Hiding from the Coven (Daughters of the Warlock Book 2)

by Amelia Shaw

  But I wasn’t telling them any of that.

  Let them think I wouldn’t win.

  “We need to conference with the rest of the Council,” Charity said, her voice filled with cold confidence and authority.

  I smiled at her and flicked my wrist in the direction of the door. “Off you go then.”

  . She snarled as she left and took her entourage with her. They seemed eager to leave this place.

  As soon as the door shut behind her, Tavlor’s shields went down. My father strode into the middle of the room and began casting a spell. I hoped it was reversing all the powers he’d given his wife, though I wasn’t sure something like that was even possible.

  Once he was done, he quirked an eyebrow at Tavlor.

  “You never told me that your powers worked so well in this room,” he said. There was a hint of suspicion in his tone, as though he was suddenly seeing Tavlor clearly and not shrouded in a haze of bigotry.

  “I told you that I could use my Fae powers if it came to protecting you,” Tavlor said, his voice firm. There was a sense of duty when he regarded my father that I hadn’t noticed before. Not just because of duty but because he respected my father. Because he was loyal.

  A new respect for Tavlor spread over my father’s face. “Even so, you don’t need to play down the strength of your powers with me,” he said. “It’s one of the main reasons I elevated you to head of the Council guard. I trust you. I trust your power.”

  Tavlor nodded stiffly but didn’t say anything. He rubbed his lips together, as though he wanted to hide his emotions but couldn’t. Not this time, not when he heard this from my father.

  I smiled softly. Finally, he was being treated the way he deserved to be by someone else who wasn’t me.

  “You okay?” I asked, reaching over to squeeze his arm.

  He froze beneath my touch and that was when I realized what Charity had said about us had affected him somehow.

  My father walked over to us with a wry smile. “Was Charity correct?” he asked, glancing at my hand on Tavlor’s forearm. “Are you two in love?”

  My stomach twisted. It was probably a bit early to talk about love, out loud, but...

  “Yes,” I answered, lifting my head high. I swallowed. If this was too much too fast for Tavlor, that was fine but I wasn’t going to lie about my feelings for him.

  Tavlor’s gaze swung to me as though he couldn’t believe I was admitting such a thing.

  I didn’t look at him.

  I didn’t want to see any rejection of the idea, if there was any.

  I sucked in a breath, waiting for a response from my father.

  My father looked between us. Truth be told, it shouldn’t matter what he thought of me and Tavlor. I was old enough to make my own choices and I didn’t care if he had something to say about it.

  If my mother was here, she’d say something about it. I didn’t think she would judge Tavlor for who he was, but I do think she would worry about how his role in my life might impact me, and she would want to shield me from it.

  All the same, I couldn’t help but hold my breath as I waited for him to say something.

  Finally, the corners of his lips curled up and his eyes sparkled. “Well, you have my support, if that means anything,” he said. “I would never stand in the way of either of your happiness.”

  Now I took a chance and glanced at Tavlor as warmth spread through my body, encircling my heart and giving it a hug.

  Tavlor looked frozen with surprise. A bubble of laughter floated out of my mouth. I slapped my hand over my lips, not wanting him to think I was laughing at him.

  He looked over at me and I smiled at him. I shook my head, telling him I had no idea that this was going to happen. His entire face softened.

  “Thank you, sir,” he said, and I could hear the sincerity in his words.

  “I couldn’t have chosen a better protector for my daughter, Tavlor,” My father said.

  I pressed my lips together, trying to clear my throat without opening my mouth any further. I didn’t want to kill the moment by ugly sobbing, especially when this wasn’t about me. I looked up at the ceiling, sucking in a deep breath.

  “So,” I said, once I trusted myself to speak. “Now we just have to win the trial, so we can live our lives how we want to.”

  I said it like it was no big deal, like we could accomplish the task in our sleep. The truth was far worse, far more dangerous.

  My father nodded, and then conjured up a tray with three glasses on it.

  “I think we all need a drink,” he said, mirroring my thoughts.

  I didn’t ask what the dark amber liquid was, but instead took the glass and held it in my hand. I trusted my father. I hadn’t expected to, but I did. And I was glad he was here.

  “To a bright future,” he said, and the three of us clinked glasses before drinking.

  I took a sip. I wanted to keep a steady head, but I did want the elixir to ease the tension in my body. It burned like the devil, but I swallowed it down and gasped. I assumed it was going to be sweet, like everything Bella made for me. I hadn’t realized it would taste like that.

  “Damn,” I muttered, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “That’s strong.”

  Tavlor only smiled and tipped his drink back.

  A knock echoed on the newly replaced door.

  Our drinks vanish. Tavlor threw his shield into place. He looked at my father and nodded. My father flicked his wrist towards the inner door and it opened.

  Two men strode inside. I recognized them from my trial, though I couldn’t remember their names. I tensed, I couldn’t be sure if their presence here was a good thing or a bad thing.

  “We are here to agree to your terms,” one of the men announced. His tone was indifferent, hard to decipher. “There will be a new trial, with a congregation of our peers. No Council members will decide on Ava Melfi’s fate.”

  A scroll appeared in his hands and he extended it out to me. My eyes widened. I wanted to know what the scroll said but I didn’t know if it was magicked to do something if I touched it.

  I glanced at my father. Maybe he would be able to guide me on what to do.

  He nodded encouragingly.

  I inched forward and Tavlor altered the shield so that I could take the scroll, swallowing the polite need to say, ‘thank you.’

  This was practically a death warrant if it went the wrong way.

  The man inclined his head, then turned to leave.

  “Take Rasslor with you,” my father called after him.

  I startled. I’d all but forgotten about Rasslor crumpled unconscious on the floor beyond the couch.

  The two men glanced at Rasslor, and then hesitated. With a glance at each other, they gathered up their fallen comrade and pulled him out through the door.

  My father took the decree from my hands and scanned it. “We have two days to prepare and it says you are to stay in the Council buildings, under guard.” He glanced at Tavlor. “I suppose that means you both stay here, with me.”

  Tavlor nodded and then pulled me into him, holding me tight and burying his nose in my hair. It was a strong show of emotion I hadn’t expected from him, especially not in front of my father.

  We’d won the first round, but the war was far from over.

  I burrowed into Tavlor’s strength and sighed, closing my eyes against the uncertainty of the rest of the world. I let myself relax. I gave myself this time to enjoy the fact that we were still alive and well.

  For now.

  “I will go and make arrangements for our accommodations,” my father said.

  I murmured in acknowledgement, and without another word, he strode from the room.

  I pulled back and looked up at Tavlor. “So, we fight,” I said. It wasn’t a question, and yet, I needed to hear him clarify it for my own sake.

  He nodded once. “Yes, we fight,” he said. “No more running, no more hiding.”

  I smiled up at him and burrowed back into his
arms. I wasn’t sure what the future held, but it was a start.

  LATER THAT DAY, SAFE in the bedroom my father had created for me, I wrote another letter to my sisters.

  Dearest girls,

  The Council has agreed to give me a second trial and we are preparing for it now.

  I miss you and love you, and look forward to seeing you again.

  Stay well, and safe.

  Ava.

  THE END.

  The next installment of the Daughters of the Coven series is already up for pre-order and can be found here: https://geni.us/hidingfromthecoven

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