Maureen sat at her kitchen table, a strong cup of black coffee steaming in front of her as she listened to Xavier whine on about how Paige Maynard clung to Winnie’s hem like a skittish toddler. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear the man was jealous. The sisters, Deedra and Sade, just sat there sipping their doctored coffee, listening to him rattle on like a silly schoolboy. Maureen only rolled her eyes. It was ridiculous to see a grown man behave the way Xavier was. She should have merely left them alone to flounder on their own without attempting to organize them. She didn’t need the headache. After all, she moved here to escape the politics of covens, to escape the hostility toward shifters that had started almost two decades ago in New Orleans and had overflowed into her own life. T
