s voice held a warning. “You know better than revealing other’s secrets. It wasn’t yours to share.”
