Naomi didn’t protest, and perched on the bed to open the album.
The first photo was of her parents standing beneath an oak tree, surrounded by other members of what she assumed was the local coven, their hands locked as they gazed into each other’s eyes. The next photo was of them facing a petite witch, who Naomi guessed was the coven leader, as they recited their vows. Other photos showed them posing with members of the coven, beaming, pure joy shining from their eyes. Naomi’s heart clenched, and she closed her eyes. They had no idea what was to come, no idea that one day they’d sacrifice their lives for their daughter.
She flipped to the final photo, and froze. Icy horror slithered through her veins. She let out a strangled cry, stumbling to her feet.
Alaric was in the room in an instant.
“Naomi? What’s wrong?”
Trembling, she handed him the photo. He took it, and the color drained from the face.
In the photograph, there was a group of smiling coven members. One of them was the same witch who attacked her in the alley. The same witch they were looking for.
Chapter 11
“Are you sure you don’t remember her?” Alaric asked Kat.
The others had all entered Kat’s guest room, passing around the photo of the witch. He sat next to Naomi on the bed, his hand resting at the base of her spine. She was pale and shaken, staring in a daze at the floor.
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Kat said, as Casimir handed her the photo. “But I hardly recognize any witch in those photos. My sister’s coven was always friendly, but it was closed off to humans, so I never really knew any of them. The wedding was one of the few coven ceremonies I was allowed to attend.”
Alaric stood, taking the photo from Kat. In the photograph, the witch posed with Naomi’s parents, beaming at the camera. A jolt of rage went through him as he gazed down at her. Her connection to Naomi’s parents invited more questions. How far back did all this go? Had she been the one to betray Naomi’s parents to the Order?
Calming himself, he knelt before Naomi and took her hands.
“Sweetheart,” he murmured, “if you want to postpone tonight’s ceremony, I’ll—“
“No.” She raised her eyes to meet his, taking a breath. “The past few weeks have been filled with revelations like these. If we keep putting things on hold every time something like this happens . . . “ She shook her head. “No. We get married tomorrow as planned.”
“Let me see what I can find out about her,” Casimir said, stepping forward to take back the photo. “I’ll delve into the records of the Seattle coven Naomi’s parents were apart of.”
“Wait,” Alaric said abruptly, as Casimir started to leave the room. “I don’t think an online investigation is going to do much. You’ve already tried that.”
“But now we know who she is,” Casimir protested.
“No, we don’t. This witch has been very careful to not leave traces of herself online. I . . . I think we need to go to Seattle, after tomorrow’s ceremony. I think we’ll have a better chance of getting answers from the coven in person.”
“Covens tend to hate vampires,” Elias said wryly, ignoring the sharp look Madalena gave him. “I doubt they’d talk to me or you.”
“They’ll talk to Naomi,” Alaric said, “especially when they learn she’s the daughter of former members. And once they learn we’re wed, I think they’ll be a bit more welcoming.”
After a beat, everyone nodded in agreement, but Naomi still looked uneasy.
“Can you leave us alone?” he asked the others.
The others obliged, trailing out of the room, though Kat looked reluctant to leave. She cast one last concerned glance at her niece before heading out after the others.
“We need to find this witch,” Alaric said gently. “Going to Seattle might be our best chance of doing so.”
“I know,” Naomi said, “it’s not that. Going to Seattle is a good idea. It’s just . . . how could I have not sensed a connection from her? Shouldn’t I have somehow sensed that if I’m such a powerful witch? When I first saw her in the alley, I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place why.”
“Powerful doesn’t mean omnipotent,” he said, “the important thing is . . . we have a strong lead now.”
Naomi nodded, though uncertainty still lurked in her eyes, replaced by a sudden flash of anger. “If she was the one who betrayed my parents to the Order, I’m going to kill her. But . . . “ she faltered, looking down at her hands, “I don’t know if I’m strong enough. I felt power from her, Alaric. Immense power.”
“Raphael was powerful,” he reminded her.
“This is different. She’s different. I don’t know how yet, but . . . what if I can’t take her on?”
He stood, holding out his hand. She looked at him, puzzled.
“What?”
“Come with me.”
He led Naomi outside, telling the others they were going for a walk. Naomi’s eyes widened in surprise when he led her to the car.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
He drove them away from the farmhouse, deeper into the remote countryside until they reached a patch of forest.
Taking her hand, he led her into the forest until they reached a small clearing. Madalena once told him that a witch’s magic was strongest out in nature; magic was connected to the elements.
“I’m going to prove how strong you are,” he said, moving close to her. Back in London, he’d thrown himself out a window to prove that she was capable of using magic. Now, he wanted to try a different tactic to show her the strength of her magic.
“You’ve done this before. Back in Greece, and during your induction ceremony. Only this time, I want you to take us above the trees.”
Naomi looked at him, startled.
“You want me to fly?”
Alaric nodded, holding her gaze. He also had a hidden agenda; he wanted to make sure she could get herself out of dangerous situations where she couldn’t apparate by flying.
“Alaric . . .”
“Clear your mind,” he murmured, touching the sides of her face. “You can do this, sweetheart. I know you can.”
Uncertainty still shone in her eyes. After a moment, she closed them. He watched, fascinated. It was faint, barely detectable—a human wouldn’t notice—but he could see her skin begin to vibrate. Her magic was at work.
She tightened her arms around him, pressing her body against his.
It was slight at first, the rush of air at the base of his feet. But then it grew until a gust of wind propelled them upwards.
He held onto Naomi as they soared into the air, watching as her lips mouthed the words of a silent spell. Her eyes were closed, and he could feel her vibrating skin against his as her magic flowed throughout her body. The wind around them picked up as they soared until they were above the trees.
Alaric looked around, astounded. As a vampire, he could leap great distances into the air, but not this high. It was amazing what his witch could do.
Naomi still had her eyes closed, and he wondered if she was afraid to open them.
“Sweetheart,” he murmured, “open your eyes.”
She did. Pleasure and delight filled them as she looked around. He’d seen her perform powerful feats of magic, yet she still seemed delighted every time she performed a new spell. He sometimes forgot how new this all was to her.
“Tell me again how not powerful you are,” he said, grinning.
“Flying is different than defeating a—“
“I don’t want to hear it,” Alaric said firmly, his smile fading. “I need you to promise me you’ll use this ability to get out of any dangerous situation you find yourself in.”
“And leave you behind?” she demanded, her eyes flashing.
“Yes.”
“No deal, husband-to-be,” she said, frowning. He wasn’t surprised by her response, but his frustration swelled. He told himself that if necessary, he coul
d use the thrall to make her save herself if it came down to it, though he felt guilty at the thought.
“All right,” he said, pretending he was fine with her response, “but at least you know how high you’re capable of flying now.”
She tightened her grip on him and lifted them even higher into the air.
“I know you better than you think, Alaric,” she said, “and I know you want to protect me. Thank you for bringing me out here. But I have to ask . . .” she hesitated, her eyes filling with vulnerability. “You are marrying me because you love me and you want us to move on with our lives, right? No other reason?”
His chest tightened. Had she somehow surmised his true intentions? And if he confessed, would she refuse to go through with the ceremony? Even worse, would she tire of his protectiveness and want to end their relationship altogether? He recalled the argument they had when they first arrived at the farmhouse. He’d never seen her so furious.
No. He couldn’t lose her. She had brought him out of his darkness, out of his isolation. And he did want to marry her for love. He told himself this as he cupped her face in his, meeting her eyes.
“I’m marrying you because you are the love of my life, and I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Naomi’s expression filled with joy. You told her the truth, he told himself. Even if it wasn’t the whole truth. Naomi pressed her lips to his, and he returned her kiss, pushing aside his sliver of guilt.
When they returned, Naomi went to find Kat and Emma, wanting to spend as much time with them as she could; they were leaving after the ceremony tomorrow.
Alaric searched for Casimir; he still hadn’t asked him to keep Elisabetta under surveillance. He scented his presence in the study and approached, but froze when he detected a second presence in the room. Fiona.
He continued toward the entrance to the study, halting in his tracks. Casimir and Fiona stood in the center of the study, locked in a passionate kiss.
Fiona immediately sensed his presence and backed away from Casimir, flushing. Casimir turned to face him, and his body went rigid.
“I—I was just on my way,” Fiona stammered, hurrying past Alaric.
Casimir remained still as Alaric approached, but his expression was defiant.
“Fiona and I—“
“I didn’t come in here to confront you and Fiona,” Alaric said. He was a little uneasy about what he’d witnessed; Casimir had hurt his daughter before. But he’d told himself he would stay out of their relationship, as much as he wanted to do the fatherly thing and threaten Casimir if he hurt her again.
“I went to see Elisabetta in London yesterday,” he said, trying to focus on what he’d sought Casimir out for. “I want you to keep her under surveillance.”
“Why?”
“We all suspect there’s a traitor in the Alliance; I think it’s her,” Alaric said. “And . . . don’t mention this to Naomi,” he added. She didn’t need to know about his confrontation with Elisabetta. “Or anyone else, for that matter.”
He braced himself for Casimir to protest, but he nodded his agreement. Perhaps he just wanted to stay on Alaric’s good side after what he’d witnessed.
Alaric turned to leave, but Casimir stopped him.
“About Fiona,” he began.
“It’s none of my—“
“I love her,” Casimir said, his voice filling with emotion. “I ended our relationship because I wanted to focus on my work for the Alliance. But I’ve regretted it ever since. I won’t hurt her again.”
“I know you love her,” Alaric said. At Casimir’s look of surprise, he continued, “I once denied my feelings for Naomi. When you were doing the same, I could tell. Everyone else seemed to recognize how I felt about Naomi before I did.” Alaric studied him for a moment. “You could have told Fiona how you felt weeks ago when she was with our group. What changed?”
Casimir reached into his pocket, taking out his phone. He tapped on the screen and handed it to Alaric. Alaric studied the screen. It was a photo of a woman in her fifties and another woman in her twenties; they both had Casimir’s blond hair and grey eyes.
“My mother and my sister,” Casimir said. “Murdered by an Order witch when they stopped him from killing a human.”
Casimir’s voice broke, and Alaric’s chest tightened with sympathy. He’d never spoken of this to Alaric.
“It’s why I joined the Alliance. I wanted to focus on stopping the Order and only that. I didn’t have time for love. Sound familiar?”
Alaric gave him a bitter smile. It was the same excuses he’d used to deny his feelings for Naomi.
“And then I met a woman who changed everything,” Casimir continued. “I’ve been watching you and Naomi. I admire how you’re not putting your lives together on hold for the Alliance—or the Order. It’s why I told Fiona how I feel about her.”
“Casimir, Naomi’s a part of the Alliance, and this fight. It’s different with my daughter, she’s not—“
“I know,” Casimir interrupted. “I’ll keep her away from all this. I’ll protect her with my life.”
Alaric saw love and determination in Casimir’s eyes, and he relaxed. His daughter was in good hands.
He stepped forward, extending his hand. Casimir took it, giving it a firm squeeze. A silent understanding passed between them. Giving Casimir a final nod, Alaric left the room.
The next morning, Alaric stood in the barn, taking it in with awe. Madalena, Kat and Emma had transported it from blandness into a romantic space. Lights were strung along the walls, and white rose petals were scattered over the ground. A circle of stones enchanted by Madalena rested in the center of the barn; he stood there now, waiting for his bride-to-be, while the others stood in a circle around him.
The barn doors opened, and Naomi entered with Kat, their arms linked. The only human wedding tradition carryover she’d wanted was the act of a relative giving her away, and she wanted Kat to do the honor.
Alaric’s heart swelled as he took his mate in. He always found Naomi beautiful, but today she looked even more radiant. The red silk gown she wore accentuated the curves of her slender body, she wore her dark wavy hair loose around her shoulders, and her golden eyes sparkled with joy as they met his.
When she arrived at his side, he took her hand, raising it to his lips. She smiled, and a rush of joy filled him at the love he saw in her eyes. He took both of her hands as they moved to the center of the circle.
“We’re here to bond Naomi and Alaric in Brakij, the way of witches,” Madalena said.
Alaric barely paid attention to her words; his entire focus was on Naomi. At this moment, all thoughts of the mysterious witch and the Order had vanished from his mind. All that mattered was him and Naomi, committing to each other in the ways of her kind. He wanted to pause this moment, to seal it into his memory forever.
As Madalena began to recite the words of the hand fasting part of the ceremony, Alaric stiffened in alarm. Foreign scents he didn’t recognize drifted to his nostrils. Multiple creatures were approaching the barn. Witches.
“Naomi, get down!” he cried.
The barn disintegrated around them amidst an onslaught of spells.
Chapter 12
It happened fast. One moment she was filled with joy, gazing into the blue eyes of the vampire she loved beyond reason, and the next she was dodging spells and issuing ones of her own.
In the seconds after the barn exploded around them, a dozen witches had charged into the barn, hurling offensive spells at them. Elias and Alaric charged towards the witches, fangs bared, while Madalena shot back spells of her own. Casimir darted towards Fiona, shoving her behind him as he faced off with the witches.
Amidst the chaos, Naomi whirled, searching for Kat and Emma. They were crouched in the back of the barn, shaking. Naomi dashed towards them, but a spell hit her in the back, and she fell to the ground.
She looked up, panicked, as a wild-eyed witch crept towards her.
“I’m not allowed
to kill you,” he snarled, “but that doesn’t mean—“
In a flash, Alaric yanked him back, snapping his neck. Alaric helped her to her feet.
“I’m getting them out of here,” she said, gesturing towards Kat and Emma.
Alaric gave her a quick nod, whirling to face another witch who charged at them.
Naomi raced to Kat and Emma.
“Grab my hands!” she shouted over the din, holding out her hands. She didn’t want to leave Alaric and the others behind, but they were at least capable of fighting off the witches. Kat and Emma could easily be killed.
Kat and Emma obeyed, grabbing her hands. Naomi shouted the words of the Apparition spell, and with a tug of wind, they arrived in a remote field. It was just outside the patch of forest where Alaric had taken her the day before.
“Oh my God,” Emma whispered, stumbling to her knees. “How—what just happened? Who were those—“
“Stay here until we come back for you. If anyone suspicious approaches, hide in the forest,” Naomi interrupted. There was no time for explanations. “I need to help the others.”
“Be careful,” Kat said, “please.”
Naomi apparated herself back to the barn.
The barn was still and quiet when she returned; three dead witches lay on the ground. The white petals strewn about the barn floor were now streaked with blood. Alaric stood over one of the dead witches, his breathing ragged, his bared fangs stained crimson.
“What happened?” Naomi asked. “Where are the other witches?”
“Gone,” Alaric said, looking up as he retracted his fangs. “We were in the midst of fighting them when they all just vanished. Madalena and the others went inside to make sure they’re gone.”
She reached for his hand, and together they raced out of the barn and into the house. Alaric grabbed her arm before they could enter, inhaling.
“There’s no trace of them,” he said, but still kept his hand on her arm as they entered the house.
“The witches are gone,” Madalena confirmed, looking shaken and baffled, as they stepped into the front hallway. Elias, Casimir and Fiona stood behind her. “Elias caught traces of their scents, so they did come inside the house.”
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