And now, that time was here.
No pressure.
Koth had given Larissa and Tegan a place to brew their potions. Most of The Coven had gone with them to help, or at least watch. But I’d been sent into time-out, to think about what I’d done. I hadn’t wanted to, but my father forced me to. Literally. Fighting his strength magic would’ve taken far too much out of me. Besides, I had no interest in sitting around watching Tegan. Every time she smiled at me or blushed, I felt my willpower fade.
My stomach tightened into knots. I grimaced and got back to my feet. Time had definitely passed while I failed to meditate. When I’d gotten there, the sky was bright blue, with the sun shining high in the sky. Now, as I crossed the sandy shore, the sky was darkening by the second. The blues in front of me faded and morphed to dark purples and reds behind me.
I walked along the dirt pathway lit only by torches until I reached the cabin where my Coven-mates were brewing potions. Smoke billowed from the chimney. The windows of the small wooden building were wide open. Royce’s boisterous laugh echoed through the surrounding trees. One thing I learned rather quickly upon arriving in Issale was the shifter home country lacked most modern technology. The Shaman had said it was a side effect of their magic, though I had no idea what that meant.
Deacon leaned out one window and nodded his head in my direction. His purple eyes twinkled, and I knew before he spoke he was up to no good. “Tenn, you better get in here. Royce keeps offering to give these dragons a bubble bath.”
I opened the door and stepped inside the cabin. In the center of the room was a massive fireplace. Five black cauldrons sat on top, simmering in the flames. Inside, potions brewed and magic swirled. Emersyn wiggled her fingers, and the flames grew higher and brighter. Devon was hovering over one pot explaining something to Willow and Chutney, who watched with eager eyes. Timothy, Hunter, and my father were in some heated discussion. Easton and Lily sat on a love seat playing with each other’s hair. To my right, by the windows facing the lake, Braison and Deacon joked around with three of the dragons. In their human forms, they didn’t look any older than we did.
Royce practically sprinted over to me with one of the shifters right behind him. He had a wide smile on his face and a sparkle in his sapphire eyes that I hadn’t seen in a while. “Yo, boss! Finn here offered to show me their sacred garden. You care if I go?”
Finn shuffled his feet and peeked up at me with emerald-green eyes. He tucked his auburn hair behind his ears and smiled. “I just thought, ya’ know, flowers are his thing…”
I glanced over his shoulder to Henley who was watching her brother with a wicked glint in her eyes. She grinned and nodded. I returned my attention to Royce and shrugged. The guy deserved to have moments of happiness after what he’d been through. “Of course. Just keep an ear out for when this is done. We’ll need to get moving.”
“Thanks, boss.” Royce’s grin widened. He clapped me on the shoulder then ran out the door behind me.
“Stop calling me that,” I mumbled. I sighed but it made the burn in my chest intensify. I closed my eyes and rolled my neck. When is this going to end?
Her soft, musical laughter caught my attention. My eyes flew open and my head snapped up in her direction like she’d called my name. She hadn’t. She was too busy giggling at the guy sitting next to her. No, not guy—dragon. And not just one. Two of them were beside her, smiling and leaning into her. Silas, the one with the yellow eyes who’d pretended to be the king, was so damn close, his arm brushed against hers.
I clenched my teeth and pressed my lips shut. My pulse quickened.
She held the Book of Shadows out so Larissa could read it, but her attention wasn’t on the potions. Her pale-green eyes were bright and looking at the guy perched on a stool beside her. He had eyes only a shade or two darker than hers, and that was probably what they were talking about, because he seemed to think he was rather pretty. He reached out and twirled a strand of her hair around his fingers, and my magic rushed to the surface, begging me to unleash it. I swallowed and tried to plug the volcano inside me.
One of the guys got off his stool by the window and dragged it over until he was right next to Tegan. He sat back down and looked up at her with wild blue eyes. I had no idea what he said, but she rolled her eyes and laughed. He reached out and held her right hand in front of his face, then wiggled his eyebrows.
My eye twitched. Heat flooded my veins, raging through my body like acid. I exhaled through my nose. Who the hell do they think they are? I knew we were on their land, but that didn’t mean they got to put their moves on any girl they wanted. Why are they touching her?
Why did I come here? I don’t need to be here. I don’t need to see…this.
I spun on my toes and fled from my torture chamber. That Shaman may have had a point. I was tense. I was wound tight. I wanted to release my magic and destroy everything in my path just so I could breathe. It was her. She did this to me. She grabbed my heart and twisted me inside out.
“Emperor?”
I froze mid step just outside the cabin. When I turned, I found the king standing there with his arms crossed over his bare chest. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. “Yes?”
He narrowed his purple eyes and cocked his head to the side. His long wavy hair rustled in the breeze. “Everything okay?”
Unable to help myself, I glanced toward the cabin then shook my head. “I’m fine.”
“I see.” He nodded. “I apologize for my warriors. They’re not used to having people around who aren’t terrified of them. Especially attractive females. Yours is particularly intriguing. The Aether Witch is a bit of a legend in our tribe.”
Yours. My breath left me in a rush. How did everyone seem to know that all of a sudden? Was it that obvious? Was I that obvious? I didn’t see how. I wasn’t even speaking to her. I glanced inside, because I must’ve been a glutton for punishment, but my gaze only found my father’s.
I frowned and looked away. “She isn’t mine,” I grumbled before I could stop myself.
Koth arched one eyebrow. “Isn’t she though?”
The door opened, and my father joined us outside. He glanced back and forth between us and smiled, though I knew he was putting on a good front. He knew my body language better than anyone. “Larissa says we’re just about done with the potions.”
“That’s good news.” Koth nodded and uncrossed his arms. “I do hope it works.”
“Everything okay out here?” Tegan’s velvety voice said from suddenly right beside me.
I jumped and looked down at her before I could stop myself. My brain and my body were definitely not on the same page. My heart fluttered and my chest warmed at her nearness. She smelled like burning wood, and it was oddly mesmerizing.
“Yes.” Koth smiled at her. “Actually, I wanted to have a word with you, leader to leader.”
I frowned and looked back to Koth. “Oh, well, Timothy is our leader.”
“Perhaps formally,” Koth said with a smirk. “But it is not him your Coven looks to for guidance, I can promise you that. It’s the three of you.”
My father chuckled. “Tennessee has yet to accept his rightful role.”
I rolled my eyes.
Tegan smiled up at me. I must’ve made some kind of glare because she quickly looked away. Her cheeks flushed, and she cleared her throat. “What did you want to talk to us about?”
Koth sighed and pushed his long multi-toned brown hair back. For the first time since we’d arrived, the guy actually looked like a teenager. “Can I be real with you guys for a second?”
That made me smile. I definitely understood the front he’d been putting up. “Please do.”
“As the king, I have to look strong. I have to be confident at all times. My race needs that stability right now more than ever.” He gestured for us to follow him a few feet away from the cabin, like he didn’t want us to be overheard. “I wasn’t lying by needing these new stones. However, I would’ve
done it without them if I could’ve. You see, my father – before he died – told me of a time when our two species had a strong alliance. One of peace and friendship. But my grandfather, in his infinite arrogance, destroyed that bond. I’ll admit, we don’t know what happened. He never said. My father wanted to restore it. So do I.”
There was something about the tone in his voice that suggested he was leading up to something. Leader to leader. He wanted something from us.
Tegan’s eyes widened. “So you would’ve just given us the Air Stone if you didn’t need it.”
“Yes. If you fail your quest, then we all suffer the consequences. Which will inevitably be death. I will do everything I possibly can to assist you. When you’re ready, I’ll have my twins escort your stone holders back to Salem. It’s a terrible idea to portal to Avolire. The vampire kingdom is a dangerous, treacherous place. Silas and Yaluk will fly you to a safe place.”
Tegan narrowed her pretty green eyes. “You will do that for us? Complete strangers?”
Yet again, her thoughts reflected mine.
I swallowed down the irritation I had no business feeling. “An alliance usually goes both ways. You seem…uneasy. Concerned, perhaps?”
Koth looked over our shoulders toward the cabin, then glanced around him. “There is a clan of Sapiens who hunt us. They know what we are, and they want the Stone. We are down to a small army of eight. I’m worried we won’t be able to hold them off. I can’t admit this in front of my warriors.”
“The Coven never wanted to end our alliance,” my father said without hesitation. “Your survival is important to us and to the world as well.”
I nodded. “If you need help, call us. We’ll be there.”
Tegan pursed her lips. “When you shift, what changes with you?”
Koth blinked in surprise then frowned. “Um…anything made from nature, like cotton, silk, leather. Stuff like that. Why?”
She smiled and held one finger in the air. “Hold that thought for a sec.”
She grabbed her quartz crystal necklace with one hand. There was a flash of light, and then the massive, ancient leather-bound Book of Shadows appeared in its place. Koth’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. The pages of the Book flipped on their own then suddenly stopped, like it knew exactly what Tegan was looking for. It probably did. She ran her fingers down the page with her eyes narrowed.
“Ah-ha, there!” She grinned and wiggled her fingers. The Book of Shadows changed back to the crystal necklace, which she quickly tucked into her shirt. Without telling us what she was doing, she vanished into thin air.
“Okay, that’s creepy,” Koth whispered.
I sighed, annoyed with all the pride I felt for her. “You have no idea.”
A second later, she reappeared holding a piece of brown material. It was thin, about the size of a shoestring, and at least a few feet long. She smiled up at us. “Okay, boys, give me your hands.”
I had no idea what she was doing, and it irritated me that I didn’t even hesitate to listen to her. I held my left hand out in front of me, palm up and fingers out. Koth did the same. Her thin, pale fingers brushed over my skin and sent bolts of wild electric energy shooting up my arm. My pulse quickened. She peeked up at me, and her cheeks flushed a soft pink. Ignore it. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing, not her hands wrapping the material around my hand.
Heat covered my calf and sent tingles up my leg. I gasped and looked down…only to find Tegan holding on to my leg and pulling my dagger from my boot. I frowned and smashed my lips together, pretending like she had no effect on me. She adjusted her grip then used my weapon to cut the material in two places. I looked down and noticed belatedly that she’d coiled it around Koth’s hand and her own. My father watched silently with sharp eyes.
She put the side of the dagger hilt in her mouth and stepped up close to me. Her breath brushed over my neck. She reached up and grabbed a strip of my hair then coiled it around her fingers. My heart skipped a few beats. Butterflies danced around in my stomach. She hadn’t been this close to me since…well, since we were even closer. Let’s not think about that right now, please.
After a few moments of torture, she stepped away and turned to Koth. She pulled a strand of his hair away then began twirling it around her fingers. No, wait. I hadn’t noticed when she was doing it to me because I couldn’t think with her being that close, but she was braiding the material into our hair. And she did it fast. When she finished, she stepped back then bent down to put my dagger back in my boot. Then she straightened and braided that last piece of material into her own hair. The three of us just stood there staring at her.
“Don’t look at me like I’m crazy, y’all.” She rolled her eyes and chuckled while braiding. “Issale happens to be a technology-free zone, remember? Which means no cell service or Wi-Fi. Which means if they need our help, they won’t have a fast way of contacting us.”
“That is true,” Koth said softly, though his eyes were locked on her fingers. “Is this material from our stash?”
I forgot how mesmerizing magic could be. Especially Tegan’s.
“It is.” She smiled. “Now, I put a communication type of spell on it. If you need us, hold this braid in your palm for three seconds. It will signal us.”
Koth’s eyebrows rose. “It will call you? Like the Bat signal?”
She grinned. “Exactly.”
Cool.
No, stop it. Not cool. She’s not impressive. Or brilliant. Or beautiful.
She hurt you. Try to remember that.
The door of the cabin swung open, and Larissa leaned through the doorway. Her hazel-green eyes sparkled against her dark skin as she grinned. “We’re ready.”
Chapter Eight
TENNESSEE
The Shaman led us all farther up the mountain until we reached an open cliffside. He walked to the center then turned to face us. Those black lines spread across his face again but disappeared a second later.
He grinned and used his staff to point at the ground. “I saw this moment, and I like to be prepared.”
I frowned and looked down. The ground was raw, rich dirt compacted tightly together. In the center, a massive pentagram had been drawn in white sand. “I’m assuming you will be leading this, Shaman?”
Please say yes, because I don’t actually know what I’m doing here.
He smiled and gestured to something behind me. “High Priestess, after you.”
Tegan walked forward and joined him at the center of the pentagram. She held a brown leather pouch in her hand. She bent down and set the bag on the ground. When she straightened, rainbow mist billowed from the opening of the pouch and rose to meet her open palm. “Okay, Cards, I need you in a circle. As usual. Please.”
I nodded and moved to take a place along the pentagram perimeter. It irritated me to admit, but I wanted to get a spot where I could see her clearly. Our Coven-mates fell into action, joining me on the circle.
“Are we safe here?” The guy with the wild blue eyes asked. His name was either Tyce or Dace. I couldn’t remember. But he was definitely the one who’d held her hand in the cabin. “Should we move?”
The Shaman turned to face them where they still stood behind me. His eyes changed from blue to orange to pink then to a pale green that matched Tegan’s. Those black lines spread across his face. “Surround their circle.”
“Palms out, guys,” Henley said from the opposite side of the pentagram from me. She raised her hands out to her sides with her palms facing her neighbors. “You know the drill.”
I smiled and did as she said. It was nice not having to lead, but it was even nicer to have Henley back. Tegan raised one hand in the air. Golden light poured from my palms. It was warm and radiated with power. All around the circle, our magic melded together. I wasn’t used to Tegan leading a ritual. For years it had been Henley, myself, or my father. And every time we did it, we had spells and charms to chant or Powers to call upon. But Tegan didn’t speak. Her aura pulsed wi
th energy so powerful it was almost visible.
With her hand raised to the sky, Tegan twirled her wrist and curled her fingers. Wind slammed into the cliffside, sweeping around our legs and brushing through our hair. It coiled around Tegan’s hand in a miniature tornado. She waved her other hand over the pouch. Rainbow magic shimmered through the air. A light blue-colored stone lifted out of the bag. It floated up and then landed on her forearm.
Her hand in the air twirled again. Flames shot out like a volcano. It danced along her skin. She waved her other hand, and a blazing red stone floated up and perched on her arm like the other one. Dirt rose from the ground then slithered up the side of her body until it reached her hand. I blinked and looked down in time to see a dark green stone settle into a line with the others on her arm.
Her eyes met mine, and my pulse quickened. Water was our element. It was the first piece of magic we’d shared together. We’d bonded over. She may have been able to summon any magic she wanted, but water would always feel like ours. I swallowed through a hot lump of emotion in my throat. In the back of my mind, I knew it was wrong to stay mad at her, but that was logic and I wasn’t at that rational level yet.
Water shot out of her raised hand like a tidal wave. Someone behind me gasped, but I didn’t look to see who it was. Tegan’s wave coiled around her arm like a pet snake. The bright turquoise-colored stone flew out of the bag and landed on her arm. Four down, one to go. The truth was, I didn’t actually know if this ritual was working or not. It seemed like it was, though I couldn’t have been sure.
My chest ignited with heat. Pink light shimmered under my face. I frowned and looked down. My soulmate glyph sparkled. I looked back up to Tegan and found hers twinkling like mine. Pink light poured out of her and seeped into the sky. She wiggled her fingers, and a white stone rose out of the bag and joined the others. The Fifth Element was always a little hazy to me, but nothing I just witnessed clarified it any more. That’s the Spirit element? Our glyph?
The Eternal Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 5) Page 6