An Unlikely Witch by Debora Geary

it.”
    Crap.  “It was really awesome out there.  Nat was floating on her back thinking all this awesome womb-of-the-mother stuff, and we were all connected.  Moira added a blessing.  That’s all.”
    “Damn.”  Nell’s eyes softened.  “She loves that little boy as much as any of us.”
    Yeah.  Devin sucked in a harsh breath.  That was the real elephant in this room.  He looked at Jamie, letting everything he felt ride on his face.  He understood, better than anyone, how the ocean could toss the small things that dared to ride on its surface.  “I’m so freaking sorry.”
    “Nat feels like a failure,” said Jamie, voice cracking into a hundred pieces.  “And I have no idea how to convince her she isn’t.” 
    As a unit, Nell and Devin stormed the couch, bookended their brother and leaned in, doing their damnedest to take away even the tiniest part of what hurt him and the woman they both loved like a sister.
    He took a breath.  “She’s doing better today.  This morning she disappeared to her studio for a couple of hours.”
    Working through the pain.  Dev winced.  Smart, brave—and it killed his brother that she’d done it alone.
    Jamie stared down at random patterns in the pillow under his elbow.  And then looked at the two of them, eyes full of pride.  “Then she went to Fisher’s Cove.  To see Moira and Sophie.”
    Devin clenched his fists, aching for Nat—and holding tight to something he knew how to do.  One of their own had chosen to fight.  He looked at Nell and spoke for both of them.  “If they need anything.  Or if she does or you do.  Cookies.  Someone to distract Kenna.  My bottle-cap collection.”
    Nell poked a finger in his ribs.  “I have a kitchen full of dirty dishes.”
    He hit her with a pillow, mostly managing not to deck Jamie in the process.  “You have a house full of pesky children.  Don’t any of them have arms that work?”
    She snorted.  “They’re too busy eating my cookies.  A bad habit they picked up from their uncles.”
    They both eyed Jamie to see if their Stooges act was getting them anywhere.  He managed a smile.
    It was a start.  The success of their comedy didn’t matter.  All that really mattered was that he saw the long line of people forming beside him and Nat.  Starting with the two of them in the room.
    It would be a mile deep by sundown.

Chapter 8

    Apparently, she was going to have a full kitchen today.  Moira looked up as Lauren blew through her back door.  “Good morning, and welcome.  Come have some tea with us.”
    Her newest visitor raised an eyebrow at the one already sitting at her table.  “It’s the crack of dawn.  Why aren’t we all sleeping?”
    Nell chuckled.  “I have five kids.  What’s your excuse?”
    The same one that had all of them here at her table.  Moira poured another cup of her spicy Solstice blend and waited for Lauren to shrug out of her outer garments.  “You came to deliver Nat, I assume?”  Sophie had scheduled their first scanning session for today.
    “Yeah.”  Lauren slid into a chair and made a face at the tea.  “She wanted to come alone and Jamie wanted to glue himself to her side.  It was the best deal we could come up with.”  She glanced over at Nell.  “Your brother has a hard head when he wants to.”
    Moira hid a smile.  Nell had more than one brother who met that description.  “He’ll not want Nat to go through this alone.”  She sighed, her heart aching for the man who had once been a small, cuddly boy.  “And he’ll not understand just yet that she’ll need to walk some of this journey by herself.  There’s none lonelier.”
    Nell’s foot scuffed the floor.  “It shouldn’t have to be.”
    But it was, and Nat didn’t need the combined weight of the Sullivan warriors trying to convince her otherwise.  “We all have our things to bear alone.  For all the support and love you have, no one else knows what it is to be Aervyn’s