Federal Bureau of Magic Series Box Set by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2019-12-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

When I got home, I tried to sneak past the kitchen and head straight to the attic to change into cozy pajamas. I didn’t think about using the locket until it was too late.

“There’s Eden now,” I heard my mother say.

I froze mid-step.

“Eden, come see who’s here,” Grandma called.

Reluctantly, I turned and entered the kitchen. My grandmother’s best friend, Shirley, sat at the table with Mom, Grandma, and Uncle Moyer. Candy was sprawled across the table, her tail flicking the cards across the surface.

“Gin rummy?” I asked.

“What else?” Shirley asked. “Come closer so I can get a good look at you. It’s been too many years.”

Shirley was a tall, busty woman with cropped white hair and a penchant for chunky jewelry. She was a human with the Sight and a psychic, though I often doubted her abilities. Her predictions tended to be on par with those found in Chinese fortune cookies or horoscopes.

“You look just the same,” I said.

“Lying is a sin, Eden Fury,” she chastised me.

“So is gambling,” I said.

Shirley gestured to the cards. “This is gin rummy. Perfectly acceptable. Now poker is another matter entirely.”

“Which is why we can’t play and I’m stuck being the dealer,” Uncle Moyer interjected, sounding vaguely put out.

I greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “Where’s Tomas?” Tomas was Uncle Moyer’s husband and a human-angel hybrid.

“He has a cold,” Uncle Moyer said. “You know what a baby he is when he has the sniffles. You’d think he was on death’s door.”

“Throw salt over your shoulder when you say a thing like that,” Shirley told him. She was as superstitious as she was pious.

Uncle Moyer took a pinch of salt from the shaker and threw it over his left shoulder, his expression deadpan.

“Now tell me, Beatrice,” Shirley said. “Why hasn’t there been a party to welcome Eden home? I would think it’s a cause for celebration.”

“I would have planned one, but someone didn’t tell us she’d be moving back until the last minute.” My mother maintained a neutral expression, as though the identity of that someone was a complete mystery.

“The transfer was unexpected,” I said. “Besides, you know I wouldn’t want a party.” Being the center of attention in this house never ended well and was best avoided.

“So, Eden, how was your date?” my mother asked.

I flinched. “How did you know I was on a date?”

Grandma jerked her hand of cards in Shirley’s direction. “We’re entertaining a psychic. How do you think?”

“You had a vision of me on a date?” I asked.

Shirley set down a run of diamonds. “No, Mona saw you out with that lottery-winning carpenter and texted me.”

I felt my mother’s laser eyes burning a hole through me. I ignored her and went to put my leftovers in the fridge.

“Bring over a snack for the table while you’re up,” Grandma said.

I rummaged in the pantry, careful to avoid anything that looked earmarked for a spell. I’d made that mistake in high school and ended up with a swollen nose for a week.

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