Charice was far from weak.
Warren could feel her power source as soon as they stood outside of her shop. The front door had been locked, but he was eager to see who held such inner strength that he used his magic to unlock it. He had to meet the woman that called to his own magic. He wasn’t disappointed.
“You thought she wouldn’t be strong enough for us,” Warren said. “I can still feel her essence flowing through me. She’s our equal, brother.”
They’d been friends for so long and shared their power over the years that they thought of each other as a brother. More than that. Their magic bond linked them metaphysically and emotionally.
Warren could feel Kye’s inner struggle, but he didn’t understand it. There was no arguing if Charice belonged beside them or not. She just did, and he’d rather it be sooner than later.
Kye inhaled deep and turned to the shop entrance. “I can feel her too.” He waited a moment before speaking again. “We’ve already stayed long enough. If the board knew we defied them to see her, we’d be punished. They could take it out on her too.”
Warren’s eyes glowed bright blue with his power. He could feel the light consume his sight. “I won’t see her harmed. I’ll kill them first.” The thought of her injured angered him. Gods and goddesses help the person who threatened their witch. Even if that meant fighting the board, and no one ever crossed them.
“As would I. That’s why we need to go. We’re not strong enough to keep ourselves from doing something as stupid as fighting the Elemental Board.”
Warren knew he was right. The longer they stayed near her, the more risk their woman was in. He could see her fighting their connection, but she was their witch just as they were her warlocks. The board had never been wrong about that or any match in the past. Now, he knew why.
“Tonight, Kye. No longer than that. I’ve waited too long.”
“I know, my friend. I know.”
Although Kye had always thought they’d be better without their third, Warren longed for a woman to stand beside them as their equal. As enforcers for El-Board, they were charged with controlling witches and warlocks who broke their laws and rounding them up for sentencing.
It was hard work but rewarding for the reputation it gave them. They were feared by many. It ensured they were obeyed as representatives for the board. That was their job.
But deep down, Warren longed to have someone to share other parts of his existence with. Someone he didn’t have to always show his enforcer side to. A woman to keep his bed warm at night and share his magic with during the day.
He and Kye had their one-nighters with women. Some they even had the pleasure of sharing, but none could match their abilities when it came to magic. Until now.
As hard as it was, Warren relented to Kye’s wisdom. It was like leaving a piece of him behind, but he followed his friend into the direction of the Firewick Festival and away from their witch. The only thought that comforted him was that the third part of them would be there later that night too, whether Charice wanted to or not. Try as she might, there was no hiding from the Elemental Board, and there was no hiding from her warlocks.
***
Charice’s sisters were boring holes in the back of her head as she worked. She could sense it, and it was annoying her to death. She’d taken out the stone and was grinding it down to a powder. She wanted to do it herself to keep her mind from wandering, but it didn’t help.
She kept thinking about the two men who came in earlier. Warren and Kye. Names she could see herself calling out while wedged between them in bed. She thought about how each would look naked. Probably like gods on earth.
She shook her head. They wouldn’t want someone like her. She wasn’t fit. Far from it with parts that jiggled. She probably wasn’t far from having things sag. Nope. She wouldn’t think about her body. That’s why she’d gotten rid of all her full-length mirrors. They just depressed the energy out of her.
Even with Charice’s busywork, her sisters were getting on her last nerve with their silence. Not one question from them. Only stares, which made it worse. They usually talked more than Oprah on a talk show.
“What?” She turned around to face both of them. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Claire said.
“Nada, sis,” Carmen said with a wink.
Nothing my ass, Charice thought to herself. Wait for it. It’s coming.
She crossed her arms and leaned back on the counter and stared at them. Her sisters shared a voiceless look between them. Carmen was the one to break the silence, just like Charice knew she would.
“It’s just, how do you find two hunks in here when we couldn’t even spot one at the beach today. What’s up with that?”
“I didn’t go looking for them, Car.”
Carmen pouted. “Which makes it so much worse.”
“Why were you both at the beach?”
“To watch the Firewick setup.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t change the subject. What did those hot guys want with you?”
“They’re only customers.”
“Do you let all customers fondle you like that? If so, we should have lines out the door.”
“It wasn’t fondling. You’re exaggerating. Tell her, Claire.”
“I’m with Car on this one,” Claire said, crossing her arms. “When do you get so close to men you don’t know?”
“I’m not close to them. I’m not even sure what happened.”
“Magic,” Carmen said. “It’s always magic. We even felt it when we walked in.”
“What are you talking about?” Charice looked at them, but she knew very well what they meant. Those men gave magical strength a new meaning, and it continued to flow over her in their absence.
“She’s right,” Claire said. “When we came in, the place was thick with magic, almost stifling. It didn’t feel like yours though.”
Charice thought about the way she felt when each man touched her. She couldn’t describe it, but she knew it was supernatural.
They had to be warlocks of some kind. Powerful ones.
“Had to be the hotties then,” Carmen chimed in. “What are you pounding away at?”
Charice sighed. “I guess you’re going to find out anyway.” She opened the email and gave them a minute to process it.
Carmen jumped up and down, screaming. “You got called to Firewick! Why didn’t you say so? I’m jealous.”
“Calm down. I’m not going.”
Carmen frowned. “What?”
Claire stared at her. “Is that allowed?”
“Probably not,” Charice said. She turned around to finish grinding the last fragments of the stone and to avoid her sisters’ shocked looks. “Which is why I’m doing a cloaking spell until it’s over. I refuse to be forced into a relationship with power-hungry warlocks.”
“They can’t all be that bad.” Carmen leaned over the counter with a dreamy daze in her eyes. The poor girl had always wanted to go to Firewick, more than any of them. Finding her warlock mates had been her life’s aspiration.
Charice wished she could give her sister what she longed for and switch places with her, but it didn’t work like that. El-Board summoned based on magical ability and progression. She guessed it made sense they would summon her first since she was the oldest.
She should’ve been more prepared for it, but she slowly filed the possibility of being chosen for Firewick away as the least of her concerns. Charice didn’t even see herself as that strong of a witch. She sold herbs and stones, for crying out loud.
Running her business took all of her time, or more like she allowed it take all her time. It had been a couple of years since she’d even been on a date. She always put the shop before her social life. That was her sole focus after her family. She opened the store in downtown Kala West and brought her sisters on to work with her. That was her dream. Being mated to a pair of warlocks wasn’t part of it.
“You should rethink this,
Charice.” Claire was reading the email again. “El-Board won’t take a refusal lightly. Can’t you just go and see what it’s about first? It’s happening at Central Kala Beach. They don’t even demand you to choose tonight. According to this, you just have to meet them. Not bind yourself for all eternity.”
Charice shook her head. “That’s what it says, but who’s ever heard the board giving you a choice in anything? What they say goes.” Charice pinched some of the stone powder out of the grinder. She rubbed it on the back of her arms.
“You know it starts in like five minutes, right?” Claire said.
“Which is why I need to hurry.” Charice unrolled the cloth the men had left behind and gripped it with both hands “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, sis,” Carmen said.
Claire huffed. “I still don’t like this, but good luck.”
Charice cleared her mind so the spell could consume her. The words lit up on the blue cloth and she read the words:
Powers with might and powers that be,
Come take me from the ones who see.
Allow that my path find pure and light
To show this soul when harm takes flight.
May clarity choose time to reveal me,
When spirits blessed forever unto thee.
Charice’s skin tingled as the magic rolled over her body like moving goose bumps. They flowed up and down her arms and legs. It felt like tiny animals running under her skin. Odd but not painful.
“What’s happening?” Carmen asked.
“I’m not sure.” Charice held out her arms. “Something.”
Suddenly, all the magic faded, and the feeling disappeared.
Charice glanced at both sisters. “Everything stopped. I don’t feel anything.”
“Maybe the spell’s a dud,” Carmen said, examining the ground-up powder.
“It’s one minute past the start of the festival,” Claire said.
“Then it must have work—” Charice words were cut off as the world around her shifted with a jerk. It was so quick that she had to lean over to get her bearings and keep from tumbling to the ground.
Damn it. She saw the sand under her feet first and didn’t have to look up to know she was no longer in her shop.
“Glad you could join us,” a woman said.
Chapter Three
The woman who spoke wore the circular symbol of spirit on her white cloak. Charice had been transported to the Firewick Festival, and now she was standing in front of El-Board. The last place she wanted to be.
Well, shit on a broomstick. Her efforts had been for nothing.
Charice bowed her head because she didn’t know what the proper way to greet the board was. Curtsying? Salutations? Hell, she’d never been in front of them before. Her mother would be ashamed to see her daughter didn’t take time to learn proper board etiquette, whatever that involved.
There were five of them, each representing the five elemental magics of air, earth, fire, water, and spirit. They all wore colored cloaks with their elements woven into the front. All of them sat in a circle around a large bonfire, except the woman who addressed her.
“Mistress of Spirit,” Charice said. At least she knew that the Mistress of Spirit ruled over the board. She also remembered their proper titles. They had no individual names but their element, which was how they were known until they died and another took their place. Maybe that would give her some leeway from them. Hopefully, their punishment wouldn’t be a painful one.
“Were you hiding from us, child?” the Mistress of Spirit asked. The woman’s skin was darker than Charice’s, which made an ethereal contrast to her white cloak and the flickering bonfire flames.
Charice tried to think of a way to be honest without condemning herself. The board could see through lies. “I was reluctant to come tonight, Mistress.”
“It is required to attend,” the Master of Fire said. He looked hard at her from where he sat in the group, and the firelight that danced off his red cloak made him menacing. “It is in direct violation of the board to refuse the invitation.”
“I’m sorry, Master of Fire,” Charice said. “I didn’t mean to offend. I run a business in town, so the sudden invite put me off guard.”
“See,” the Mistress of Earth said. She wore a green cloak on her short and stout figure. “I told you we need to give them further notice. These young people have lives.”
“That will only give them the chance to flee,” the Master of Air said. His long and thin frame was hidden by his light blue attire that swung off his body. The wind picked up a little as he spoke and made the fire dance.
Charice stifled a laugh when she thought of the Master of Air being blown away by his own element. She had to put a stopper in that quick. If she laughed at the board, she didn’t know what they’d do to her.
The only one of the five who remained quiet was the Mistress of Water. She looked like the oldest in the group with her silver hair framing her pale face under her dark blue hood. Her eyes traveled between her fellow board members before settling on Charice. The woman didn’t frown or smile at her. She just watched her closely.
Even though the woman didn’t speak, Charice could sense she was just as powerful as the Mistress of Spirit. She squirmed under the quiet woman’s scrutiny as the board argued back and forth. She knew she had to show the board her respect, but they bickered around her like spoiled children.
“Enough!” the Mistress of Spirit commanded. Her words were backed by her elemental magic that blanketed the area. Everyone silenced as her power reached them like stretching fingers. “This is a debate for another time.” She turned back to Charice. “Now, young one. It’s time for you to meet your warlocks.”
Charice felt nerves creep up in her. Could she refuse and not get in trouble. “But I—”
“Don’t worry, child. You only have to meet them. Remember, this helps strengthen their power and yours, but you don’t have to bond with them for life.”
“I don’t?”
“It would help our people if she did,” the Master of Fire said, his body stiffening in disapproval. “Other supernaturals are gaining in numbers. We need to ready ourselves for possible war.”
The Mistress of Spirit stared at him until he stopped talking, which he wasn’t happy about.
“No, dear,” she said to Charice. “Nothing permanent needs to happen. At least not tonight. We don’t have this ceremony to force arranged matches on our people. Think of it as fostering new relationships. If something develops, well, that’s up to you and your triad.”
“What do you want me to do?” Charice looked at all of the board.
“Mingle with the others and seek out your warlocks,” the Mistress of Spirit said.
“How will I know who they are?”
“Part of you already knows,” a small voice said behind Charice.
When Charice turned around, she faced the Mistress of Water. The woman had reappeared next to her and was now smiling back. Her face looked familiar, like someone she’d seen before, but she’d never met any of the board members. She shrugged the odd feeling off.
“The water of life drives you as it does all of us,” the Mistress of Water said. “Use that with your token to find those you seek.”
Token? Charice was confused as ever. Then she remembered what she remained in her hand. It was the spelled cloth, the one that belonged to the men who came into her shop. Kye and Warren. As she thought of them, longing filled her. It was an all-consuming emotion that she’d never felt before.
She looked back up, but El-Board had vanished.
Charice stood alone on the beach, but she felt power all around her. She could feel magical people nearby but couldn’t see them.
She focused on her surroundings. Voices filled the empty beach as bodies blurred into view. Charice closed her eyes and opened them again to find a large group of people, witches and warlocks socializing around the same bonfire. Multiple bonfires lined down the beach, each with groups of
people around them.
Bodies were everywhere huddled close together and spread out. Some were in groups of threes, possible triads testing their powers for a match. Others roamed around, probably crashing to enjoy the festival. There were too many of them. How was she supposed to find the two warlocks here for her? Did she even want to?
Charice had an inner feeling that she knew from the beginning who they were. Who was she fooling? She felt they were hers from the moment they walked into her shop. A small part of her ached to see them again. Okay, a large part of her wanted it, but it scared her just how much. They were strangers, but her inner voice screamed that nothing as irrelevant as how short of time they knew each other mattered. This was stronger than that. A magic that expanded across generations.
Slowly, she made her way through the crowd. Magic floated through the air like an invisible cloud of smoke that filled her lungs. It was almost stifling. She was never good at socializing at parties, and that’s what this felt like. One large Wiccan party.
She had to move away from everyone, so she could focus on finding them. Her warlocks. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
Her feet did the work for her and took her closer to the water’s edge. The water of life drives you, the Mistress of Water had said. Small waves hit against the sand and foamed back into the darkness. She took her sandals off and dug her toes into the wet sand. The warm water crashed against her ankles, causing her to sink further into the sand. Here. This was where she needed to be to find them.
She unfolded the cloth, but something was different about the words. They were the same exact words she had chanted before, that was clear, but light from the moon illuminated only a few words on the cloth. One word from each line glowed in a diagonal direction. A hidden message within the spell. How had she missed that before? She read the slanted words.
“Powers take my soul to thee.”
***
Kye stood at the edge of the Gulf, his feet partially in the heated waves that lapped at his skin. The large bulbous moon reflected off the water’s surface giving a luminescent glow to the night. The bonfire wasn’t far off and lit up the dark from a distance.
The Alpha Warlocks' Claim: An Alpha Warlocks of Kala West Story #1 (A BWWM and BBW Paranormal Erotic Romance) Page 2