Loti settled, adjusting and fluffing pillows while Wolf did the same. She sensed through their bond that he wasn’t nervous or bothered by the situation, only concerned for her and Heather and how they were feeling.
Will the telepathy extend to her?
Wolf pulled Loti to him. Eventually.
It started with us—oh.
It won’t happen that quickly with her. I don’t think.
Because?
Because she’s not you. She’s not a Light Walker. She’s a witch.
Loti contemplated Heather’s red hair draped like silk over the pillow as she wondered if that would be Wolf’s breaking point: too many voices in his head. And what would Loti’s breaking point be? She and Wolf’s bond had started without blood, but had been sealed when they made love for the first time.
On impulse, she reached out and ran her fingers through Heather’s wavy locks. Heather flinched, and then shifted onto her back. Her pale blue eyes were so uncertain, Loti touched her arm to reassure her. She rolled over onto her side facing Loti.
“We will go after Christian, right? You will help me find him?”
“Yes. Of course.” Loti touched her cheek.
Wolf inhaled through his nose. “It’s not going to be easy.”
Heather pushed herself up onto an elbow. “I don’t care. He’s not what you must think.” She flexed her jaw. “He’s not a monster. He’s good. He’s just—”
“Modore’s child.” Wolf finished for her, his voice quiet in the dark. Loti’s lungs burned as she forgot to breath.
Heather’s lips pressed into a hard line. “And who’s your maker?”
Wolf raised a single eyebrow. “He’s dead.”
“So, who was he?” Heather sat all the way up. “Was he a good master?”
Wolf’s eyebrows knit together. “No, he wasn’t.”
The air whooshed out of Loti’s lungs. She frowned and arched her neck to look at him over her shoulder. “You never told me that.”
“There are a lot of things we haven’t told each other.”
Loti sighed, nodded. “I think we should get some sleep.”
Heather flopped onto her back. “Fine. But we will find Christian.” She rolled back onto her side facing Loti again, “Right?” She tucked both hands under her pillow. Her face was perfection with its creamy complexion and full pink lips. She mirrored Heather’s position and nodded.
“Yes. We will.”
Wolf sighed as he rolled over and curled into Loti, rubbing his cheek over her shoulder. “We will do everything in our power to find him. Yes.”
“Good.” Heather yawned and snuggled into her pillow.
Loti’s eyes closed. They settled into their usual sleeping position and passed out as the first light of dawn drifted through the tree canopy.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rachel fiddled with her phone, glancing up every now and then. The meeting room was unnaturally quiet. With so many people crammed into the space, there should have been a steady murmur. Theresa had returned and Katie sat next to her, holding both of her hands.
Rachel sighed, rubbing her fingers in agitated circles over the cell phone screen. Nan’s face was smooth and relaxed, her eyes peaceful. Theresa looked terrible, as if she’d aged a decade in a few days. Rachel’s stomach sucked in as if a black hole were eating it from the inside out. The board members entered and the crowd of delegates shifted in unison.
The Chairman cleared his throat. “This hearing of the American Witches Association will come to order.” His gavel rapped and Rachel winced. “The Chair calls on Board Member Augustus Sheirling to present the findings.”
Rachel slumped in relief as he skipped all the formal descriptions. When Augustus stood, Rachel didn’t need him to read what was on that shaking piece of paper.
“Oh, Goddess, no.” The words fell out of her mouth before both hands clamped over it.
He kept his eyes on the paper as he read. “This board has deter-mined that there is enough evidence to substantiate the claim that Katie Irene Brown was, if not compliant, at least neglectful in failing to report suspicious behavior by Patrick Lynch to the board, in accordance with policy...”
He rattled out the by-laws broken until he ran out of words to read, but there was no sense of completion to his voice. It was as if he just stopped reading in the middle of it. Rachel forgot to breathe as Augustus accepted another sheet of paper from an ashen-faced Eva. Rachel wanted to walk up to the woman and smack her pathetic face.
“In accordance with…” Again, Augustus’s voice cut through official bits of policy and procedure without inflection. “…with the safety of all paramount and in accordance with…” Rachel’s finger-nails bit into her clammy palm. When Augustus looked up, his eyes were hollow, as if the thing that made him Augustus had retreated. “Member Brown will be subject to degaussing.”
The room dipped to the right and Daniel appeared out of nowhere to catch Rachel before she fell out of her seat. Confused, Rachel stared at his color-less face wondering what had happened. Murmurs arose from the crowd as Daniel righted her and she gripped his forearms.
“The sentence to be carried out immediately.”
“Rachel.” Nan was there stroking her hair. “It’s alright, darling.” She frowned at Rachel’s blank expression.
“I’ll take care of her, Katie.” Daniel sat down next to Rachel and revelation swamped her.
“Nanny. No! It’s not right—I’ll—”
Katie shook her head emphatically, her fingers touching Rachel’s lips. “No. You won’t.” Her eyes meant business and Rachel’s chin bobbed.
“Okay,” she whispered. “But let me call Mom and Dad.”
Katie stood up straight, adjusting her sweater and patting her pockets. “Absolutely not. We will get this business over with first.” She laid a palm on Rachel’s cheek. “Why would you want them to suffer? This is my pain and I’m sorry that you and the coven have to suffer with me. No more.”
Rachel’s mouth worked, but Nan shook her head. “Shhh. No more.”
Richard offered Katie his elbow. With his chin lifted, he patted her hand as he led her to the dais. The board members waited in a semi-circle in front. Eva’s face screwed up in agony, her eyes begging Katie for mercy.
“It’s alright, Eva. It is as it should be.” Katie stroked her arm, and Eva swallowed hard.
“Katie, if I could have done anything, you know—”
“Shhh. That’s enough.”
“But, if it weren’t for you, I don’t know how I would have survived all these years. You held me together.”
Katie narrowed her eyes, clasping her hands. “No, my dear. Not at all. That was all you. You still don’t understand, do you? You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“Eva, we must proceed.”
Eva shot Augustus an outraged look.
While the others filed towards the dais to join Katie, Rachel ducked down and held her phone to her ear, begging Wolf silently to answer his damn phone. When he grumbled a hello, she hissed, “Wolf! You have to come. They’ve found her guilty and sentenced her to degaussing.” She paused, listening. “Now. You have to hurry.” Her eyes darted to the front of the room and around her. “And she hasn’t been well. I’m worried.” She ended the call without saying goodbye as Daniel tugged on her arm. She glanced up and stuffed the phone in her pocket.
“Wait!” Rachel scuttled sideways down the row of chairs. “I’m coming.” She grabbed hands and tugged on sleeves. “Come on. Circle up.”
She stopped, facing Theresa with hard lines etched around her mouth. “You, especially.” And she grabbed Theresa’s limp hand, dragging her to the front of the room.
“Rachel—” Nan began to protest, but Rachel cut her off.
“No, Nan. You’re not doing this alone. We are your coven. We share all things.” She linked hands with Theresa and Daniel. “All things.” One by one, each coven member took a hand.
“This
is not procedure,” the Chairman began.
“Enough. Let it be.” Eva had apparently regained her composure and she settled her jacket over her shoulders, dusting off imaginary dirt. “It’s their decision.”
“But when Katie’s magic is stripped, it could have repercussions for the coven if they are touching her.”
Eva addressed the coven with her chin lifted, her elbows bent and her hands clasped together. “Do you understand that there is no assurance the process won’t affect you?”
“I won’t have any of you risking yourselves. I will stand alone.” Nan stepped forward.
The coven looked to Rachel and Katie’s mouth fell open, her eyes flashing. “I am your High Priestess.” The words reverberated in the meeting hall.
Rachel pulled herself to her full height, her mettle apparent in every angle of her stance. “We will not link with you or touch you, if that is what you wish.” When Nan scowled back at her, Rachel’s eyes yielded in a plea. “But allow us to stand with you. You are our High Priestess. Would you have done any less for your Priestess?”
Katie’s mouth softened and her eyes filled with an inner glow. “No.” The two women smiled at each other, and Katie settled into herself, as if the lifetime of worry and striving was behind her. She could let it all go. Rachel had just proven to her that her work was done.
She stepped up to the board with a gracious air. “I’m ready.”
Her coven curled around her as the board members stood aside to allow the technicians to roll a grey, metal box the size of a massive color printer to the front of the room. The young men took a moment to locate the outlet and plug in the degausser. It made no sound, but lights blinked and one of the technicians flipped a switch and typed on a keyboard. He plugged in what looked like an oversized black computer mouse and handed it to Augustus Sheirling. He held it as if he were afraid it might zap him.
“It’s not activated, yet.” The young man turned to his colleague for confirmation. He gave a curt nod coupled with a serious frown as he typed a few more commands on the small, green screen.
Another young man emerged from the side room with a pile of black cloth in his arms. He walked up to each board member, handing them a robe from the pile. They donned them with awkward hands, assisting each other with pulling the voluminous hoods over their heads. When he was out of robes, he turned to the coven.
“We didn’t plan on this many people being up here.” He waved at the delegates in their chairs. “You need to stand back at least twenty feet to be sure you won’t be affected.”
Katie faced her coven. “I know you want to be with me, and I’m not going to order you away, but at least consider your family and the implications if you were to accidentally be degaussed, even a fraction. It’s dangerous and you don’t have the right to take unnecessary risks when you have children and loved ones depending on you.”
Rachel inhaled and blew out a breath. “Okay, Nan, but just the recommended distance. We’re not leaving you.”
The coven moved as one creating a safe space around Katie.
Augustus stepped up to Katie. “Delegates of the American Witches Association, as described in our by-laws it is your duty to be witness to the carrying out of sentences passed on one of your own.” He swallowed. “Let it be known that this board had no choice in this matter. By our own policies and ancient laws we were compelled to render this verdict.”
“Katie Irene Brown, having been found guilty of misconduct unbecoming an American Witches Association member, we hereby strip you of your powers.”
He nodded at the technician who flipped a switch. The machine hummed quietly as Augustus held the wand in his palm up to Katie. Her hair lifted, pointing towards the device. He started at the crown of her head, circling her as he chanted a quiet protection spell. Katie grimaced and pressed her lips into a tight line.
As Augustus spiraled around her, he lowered the wand by degrees, and Katie began to convulse. Rachel’s eyes widened and she stepped forward, but Daniel tugged her back. She glared at him over her shoulder, but relented. A low moaning warbled through the meeting room.
Rachel realized with a dawning horror that it was Katie and broke from the circle. “You’re hurting her!”
Augustus paused in his downward spiral. “It’s not supposed to hurt.” He furrowed his brow. “Are you in pain, Katie?”
Her glassy eyes did not register she heard him and she shook harder. Suddenly, she clasped her hands to her stomach, screaming.
Augustus jumped back, yelling, “Turn off the machine.”
The technician glanced from Augustus to the board. “It’s unsafe to stop. You need to finish. If you leave her in a partial state, you risk permanent mental derangement.”
Augustus blew out a breath as Katie’s screaming increased. “I can’t continue, man. Don’t you hear her?”
“Get on with it, Augustus!” someone yelled from the back of the room.
Augustus looked to his hooded colleagues, who dipped their chins at him to continue. The hand holding the wand shook. Before he could begin, Katie’s scream died in her throat as she went into uncontrollable spasms. When Augustus knelt to finish the spiral, she fell into his arms.
“Cut it off,” Augustus yelled, clasping Katie to him. The technician tapped frantically at the keyboard, then flipped the switch. The humming faded away, leaving only Katie’s gurgling moans.
Rachel collapsed to her knees beside Katie. “What have you done? What have you done to my Nanny?”
Augustus fell back as Rachel slid her arms around Katie. She turned wild eyes to Rachel.
“It hurts. It feels like something inside me tore loose.”
Rachel touched Katie’s hands, stilled clutched to her stomach. “Here, Nanny?”
She let out a searing whine, the color draining from her face like sand from an hourglass. Her skin went clammy under Rachel’s hands.
“Hold on, Nanny. I called Wolf and Loti. They’re on their way.”
“Is there a healer in the house?” she yelled. The room full of witches didn’t move.
Chapter Thirty-Four
A persistent tweeting woke Loti. She was pressed between two warm bodies, one arm pinned to her side while the other was wrapped around someone small and soft. She lifted her head and looked around with bleary eyes. She tried to push herself up and her arm tingled painfully.
“Ow.” She struggled to sit up and realized her arm was around Heather, who had sometime while they slept snuggled her backside into Loti.
Loti slumped back down and closed her eyes. It felt too good to get up just, yet, and she was bone weary. She wormed her way back into the nook and pulled Heather tightly against her. Pressing her face into the back of her neck, she inhaled the scent of vanilla on her skin and jasmine in her hair. She was on the verge of sleep when the tweeting started again.
“It’s my cell.” Wolf grumbled and rolled over. Loti moaned as he moved away leaving a chill behind.
“Hello?” His greeting sounded more like a threat.
He sat straight up and threw the covers off. “When?” He jumped out of bed and grabbed the pair of jeans slung over the chair.
He slammed the bathroom door shut behind him and Loti extracted herself from the warmth of Heather and sat up.
“What’s wrong?” Heather mumbled.
“I don’t know.”
Loti yawned as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The blue numbers on the clock said it was 9:18 a.m. They’d only been asleep a few hours at most. She squinted around at the dark room. There weren’t any windows in the bedroom because the sun could still sting Wolf. She stood up and the bathroom door banged open.
“We have to go.” Wolf buttoned his jeans and grabbed his shirt from the chair. He spun around. “Now.” His eyes glowed in the dark.
“What’s wrong?” Loti stripped her PJs off in record time and yanked underwear from the top drawer. She finished getting dressed as Wolf stormed out of the bedroom. He immediately came bac
k in and grabbed his boots by the bed and rushed out again. Heather sat up and pushed the covers off.
“What is it?” She stood up and stretched, and caught a glimpse of the clock. Her eyes widened. “How is he up now?”
“I’ll explain later.” And Loti left Heather to get dressed and followed Wolf into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong? Where are we going?”
“D.C. Katie and Rachel are there with the coven. Rachel got a call last night that the AWA made their decision and they are there now.”
He turned in circles in the kitchen as if he couldn’t decide which direction to go, anger and fear steaming off of him.
“Your jacket’s in the closet.”
He disappeared in a blur. A yelp came from the bedroom and a mumbled, “Sorry” and then Wolf was back.
“Now. We have to go now.”
“Wolf, what’s going on? Why?”
Wolf stopped himself and took a deep breath. “The council has announced their decision. Katie is to be degaussed. Now. This morning.”
Loti couldn’t process the information. “What are you saying? You said they couldn’t do anything. And what the hell is ‘degaussing’?”
“Oh my God, no.” Heather stood in the bedroom doorway dressed in jeans and t-shirt she’d borrowed from Loti, her eyes big as saucers. “Oh my God. They can’t.”
“I never thought it would go this far, but they have the authority and they most certainly can.” Wolf swung his jacket on. “Unless we stop them.”
“What is degaussing?” Loti asked in frustration.
Wolf’s mouth opened, but Heather answered. “It’s when they strip a witch of her powers.”
“I don’t care if we have to fight the entire AWA, I am not letting this happen, but we don’t have time for talk.” Wolf dragged Loti by the hand out the door. “We need to use the nadis by the shrine. It’s the fastest way.”
She tripped over the threshold and Wolf stopped, catching her. “I’m sorry, darling.” He dropped her hand and rubbed his forehead. “I’m so sorry.”
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