by Brenda Trim
“You failed to stop our power. We are now the power of three to the next fucking level. There is nothing to stop us from stripping you of all power,” Isis snapped and stepped forward. The wind had picked up again and lightning flashed around them as Pema and Braeden pulled Isis back.
“What have you done with Claire?” Cele demanded, clearly not intimidated that she was surrounded by the six of them.
“The council is deciding her fate. My vote is to burn the poor thing. No one should be brought back from the dead,” Suvi supplied. His mate smiled when Cele began yelling and pounding at the invisible wall. Caine was convinced the former High Priestess had finally lost her mind.
“You harm one hair on her head and I will drag you to the ninth circle of hell myself!” Cele shouted at them. “Angeica! Kadir! Come to me,” Cele screamed out. She knew she was in trouble and needed assistance. Caine and the others looked around as he braced himself for the feel of dark magic. Nothing happened and he knew the moment Cele realized her allies weren’t coming to her aide. Caine breathed a sigh of relief that their gamble to get Cele alone had paid off.
“What happened? Your friends aren’t here to save you. Guess they aren’t really your allies, after all,” Isis taunted.
“You won’t get away with this,” Cele retorted, still trying to remain confident.
Braeden was the next one to jump into the mix. “Really? I bet we do. You’re the one who will pay for what you’ve done. You kidnapped and tortured my son, making sure he experienced every painful moment. You slit his throat and he almost died. You are a vile creature who should be cast into hell to suffer for eternity,” he roared. Caine felt a waver in their magic and wondered if the witch was finding a way through.
“I should have killed that little bastard the first time you failed me. You are weak and pathetic. One day I will find your son alone and unprotected and make him pay like my Claire has had to pay,” Cele promised.
Braeden and Isis both thundered their rage to the sky. Braeden let go of the hands he was holding, breaking their circle and charging forward.
“Shit,” Isis muttered and Caine felt the vibration of their magic falter. He knew the barrier was no longer surrounding Cele and she must have felt it, too, as she made a dash for the break in their circle.
Everything seemed to happen at once after that. Braeden charged Cele and plunged his hand right through her vulnerable throat. Blood spurted from the vicious wound and Cele was opening and closing her mouth, like a fish gasping for air. Braeden yelled out as he pulled his hand free and wrapped his arm around what was left of her neck.
Isis rushed forward as Braeden twisted his torso, brutally ripping the witch’s head from her neck. With one final yank, he decapitated Cele, ending her life.
Isis was sobbing and pulled him into her arms. “It’s over. You and Donovan are safe now,” Braeden crooned. “She will never hurt anyone again.” Caine understood why Braeden had reacted the way he did. Everyone in that circle had a reason to hate Cele. She was everyone’s nightmare, but it was fitting that Braeden was the one to exact revenge on Cele. His son had suffered unspeakable torture at her hands and it was his right as the boy’s father.
The reality that they had eliminated this threat sank in. Cele was dead, and they were responsible. Would they face a backlash for killing Cele? It was in the witch elders’ hands now, he supposed. He prayed to the Goddess they would see it as justified.
*****
Suvi paced the meeting room at Cailleach Academy. The image of Braeden ripping Cele’s head from her shoulders had haunted her for two days. They had barely slept from worrying that Braeden may be put to death for killing the High Priestess. Not that any of them believed he should be punished for his actions, but that didn’t mean the elders would agree. Suvi laid her hands on top of Caine’s where they were wrapped around her stomach. Having him close brought comfort and calmed her frayed nerves.
The loud thump of heavy footsteps echoed from the hall. They were coming to give the verdict. Suddenly, Suvi felt as if she may be sick. She crossed to Isis and pulled her into a hug. If anyone knew how her sister felt, she did. She recalled, all too well, how it had felt to have Caine facing a death sentence. Pema came up on Isis’ other side and they stood as a unit with their mates close behind.
Zander strode into the room first, his face a blank mask. Behind him followed the rest of the Dark Alliance council. She was unable to read their faces either. Ezra, Beatrice, and Livia strode in behind the males. The trio of elder witches weren’t what you’d think of when you thought elders. Considering they were centuries old, they all appeared to be young, beautiful females in their early thirties. Suvi’s nerves were twisted in knots and she held her breath, waiting in anticipation.
Zander fastened his eyes on Braeden. “First, lad, I want to thank you for eliminating a threat to the realm. No’ only had this witch harmed our precious bairns, she had turned evil and partnered with Kadir. Had she succeeded in her plans, nothing on earth would be safe.”
Beatrice cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Normally, the punishment for killing a High Priestess is death, but not in this instance. You did what any male would do to protect his Fated Mate and son. The realm is blessed to have you amongst its ranks and we plan to keep it that way for centuries to come.” Suvi let out the breath she had been holding and felt Isis’ relief wash over her, it was that enormous.
Zander briefly looked around the room and then back at their group. “We didna only discuss the situation involving Cele’s death. We also discussed the three of you,” he relayed, nodding to Suvi and her sisters in turn. His words set the butterflies in Suvi’s stomach in motion once again. What was he talking about?
Ezra joined the conversation. “As you know, leadership in the realm is passed down in families. We are faced with an unprecedented situation right now. Cele’s only child was Claire who is deceased and there are no other members of her line. After much debate, we feel that there isn’t one person appropriate to take on the role. The decision had been made to appoint the three of you to the positions of High Priestesses.”
Suvi’s mouth dropped open. No way had she heard her correctly. She must have misunderstood. How could they appoint all three of them? Sure, she had grown up being the object of the prophecy and had even recently realized that she was indeed destined to reform witchcraft as they knew it, but she never would have imagined being appointed at such a young age. She was speechless at the opportunity being offered to them. A million thoughts raced through her mind, from how they could bring witchcraft into the modern day, to not wanting any part of this. They were happy running Black Moon Sabbat, after all. Why rock the boat?
Livia cleared her throat and stepped next to Zander. “From the moment you were born, each one of us knew you were our future. We need you to take over this great institution and educate our young.” For the third time in a matter of minutes Suvi was stunned. They expected them to run the Academy and educate their young? And, they weren’t afraid they would corrupt them?
Zander chuckled at her reaction. “‘Tis a lot to take in, but before you answer, take time and think it over. Not only do the witches need you, the Dark Alliance council needs you. Females are being kidnapped by Kadir and we could use your particular talents in helping us rescue them.”
The rush of adrenaline barreled through Suvi. She looked at her sisters and they shared a knowing smile. She knew there would be no discussion necessary.
*****
“Watch this, mom,” Donovan called out and then tore across the deck at high speed and jumped into the pool. Water splashed out and soaked the deck around them. Suvi turned and smiled at her nephew.
“That’s great, honey,” Isis called back before returning to their discussion. They had been planning the rescue of the females from Kadir’s lair for hours now and everyone was tired.
She grabbed Caine’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Are you sure it’s safe to go in? You said you had a premo
nition that we shouldn’t attempt a rescue yet,” she asked Zander’s mate, Elsie.
“A week ago, I did have that premonition, but this morning I had a new one. This one was more urgent, indicating that we will lose one of our own if we don’t go in soon,” Elsie replied.
“Did you see what we will face?” Pema asked.
“I saw hellhounds and fury demons, as well as skirm. Kadir and Azazel weren’t part of the premonition, but we can’t assume that means they won’t be there.” Elsie looked surprisingly eager, given that she was fairly new to her role in the Tehrex Realm. Suvi guessed the Queen had been fraught with worry about these females for the past week.
“You will be our rear guard of sorts,” Zander went on to explain. “Aside from Ronan, you are no’ trained in combat. We need you there to cast a spell that will prohibit the archdemons from teleporting away from the scene. I want to end this once and for all. No’ that Lucifer willna simply send more to replace them, but it will give us a reprieve.”
“I’m not sure if our spell would stop the archdemons, but we can sure try,” Pema agreed.
Donovan came running to the table with a big bullfrog in his hands. “Mom, do you have a jar? I want to keep it. I named him Fred. Isn’t he cool?”
Suvi couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that. She caught her sisters’ knowing gazes and they, too, fell into a fit of hysterics. “Sure, honey. I have a jar in the house, but she already has a name. Just call her Plain Paula.”
Authors’ Note
Thank you for reading SUVI’S REVENGE! We hope you enjoyed Suvi and Caine’s story. The Rowan Sisters trilogy is now over, but you never know when they will reappear in someone else’s story.
If you haven’t discovered the Dark Warrior Alliance Series, Dream Warrior, Mystik Warrior, and Deviant Warrior are available now on Amazon. Scarred Warrior will be the fourth book in the Dark Warrior Alliance series where Gerrick and Shae discover that even those with damaged flesh and shattered hearts deserve love, too, but that’s easier said than done. Look for it winter 2015!
With new digital download trends, authors rely on readers to spread the word more than ever. Here are some ways to help us! Leave a review! Every author asks their readers to take five minutes and let others know how much you enjoyed their work. Here’s the reason why. Reviews help your favorite authors to become visible. It’s simple and easy to do. If you are a Kindle user turn to the last page and leave a review before you close your book. For other retailers, just visit their online site and leave a brief review.
Don’t forget to visit our website: www.trimandjulka.com and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TrimAndJulka. You will find current information about other books in this series as well as our other exciting works.
Trust your journey and remember that your future is filled with endless possibilities! DREAM BIG!
The Dark Warrior Alliance
Dream Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book One)
http://www.amzn.com/B00SI7PAVG
Mystik Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book Two)
http://www.amzn.com/B00U2R3T2W
Deviant Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book Three)
Coming September 2015
Scarred Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book Four)
Coming Winter 2015
The Rowan Sisters’ Trilogy
Pema’s Storm (Rowan Sister’s Trilogy, Book One)
http://www.amzn.com/B00VGZFXZA
Isis’ Betrayal (Rowan Sister’s Trilogy, Book Two)
http://www.amzn.com/B00XJPWWCM