about Iris?”
“Yes, those were always my favorites.” Strange, Iris featured so prominently in the family history even though she lived centuries ago. “I thought she died in her mid-thirties.” Younger than Joss by almost a decade.
Lydia settled on the bar stool beside her. “The family fudged her story to cover up the truth.”
After sipping, Gram said, “Iris left the mortal world to fulfill her duty.”
The mortal world? It sounded more like a fairy tale. “Which was?”
Gram and Lydia exchanged a serious look before Gram said, “To act as a bridge between earth and the other realm.”
“What about her mortal marriage?” Joss couldn’t believe the ease with which the strange words slipped from her mouth.
Lydia sighed. “Her family never recognized the union.”
“Didn’t Iris love her husband?” She couldn’t recall his name. Must be the tequila kicking in. Not enough, so she sipped more.
“Very much,” Gram said. “She was bound by duty and left him to raise their daughter alone.”
“She left her child?” The thought astounded her. How tragic. She could relate, having only been nineteen years old when Mom left. Joss had married the year before at the tender age of eighteen, but still felt abandoned. Especially since her dad had died soon after.
“Because of Iris’s lineage,” Gram continued, “her descendants rightfully deserved certain privileges. Protection, for one.”
Lydia tapped a nail on the counter. “Their protection has carried down through generations.”
“To me?” Joss couldn’t quite grasp the concept.
Gram swept her hand in the air. “To every member of our family.”
“What about Mom?” Joss gasped. “Where did she disappear to?”
“She didn’t want to leave you,” Gram said. “I assured her we would look after you.” She leveled a serious look at Joss. “You understand she had no other option. They’d already killed your father.”
Joss’s breath escaped her. “What? No. Dad died after a massive heart attack. Everyone said so. Every one of you.” They’d lied. Betrayed her.
“We couldn’t tell you then.” Gram’s voice strained with emotion.
Lydia grew more somber. “Your mother left this world to draw focus away from you. She hoped your mundane, non-magical lifestyle would deter any would-be assassin from The Underworld.”
She couldn’t have heard right. Anger welled up. “Who murdered Dad?” What gave them the right to tear her family’s lives apart? “And why?” The last word came out as a whisper.
“A certain group of demons bears a grudge against us. We’d hoped they’d satisfied their need for revenge, but unfortunately not.”
The Underworld. Demons. Dread crept over her like footsteps across a grave. “Do you mean John? They killed him too?” It couldn’t be.
“We couldn’t stop them.” Sorrow filled Gram’s face. “I’m sorry, Jocelyn.” Gram laid her hand atop Joss’s and squeezed. “I came tonight to warn you. You may be in terrible danger.”
She gulped her drink. It would take awhile to process all this.
“I can’t believe it.” An ironic laugh escaped Joss. “Guess I chose the right costume.” A golden goddess. What a joke. Too bad the joke was on her. What if she were to fall in love again? Now that the demons who’d murdered her family had set sights on her, would they target him too? Her head swam, drowning in what-ifs and fear.
Leaning forward, Gram set her gaze on Joss. “Do you recall the night you stole away from home at midnight? To dance with your imaginary friends?”
The memory, repressed for so many years, returned with clarity. The glowing figures flitting in orchestrated sequence, too beautiful to be real.
“I remember it as a dream. A nightmare, honestly.” After the stray coyotes crept out of the shadows, snarling with fangs bared.
“Certainly for your parents, it was a nightmare. They found you in the morning, sleeping safe and sound.”
“Inside the fairy ring.” Joss remembered distinctly now. The glimmering lights guided her inside the circle, and the wild creatures couldn’t follow. Neither could she leave the protection of the ring, and so had fallen asleep. “Because I’m part of their family?” Saying it sounded ridiculous, though she’d always secretly suspected it.
“In the truest meaning of the word.”
“I can’t be related to a goddess.” Yet it would explain why Joss had always seemed different than others. Separate. And had been aware of the fae, even if none of her friends had seen them.
“You are.” Lydia raised her glass. “We all are, sweetie.”
“And the fae are protecting us?” At Gram and Lydia’s nods, Joss went on. “Is that why beings from The Underworld are surfacing? The man, or whatever he is, from the party is a demon, isn’t he? Why Boiling Springs? Why my house?” She suspected she already knew—the energy here. They wanted to tap into its power.
“You already know this place is special. The moment I arrived, it excited me. My perception tingled with possibility. They’d targeted the town several times before. With the economy’s downturn, people became more desperate and vulnerable to them. The juxtaposition of the ley line made this an almost perfect spot to rise.”
“A ley line?” Joss had heard of those. “Like at Stonehenge?”
Lydia nodded. “And Sedona, Arizona, or the Great Pyramid at Giza, at Nazca in Peru and more sites across the world.”
A chill passed through Joss. Incredible. She’d never have guessed the energies meant such power coursed regularly below the inn like a river. Or maybe hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it. “So, what now?”
Aunt Lydia glanced at Gram, who pressed her lips together. “It depends.”
Meaning, even Gram had no clue. Great. “Wait and see?”
“For now. Promise you will be ever vigilant.”
No need to tell Joss twice. She’d need more than margaritas to fortify her if she ever saw that dark creature again.
Chapter 3
Main Street in Boiling Springs saw a few more pedestrians and slightly fewer parking spaces than normal as locals gathered for Sunday breakfast at Kara’s Kafe. Eric cringed at the kitschy spelling, but the place offered great cuisine. More than the usual diner fare, it provided the closest to a home-cooked meal he could hope for, along with the company of other people.
A lime green Beetle sat in the prized space directly out front. A jolt shot through his chest as he slid his truck
