it sat on the ley lines that made our magic more potent when casting. It boasted of a large, open front room, kitchen, and small dining area with two bedrooms and a full basement converted into an armory. Shining the flashlight toward the kitchen, I found the table smashed into two wooden pieces, the scent of rotting food and magic assaulting me.
Ignoring the signs of struggle, I walked on shaky legs into the bedroom, opening the door with my foot. I took in the disheveled bed and broken picture frames that covered the surrounding floor. Tears pricked my eyes as I turned, moving toward the one other room in the house, clearing my old bedroom, and the bathroom.
Whispering a prayer to the witches of old, I heard the sound of salt scraping over wood as it recreated the barrier around the house. Slipping my gun into the holster, I dialed my oldest sister. The call went straight to voicemail, and I muttered my message before hanging up.
“What the hell did you do, Momma?” I aimed the light around the floor, before lifting it toward the wall, finding silver bullets pebbling the plaster along with blood spatter. “That can’t be good.”
I ran my fingers over the bullets in the wall, brushing them over the dried blood. My phone chirped, scaring the life out of me, and I frowned at my response, rolling my eyes as I answered in a singsong tone.
“I do hate it when you use my full name, Winnie,” I groaned, hearing the all too familiar grunt of her response.
“And I hate it when you shorten mine. To what do I owe the displeasure of this phone call? I intend to murder my phone after we’ve finished the call.”
“Have you heard from mom lately by chance?” I asked, still smiling at the displeasure I imagined was on her too-perfect face.
Winchester Silversmith was blessed with the Silversmith looks. Unlike my red hair, she was born with the stylish silver-blonde strands known for the Silversmiths. My eyes were electric-blue, giving away pretty much every emotion that went off inside of my head, while hers were ice-blue and as cold as her insides. I loved her, but she made the arctic look warm and fuzzy on her best day.
“No, I have not. I don’t make it a habit of knowing our mother’s every move as you do, Remington. She’s probably sitting at home trying to figure out how to answer your call.”
“Nope, because I’m standing in her house, and it’s a mess.”
The call went silent, and I held it away from my face to make sure she hadn’t hung up on me.
“What?” she demanded carefully. I took a moment to enjoy the fact that I’d made her speechless. “Why are you there, Remington Silversmith?” I frowned at her sharp tone.
“I’m in her house, Winnie. Someone cut the table into two large, upturned pieces, and scattered potions all across the floor. Either silver bullets have become all the style as wall décor, or she used them to attack someone. There’s only a little bit of blood, which is good. Her bed is a mess, and you and I both know she wouldn’t leave the house without making it first. Tidiness is how a lady starts her day, after all,” I repeated the mantra my mother had sang to me every freaking morning as she loomed over me, ensuring I had made my bed before stepping foot outside my bedroom.
“What else do you see?” she asked softly, her voice finally holding the panic I felt standing in the shattered mess of my mother’s home.
“Someone or something breached the salt line, and the windows are all broken, blown out of the house instead of inward. Rotten food was on the counter, along with a half pot of coffee that smells like shit.” I walked to the pot, tilting it as my nose turned up, and the sludge within it made a sickening noise as it moved. “I can’t smell anything else over the potions shattered on the floor.” I moved toward the bedroom, pushing the door open to survey the room. “The power is off, and the pictures on the walls are broken, missing the frames’ photos.” I stopped in front of my mother’s desk and balled my hand into a fist at the spot where I should have seen the family bible. “The bible is gone, and all the desk drawers ransacked. Someone was in here looking for something