Covet (Clann)

property.”
    “You…own Nanna’s house now?” Had he bought it from the new owners? That would explain why there was no rental sign outside.
    “I own the company that purchased it from your mother. I knew the day would come when either you or your mother would grow homesick and want to revisit the house. It was also your mother’s childhood home, you know.”
    Yeah, I knew that. “But you paid too much for it. If you’d just told us you wanted to buy it, we could have stopped the whole bidding war and let you have it way cheaper.”
    “I own both the companies that bid on it. And your mother never would have knowingly permitted me to purchase her childhood home.”
    He had to be kidding. “Why would you jack up the price like that?”
    “Your mother told me many times how much she wanted to see the world in an RV, to have complete freedom to travel as much as she wanted. And of course I wanted to ensure that you would have adequate funds for any sort of college education that you might choose. But your mother’s pride would not allow me to directly fund either of these goals.”
    “So you purposefully paid way too much for the house.”
    “Yes.”
    “And lied to Mom about where the money was really coming from.”
    “Actually, she never asked who owned either of the companies that bid on the house. So technically I never had to lie to her about my involvement.”
    Holy crap, he was devious. I couldn’t tell if his actions were romantic or just really sneaky.
    “You should be aware that the house has been set up to become yours when you turn eighteen,” he added. “You may then do anything you choose with it…sell it, rent it out as an investment property, or even use it as your own home if you so choose. Until then it will remain empty and available for your use as needed.”
    Wow. I didn’t know what to say to that. “Um, thanks.”
    “You are more than welcome.”
    “So, if I wanted to come here and hang out sometimes, it would be okay?”
    He glanced past me at the comforter on the linoleum floor. “I cannot see the sleeping accommodations as being all that comfortable since there are no furnishings left. I would prefer you come home in the evenings to sleep. And it would also be safer if you only come here alone.”
    Meaning no secretly meeting Tristan here or throwing wild, unsupervised parties with my friends. “Sure.” Like I would do any of that anyways.
    I only wanted to come here to learn magic.
    “Well, everything looks fine, so I had better get back to the renovation efforts. I will see you for dinner? Say eight o’clock?”
    Raging guilt made me press my lips together and nod, afraid if I opened my mouth I might blurt out what I was really doing here.
    Then he walked back around the house to his car and left, and I could breathe again.
    I had to do this, I reminded myself. Dylan and the Brat Twins and the whole Clann’s hatred toward me and anyone I called a friend had forced me to do whatever I could to protect my friends and myself. Even Nanna’s ghost, if it was hanging around Mom, seemed to want me to learn how to do magic.
    If I used magic only for protection, how could the Clann or the vamp council complain about that?
    Sighing, I grabbed the beginner spell book and went outside to sit in the cool dirt under the old tree at the center of the backyard. “Okay, Nanna. You wanted me to learn how to do this. How about a little help here?”
    There had to be something in this book that I was missing. Tristan had told me once that descendants began training as soon as puberty hit, so I was definitely old enough. If a twelve-year-old could do basic magic, surely I could figure it out, too.
    I flipped back to the very first lesson on grounding. I didn’t need the effects from grounding, but it might be necessary to do every single lesson in order or something. Skipping ahead certainly hadn’t worked so far.
    Following the first lesson’s instructions, I closed my eyes, pressed my palms flat against the grass, and tried to imagine pushing my energy out through my hands.
    My palms tickled a little. Because the magic was finally starting to work, or because of the grass against my skin?
    I tried again, determined not to leave this yard until I figured it out.
    Sharp tingling spread across my palms, spreading to my fingers and making me gasp.
    The grass was now darker in the exact shape of two handprints right where my hands had rested.
    “It’s working!” I squealed,