I’m not sure how much time has passed when I hear the front door slam open. Footsteps approach and then Mama gasps and I feel a cool hand on my forehead.

“Baby girl,” she breathes. “What have you done?”

“They’re bound,” says a matter-of-fact voice with a British accent that I recognize as Maddox, from Mama’s store.

“I’m gonna need you boys to take a deep breath,” says yet another voice, this one with a cajun twang. Mr. Monroe, our landlord.

“She’s feelin’ what you’re all feelin’, and it’s killin’ her,” he explains.

I cry out as the panic and terror only worsens.

“Not literally!” Maddox assures them. “It’s just a little overwhelming to her is all. Goodness, Andre. You’re going to give the kids a heart attack.”

Mama helps me into a sitting position as the boys attempt to tame their emotions. She brushes my hair, wet with tears, out of my face.

“I’m going to make some tea,” she announces to the room. “And then y’all are going to tell us exactly what happened here tonight.”

A half an hour later, the seven of us are seated around Moonhollow’s giant oak dining table. Chilled fingers are wrapped around steaming mugs of chamomile as we recount everything that’s happened since the four of us arrived here. It takes a little while to get through , and when we’re done all three adults look grim.

I’m still not sure why Maddox and Mr. Monroe are here but I know better than to question Mama when I’ve broken so many rules tonight.

To my surprise, she doesn’t address my insubordination. Instead she glances at the men on either side of her before looking at me in sympathy.

“I was actually going to put this off until you were older. Twenty at least,” she says sadly.

“Put what off?” I ask.

“Being bound. Getting guardians. It’s part of life for us Adelfi witches, but I think it’s archaic. It’s from a time when witches faced a lot more hardship than we do now.”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Devereaux says politely. “I don’t mean to get off topic, but do you mind tellin’ me what the hell that guy was?”

“Probably a djinn,” Maddox answers him. “They’re creatures that can be summoned in order to aid one’s magic. Nasty blokes.”

“I didn’t summon anything,” I say desperately.

“I know, baby girl,” Mama says soothingly, pushing her long dark curls over her shoulder. “We think your Grandmother did. We think that’s what killed her.”

My throat closes for a moment and I fight to produce words again. “Why would it … bind us all together?”

“That probably wasn’t what it meant to do,” answers Mr. Monroe.

“It probably just wanted to bind itself to you. Odds are ‘ol Bee had it bound to the house and it needed a way to escape. Didn’t plan for you to have an entourage though.” He gestures to Dev, Jules and Brody, who are all plale with wide eyes.

Hearing him refer to my stern grandmother so informally is very strange. I wasn’t even aware they knew each other.

“So the .. djinn… is bound to me as well?” I ask.

They all three nod.

“How do I undo it?”

Mama’s face is a mask of sorrow and pity. “A binding like that only ends when one of you dies.”

I mull that over for a moment before realization hits an dI look around at my best friend, my crush, and the school bad boy.

“So…” i begin, needing to hear the implication out loud.

“Yep. Y’all are stuck together,” Mr. Monroe supplies.

“But their emotions are so … much,” I whisper.

“That’ll fade,” Mama says. “It’s because it’s still so fresh. Soon you’ll have to focus on each one individually to feel what they’re feeling.”

Jules takes a breath like he’s going to ask a question but Maddox cuts him off.

“It’ll fade a little for you, but you’ll always be able to feel her somewhat,” he says, fixing each boy with a meaningful stare.

Two things occur to me at once. One, that the guys can feel my feelings. Awkward.

And two, “You’re her guardians, aren’t you?” I turn to Maddox and Mr. Monroe. “You’ve both been around my whole life. Watching over her.”

“Yes, Emmy,” Mama says, smiling fondly at her men. If I’m not mistaken there’s love in her eyes. “They’ve always protected us. We were bound when I was nineteen.”

“Is one of you my father?” I can’t help but ask. It’s never really bothered me before, not having a dad, but maybe that’s because I always had these two men living on the periphery of my life. Always there when the roof leaked or we got caught with a flat in the middle of nowhere.

Sorrow washes over all three of their faces and I frown, knowing the news can’t be good.

“No. His name was Will,” Mama all but whispers.

“He was one of us,” Maddox says. “But he died in a car accident on the night of your birth.”

I’m stunned into silence at that.

“But he woulda loved you, baby girl. Just as we love you. And your Mama,” Mr. Monroe says, sincerity shining in his warm brown eyes.

“It wouldn’t have made all that much of a difference in the way you were brought up. The Adelfi family is a strong matriarchy,” says Maddox. “They like to use men for procreation and protection. And that’s all.” He sounds a little bitter.

Mama shoots him a scolding look. “That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of love between a witch and her guardians. It’s a very special bond.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

I glance at my ‘entourage’ as Mr. Monroe called them earlier. I think all three of them are in shock because all I feel is numbness and a little bit of muted anger. Brody is scowling at the table, Dev is staring blankly into his tea and Jules is gaping at Mama, and has been for some time.

“So basically,” Brody says carefully, his voice like a bomb that’s about to go off. “We’re going to feel her every emotion until we die and there’s nothing we can do about it?”

“Or she dies. If she dies you’re all released,” Maddox states plainly. “Which is probably what the djinn is planning to do.”

All three of the boys look horrified, and therefore so am I. I mean, I probably would be anyway, but I can’t really find myself under all of them. My heart rate picks up and I begin to sweat.

“Can… we need to protect her,” Dev croaks.

Mama smiles grimly. “Don’t worry about that. We are going to work on it. You’ll be drawn to her. And if danger … when danger comes, you’ll be assets. Being a witch’s guardian makes you stronger, faster. And she’ll be able to draw from you to fuel her power. Like she did earlier.”

The glowing ropes have faded to barely shimmering lines and I’m glad because they were pretty creepy. I can still feel them though, connecting me to the guys.

“What do you mean ‘drawn to her’?” Brody asks in alarm.

“Attracted to her,” Maddox supplies. “Spiritually, geographically, sexually. You’ll feel better when she’s around.”

“That’s one of the reasons this ritual isn’t done these days until a witch is at least eighteen,” Mama says darkly. “It’s hard to be so close without becoming … intimate.”

My face flames red and an image of Dev’s naked chest flashes through my mind.

Brody pushes back from the table abruptly. “No,” he says. “You people are crazy and I want no part of this bullshit.” He strides into the hall in the direction of the front door and a moment later there’s a bang and a startled shout.

Maddox and Mr. Monroe are up in an instant and following, faster than the rest of us have time to react. Mama isn’t too far behind them and then Dev, Jules and I follow.

The front door is ripped from its hinges completely and Brody’s eyes are wide.

Mr. Monroe chuckles. “There’s that extra strength. You’ll get used to that.”

Brody just blinks at him before stepping through the door frame.

“You won’t want to go too far,” Mama warns him.

He flips her off and marches to his truck.

“How are guardians usually chosen?” I ask, turning to Mama. I can feel the cord stretching uncomfortably the further away from me Brody gets. I’m sickened with the realization that maybe I feel so uneasy right now because of the distance the djinn is keeping.

“Fate,” she answers simply, and Maddox explains further.

“We were drawn to her. We all ended up in this town one way or another and all of us ended up in love with your mother,” he says.

I gape. “Before you were bound?”

He nods.

“Then your grandmere did the culling ritual,” says Mr. Monroe.

“The what?” Dev asks.

“It’s a test. To find out if you’re worthy to be her guardians. She’d already told us her witchy secret by then, or we’d found out in one capacity or another. Did any of you know?”

Jules raises his hand and Dev frowns, glancing sideways at him.

I notice that Maddox has a hand on the small of Mama’s back and Mr. Monroe keeps brushing his hand against hers. I wonder if it’s always been this way between them and I just never noticed. Sometimes you don’t see what you’re not looking for.

“Can we still like ... live normal lives?” Jules asks. “Like, go to college and stuff?”

“Sure, if you all attend the same university.” Maddox says crisply.

“What about wives? Children?” Dev asks, sounding more curious than upset. Even though inside I know he’s still reeling.

Mr. Monroe grimaces. “It’s … possible. And you can try. But, trust me. You’ll have trouble wanting anybody but your witch. Not to mention you'll need to have physical contact with her at least once a day.”

My cheeks blaze again as that sinks in.

The six of us file out onto the porch and watch Brody, who is just sitting in his truck. He hasn’t even started the engine yet. Maybe he’s feeling the distance like I am. All of their emotions are starting to fade, and I’m grateful.

“What do you mean we’ll have trouble?” Jules asks.

“Gettin’ it up,” Mr. Monroe says bluntly.

“Andre!” Mama scolds.

Dev and Jules both pale.

Mama puts an arm around my shoulders and squeezes me to her.

“And you two … willingly .. did this to yourselves?” Dev asks. “Not only bound yourselves to her, but share her?”

That thought hadn’t occurred to my poor, muddled mind. That essentially I had just gained three reluctant boyfriends.

“Obviously, the four of you will have to work out the dynamics amongst yourse-”

I interrupt Mama. “And what about the djinn? Do I have to sleep with him too?” My words are bitter because the shock is wearing off and the hopelessness of the situation is catching up with me.

“You don’t have to sleep with anybody. This is an unfortunate situation because none of you chose it, but it can be managed if you all choose to try and ignore it. It’ll take some getting used to, but there are drugs and things that can simulate or suppress libido. Spells. You will need brief daily physical contact, but you can otherwise avoid each other if that’s what you wish. It’s not impossible.” Mama takes my hand. “You are fortunate though, that these boys are already friends of yours.”

Jules takes my other hand. “I would have followed you anywhere anyway, Em. You’re my best friend.”

My eyes fill with tears and I pull him to me, hugging him tightly. Touching him feels different now. Bigger. But just as comforting. Like coming home.

“But she is connected to that thing too,” Dev states. “So it can feel what she’s feeling too, right?”

I pull away and wipe at my eyes while Maddox nods.

“Andre and I are going to hunt it. With guardianship comes a certain amount of instinctual protective skills. Don’t worry about anything. Just focus on adjusting to your new circumstances.”

“Do you have any more questions?” Mama asks softly.

“What do we do about Brody?” Jules asks.

“He’ll come ‘round,” Mr. Monroe says. “Give him time to sort through his shit.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have marks? Show me your wrists,” Mama says.

I blink and turn my hand over, surprised to find the image of a crescent moon with an arrow through it. It’s pale against my tan skin, like it’s been branded on. Dev and Jules have identical marks, and I’m willing to bet Brody does too.

“The symbol of Artemis,” Maddox says approvingly.

“What’s yours?” asks Jules curiously.

Maddox moves aside his high-tech wristwatch to reveal a small rose. Of course, for my mother Aphrodite. They call her Rose for short, and the rose is also a symbol for the goddess Aphrodite.

Mr. Monroe and Mama show theirs too. I’ve always known about Mama’s but I thought it was a birthmark. Mr. Monroe keeps his hidden with a leather cuff.

The sky is starting to lighten, signalling morning. In the distance, a rooster crows.

“We should go. Y’all have school,” Mama says.

I stare at her like she’s crazy. “You can’t be serious. After all of that? And there’s a magical creature that wants to kill me! And we all look like we just started a fight club!”

“Brody always looks like that,” points out Jules.

“Not helping!” I hiss.

Dev snorts.

“Look. We’re going to take care of the djinn. Your Grandmother never should've have summoned him. We’ll make it right,” says Mama.

Maddox and Mr. Monroe share a look that implies they’ll be keeping Mama as far away from that thing as they can. Mama either doesn’t catch it, or ignores it.

“Let’s get the door back on,” she says.

Her henchmen fit the wood back against the frame and Mama leans in, whispering something that convinces the splintered wood to repair itself and the hinges to reattach.

Devereaux and Jules gape and she winks at them before flipping the hall light off.

“Ride with us, baby girl,” Mama orders softly.

I nod and head toward Maddox’s shiny BMW.

Dev and Jules head to Dev’s truck and Brody’s engine finally roars to life.

We caravan home and get ready for school.