by Brenda Trim
Jace came to attention when they moved him into the south position of the altar. “Okay, Jace. We are going to cast our circle now and get this show on the road,” Pema informed him with a reassuring smile. She turned to her sisters, “Ready?”
“I was born ready, ask Bhric,” teased Suvi as she fell into step behind Isis. Jace was amused at their energy and youthful zest. Their excitement was infectious, and gave him hope.
Isis rolled her eyes at Suvi while Pema removed her green silk robe. She neatly folded the cloth and placed it out of the way under the wood table. Jace tried not to gape; she was naked as the day she was born. He didn’t know why he was so shocked, because he knew witches performed magic best when sky-clad, to better draw energy from the moon. He gulped as he remembered that they also performed strong magic when sexual elements were involved.
He found himself praying that the sisters didn’t include those sexual elements in this ritual. The thought made him uncomfortable, and for once it had nothing to do with the nausea it induced. He’d never had a problem with the carnal aspect of the craft, but he had been blessed with his Fated Mate, and he held that sacred. There would never be another female for him, no matter how things turned out between them. Cailyn was it for him.
Once all the sisters had shed and stored their respective robes, Jace watched as Pema then began casting the circle. She took the salt mixture and walked deosil in a perfect circle. After she had completed her first circuit, Jace saw white light projecting from the salt.
On her second turn, she began chanting, "I cast this circle to keep us free of all energies that are not of The Light,” she glanced back and gave him a meaningful look. Apparently, he wasn’t doing a great job with his energy. He recalled Cailyn’s image and held it in the fore.
Pema continued, “I allow within this circle only the energies that are of The Light. So Mote It Be.” On her third circuit, Jace listened as she consecrated the space and marveled once again at how different witchcraft was from his sorcery. He had been told how earth-based the craft was, but it was amazing to see and feel the power. His magic was much more mystical, derived from the heavens. He would say his came from Morrigan directly, but he felt the Goddess in the magic they were calling forth.
Isis picked up a white piece of chalk and knelt to call the quarters. As she scribed the pentacle, she invoked the element in each direction as she went. “Hear me, Sentinels of the East, I summon the powers of Air! Hear me, Sentinels of the South, I summon the powers of Fire! Hear me, Sentinels of the West, I summon the powers of Water! Hear me, Sentinels of the North, I summon the powers of Earth! As above, so below. As within, so without. Four stars in this place be, combined to call the fifth to me! So mote it be.”
Jace was so accustomed to seeing magic in terms of color, and while the white light did brighten, it paled in comparison to the sudden influx of power he felt within the circle.
The circle having been cast and the elements called, Suvi began chanting. “Live and learn, learn and live. I endeavor to receive what life can give. Bring to me the lessons true. And knowledge of what to do. Amid the mess and chaos fierce. Shine a light to darkness pierce. Show the way to knowledge deep. Which to let go and which to keep. Clear the way so I might heed. The lessons that I truly need. Show me what I need to learn. As life’s pages I do turn. So mote it be,” Suvi called out. The sisters closed their eyes and threw their heads back. Jace expected to feel or see something, but nothing happened.
He should have known better than to hope. There was nothing magical wrong with him. He was a broken male, not fit for his mate.
The sisters looked to one another and then into the scrying bowl. At Pema’s nod, Suvi repeated her spell two more times before they looked into the water once again. Jace began to sweat. It sucked receiving confirmation that he was as screwed up as he had believed for centuries, and that meant he had to give Cailyn up. His chest ached and his heart fractured at the thought. He would rather die, but he refused to force his mate to accept a broken, unworthy mate.
“Jace, you need to find your calm again. We are going to try another spell, combining our powers, and we can’t afford your negative energy interfering in our circle. I don’t want to have to throw you out and recast everything. It will be far more effective with you in the room,” Pema directed to him.
Jace gave her a curt nod. She was right, and it was reassuring to know they weren’t giving up. There was hope.
The witches flanked the altar across from him and joined hands. They chanted in unison this time, the power building with each verse. Light glowed between their clasped hands where he had seen those odd stones.
“We are Earth, grounded and strong.
We are the receptacle through which Her true will is delivered.
We are Air, forceful and fierce.
We are Fire, searing and complex.
We are Water, instinctual, and enchanted.
The ripples of our inner consciousness are peaceful and pure.
We are Spirit. We are all that is.
We are poise and harmony.
We are that from which Her true will comes. By the power of three, so mote it be!”
White light pulsed, and the air crackled with electrical energy. Jace felt it as a vibration within, like a hive of bees had been agitated. There was a distinct signature to the sensation. He followed the sisters’ gazes to the water in the scrying bowl.
A mist had developed above the liquid and silver light shone from within. Pema chanted a reveal spell in Latin and pursed her lips then blew her breath across the bowl. The mist cleared and Jace saw himself shackled to Lady Angelica’s stone slab. The sight of his bloody, broken body caused him to shudder. Angelica was straddling his hips, taking what he never wanted to give her.
The horror of what he had suffered was overshadowed as the Great Bitch came into view. For the first time, Jace heard the words of her enchantment, the words that had given her power over him. Holy shit, Cailyn had been right. Angelica had been controlling him for over seven centuries.
Horror and relief washed over him. The female was sick and twisted to want to subjugate another in such a manner. She had stolen everything from him, including his ability to experience physical pleasure. His free will had been taken, and he had been her prisoner far longer than he knew. She had robbed him of his pride when she had repeatedly raped him.
If not for his imprisonment, he may have been able to save his parents. He hadn’t even been able to say goodbye to them. He failed them, and his kind, because she’d rendered him too weak to fight back. She’d neutralized his magic, depriving him of everything that had ever identified him. His faith in himself was so shaken that he refused to even entertain the idea of being Guild Master after his release. Anger surged through his veins at everything she had taken from him. He wanted to hunt her down and tear her to pieces.
Pema met his gaze and he saw pity reflected in her sea-green depths. He didn’t want her pity, and hated that she would see him as weak now. “I understand why you didn’t want to say anything before. I can’t imagine the strength it has taken you to live freely while still under her influence. The fact that you haven’t spent the last several hundred years serving her speaks volumes.” She released her sister’s hand and bent down to retrieve the robes.
Suvi spoke as they slipped the fabric on their backs, covering their nudity. “Jace Miakoda, you are a fearless warrior, never doubt that. Your mate is a lucky mortal, indeed.”
“What that creature did to you is unspeakable, and she needs to pay for what she has done. I know you sorcerers don’t ascribe to the same code that we do in the craft, but it can’t be so different that harming another is acceptable. I’d love to help you hunt her down,” Isis declared, her outrage clear by the fire that flashed in her grey eyes. He was touched that she would experience such outrage on his behalf.
He was overwhelmed at the moment, still shocked to his core that he had been living and battling against nefarious powers
within himself his entire life. The big question now was how to rid himself of the enchantment. “I…thank you. I can’t express how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me. I have one more request. Do you know how to annul such a spell?”
They shared a look amongst themselves, then Pema grabbed the athame up while Isis and Suvi snuffed the candles. “We cannot counteract it for you. Only you can cancel out the magic,” she said as she crossed to the side of the circle. She looked over her shoulder at him. “Magic is all about the intent, Jace. Consider what her intent was, and you will have your answer. My best suggestion is that you counter her nefarious control with love, pure and simple. You will gain more power if you follow your name sake and utilize the power of the full moon.” With that she turned, thanked the Goddess and cut a path in the circle with the athame, dispersing the energy safely.
“Thank you, again,” he said, nodding his head in agreement. He followed them from the room while he probed his mind. He now sensed the ugly signature, and was amazed at how deeply it was buried. The fact that these three young witches were able to reveal the enchantment at all was a testament to how powerful they were going to be. When they finally settled down, and focused on something other than selling lust potions and tarot readings, their power would know no limits.
A spark ignited as the hope he’d been harboring consumed him. There was a way for him to be with his mate. Perhaps Marie Laveau was right, after all.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
“It’s about time you guys got back,” Jessie called out the moment they entered the house. Jace saw Cailyn’s friend peek her head around the corner from the media room, her anxiety telegraphed clearly. It was obvious to Jace how much the female loved his mate, and surprisingly, she seemed to be rooting for him rather than Cailyn’s fiancé. Just thinking of the male set Jace’s jealousy raging. It was near impossible to ignore the corrosive emotion.
“How’d it go? We are dying for details here,” Jessie blurted out as their group entered the room.
“You know, Jessie, it’s been a long night for all of us. Jace will tell us when he’s ready,” Cailyn replied, coming to his defense.
Cailyn continued to surprise Jace. He hadn’t earned her patience and support, but was soaking it up. His mate had no problem speaking out in his defense, and had done so several times that night. He expected to be offended that this female felt that he, a proven warrior, needed protecting, but he wasn’t. In fact, he cherished it, and wanted her all the more.
“Thank you, Cailyn. I needed to gather my thoughts, and I was waiting until we returned home. I knew Evzen and Killian would be here and I have no desire to repeat this information more than once,” Jace murmured, making eye contact with his Guild Master, nodding his acknowledgement before he made his way to the bar and poured two fingers of scotch.
“In that case, we are no’ all here yet. Where’s Bhric, brathair?” Breslin asked Zander as she muted the television.
“Where do you think? He stayed at the witches’ house for a few days,” Zander replied with a smirk, as he pulled Elsie into his side and held her close. Jace wanted that same easy closeness with Cailyn. He glanced at Cailyn and caught the longing in her gaze as she watched her sister. Without intending to, Jace crossed to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. When she melted into his side, he felt like a king.
Her closeness was a double-edged sword. His mate mark burned a path across his hip, reminding him he hadn’t completed the mating. His body was constantly on fire for Cailyn, and the pain kept increasing as more time went by. Knowing now that there was magic interfering with his ability to be intimate with a female, Jace was ready to move forward with this mating if Cailyn would have him.
Rhys jumped up, knocking the recliner over in his haste. “What the hell? You didn’t let me go because you said we couldn’t afford to be down any warriors,” Rhys yelled, faking an attempt at outrage.
“Nice try, Rhys. Bhric will only be there a few days at most, whereas we’d have to send an entire extraction team for you a month later,” Elsie teased and winked as Rhys set his chair to rights and resumed his seat.
“Do you need more time, Jace? If so, I can tell everyone what I found in the Grimoire,” Evzen said, bringing them back on track, instantly sobering the mood.
Jace threw back his drink. “I‘ll go first. I have to get this off my chest.” He tightened his arm around Cailyn, needing her close for the next part. He looked down into his mate’s hazel eyes and saw tears gather there as if she hurt as much as he did. Suddenly, Jace realized that through their bond, Cailyn was aware of exactly how he felt. Goddess, he loved her.
“Not all of you are aware of this but…shortly before my parents were killed I was taken prisoner by Lady Angelica. She tortured me for over a century before Zander rescued me. Recently, Cailyn brought to my attention that she could have cast a spell on me during my captivity. We visited the Rowan sisters and discovered that my mate was right.”
He ignored the gasps and focused on the single tear that slipped down Cailyn’s cheek. No one had ever cried for him, and it gave him hope to win her heart and complete the mating.
“That fucking bitch,” Killian spat, clearly pissed off. He sat forward in his seat, resting his folded arms on his knees. “I can’t believe she would pull that shit. How could she break the oath? What kind of spell, maybe we can help?” Jace had stopped wondering how Angelica could do anything. All sorcerers took an oath never to manipulate another’s power and sealed it in blood, making it impossible to break. Jace knew without doubt that even if Angelica had said the words, she had never bound her oath with her blood.
“She used dark magic, but I’m not certain what spell she used. The Rowan sister’s suggested countering the spell with love.” He squeezed Cailyn’s waist and met her gaze once again. “Under the full moon,” he husked, enjoying the way his mate’s eyes darkened with her desire.
“Dark magic is dangerous and unpredictable,” Evzen shook his head, “that female plays with fire. She knows it’s forbidden, and when she is brought in, you will be given the opportunity to kill her. My guess is that she has already disappeared, but our search will not stop until she is found.” Jace relished the thought of beheading the sorceress.
“Dark magic is tricky,” Killian began, offering his advice. “Your intent must surpass hers. The full moon is upon us. Let us know if we can help.”
“I plan to take advantage of it, thanks. I don’t want my mate to be at risk of her wrath,” he glanced at his mate and smiled at the shock in her eyes. He let his intent show in his gaze. He was going to claim Cailyn and complete their mating.
Her eyes widened even more as he bent over to place a reassuring kiss on her lips. His joy of the moment was shadowed by the knowledge that Lady Angelica was furious with him for overcoming her control, and would only be angrier when he shattered her hold over him.
“I hope you will be able to put this behind you at last, my friend. You deserve happiness,” Zander declared before turning to Evzen. Zander had been the one to save Jace from Angelica’s dungeon, and knew better than anyone what he’d been through. It wouldn’t be an easy path, but Jace had a chance to travel down the road to find true happiness. “Now, what news do you have, Evzen?”
“We need to schedule a formal council meeting, but this is too important to wait for the others to gather. As you all know, the Mystik Grimoire contains the realm’s magic, as well as prophecies. Well, amongst the text, I discovered a prophecy that sounds ominous. I think it could be pertinent right now, Zander,” Evzen shared with the group as he sat down on one of the leather couches and placed the Grimoire on the table in front of him.
Jace sensed his discomfort sharing realm secrets. Jessie was an undetermined threat, seeing as she was created by demons, which made it understandable that Evzen would approach such sensitive issues with caution. “It’s okay to speak freely. Jessie isn’t controlled by the archdemon, and she isn’t going to betr
ay us. Are you, Jess?”
Jessie’s eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t a surprise to her that she wasn’t trusted, but he could tell that it hurt her deeply. “Oh my God. I’d never do or say anything to put any of you in danger. I’m nothing like those weak males controlled by their creator. That piece of shit has nothing on me. In fact, I want to be called a dhampir. I might have been created by a demon, but I’m closer to vampire than skirm.”
Breslin chuckled and stood up to join Jessie. “I havena heard that term in decades. I find it amusing that humans have the myth that a human and vampire mating would produce a dhampir. Our offspring will always be full vampire, given our dominant genes. ‘Tis official, Jessie is the first dhampir.” Breslin exclaimed.
Jace wondered if there were more like Jessie out there. He had wondered that from the moment he learned females were being kidnapped. Jace filed the thought away, and focused on the issue at hand.
Zander shook his head as if exacerbated with Breslin, but Jace knew the Vampire King indulged his sister. She had been the apple of his eye, until he found Elsie. “Now that we have that oot of the way, Evzen, please share what you discovered,” Zander instructed.
Evzen placed his hand on the book and nodded to Zander. “I have shared this information with Hayden and Dante already, but have yet to inform Nikko,” he said as he flipped through several pages. Jace noted the change in ink and writing style as the pages passed. His ancestors wrote those words, documenting magic and prophecies for the realm. Bitterness hit at the thought that there had been no one to keep track of things for the past seven centuries. That duty fell to his family, and he had done nothing to further realm knowledge.
Evzen stopped about halfway through and began reading. His voice echoed through the now silent room. “The return of the sacred sign heralds a melee between the forces of Lightness and Dark in the woods where the great beasts are imprisoned. By the blade of a mortal, evil is vanquished under the red moon.” Jace shivered at the omen in the words.