The Dashing Witch (The Ward Witches) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Melanie’s side. “How did I do?”
    “ Great.” She ached to give him a kiss, but settled for getting her hand into his. She shouldn’t want this, considering that she was going to be leaving. But still she wanted.
    “ Come on, love birds, let’s blow this joint,” Dymphna lightly punched Justin in the arm.
     
    Justin and Melanie drove first to the hotel, picking up all her bags and putting them in the Camaro as they headed back the way they came.
    Ward Manor was very close to the Coven House, but slightly smaller. As Melanie walked up to the entrance, she was still amazed at the size. Her whole apartment... no, there was no comparison. Skylar answered the door, pulling it open with a smile. The woman never seemed to be far from a smile.
    “ It’s great to see you guys. Come in, you’ll have to really meet Dymphna and Leo. Don’t let Dymphna intimidate you; she’s really a big softie.”
    Melanie already liked Skylar, and she'd probably dealt with bigger bitches than any this family could create, so she'd be fine with Dymphna. If only she had more time to get to know her new sisters, but it was not to be.
    The entryway was nicely decorated, as was the hall leading to the living room. But as Melanie glanced around, she noticed that the other rooms were bare. Skylar caught the direction of her gaze.
    “ Before I moved in, Leo and Dymphna were happy with no furniture at all. So it’s still a work in progress. But the living room is done.”
    Indeed it was. The large room was taken up by an even larger TV on the wall and a half circle of comfortable-looking brown leather couches. Leo had one of the seats reclined, and Dymphna was flicking through the channels with the remote. Leo sprang up as they entered; Dymphna stayed where she was.
    “ I hardly had a chance to talk to you at the Coven House,” Leo said, gesturing for Melanie to sit. “Please make yourself at home. D, shut the TV off for god’s sake. We have a guest.”
    She did, and turned her green eyes on Melanie. “So you’re the one Justin married.”
    “ Yes.”
    Justin sat next to her and took her hand. She was more confident for the show of support. “It’s more that I was lucky enough to find her. Besides, we haven’t made it official yet.” Dymphna didn't look convinced.
    “ I’d like to hear more about all of you. I’m relatively boring.”
    “ I doubt that,” Leo said, laughing. “But ask away. We’ll trade: one answer from us for one from you.”
    “ Does Justin have such bad breath that you had to move all the way out here?”
    That brought a large laugh from Justin.
    “ We didn’t like the constant stream of people and feeling like we’re always underfoot,” Leo explained. “Neither of us have a job within the Coven like Seb and Justin do, so it was nicer to get our own place nearby. Since Skylar and I married, we've been working on moving Dymphna into the other wing of the house so we can all have our privacy.”
    Justin claimed the next question: “What did you do before you came here?”
    “ Account exec at KYR Publicity,” she detailed her job duties until they started to look bored.
    They continued to trade questions through a delicious dinner that Skylar whipped up from almost nowhere. Afterward, though, Justin and Melanie made their goodbyes and left.
    “ I like your family.”
    “ They’re pretty great. I wish I had more time to spend with them.”
    “ Family seems to be about making the time for them,” Melanie observed. “That’s how my father and I think of it anyway.”
    “ Tell me about him.”
    “ He’s a rather absent father, to be honest. He preaches a good game about always being there for each other, but when it comes time, it’s always about me being there for him with no expectation of him returning the favor. When I say that he values family, he values it only enough that I'm at his call, not by doing the same for me.”
    They rode in comfortable silence, lasting until they got up to