I looked at Rowen then and remembered all the times we had done these spells and practices as children. Rowen had always been the coven leader, the Ravenwood. I was a Christopher, one of the founding families just like Sage was as a Prince, but the Ravenwoods were the true town founders, the ones it was named after. Rowen always had the most power, even though she leached most of it to keep us safe.
I’d always been in awe of her strength, the way she could face any obstacle head-on. And these two spells had been ones that I had learned at her side.
They brought balance to the coven and to the witch.
I wouldn’t have to tug on my elemental magic to help. I didn’t know if Rowen had done that on purpose, but knowing her, she likely had.
We each sat on the floor in a circle, our hands upturned on our knees as we closed our eyes, and Rowen began to speak.
“Strength of the day, strength of the night, give us strength, lend us light. New day at dawn, nightfall behind, bolster our powers and open our minds. From ward to ward and shore to shore, let perseverance spread, forevermore. Maiden, Mother, Crone are we. This is our will, so mote it be!”
Magic swirled around us, warmth, hearth, and steadiness seeping into my pores. Sage let out a little breath, a slight gasp of surprise, and I smiled, knowing that she was finding grounding in her world. Something that I searched for daily.
The flames began to intensify inside me. I ignored them and told myself that this was easy. As long as I pushed the fire away and didn’t pluck at the elemental magic within me, I could continue this.
“It’s like its own power. Almost a cleansing but not.”
I opened my eyes to see Rowen smiling like a proud mama at Sage. “Exactly. It’s not easy, but it will find a way to summon the energy that you need to focus on for the day. There are cleansing spells we can do, too, but we’re not going to work on those today. Mostly because it needs a little more time for prep because of….circumstances, than we have at the moment.”
I didn’t know if she necessarily meant me and that I wasn’t sure I could help. She didn’t say it, and I didn’t force it. To do a cleansing spell, you needed to push your elements because they ran through you to help ease the power. Since I couldn’t rely on fire, I needed to avoid certain spells. Sadly, though, the ones that protected the town and helped Rowen not kill herself using too much would focus on that element. Meaning, no matter what I did, I would never be enough to protect my best friend. To protect anyone. I ignored the ache because I needed to. I couldn’t focus on what I couldn’t save. Instead, I pulled out the power I could and worked on the next spell.
“Banish now with spell and will. Banish now with spirit’s grace. Banish now with magic’s power. All that’s wrong and out of place.”
This time my magic tingled more than it should have, and I realized I hadn’t been focusing. I let out a hiss, my fire rising. I tamped it down.
Rowen cursed and came to my side, gripping my hand. “Breathe through the pain. It’s okay.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“You’re not fine. You focus too much on the flames, and now they’ve come to find you.”
“They always find me. They’re always there. That’s the problem.” I pushed my power out, completing my part of the banishing spell, and let out a breath. “I’m sorry.”
Rowen clucked her tongue at me, sounding like her late grandmother and not herself. “Don’t be sorry. You’re doing well. You’re doing more than you have in a few years.”
I gave her a sad look. I had stayed away from her and our coven for years because it had taken too much out of Rowen to keep me steady. Yes, it had hurt me. Yes, I had felt like I was losing with every breath. That if I kept casting those spells, I would die. But I had truly stayed away to protect my best friend. Because Rowen would give everything to protect us, and I couldn’t let her sacrifice herself for me.
“Are you okay?” Sage asked as she leaned forward and gripped my hand.
“Look, I’m not dying yet, Sage. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Rowen glared. “Don’t say things like that. You shouldn’t have had to pull on your fire to complete that spell. Why did you?”
I gave Rowen a sad smile. “My magic is my fire. That’s the problem. You have so much power with air, but you can separate the two because you don’t have that never-ending pain. I don’t have that ease. Everything hurts, Rowen. And that’s my problem. I’ll deal with it. I have so far. But I don’t think I can help the coven as I should. I’ll do what I can, but I may be more of a hindrance than not.”
“Stop it. You are not a hindrance. You have never been,” Sage insisted.
“Is that the case? Or is it only what we want to believe. You need the power of three to protect this town from the darkness. That is what the prophecy has always said. That our town is cursed by those who will come to get us. Our town will lose its wards, its power, its people if we’re not careful. That has always been what our talents were cursed with. And yet, we are fighting back. We are doing our best. But I don’t think I am supposed to be a part of that. I don’t think I can be.”
Sage wiped away a tear, and I swallowed hard, ignoring the steam rising from my skin.
“I need to go,” I whispered.
“You are part of this coven. You are our sister. We are so close to finding a way to save you and this town. We will make it happen.”
I looked at Rowen and shook my head. “We can try, and we can wish, but that might not always work.”
And then I stood and walked away, my hands shaking as the smell of smoke drifted behind me.
I staggered out of Rowen’s home, ignoring how it felt as if I were leaving everything behind. Everything had changed and twisted, and I wished there was a way to fix things. Only I wasn’t sure how.
“Laurel?” I looked up at Jaxton.
“Were you waiting for me?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
Warmth and anger radiated through me, and I pushed them both out, not wanting to inflame my magic.
“Really? You don’t think I can handle it?”
“I’m here because I knew you were working on a spell today. At least that’s what Rowen said. I didn’t know if you’d want someone to lean on afterward.”
“Why are you so nice to me? I’m horrible to you.”
He leaned forward and cupped my cheek. “You’re not. You’re a good person, Laurel. You just don’t trust yourself.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t trust myself. Why are you doing this, Jaxton? You could get hurt. I don’t want you to be hurt.”
“I won’t get hurt. But I’m going to be by your side. Always.” He let out a breath. “Come on, let me take you home.”
I sighed and leaned into him, hating that I did because I’d always been like this with Jaxton. Full-on trying to pull away because I was afraid of what might happen if I leaned too far. He was always sweet, caring, and could be growly if the need was warranted. He protected those around him. He protected me. But who protected him?
It used to be Trace. And Rowen. And I did my best, but I was always sure I wouldn’t be the vulnerability. That my magic would backfire and hurt him instead of protecting him.
“I’m a bad bet. You know that, Jaxton.”
“You’re my bet, so you’re just going to have to get over it. I’m not letting you go, Laurel.”
I sighed and leaned into him again as he walked me home. I felt Rowen’s and Sage’s stares on my back as we left, and I knew I would have to tell them what was going on later. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. For now, I would focus on what I could, and that was the magic within me, and the hawk at my side.
He walked me home, just a short distance away from Rowen’s. I’d always loved being close to Rowen, the fact that even when we were children, we could sneak out and visit each other. While Jaxton and Trace had been my friends as teenagers and beyond since we were figuring out who we were to one another, Rowen had always been there.
And when the full effects of the curse hit me, and I’d thought I lost it all, Rowen had still been there—even though we had pushed at each other and through the pain we hadn’t been able to avoid.
Jaxton walked me inside, and I looked at him, brushing his hair away from his face. “I wish things were different.”
“We’ll make them different. I’m not signing your death warrant yet, Laurel.”
That gave me a start, and I smiled. “I’m trying not to. Why do you think I picked up the sword? Why do you think I keep trying? I want Sage to be as powerful as she can, so Rowen isn’t alone.”
“Rowen isn’t alone. She has Ash.”
“We both know that she can’t have Ash. The shifters are strong enough to protect their own, but maybe not everyone. Maybe not the town.”
“The divinations have always said that it needs the power of the coven, yet I don’t think it foresaw the second curse layer on top of it.”
“I’m not counting you out. I never will.”
He leaned down and kissed me, and I sank into him, hating how I felt.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered.
“Then don’t.” He kissed me again, and I wrapped my arms around him, needing him.
“We can’t create a mating bond,” I whispered.
“We won’t. Just let me love you, Laurel,” he whispered, and I sank into him, knowing that I couldn’t say no. I had never been able to say no to Jaxton, and maybe that was part of the problem.
He had always been part of me—body, mind, and soul. I had pushed him away when I was afraid, and I was still afraid. With every ounce of my being. But I couldn’t just ask him to leave. Not when this could be my last moment. It was getting closer and closer to the end. We were all dealing with the outside forces waiting for us.
But I wanted to be selfish, just for a minute. Just for a moment.
And so, I let myself be.
“Are you sure?” I whispered, fear in my voice that I hadn’t recognized until it was too late.
He kissed me again. “Of course. I want you, Laurel. You’re mine. Just let me love you,” he repeated.
I nodded against him and then held him tighter.
His lips started at my jaw, kissing and caressing before he slowly moved me to the couch and lifted me onto the back of it. I let out a breath, then slouched against him as he kissed and bit my lips. His hands went to the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, leaving me in my jeans and bra. He licked his lips and stared at me. “You always were too beautiful.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“Well, you always take my breath away.”
His hand went to my side and gently caressed the edge of my burns. They healed quickly because they were magical, and the balms and creams that Rowen gave me helped. But they always returned. Sometimes, in different places. This time, it was on my left hip. When Jaxton’s gaze went to them, I shook my head. “It’s fine. You can’t hurt me.”
“I don’t know if that’s the case,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to my neck, and then to my jaw, and then between my breasts.
I sucked in a breath, his touch sending magic through my body. But this time, it wasn’t hot. It wasn’t flames. It was warmth, yet something all Jaxton, the man I had always wanted and knew could be mine. But also the one I knew I could never have.
My anchor slid around my body, connecting with his on his hand before his hawk flew over his arm, around his neck, and to his other hand resting on my hip.
I giggled, and he grinned up at me. “Do you think all anchors work like ours?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I think we’re special. They like each other, just like I like you.”
“You say the sweetest things.” I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him closer so his jean-clad cock was pressed against my heat. We both groaned, and then he bit my lip before undoing the clasp on my bra. My breasts fell heavily into his open palms, and he slid his thumbs over my nipples. I groaned as he leaned down and latched his lips to one turgid peak. We both groaned at the sensation, and I grew wet, needing him inside me.
It had been ages since I’d had him. Since I had allowed myself to be. And yet, this felt like the first time. As if we’d both been waiting for this moment.
I didn’t know how this could be. How could I want him so much without knowing who he could be? Who we could be together?
He played with my breasts, molding them, sucking on them, and then he kissed down my belly, over my jeans, and grinned up at me.
The sight of his dark hair between my legs made me groan, and I helped him undo my pants as he tugged on my panties and jeans, stripping them from my body. I sat at the edge of the couch, clinging to the edge as he spread my thighs and stared at me.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“Are you talking to me or my pussy?” I teased, and he grinned before he leaned down and licked me. I saw stars, my whole body shaking as he sucked on my clit and spread me before him. He lapped at me, paying sweet attention to every inch of me. And when he speared me with two fingers, I came around him, my magic flaring.
But again, it wasn’t the flame. It was the other essence of me, the part that was a Christopher witch, not an elemental wielder. My magic reached out for Jaxton’s, and with whatever elemental magic he had, his hawk reached towards me, as well. He kept sucking at me, giving me exquisite pleasure before he stood and stripped down. I reached between us, gripping the base of his long, thick cock, and we both groaned.
“I need you. Please.”
“You never have to beg, Laurel, all you have to do is look at me, and I want you.”
“Good, now get in me.”
He grinned and kissed me again. “We won’t do the bond. Not tonight,” he assured me, even though I heard the need in his voice. It echoed the desire in me. We couldn’t. Not tonight. Not when we weren’t sure what was coming.
I didn’t know why I had denied myself for so long. Probably because I knew I should. If I really let myself want him, it would be too much for both of us.
I didn’t know what would happen if he was bonded to me when this curse finally took me. I would regret it for the rest of my days in the abyss if I hurt him as the curse hurt me.
So, tonight, there would be no bond, even though I knew we both craved it.
I took a deep breath and held onto him as our gazes met. He slowly slid inside me, inch by inch.
He was thick, so thick that he stretched me, and the ache that came wasn’t for magic but for man and need. He let out a groan and bit my neck, though not marking me as his mate. Instead, he just let out a shaky breath, and both of us clung to one another as I slowly adjusted to fit him.
“I forgot how tight you are,” he mumbled, and I laughed.
“Oh, good, I’m glad you’re trying to remember exactly how it was for us that first time when we were fumbling hands and too-wet mouths.”
“We’re not going to fumble today,” he whispered and then he gripped my right hip. He put his other hand right under my left breast, and then he moved.
I let out a sharp gasp and arched into him as he pumped into me, the couch moving with each thrust. It would have been comical, and yet I could only think of him. I didn’t care about anything else.
My powers latched onto his, claiming him in a way but not fully. We both knew what would happen if we did that, so we kept those parts locked away. And yet, all I could do was breathe and be.
I couldn’t let myself love him. I couldn’t let myself think that I already did. I could be with him at this moment, and maybe in the next. And when I squeezed my inner muscles, and he groaned my name, whispering sweet nothings that were everything in my ear as he came, I breathed into him, my magic flaring but not causing pain.
For the first time in my memory, my magic was pure and without pain.
Because this was Jaxton, my mate.
The one man I could never have.
Chapter
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Eight
Oriel
Oriel stared across his dining room, pleased at the final additions section.
Unlike some of his family, he had been raised to appreciate the good things in life. Whether it be the art itself or how it was obtained. This particular piece above the mantel was a lost Monet, one that others had killed to possess—he had done a fair share of it himself. However, his hands weren’t too dirty for this one, not when he had other people to do that for him.
Now his dining room was complete, and as he enjoyed his well-done steak and sides, he figured it was time to see what he could do about a certain member of the Ravenwood community. He needed to destroy the coven. He needed to ensure that the prophecy came to fruition—at least, on his end. And to do that, a key player had to be removed. It had taken far longer than it should have to realize who the person was.
Faith, dear Faith had been wrong in her summation of the person’s identity. Although taking Trace out had been important for Oriel’s bottom line, it hadn’t been the only thing.
No, the shifter had been important to the community and to the pack, but he hadn’t been the lynchpin that Oriel had been searching for. Now, though, thanks to a very convincing battle, Oriel and his team knew who they were looking for.
“Would you like me to handle it?” Renee asked, and Oriel looked up at his lieutenant.
She sat next to her mate, the two of them smiling coolly at him. Their steaks were a little bloodier than his, but there was nothing like a well-done filet mignon. He couldn’t stand the sight of flesh on his plate. It needed to be cooked. That was the only way to eat a filet.
He was a good leader and let his lieutenants eat however they liked instead of forcing them to eat what he wanted. At least, for now. He might change his mind later.
Dusk Unveiled (Ravenwood Coven Book 2) Page 7