heard your
voice. So tell me.”
“I accepted the job. I started pretty much immediately. Wrote a press release even.”
She snorted. “I’ve got an awesome dragon as an assistant. She knows stuff and no one
is getting through to my desk unless they deserve to.”
“Good to hear. They’re good people? These Owens?”
She smiled. People sometimes considered Molly’s mother to be a bit of a stone-cold
ballbuster. But underneath the ambition that had driven her to such success was a
person who loved her family. Molly would be seventy years old and her mother would
still worry. That filled her up.
“They seem to be. They’re footing the bill for this hotel I’m in. One of those extended-stay
dealies. They offered to help me find an apartment. My assistant even made me a list
with places they consider safest. I have a driver and a guard.”
“A what?”
Molly sucked in a breath and explained. “This is more than me being a witch and outed
on television. Here I’ll be associated with the clan in a much more open way. They
seem to think it’s a necessary thing so I’m going with it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Me neither. But what can I do? Hide? Pretend it’s not happening? You should see some
of the background material I read today. There is some seriously bad stuff happening
to Others all across the globe right now.”
It turned her stomach. Outraged her that it had barely even been spoken of on the
news. She needed to remedy that. Humans needed to understand and Others needed to
realize just how threatened they were.
Her mother spoke again, interrupting her mental planning. “When do you think you’ll
be back to pack up?”
“I don’t know. My schedule is already full.” Molly rubbed her eyes, suddenly exhausted.
“I just spoke with Rosa earlier. Why don’t you let us do it? At the very least we
can get your clothes and shoes packed up and sent your way.”
“You’re so good to me, Mom.”
“I’m your mother, it’s my job. Also it gives me something to do so I won’t miss you
so much. So . . . what’s it like? I feel bad, not having you grow up knowing this
stuff. I never meant—never knew it would be like this.”
“Please don’t apologize for the choices you made. I wouldn’t change a thing about
the way I grew up. I promise. It’s different here. It’s not that I’ve never been around
witches. But they’re very, I don’t know, it’s a big part of who they are. I mean,
you should see this building they’re headquartered in. It’s like a giant corporation
of witches. They have a landscaping business. A chain. A legal department. All sorts
of stuff. They offered me lessons. So I can learn how to use my power in new ways.
Classes on clan history, which will be helpful in my job. Some of them are wary of
me. Most of them have been welcoming. I’m overwhelmed, but so busy it hasn’t really
sunk in yet.”
“That’s probably for the best. You always do better when you have lots of things to
do. Anything new on the stuff with the firm?”
“I’m not going to get my job back. Which is pretty much what we knew. I mean, Jim
said he could fight it and maybe we’d win. But the partnership agreement was violated
in that my whatever—existence, identity—had brought negative attention to the firm
and cost it clients. That was true, even though the reasons were stupid. I don’t want
to fight it for years, spending all that money. Their settlement to me will be double
what they offered originally.” And that was a great deal of money. Though, of course,
money she’d made anyway. “They have to change the name of the firm, and Jim crafted
a better statement on my departure that didn’t cast them as saints and me as a witchy
whore.” She sighed. It still hurt.
“I hate them.”
Molly grinned. “Thanks, Mom. It sucks. A lot. But the money will enable to me buy
a great place out here and get a
voice. So tell me.”
“I accepted the job. I started pretty much immediately. Wrote a press release even.”
She snorted. “I’ve got an awesome dragon as an assistant. She knows stuff and no one
is getting through to my desk unless they deserve to.”
“Good to hear. They’re good people? These Owens?”
She smiled. People sometimes considered Molly’s mother to be a bit of a stone-cold
ballbuster. But underneath the ambition that had driven her to such success was a
person who loved her family. Molly would be seventy years old and her mother would
still worry. That filled her up.
“They seem to be. They’re footing the bill for this hotel I’m in. One of those extended-stay
dealies. They offered to help me find an apartment. My assistant even made me a list
with places they consider safest. I have a driver and a guard.”
“A what?”
Molly sucked in a breath and explained. “This is more than me being a witch and outed
on television. Here I’ll be associated with the clan in a much more open way. They
seem to think it’s a necessary thing so I’m going with it.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Me neither. But what can I do? Hide? Pretend it’s not happening? You should see some
of the background material I read today. There is some seriously bad stuff happening
to Others all across the globe right now.”
It turned her stomach. Outraged her that it had barely even been spoken of on the
news. She needed to remedy that. Humans needed to understand and Others needed to
realize just how threatened they were.
Her mother spoke again, interrupting her mental planning. “When do you think you’ll
be back to pack up?”
“I don’t know. My schedule is already full.” Molly rubbed her eyes, suddenly exhausted.
“I just spoke with Rosa earlier. Why don’t you let us do it? At the very least we
can get your clothes and shoes packed up and sent your way.”
“You’re so good to me, Mom.”
“I’m your mother, it’s my job. Also it gives me something to do so I won’t miss you
so much. So . . . what’s it like? I feel bad, not having you grow up knowing this
stuff. I never meant—never knew it would be like this.”
“Please don’t apologize for the choices you made. I wouldn’t change a thing about
the way I grew up. I promise. It’s different here. It’s not that I’ve never been around
witches. But they’re very, I don’t know, it’s a big part of who they are. I mean,
you should see this building they’re headquartered in. It’s like a giant corporation
of witches. They have a landscaping business. A chain. A legal department. All sorts
of stuff. They offered me lessons. So I can learn how to use my power in new ways.
Classes on clan history, which will be helpful in my job. Some of them are wary of
me. Most of them have been welcoming. I’m overwhelmed, but so busy it hasn’t really
sunk in yet.”
“That’s probably for the best. You always do better when you have lots of things to
do. Anything new on the stuff with the firm?”
“I’m not going to get my job back. Which is pretty much what we knew. I mean, Jim
said he could fight it and maybe we’d win. But the partnership agreement was violated
in that my whatever—existence, identity—had brought negative attention to the firm
and cost it clients. That was true, even though the reasons were stupid. I don’t want
to fight it for years, spending all that money. Their settlement to me will be double
what they offered originally.” And that was a great deal of money. Though, of course,
money she’d made anyway. “They have to change the name of the firm, and Jim crafted
a better statement on my departure that didn’t cast them as saints and me as a witchy
whore.” She sighed. It still hurt.
“I hate them.”
Molly grinned. “Thanks, Mom. It sucks. A lot. But the money will enable to me buy
a great place out here and get a
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