I walked down the dirt path towards the little clearing in the center of the Cascade forests. The smell of the wet dirt filled my nose, but it was familiar. This choice wasn’t so much. To be the eldest daughter of three girls met choices were slim unless I wanted my sisters to deal with everything I was supposed to. 

Each step brought me closer to the beginning of this next chapter in my life. The intricate arch lined with white and purple flowers got closer and I knew as soon as I entered that was it, my choice was made.  

There would be no turning back. 

I stopped right in front of it and glanced back to my mother and my two little sisters, who really weren’t that little anymore. Neither was I. My ability to stall this choice was unheard of in the community. Making it to nearly thirty-two without some kind of promise to one or the other was impossible for witches, but me, I had a way of getting people to do what I wanted. At least I thought so anyway. 

I gave my baby sis Mina a quick smile before turning back and stepping through. I’m doing this for her. I’m doing this for both of them. 

As soon as I passed through the barrier the energy shifted and I felt a knot in my stomach. What if I was making a mistake? 

I glanced up at the circle of women waiting for me. They varied in ages and all of them were dressed like this was a wedding. I glanced down at my faded blue jeans and the black tank top, I’d put on this morning before I knew this would be the day my life would change, and felt very under-dressed. 

Oh well, this is me. Take it or leave it. 

Two older women I didn’t know exchanged looks at each other as I got closer. They shook their heads and I couldn’t help to feel more inadequate than when my mother came into the room telling me I wouldn’t just be initiated in, but the leader of the new Cascadia coven. I don’t think she appreciated  when I laughed in her face out of shock. I mean I’d caused nothing but trouble for the council and finding out you’re the next person to lead a coven in an area that traditionally was given to the wolf shifters was more than crazy sounding. 

When I stepped up to the circle, I met the gazes of four other witches who looked as happy to be there as me. They were all older than the average witch entering a coven, most around my age, but they were probably there for the same reason. Anything was better than marrying a warlock you’d probably grow to hate.

That was how it worked. You marry a warlock and bind your power to theirs or you join a coven and bind your power to the coven for not just this iteration but for all others that come after. The older the coven, the stronger the magick. Most of the time, anyway. 

“Are you ready?” An older woman with cat eye glasses and a weird updo said, glancing at each of us. I think her name was Marta or something. They all nodded as her eyes went to each one. When she got to me, I opened my mouth to spout a smart ass remark, but closed it. She looked like she was a harmless old woman, but behind her eyes was a power even I didn’t want to cross. I nodded slowly and she motioned for me to take my place at the center of the circle. Each of the others stood on each of the four corners. Earth, water, fire and air. Since I was the leader, I’d except power from all of them and they would all take a little from me.  

I took a breath and glanced at each of the older women standing outside the circle. They were talking low and I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but words drifted through to me. Judgement… learn… retribution.  I couldn’t string them together to know what they meant, but it didn’t sound good. I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the woman standing at fire. A beautiful dark skinned woman with a mix of dark and blonde curly hair. She shrugged and gave a slight smile. I couldn’t help but feel a little more relaxed. At least we were on the same wavelength. 

“Tonight on the first full moon of the year, we christen this coven.” The same woman from before stepped towards the circle and held her hands up. “May the power they share be passed from witch to witch for all time.” 

As soon as she dropped her hands, I felt the power push through me. I stumbled forward a step but caught myself. When I looked up at the others, each were feeling the effects as well. I watched as the power, my power pushed through each of them. Then at the same time, their power pushed through me. 

I felt like my bones were on fire. My blood cooled the fire in my bones.The ground groaned under my  feet, shifting. The cool night air licked at my face, and then my vision shifted. I could see everything. Every molecule, every strand of energy moving from the others into me and the energy from the moon  over all of us. 

I could see everything. 

And then everything went back to normal. Except it wasn’t. It never would be again. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Two

Walking back to my family was weird. I had this new feeling of power running through me but something felt off. I couldn’t explain it. 

I walked under the same arch I’d walked through to get to the initiation and my sister perked up when she saw me. 

“Iana, you’re done already?” She had a smile on her face. “How was it? Did it feel as powerful for you in there as it did out here?” 

I glanced at my mother confused. Most of the time when a coven sister was initiated, the magick stayed in the circle. Others didn’t typically feel it. She shrugged. 

“It could be because it’s a brand new coven,” she said, with a smile. “I’m just glad you are safe now.” 

“And they have more time,” I finished for her. It wasn’t a dig. It was the truth. Typically the oldest had the most power, but there were rumors of a pair of sisters that lived in LA who were equally powerful and had busted the entire Vampire underground just by letting their power free. Too bad it involved getting hooked into a marriage with a powerful warlock. 

Everyone knew who Jericho was. Him and his brothers were a popular rock band and one of the biggest names in the council of warlocks. 

“I don’t have a lot of time. My things are already packed. I just have to pick them up and go to the coven house,” I said, stepping past them and walking towards the car. I couldn’t think about anything right now. The energy of everything was still buzzing through me and it was overwhelming every part of me. 

“Iana,” my mom called and I turned towards her. “You did the right thing.” 

I forced a smile and nodded. She was right. By all accounts, I did the right thing for all of us, but why did it feel so wrong? 

I got into the car and waited for everyone to follow suit. My mom got in to drive and we silently made the short drive to my old apartment. The lights were on and everything looked so weird from the outside. 

Living in Oregon, I was used to the dreary days and fog filled nights, but this particular night was clear and warm. It felt off somehow. 

“Marta must have picked up your things,” my mom said, leaning over the steering wheel. 

“How did she know I’d go through with it?” I leaned back and shook my head. “Of course she knew I would.” 

“Do you want me to drive you to the house?” My mom looked at me and I registered the hope in her eyes. While we’d still be able to talk and see each other, the first few weeks were dedicated to working with the coven and honing our magick together. That’s what made us stronger. 

That’s what kept us alive. 

“Sure,” I answered with a smile. I glanced back at my sisters and they gave the same forced smile. “Don’t worry, guys. I’m still going to be around.” 

“It’s not the same,” Mina said. 

She was the youngest and just about to graduate high school. She had her whole life ahead of her. Thank god, no warlock had gotten wind of her and her binding magick yet. She could make anyone stop anything or do anything if she wanted. That was a skill every super villain would want. 

“Look, it was this or fall in line with the warlocks,” I said. “I figured this would be better for all of us.” 

“It’s still under there thumb. The only reason they allow it is to keep the magick strong in the area,” she said. 

“You don’t know that,” I said. The truth was no one knew what the treaty had in it. Only the ones that spoke it and bound us all to it know and most of them were dead or on their way.

“And you don’t know it isn’t,” she countered. 

“Can you two just get along,” my mom said as she drove the car further along the winding road. 

The coven house was not in town for obvious reasons. We couldn’t have some weirdo wondering on the property and realizing what we were doing. While there were some humans that were in the magick community, most stayed clear or just pretended we were crazy cat ladies with nothing better to do. 

In the distance a house emerged through the eerie darkness . It was exactly what you’d picture a coven of witches living in. Yep, old Victorian in a dark grey color. There were two stories visible from the front and a third tucked in the back. The dark roof had a sharp slope to keep the rain from building up and a large porch on the front.  It looked old, but not so old we’d be dealing with mold or anything crazy, plus the damn thing was very clearly steeped in magick. 

I turned to my mom and put my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

“I know. This was the best thing we could do for you. Just promise me you’ll keep your eyes open,” she said. There was an unusual edge to what she was asking. “Things almost always are bigger than you think.” 

I stared at her for a moment but she just smiled at me. 

“I love you guys,” I said before stepping out of the car and heading to my new life. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Three

How bad could living with four other women be?  I stepped through the door and felt a blast of magick wash over me. I knew there were wards, but this was on another level. 

The blonde from the circle walked down the old wood stairs and stopped in front of me. “It’s a lot,” she said with a slight smile. “I’m Callie,” she said holding out her hand. She was dressed down from earlier and her light hair was damp. 

“Iana,” I said, shaking her hand. It felt weird, but being polite and all that. “When did you get here?” 

“I came straight here after,” she said and shrugged. “No point in waiting. Plus I don’t have any family to say good bye to.” 

“Oh,” I said and stepped further inside, taking it all in. The inside looked just as I expected with dark wood walls and hardwood floors stained a dark brown. There was some furniture throughout that matched the old vibes of the place but there were also pieces I guessed Callie brought from her place. 

“It’s not bad.” She said turning to look at the area around us. “The old coven bats got most of it from the lady that lived here before.” 

“Someone lived here?” I shook my head. “I hope they didn’t do a spell to make them leave or anything.” 

“Who knows, but I do know they paid her and her family well for this place,” she said with a slight smile. “The councils have money to burn.” 

“Probably why they set up this new coven of ours,” I mumbled. 

Callie laughed. “No, it’s to keep an eye on the shifters and the coven up in Washington.” She paused and stepped closer. “I heard they let one of their sisters go live with a shifter on his pirate ship. Could you imagine?” 

The idea of living on the ocean was far from appealing but the freedom, that would be nice. I would almost agree to anything to get that. 

“Crazy,” I said. 

“Come on, I’ll show you the rooms,” she said starting up the stairs. 

I followed behind and took in everything as I got to the second floor. It was exactly like I’d imagine a witch to live in. The old style beams on the walls and the chandelier above everything. I stared at it for a bit before Callie cleared her throat and brought me out of my trance. 

The hallway had that same dark wood stain but the old paintings of the forest around us dotting the way towards the bedrooms. There were several rooms, each one marked with a symbol for the corresponding element. At the end of the hallway was the final door, my door. Because I was the head of this coven, I got the largest room as a sign of respect. 

Callie stopped in front of the door with a huge smile on her face. She was way too excited to be here and the fact she was younger made me smile slightly. She reminded me of Mina in some ways. 

“This is your room,” she said. 

I nodded. “I figured as much.” I glanced at her and then back down the hallway. “Is your room good?” 

“Yep. It’s got all my plants and everything is arraigned just how I like it,” she said. 

I didn’t expect her to literally be a garden witch. Those were few and far between. Most didn’t regard them as super powerful, but they were important to keep the coven grounded and stable. “That’s good. You work with plants?” 

“I’m a good herbalist and my plants grow faster and larger than most,” she smiled. “You know some of the best spells can be done with herbs and some of the deadliest.” 

I raised an eyebrow. Maybe she wasn’t as innocent as he seemed. “Good to know.” I opened my door and stepped inside. The room was everything I expected and more. It was huge and the four poster bed was the first thing that caught my eye. The posts were draped in sheer purple fabric that spilled onto the bed. Just past the bed was a glass double door leading onto a small balcony that overlooked the garden. To the right of the door was a large wardrobe with built in drawers. I stepped in and turned back to Callie. “This is nice.” 

“Better than my old place,” she said. “The others should be coming any minute.” 

I nodded. She was probably expecting me to greet them, since I was the leader. I sighed. The leader, gross. I never wanted that. I wanted to travel and see the world. When I got my gifts, it felt like a cage even though it should have felt like every bit of freedom I wanted and more. 

But here we were and there was nothing I could do to change it now.

Standing at the door felt odd, but at least I’d get to know each of the others and hopefully, it would make things less awkward in the long run, but it didn’t any less weird for me right now. 

I glanced at the old style coat rack to my left as I stood in front of the door. The rack was exactly how my grandma’s was when I was little. There was a seat that lifted and space for shoes under it. The mirror looked old and warn but it still worked. I stared at myself for a moment, looking for what changed, but nothing seemed different. The woman staring back had the same dark hair and slim build, but she looked older somehow. Maybe it was the magick. Maybe I was just looking too hard. 

The door opened a a red head walked in. I raised my head and smiled as she stopped in front of me like she wasn’t expecting anyone to be there. 

“Oh, hi,” she said, looking at me and then at the rest of the entryway. 

“Hey, thought I’d greet you all or something,” I said with a smile.

“Yeah, I guess since we’re basically roommates or whatever,” she closed the door and looked past me up the stairs, then back to me. “I’m Lexa.” 

“Iana,” I said and held out my hand to shake hers. She hesitated but shook my hand and I felt the instant rush of power. We both pulled back suddenly and I nervous laughed. “Weird.” 

“I guess that’s what happens when we combine our power now,” she said with a shrug. 

“I’ll show you where your room is,” I said. The last thing I wanted was to focus on what kind of power we’d have when we all worked together if that was what it was when two of us combined ours. I mean I knew that was the whole purpose of a coven, but seeing it in action was on another level. 

I climbed the stairs with Lexa following behind, but I couldn’t remember what her element was. I turned back to her and she gave me a look, her red hair  falling forward covering her pale skin. 

“Water,” she said simply and I nodded. Oh my god, how could I not remember that?  

“I’m really killing this coven leader thing, huh?” I said stopping at the second door on the left. 

“We’ll get there.” She sighed. “We’re all trying to figure out what the hell we’re doing. I mean one minute, I’m bar-tending downtown and the next, the council pulls me into a meeting about the future of magick or something.” 

“They made it sound so dire, huh?” 

She shook her head. “They made it sound like if I said no, my whole life would be over,” she said. “I liked living the laid back life. No answering to a bunch of old ladies and being told what to do.” 

“So, why did you agree?” I was genuinely curious. 

“Why’d you?” She pushed back. 

“Fair point.” I didn’t push her. “I’ll leave you to it.” I turned and walked away. We barely knew each other and pushing her to tell me something she clearly didn’t want to wasn’t going to help anyone. It was best to let her come to it when she was ready. 

At least that’s what I kept telling myself. 

I walked back to the door and took a seat on the stairs. Waiting was the worst part, but soon everyone would be here and we could figure out what the next thing was we needed to do. 

The door opened and the same dark skinned woman stepped through. This time I didn’t have to ask what her element was. It radiated off of her. The way she moved screamed power. 

I stood and gave her my best smile. “Hey, I’m Iana.” 

She glanced at me and cocked her head, her dark eyes fixed on me. “Yeah, I remember you from the circle.” She stepped forward and offered her hand. 

“When we shake hands, our power combines,” I said, raising my eyebrows. 

“What, are you afraid of fire?” She smirked and I shrugged, before I grabbed her outstretched  hand. The pull of her power was intense and I gasped. If she lived with this much every day, I was in awe. 

She laughed and let go of my hand. “Nice to meet you, Iana. You can call me Shema.” 

“It’s good to meet you,” I said and turned to go up the stairs. “I’ll show you where your room is.” I stopped at the first door on the right and gave her a smile. She glanced at me before opening the door to her room and stepping inside. “I’ll see you later. I still have one more sister to welcome.” 

“I don’t envy your job,” she said before closing the door. 

Me either.

I walked back down the stairs and waited for what must have been half an hour. The door opened and a tall thin woman with long dark hair walked inside. She wasn’t paying attention and almost ran into me at the base of the stairs.

“Shit, didn’t see you there,” she said with a smile and I cocked my head. 

She was drunk as fuck. 

“Hi, I’m Iana,” I said. “I’ll show you where your room is.” I waited for a second and she finally looked at me. 

“Awesome,” she said. “Oh, I’m Khloe.” 

“Great.” I decided simple was probably better, cuz chances were she wouldn’t remember anything that was going on tonight. Not that I blamed her. If I had a choice, I’d probably have hit every bar in town and then some. 

I stopped at her door and she leaned against the wall. 

“You know, this was not how I thought my life was going to go,” she said. 

“Oh?” 

“Yep, look at me. I’m twenty nine and these are the best years of my life. It’s not my fault I was born into a witch family.” She shook her head. “I just wanted to have some fun, find a good guy maybe and have a couple of kids.” She sighed. “Now I’m going to be here for the greater good.” She huffed. 

“It does suck.” 

“Yep,” she said before walking into her room and turning back to me. “We’re all fucked, you know.” 

I nodded my head. “Maybe.” 

“You have no idea, but you will.” She closed her door leaving me there to figure out what the fuck that meant. Maybe she was just drunk and talking out of her ass. 

Maybe she was onto something. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Four

I fell into my bed, the moonlight filtering through the windows making the entire room look more eery than ever. I sighed and turned over. I wasn’t getting caught in the spiral of my imagination. That was all I needed after the day I’d had. 

My mom’s words replayed in my head. What if she was right and all this was for some darker reason I didn’t know about yet? It didn’t matter if I did my job and kept us strong, kept our magick strong. 

I closed my eyes and felt my body relax. Until a hand touched my shoulder. My eyes flew open and I rolled away from the hand. Standing on the edge of the bed was the shadow of a man. He stepped forward and narrowed my eyes.

This is not happening. 

“Kian, what the fuck?” I said, shaking my head. 

“I don’t have a lot of time. Your wards are strong,” he said, his magick already fading. “Meet me outside by the road.” 

Before I could answer he was gone. I sighed. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with today after everything.

I put my jacket on and headed down the stairs and out the front door. The moment I stepped past the wards of the house, I felt the change in the air. The magick thinned just enough, but it still hummed with energy. I figured that had to be Kian lurking around here somewhere. 

“Where are you?” I snapped. “You can’t just come and disturb my sleep only to not show.” 

“I’m here,” he said stepping out of the shadows. Him and shadows. 

I crossed my arms and took him in. He still looked like the snot nosed kid I remembered from elementary school. Complete with the light hair and sea green eyes. He was definitely better looking with a muscled chest and arms. I raised an eyebrow and he smiled, catching me looking him over. 

“You’re… different,” I said, meeting his gaze. 

“And you’re still stubborn as ever,” he said, stepping towards me, adjusting his black leather jacket. 

I rolled my eyes. “What was so important you had to break a ten year hiatus?” 

“Twelve,” he said. 

I wrinkled my nose in confusion. 

“It’s been twelve years,” he said. 

“What do you want, Kian?” 

“You’re in danger.” 

I laughed. “That’s it?” 

“You don’t get it. This coven isn’t some power play by the council. They’re using you and the others.” 

“For what?” I said. 

He took another step towards me. He was closer than I wanted and all those old feelings I’d fought so hard to get rid of bubbled slightly. I pushed them away. “They made a deal. Somethings coming. Something big and your coven may be the only ones that can stop it.” 

“I don’t understand,” I said. He wasn’t making any sense. We were picked because we didn’t have choices. Sure it was weird we made a brand new coven in an area that didn’t seem to need it, but it wasn’t completely unheard of. 

“Just make sure your wards are strong. I’ll be back when I can,” he said. 

“Kian, I don’t want you here,” I said. “You made a choice. I can’t have you here.” 

“Iana, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. 

I stepped back out of his reach. “I can take care of myself.” 

“Please, just make sure your wards are as strong as possible. Make friends. Stay safe.”

I stepped back. “Good bye, Kian.” 

I turned and headed back to the house, feeling his gaze on me the entire time. The minute I stepped back inside and closed the door, I closed my eyes and leaned against the door. I couldn’t do this again. 

Not with him. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Kian

I grumbled to myself as I watched her walk away. How did I expect her to react? The way I left things, I’d probably want nothing to do with me either. 

I took a step and let my magick push me through the shadows into my own living space. The home I once shared with my father, before he died. The old spell books filing floor to ceiling  shelves lined to wall next to the large picture window overlooking the front of the large house. It wasn’t as large as some of the other warlocks, but it was far more than I needed. 

I scanned the desk to see if my housekeeper left anything important out. Marta wasn’t exactly a housekeeper, even though that was what they classified her as. Yes she was a human, but she knew about the world under the mundane. My father, who never pitied anyone, took her in and kept her safe. She was the one person he trusted. Probably because she didn’t have any reason to betray him. 

Me on the other hand, I was a constant problem in his eyes. The desk was neat and just as I left it. At least there were no new issues with the warlock council. As much as I hated being a part of this manipulative and corrupt system, I didn’t have a choice. 

It was take your place or die. There was no in between for warlocks. 

I suppose it was the same for the witches too. The ones that didn’t submit to marriage or a coven were often targeted for the games and hunted for sport like animals. My father tried to persuade  the council to intervene for years, but they found it entertaining and a good way to get a witch who would be forced to share power with someone in the council and they were always powerful. That was part of the appeal. A sick way to force submission. 

At least Iana was spared from that. The Demon King would have put her in the games this year if she hadn’t. She was too powerful. That’s what makes this whole coven thing disturbing.

I sat at the large wood desk and pulled the files from the drawer. I owed a Kitsune down in the archives a favor, but it was worth it. Each file was a different color for each of their powers. Iana was on the top since I was most interested in keeping her safe. The others were interesting but if they became a sacrifice to save Iana, then that was just the way it would be. 

I opened Iana’s file and flipped through the pages. Most were things I already knew – her age, her family, what element her power leaned to. I knew she could move through the folds of energy. How much, I wasn’t sure. This kind of power was rare. If used correctly, she could push into the Veil and possibly further into the other realities that lined our own. I only knew of one other person that would do that, and he was dead. 

Each page went more and more into her temperament, her family. It analyzed everything. I shook my head. “They really were going to push her into marriage,” I said to myself. The thought of another man touching her made me tense. I could never have her, but I’d be damned if I let anyone else break up this coven just to force her to marry them. 

I’d kill anyone that tried.

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Iana

I tossed and turned all night. There was something about what he said that pissed me off and I didn’t know why. Was it the fact he even showed up or that he might be right and I didn’t know how to keep anything from happening to myself and my coven? 

I sat up and stared at the wall. I was the leader of this group for all of a day and had fucked it all the way up. What was I even doing here?

The sun filtered through the window and I sighed. I guess we’d have to figure out what our first move was and if we really were in danger. God knows I wasn’t asking Kian or anyone from the witches council. 

I reluctantly got a shirt and new pair of jeans from the freshly loaded drawers at the far end of my room. I looked at how they folded my clothes and made a face. I’d never fold them so nicely. My t-shirts were surprisingly in the next drawer up and organized by color. I raised my eyebrows at how nice they were packed in there before pulling a dark blue one out and sliding it over my head. 

I left my hair out and just fluffed it a little to give it something. While I had curls, they tended to flatten out if I didn’t take care of them. Something the laid back part of me hated. 

There was a knock at my door and I nearly jumped. Who the hell was here this early? I opened the door to Callie standing there. That makes sense. 

“Up with the plants today?” I said with a smile. 

“Always. It’s the best time to check on them,” she gave me a slight smirk like I was supposed to know this already. 

“Did you need something?” I asked without thinking.

“I made coffee,” she said simply. “Thought you might need some.” 

“What made you think that?” 

“The fact you snuck out with that delicious looking man,” she said, raising her eyebrows. 

“That’s not what you think,” I snapped. 

“It’s none of my business,” she finished, but kept that same annoying smirk. 

I didn’t say anything more about Kian. That was the last thing I wanted to talk about today. “I could use some coffee, though.” 

She stepped aside and I walked through the door beside her, closing it lightly behind me. I didn’t know about the others, but Khloe was for sure not going to be up yet and it was best to at least try to let her sleep her night off. It was a lot for all of us. 

The smell of the coffee hit me as soon as I was at the stairs and I closed my eyes and took it in. God it smells good.

I hurried down the stairs and took the left turn from the entryway to the kitchen. The change from old and almost gothic to new and shiny was off putting. I glanced at Callie who shrugged. 

“I guess they wanted everything new in here,” she said. “I’m not complaining.” 

“Me either,” I mumbled. At least I could enjoy a huge double door fridge with a water dispenser. My old apartment barely had one newer than nineteen sixty five. The stove was also a brand new stainless steel gas burner and the counters were all a white and grey marble. There was a little island in the center with some drawers for things on one side. It would be perfect when we needed to do spell work with physical elements. While not as common, we still did it from time to time. 

I opened a couple of cupboards before I found the one with the coffee mugs, while mine wasn’t anywhere in sight, there were several that would do the job. I picked a dark green one with a cat looking like it just crawled out of bed and a steaming hot coffee in its hands. The words read: Don’t talk to me unless you want clawed. 

Me too, kittie.

I filled a cup with the sweet liquid the gods gave us and a little creamer before settling down at the little table in the corner nook of the kitchen area. The three large windows gave a great view of the forest around us. It was almost peaceful. 

“Thank god for coffee,” I said and Callie snorted. 

“So, what are we doing first?” 

Her question made me groan internally. Of course I had to figure out the first order of business and get us prepared for anything and everything. 

“I guess we should find out what power we all have,” I said. “I mean I know we all are tied to an element now, but like what it is we can do right now.” 

“You want to gauge our powers,” she said, leaning back. 

“I want to know how they’ll work together if we need to protect ourselves,” I clarified. 

“Well, mine is pretty weird.” 

I laughed slightly. “Define weird.” 

“I can talk to the trees and plants,” she said. 

“That’s not weird, it’s cool actually,” I said. I’d never seen that in an earth witch. It sounds like something they should be able to do, but the ones I’d ran across could manipulate the earth in a different way. They used its essence. Hers seemed way more direct.  

“It comes in handy when I want to know things or if I need help. Trees and plants have thoughts and feelings. They know way more than we do,” she said. 

“I believe it,” I said, taking another sip of coffee. 

“What about you?” 

I hesitated. She deserved to know exactly what I could do, but a part of me wanted to keep it to myself. So, I gave her a little. “I can manipulate matter to travel through it.” 

“That’s cool.” 

I heard footsteps and glanced at the doorway. Shema looked at me and then Callie before sighing and heading to the coffee.

“Good morning,” I said, hoping to relieve any tension. 

“I guess,” she said, pouring a cup. “What are you two doing?” 

“We’re talking about our powers,” Callie said. 

“Super,” she said and turned towards us, taking a sip of her black coffee. 

“You’re a fire witch,” I said.

 She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah. All power. No control.” 

“That’s pretty common with fire,” I said. 

“It would have been nice to be something simple, but you don’t get a say, right?” The question was directed at me and I shrugged. 

“I didn’t either. Fate decides that,” I said. 

“Fate,” she mocked. 

“What else is it?” 

“The luck of the draw,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. 

“Same thing,” I countered. 

“Well, coven leader, I’ve got things to do today,” she glanced at Callie. “I’ll see you two later.” She sat her mug in the sink and walked away. I didn’t say anything. The last thing I wanted to do was put her off with rules. We were all grown ass adults and could do what we wanted. 

Besides there was a hiking path at the back of the house with my name on it. 

The afternoon was well on it’s way when I hit the trail with my jacket and over the clothing I’d picked out earlier and my hair was pulled into a ponytail to keep it out of my face. 

The path wound through the trees and further into the dense forest. I felt the cold air slap me in the face with the wind, but kept going. I liked the crisp air felt but it made everything damp. that part wasn’t as much fun. 

I realized I had no idea where this trail went or why it was even here. It was long and winded more than I thought it would. Still, I kept going. I just needed some air. 

“You’re far out here, you know,” a voice I recognized said from behind me. 

“Why the fuck are you still hanging around here?” I turned and crossed my arms, my gaze meeting Kians. “I told you to get lost.” 

“I know, but -“ He took a step towards me. 

“-You want to make my life miserable?” I let out an angry laugh. “You already did that.” 

“Iana,” he said. 

“You shouldn’t be here. You’re a warlock. I’m a witch. Don’t you have some papers to push or people to kill?” I snapped. It was hurtful, but I didn’t care. There was truth in it. 

“I didn’t know what they had in store back then,” he said. “I wouldn’t…”

 “Have made promises?” I finished for him. “It’s fine. You have your path and I have mine.” 

“That’s just it. Something is off,” he said. “Forget about the past stuff and just think about it. This coven, there’s something not right here.” 

“I’m not stupid, I already realized that,” I snapped. “I don’t need some warlock swooping in to save me. I can save myself.” 

He stepped closer and I stepped back, hitting a tree on the edge of the path. He closed in on me, stopping only when I couldn’t look away from those sea green eyes. Asshole. 

“Iana,” he said and the sound of him saying my name made me want to forget all the things that happened between us. All the ways he’d hurt me and just let him back in, but that was suicide in so many ways. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I didn’t have a choice.”

“You always had a choice,” I said, quietly. 

“Promise me you’ll let me know if you need help,” he said. 

“I won’t,” I snapped.

“Just say it or I’ll stand here all day and we can freeze together,” he said and raised an eyebrow. 

“Fine, but I won’t.” 

“I know,” he said with a smirk. “You never need help.” 

“You’re still an asshole,” I said.

“And you’re still stubborn,” he countered, his eyes drifting to mine. “I made a promise a long time ago to protect you.” 

“You also said you wouldn’t hurt me and we both know how that turned out,” I snapped and pushed him back. He didn’t fight me, but shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“These woods belong to the Moon Mountain Pack. Be careful when you’re out here. They haven’t historically been friendly to witches.” 

“No one has,” I said, crossing my arms and waiting for him to poof away like he always did. It seemed to be a warlock specialty. 

“I’ll see you again soon,” he said a smirk still plastered on his face. 

I shook my head and waited. The air around us shifted and the natural light of the sun seemed to fade enough to shadows to form around him and pull down like he was pulled into the ground. Then the light came back up and it was like nothing happened. 

Fucking warlocks. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Seven

I didn’t go much further down the little path, thinking about what Kian said. All I needed was to get into a scuffle with wolves. The minute I would step foot on their territory, they’d make sure I didn’t have a foot again. 

They were violent beings that stayed to themselves for the most part. We once had a treaty with them, but something happened that ruined everything and the discord between us just got larger. 

I turned to head back home when I felt a presence behind me. I slowly turned back and there was a dark wolf staring back at me. He snarled and his yellow eyes stayed fixed on me, like was ready to take me out at any minute.

“I’m leaving,” I said, putting my hands up. 

“Yeah, you are,” a voice said from just beyond the tree line. A dark haired woman with an athletic build came into view. She cocked her head and stood beside the wolf pinning me down with his gaze. 

“I didn’t come onto your land,” I said even though I wasn’t sure I didn’t. 

“You’re close enough,” she said, taking a step towards me, her golden eyes drilled into me, making me want to shrink down but that wasn’t happening.

“I get it. This is your area,” I said, turning again to leave. 

“All of this is ours, witch.” 

I took a breath and turned back to face her. “Then why did my coven get put here?” 

“You tell me,” she said. “One minute we’re in control of the area and the next a coven of fucking witch bitches move in.” 

I shrugged. “I’m as clueless as you.” 

“I doubt that, but maybe you could be persuaded to talk.” She glanced at the wolf who took a few steps towards me. 

Are you kidding me?

“Don’t worry, as soon as you talk it will all be over,” she said with a slight smile. 

I stumbled back as it pounced and pinned me to the cold dirt of the path. The damn thing was strong. I called to my magick and relaxed into it, feeling the pressure from the paws of the wolf fade away. I stepped up through it and let myself fade back in. 

The woman cocked her head at me, more interested than before. “Interesting,” she said, still keeping her distance. 

“What, you didn’t know the powers of the witched in your area?” I may have given a little more attitude than I should have, but she’s the one who started it. 

The black wolf snarled and I glanced back down. He wasn’t done with his attack. This time he didn’t jump on me to pin me down, he full on bit by ankle and yanked me to the ground. I hit the dirt hard and all the air in my lungs was forced out by the impact. 

My vision went fuzzy from the lack of oxygen, but the searing pain in my ankle was overwhelming. I felt myself being dragged toward the woman but couldn’t focus on anything. This can’t be how I die.

I pulled myself together enough to five the wolf a hard kick, but its jaw was locked down tight and every time he moved, it dug in further. There I was, fighting for air and putting everything I have into getting this god damn thing off me, but it was a losing battle. 

A sharp pain ripped through me as the wolf pulled it’s fangs from my leg. A yelp filled the air and hands sliding under me. I finally got my eyes to focus long enough to see Kian picking me up. 

What the fuck?  I frowned since I still couldn’t catch my breath enough to form words. He glanced down at me as he folded the world around us into darkness and it unfolded into an expensively decorated living room. The wood ceiling with hanging fancy lights was the first thing I noticed.  Then finally, I could get a full breath of air.  

I smacked that man hard on his chest and he sat me down on the couch. 

“A thank you would be more appropriate,” he said with a smirk and knelt down to look at my leg. 

“Why would I thank you?” I croaked out. “I had it under control.” 

“Right,” he said simply before gently lifting my foot to get a better look at my wound. 

“I would have gotten away once I got my breathing back,” I said a little stronger now. I still didn’t know if I could stand and get the hell back home yet, but I wasn’t going to stay here and let him make a huge deal out of this. “I need to get back.” 

“You need to stay still,” he countered. He slid the bottom of my chewed up pants up my leg a bit and I took in a sharp breath. The skin around my lower leg was shredded and blood was still dripping from the open wounds. “You’re lucky it didn’t bite all the way down. You would have lost your leg.” 

“Why would the wolves pick a fight like this?” I said, looking down at the horrid state of my leg.

“It sends a clear message,” he said, standing and walking from the room. I glanced around and took in everything. This was the first time I’d seen his home. To the left was a large open area with a bay window and seating under it. A large chandelier hung just over the mostly empty area. On the wall in front of me was a large television and a fireplace, carefully decorated with  candles and pictures of Kian’s family. I studied the silver frames from my seat. Everyone in the photos looked like they were having a great time, especially the one with him and his mother. 

He didn’t talk about her much, but I knew she died when he was little and it about broke his father. Say what you want about the arraigned marriages with the warlocks and witches, but sometimes they did get it right. 

He walked back into the room holding a little first aid kit. His eyes met mine and stayed there for a moment before he knelt down and lifted my leg again. 

I winced. “You could be a little gentler, you know.”

“And you could listen to me when I warn you about the wolves in your area,” he said, glancing up at me and wrapping my foot. “It will heal in a few weeks, but you’re going to have to stay out of trouble until then.”

“I have to get back. The coven needs to be warned,” I said, pulling my foot away, but stopping the minute I realized how bad I was truly injured. 

“They will be. Your little earth witch knows all about what happened,” he said, standing and admiring his handy-work for a moment. 

“I doubt it,” I answered. 

“The trees probably told her everything.” He took a seat on the couch beside me. “Including our conversation.” 

Shit. I totally forgot Callie would talk to the plants and the trees. She probably knows way more than any of us. Why wouldn’t she warn me about the wolves if that was the case?  “The wolves were pretty pissed about us being there. Wouldn’t the witches council have to get agreement?” 

“I don’t know how the witches work, but if it were warlocks, yes they would or threaten them.” He glanced at me and sighed. “The wolves are dying out. Barely any are around to fight. It would be easy to just take their territory.” 

“That’s not how witches work,” I mumbled. 

“That’s not how you would work. You’re not them.” 

“What do you know that I don’t?” I knew that was a bold ask, but he owed me for what he did how he left everything years ago. He owed me something. 

“I don’t know anything, but I have suspicions.” 

“isn’t against the rules for you to be giving me any kind of information about your suspicions?”I asked.

“I’m not and you’re my friend and we’re just hanging out in my family home,” he said with a slight smirk. 

I snickered despite myself. “I still need to get back.” The truth was the rest of the coven could probably handle themselves, especially if Callie already told everyone else about the wolves, but I wanted to be anywhere but here. Being near Kian was more painful than trying to walk on my injured leg. 

“I’ll take you back in a couple days. First, heal that leg a little,” he said. “Don’t worry this house has everything you could possibly need.” 

“I’m not staying in your house, Kian.” I pushed off the couch and stood, putting all the weight on my good leg. 

“Why?” He said shooting up. 

“You know why,” I snapped, all control over my buried anger gone. 

“It’s not like I planned it, you know.” He grabbed my shoulders to keep be from falling. “Iana, I would have done it so different if I’d known.” 

“You always knew what you were. You always knew what I was and why we couldn’t be together,” I said, brushing him off me. “You still did it.” 

“I died, Iana.” He grabbed my shoulders and held me, letting his fingers dig into my flesh. “I didn’t want to. I tried so hard to not inherit these powers. You know how it works. Warlocks have to die to activate it.”

“I know that,” I said, dropping my gaze. 

“They knew what we were going to do.” He continued. “I never wanted to hurt you.” 

“But you did.” I shook my head. “Why didn’t we leave sooner?” 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. 

“It’s too late.” I shook him off again. “Just take me back and forget about me.”

“You know I can’t,” he said, his gaze lingering on me. Studying everything about me. “I still want to protect you.” 

“I can protect myself,” I said. 

“Then why are you staying here, in this world?” He huffed. “You could just leave and not have to worry about any of this. You know you can shift through worlds. That was the whole point of…” 

“Of what?” I said.

He stepped back and shook his head. “This was a mistake. You’re right, I should just let you deal with this on your own. We both made choices.” 

I stood there for a moment before he grabbed my arm and the world around us tilted. When it came back into focus, we were standing outside the coven’s house. 

I glanced at him and my heart shattered. Everything was wrong and him just being close brought me right back to that place I was ten years ago. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t take being so close to someone I had once loved so much. 

Maybe the truth was I still did.

He didn’t say anything but stepped back and disappeared. Leaving me alone to figure out what the fuck to do next. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Eight

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Callie was the first to meet me. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms at my condition. 

“Are you okay?” She said carefully. 

“I’m fine,” I said hobbling into the little living area to my left. I had yet to spend any time here, but maybe it was time. I sure as shit wasn’t going to be getting upstairs for a few days. 

“You were attacked,” she said. 

“By wolves,” I said and shook my head. “I have no idea why.”

“I do,” she said and cocked her head at me. 

“Well, do tell.” 

She took a seat across from the couch I’d settled into on the fluffy velvet chair. “They think this is a takeover.” 

“We have to tell them it’s not,” I said. 

“They aren’t going to listen to us. They hate witches,” she said taking a sharp breath.

“What?” 

“They might listen to someone I know, but it’s a long shot,” she said. 

“Who?” 

“You remember when I told you about that coven up north?” 

I nodded, even though I barely remembered. Just something about a witch who went off with a shifter. 

“They have an alliance with the shifters.” 

“That’s not the same as the wolves,” I countered.

“But they might be inclined to listen if it’s coming from someone that they have an agreement with.” She sighed. “I’ll have to go in person and then they’ll have to get her.” 

“If they even can,” I said, sliding down the couch into a slouch. My leg still throbbing. I couldn’t tell the council about this. It would start a war. Maybe that was what they were aiming for. But why?

“They can. It just might take some time for her to get here,” Callie said. 

“Okay, I guess we have a sort of plan.” I glanced around the house. It was strangely quiet. “Where is everyone?” 

“They all have been gone as long as you,” she said. 

“You’ve just been sitting here waiting?” I instantly felt bad. Callie didn’t seem to have a family so she had no one she was running to go see, like the others. But she was friendly and her power was very helpful at least for keeping an eye on what the wolves were doing. 

If we couldn’t make peace with them, then we’d be forced to go to war with them. 

“What about that guy that saved you?” 

“What about him?” I snapped. 

“He could be helpful,” she said.

“He’s a warlock. We’re enemies.” I hated the way that sounded. 

“He didn’t seem like one earlier.” 

I snapped my gaze to her and narrowed my eyes. “You have no idea who he is.” 

“He’s powerful. We need that,” she said. 

I huffed and crossed my arms. “Absolutely not.” 

The door opened and Shema walked in. Her hair was frazzled and I didn’t think it was just from the light drizzle that started before I walked in. 

“Are you good, Shema?” I said from the living room area. 

Her eyes fell to my leg and back to my eyes. “Are you?” 

I shrugged. 

“We have a problem,” she said, stepping into the room. 

“Clearly,” I huffed in frustration. 

“Not that. Although, it might be part of it.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and turned it so we could see the screen. At first I couldn’t figure out what it said, but when I finally focused on it, I could see our names and what looked like bounty’s next to it. 

“What the fuck?” I said. 

“There’s a bounty on us, on our coven and every supernatural creature is going to be after it.” 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Kian

I leaned on my desk, crossing my arms. Who put the bounty out? I had a few ideas, but something felt off. When the warlocks put out bounties they didn’t send a mass email to everyone on their contact list, yet the one on Iana was done in such a sloppy way. Did they want to get caught by her coven? 

It didn’t matter she was going to need all the help she could get now. Every being in the this area and beyond would be looking for her. The vampires would be more interested in most. They could not only kill her and get the bounty, but they’d have the chance to steal her power and go to other worlds to do the same. 

Losing her to one of them was devastating  to everyone in this world and all the others, but that wasn’t my priority. Keeping her  alive was and I was going to drag her here kicking and screaming if it meant keeping her safe. 

“If you help her, you’ll be an outcast,” a voice said from behind me. I recognized it but didn’t believe it was really him. 

“How are you here?” I turned to face him. Bracos. One of the old councils warlocks. They all were killed not long ago or at least I thought they all were. 

“That’s my business, but you don’t need to worry about that.” He stepped towards me, adjusting the sleeve to his dark suit. His dark hair was neatly styled and it looked as though he’d never been in a fight. “You’re worried about the witch.” 

“That’s my business.” I kept my eyes on him. Bracos was known to be ruthless in everything he did. He saw opportunities everywhere and always went for what he wanted. He wasn’t someone I wanted to cross, but Iana was still my top priority. 

“I see. Well that business happens to be aligned with mine.” 

“And?” 

“And I think we have an opportunity here. You could save Iana and have her too,” he smirked as he spoke. 

“You want to destroy the coven,” I said shaking my head. “That would start a war with the witches.” 

“No, I want to let the bounties play out.” He looked around the living room area and his gaze settled on the photos of my mother on the mantle. “You could have her, you know. You only need to keep her out of the way for a while and let the others take out her coven.” 

“She’d hate me,” I said. 

“Or she’d be grateful you pulled her from the clutches of her witches council.” He sighed. “Who do you think sent out the bounty?” 

I cocked my head at him. If he was telling the truth, it explained a lot. The witches would want it to look like someone else put it out. They’d leave a trail, but why? 

“Think about my offer, but not too long. I hear your girl is already wounded.  It’d be a shame if she died before you got a chance to save her.” 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Ten Years Prior

He fell to the bed beside me and fought to catch his breath. I laughed slightly as his struggle. Sure, we’d been at this all night, but he should be a pro by now.

I stared up at the chandelier hanging from the overly decorated ceiling and then turned back to him.  “You’re going to miss this place, aren’t you?” 

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. “No, but I think you will.” 

“What? No. that’s not what I want,” I said. It wasn’t. I’d lived my life pretty normally. I mean sure the money Kian had access to was nice, but there were bigger things.

Like him not becoming a warlock. 

“Do you think your dad’s going to be pissed?” I asked, looking back at the chandelier. 

“It doesn’t matter. He can’t make me take over if I’m not here,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Get your things. You have to get out of here before they see you.” 

“And we’ll meet tonight?” 

“Yes, tonight.” 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Eleven

I hated the thought of calling him for help, but at this point we had enemies on all sides and I didn’t have much of a choice. 

I dialed the same number I’d kept in my phone for years and let it ring a couple of times. Everything in me was screaming to just not do this. It was opening up so many old wounds. So many things I’d put in the past, but there was no one I could trust. No one that would want to keep me safe as much as him. 

Finally, he picked up. 

“You called,” he said. I could hear the smirk in his voice. 

“I don’t have a choice. I need your help,” I said, reluctantly. 

“You know about the bounties,” he said and I furrowed my brows. Did he fucking know about this the whole time? 

“Did you know?” I snapped. 

“Not until just a little bit ago. I’m guessing we both saw it at the same time.” 

“Did the warlocks do it?” I said, leaning on the side of the house. I’d stepped outside so the others wouldn’t hear it if he turned me down. There was no point in getting anyone worked up if I didn’t have to. 

“No,” he said. “As far as I know they aren’t messing with the witches right now.” 

“That’s a change,” I smarted off. 

“They have other priorities,” he said simply. 

I didn’t ask. 

“What do you need?”

“I need more magick. Someone to watch my back,” I said. “As much as I hate to say it, I trust that you wouldn’t let me die and I won’t let the others die.” 

“I think they can take care of themselves. You know the level of power they have.” He sighed. “I’ll be there in a minute, but you’ll have to lower the wards and let me in.” 

“What you don’t like being a shadow of the man in the house?” I teased. 

“You know that’s almost impossible to hold for long.” 

“Yeah, well it’s good as freaking people out,” I joked. He laughed slightly and I felt a pull in my chest. That fucking laugh. 

I didn’t have to wait long before he was standing at the edge of the wards with the phone up to his ear. I hung up and walked to him. 

“If you are touching me, the wards will let you pass,” I said and held out my hand. He glanced at it before letting my hand slip into his. I led him through the wards and stopped at the door. “They don’t know about you.” 

“You didn’t tell them a warlock was coming for dinner? Shame, shame,” he teased and I gave him a look.

“Why do you always do that?” 

“What?” He took a step closer.

“Make everything a joke.”

“What would you rather I do?” He stepped closer, leaning in. “Would you rather I tell you how much I still think about you? How much I want to grab you and take you back to my house and lock you in my bedroom?” 

“Kian,” I started. 

“You think I have the power here, but I’d gladly get on my knees in front of you if it meant I could have you back in my life.” 

“That time has passed,” I said simply. 

“I don’t believe that and neither do you,” he said leaning closer. I wanted to give in and agree to go, to leave all this behind, but it would be a death sentence for my family, my sister. I couldn’t do that to her. 

I pushed him back gently. 

“I didn’t tell them about us or that I even called you for help. I have no idea how they’re going to take a warlock walking right into their home and saying he’s going to help,” I said with a sigh. 

“They will understand. It’s not like you’re going to be able to help in a fight. You have your magick, but that isn’t going to help in a one on one fist fight.” His gaze studied my leg. “You couldn’t stop a wolf from nearly taking off your foot.” 

“That was different,” I snapped. “I didn’t want to hurt it and start a war with them. I didn’t know there was more to it than that.” 

“I guess it’s time to introduce me to the others,” he said changing the subject. “We don’t have all day.” 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Twelve

“So, we’re just supposed to trust him?” Shema crossed her arms and eyed Kian from across the living room. 

“I mean he’s just more power added to our coven,” I answered. 

“He isn’t one of us,” Khloe said from the doorway of the living room. I was surprised to see her back but relieved she was okay. I didn’t know her well yet, but we were in this whole thing together. 

“Where’s Lexi?” I said.

“She’s looking into her connections,” Shema said, keeping her eyes on Kian. 

“Look, Callie needs to get to the coven in Washington fast. Kian can do that,” I said, glancing at him. 

“If we are able to get an alliance with the shifters, who says it’s going to translate to the wolves?” Khloe asked, stepping into the room. 

“It might not, but it’s the best shot we have. I didn’t give them a reason to see us as a threat and something tells me they weren’t interested in the bounty. They seemed more pissed we are on their land.” 

“Even more reason for them to not want to work with us,” Shema said. 

I stood ignoring the pain in my leg and took a step towards Shema. “They might not, but we can’t fight a war on all fronts. We have to try to get a few friends.” 

“What about telling the council?” Shema cocked her head as she spoke. 

“That’s not a good idea for a new coven,” Kian chimed in. 

Shema gave me a weary look. “I don’t trust him.” 

“I do. For better or worse he’s agreed to help us.” 

Shema walked towards me, her arms still folded. I could feel the magick rolling off of her. One thing I knew about magick, it was very tied to emotions. “You better be right. Or we’re all dead.” 

“I am. I know him,” I said. 

“That doesn’t mean I trust you,” she said. I barely know you. How am I supposed to be able to trust you when we just met?”

“You just have to,” I said. 

I watched her walk from the room and felt myself wondering the same thing was she right? Was this whole thing a mistake? What if he decided to turn on us? No I couldn’t think about that right now we had to make sure our wards were good so that we could defend ourselves from anything that could come our way, as much as I wanted to worry about this old, I didn’t have time I had to worry about how I was going to protect them. They were my responsibility as much as I hated it. They were my thing and there was nothing I could do to protect them on my own.

I turned back to Khloe, “ are you ready for a fight?.

She kind of half smiled at me and said, “ I’m always ready for a fight.”

I believed her too. She came in here drunk as shit, but there was a part of her that knew what she was getting into and maybe a part of her that was just fine with everything that we were about to face. I mean, if anyone she knew something about the supernatural world. I didn’t know much about her, but I did know that she dabbled in things my mom would never have approved of. 

“That was easier than I thought,” Kian said. I slid my gaze to him and shook my head.

“ You thought it was easy? I still have to look at these women every day,” I said. That was something I dreaded just a little bit. Like how was I supposed to tell them about Kian?

How was I going to explain myself to them? They didn’t know anything about Kian. I mean they knew I knew him but they didn’t know where or what kind of relationship it was. They didn’t know we once were going to run away together or that we had this complicated thing going on that, how I even explain it? I’d met these women not even 24 hours ago and I was expected to explain to them everything in my life because it was affecting us now. 

And now we had to work on fighting for our own survival and we didn’t even know what we are fighting against. I sighed and stood from the couch even though my leg was killing me. “Kian, since you’re the one that can travel, take Callie and go see if the other covenant can help us.”

“Is not really the best option right now?” He stood. “We don’t know when they’re coming.” He crossed his arms and kept his eyes on me. There was definitely some worry behind those eyes but I ignored it.

“This is the only option we have right now,” I said. “If we don’t allies, will never be able to stop them.”

“I understand that, but don’t you need all your power here?” He paced a little bit. A part of me wondered if maybe he was right. It was potentially a bad idea to send half of our power, and is arguably some of the strongest somewhere else.

“We don’t have a choice,” I said. We had to do this if we didn’t, who knew what would happen to us. We had to rely on each other, even if we didn’t really know each other yet. The only way we would be able to get through this is if we put our power together. Unfortunately, that meant that Callie had to leave for little bit. But my hope was should be back before anything else happened. We just had to get through the night without her and without Kian. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Kian

Folding the world around me was pretty easy. All I had to do was think about where I was going and then we were there. I did not like the idea of leaving Iana just to take care of this. But I was there to help her, even if all I wanted to do was take her back to my house, and lock her in my room and keep her there until all of this passed. 

” We are almost there.” I glanced at Callie. She seemed to have a little bit of trouble with the traveling. It can be overwhelming for people that haven’t done it before, but it was usually pretty quick. This time the fold was taking a little bit longer. Probably because we were going so far. Normally I only went to within the city or in the state. But for this time, we had to go clear to another state nearly 400 miles away. While traveling this way was faster than by car, it did have its challenges. Especially for people that hadn’t done it before.

“I’m doing okay,” she said, but the lack of color on her face was telling a different story. She looked like she might just get sick. If she throws up on me I’m freaking out. I didn’t sign up for that.

We stepped out of the fold and was standing in the center of the city. It was odd, because normally which is lived on the outskirts of town. But it seemed this  coven decided they wanted to be right in the heart of the city. Right in the heart of Seattle Washington.

I quickly pulled Callie to the edge of the street. For some reason when we stepped out of the fold we ended up almost in the center of a busy street. The air was cold and wet, pretty much like what Oregon had but it was a little bit colder than normal. We were close to winter time already so it made sense of the weather was colder and wetter than normal but it was Seattle the one place where the sun didn’t like to shine and a lot of different supernatural creatures like to live. This could make things complicated.

“Do you know where this coven lives?” I glanced around because we would’ve ended up exactly where that coven was if she was doing it right. All she had to do was think about them, and we drop right where they were. But something told me that this was not exactly correct. I mean we pretty much ended up in the middle of the street.

“I know they live in Seattle. I know they live somewhere within the center district,” she said.

“That doesn’t tell us much.” I ran my hand through my hair and shook my head. “We have to be able to find them and quickly so we can get back to Iana and the rest of the girls.”

“I know that,” she said, crossing her arms and looking around nervously. “I can try summoning spell.”

“Would that even work?”

“Just because my specialty is earth magick, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use other magick.” She stepped away from me towards a little area with more grass and trees. It looked like a small park there was a bench in the center and a large tree behind it. It looks kind of weird in the middle of the city especially with all the bustling lights and the cars going back and forth on the street. But she still found it.

She took a seat on the little bench, and closed her eyes. I stayed on the sidewalk, not far from her just to make sure everything was okay. The last thing we wanted was anybody attacking us here. Although, I didn’t think that would be a problem considering the fact we were in a completely different state and a completely different city. The problem was there was no way to know if they knew we were coming here, especially if it was the which counsel that put the head out on them in the first place. They might have ways of figuring out what our next move was, and what we have planned.

I watched Callie as she worked the magick, the air seemed to thin and the tree started to blow. It was a weird feeling considering I’d never been around witches that were doing a lot of magick, with the exception of Iana. But her magick felt completely different. Callie on the other hand, her magic felt more grounded, more like it centered on the earth, which it did because she was in earth witch. I guess that made sense.

I half expected the coven to show up in the little park either right behind Callie, or somewhere in front of us. But when she opened her eyes, it was more like she knew exactly where they were. Witch magick was definitely different from anything warlocks ever did.

“I know where they are,” she said. “But they are not going to be happy that you’re here.”

“They’ll have to get over it,” I said and took a step towards her. “Iana sent me here to do this, and I will do anything to protect her.”

“I know you will,” she said, with a smile on her face. “You love her.”

“It doesn’t matter. She will never love me after what happened.”

“You might be surprised.” Callie took a step towards me that same wicked smile on her face. “There is a part of her that still loves you.”

“After what happened,” I shook my head, the memory of everything that happened between us making it hard to breathe. “There’s no way she will ever trust me again.”

“Then why the hell did she call you?”

That was a good question. I hadn’t thought about why the hell she would call me except for maybe because I had power, and she needed that. She needed the protection, the help. Something. But she also had all that within the coven. So why did she call me? Were there really feelings there that she couldn’t deny? The thought threatened to awaken some of those old feelings again. I mean I had to admit those feelings were never truly gone, but I kept them under wraps for so long, denied them because it was better to deny them and keep her safe then to fall all over which that didn’t want anything to do with me and be banished from the warlock council. If I couldn’t have Iana, the only other thing left was power.

And I had that just by being where I was in the family I came from.

Maybe that was all she wanted was that insurance of power, but I couldn’t deny the part of me hoped it was because she still had feelings for me somewhere in there.

Maybe I was caught holding on the hope that I shouldn’t be, but I would still do anything to keep her alive.

Going back was pretty easy. I knew Iana was going to be a little mad that I left Callie there by herself, but she seemed to know what she was doing and I was afraid my presence would cause more problems than it was worth. I stared at the little house for a minute trying to figure out what I was going to say to her exactly. It was weird how the moon positioned itself behind it and the light from it shined through the trees. Almost like the universe itself was giving me the courage to tell her everything. 

She didn’t know about the Council and what they done. She didn’t know that the person she should be fighting, were the very people that put her in this position in the first place. How was I going to tell her? 

I decided it didn’t matter and walked to the house. I was immediately stopped by the wards they were much stronger than they were the last time I was there. I couldn’t help but smile. The fact she actually listened to anything I said, was impressive. The problem was now I couldn’t get back inside. I guess I just have to get her attention.

I pulled the shadows back into me. While every warlock has some command on shadows, not everyone could do the same kind of magick. One of the best ways I could use the magic of the shadows, was to use it as kind of a shield. I could send my form into the house, but I couldn’t actually go into it without any help.

I close my eyes and took a breath. The wards were strong, but they had small kinks where the women hadn’t figured out how to link their magick completely yet. Just as I was getting ready to slide my astral self through the ward, I felt a presence behind me. 

“Back already?” 

I turned and met Shema’s gaze. Her arms were crossed and she looked like she was ready to take me out. “I thought it was better to let Callie talk to them on her own.” 

Shema eyed me for a minute. She didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. “And now you can’t get back in,” she said.

“That’s why I was going to try to get some attention,” I said. I was going to tell her how I was going to see what Iana was doing just to get another look at her.

“You know, I’m tempted not to let you back inside.” She stepped towards me and I can feel her power starting to rise, like she saw me as a threat. “But if I did that, then Iana would probably never forgive me.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because for whatever reason, she seems to trust you,” she said, taking another step towards me. “But I don’t.”

“Fair enough,” I said, as I kept my eyes locked on her.

“So, let’s get you back inside before we get attacked by anything else.” She took a step past me before turning back. “Unless, you know who’s attacking us.”

“If I knew who was attacking you, I would’ve already taken them out.”

Shema kept her eyes on me for a moment before out stretching her hand. I didn’t say anything else as I took it mostly because there was no other way to get back in. I guess I could’ve made her go get Iana instead of her doing it, but how would that of look to Iana to not trust one of her coven sisters?

“Lead the way,” I said, and took her hand. As soon as we were past the barrier, I let go and headed straight for the door. She stepped in front of me blocking my way.

“You can’t just barge in,” she said shaking her head, her brows furled. I was about to object when I felt the shift. We want the only one standing there. The only difference was, they were on the outside of the barrier. I snapped my gaze to Shema, who must have already realized they were there. She was looking past me towards the trees on the other side of the street. I followed her gaze and was met with the eyes of a man followed by two others, but they weren’t just men, they were vampires. 

“Fucking great,” I said and glanced back to Shema. “You should go get the others.” 

She didn’t take her eyes off of the vampires as they crept closer. “They can’t get past the wards,” she said. “They’ll just stand there all night watching.” 

“Unless, they find a way through.” I looked back at them in their almost punk rock outfits. Who knows how long ago they were turned, and they seemed unbothered by the fact we were there. They were clearly ready for a fight. 

“Shema,” I said again. 

“We’re safe in here,” She repeated. “They can’t get in.”

“There are cracks in your protections.” I glanced at her. “I can feel them, they probably can too.” 

“Cracks aren’t them getting through.” She looked back at them. They were standing on the edge of the wards, seemingly looking at the magick to find a weak spot. The one running the show glanced right at me, his light eyes piercing into me like he knew who I was and why I was there. A smirk came to his face and he pulled the magick out of the nearest ward.

“Shema, get Iana and Khloe. You’re going to need them,” I snapped. 

Shema didn’t even take a second to get the dam door open and we were filing our way inside. I slammed the door close behind us, and glanced around the little area before the stairs. I finally laid my eyes on a heavy coat rack with a storage container at the bottom. It seemed like it would be heavy enough to maybe keep the door from being opened for a little bit, but if they decided to come through the windows, which they probably would, we would be in trouble.

She’d already made her way up the stairs, presumably to get the rest of the women while I stood at the door, magick waiting. If anyone tried to get in, I could at least maybe hold them back with some of the magick I had. I heard shouting from upstairs, but couldn’t make out who was yelling.

“Kian, get your ass up here,” a woman yelled.

I snap my gaze to the stairs, and realized it was Iana yelling for me. At that moment all I could think about was if she was okay or something it happened. I ran up the stairs faster than I think I’ve ever ran up any stairs in my life, and down the hallway to her room. As soon as I hit the doorway I could see the vampire standing in the center of the room. She was on the far side near the window pulling magick from any direction she could. She’d somehow created a shield that was keeping the vampire from getting a hold of her.

I stepped inside and every bit of restraint in keeping my magick in check was gone. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Iana

I felt myself slipping back as the vampire pulled at my magick. He wasn’t just taking it down, he was absorbing it. Eventually, I’d get to a point when I wouldn’t have the power to stop him anymore. 

Kian appeared out of the corner of my eye and the feel in the room changed. The air became heavy, like not just shadows were overtaking it but something dark and dangerous. 

He grabbed the vampire and threw him back, just as I fell back in exhaustion. My leg felt like it was on fire and I had no idea how we were going to stop him. I decided to try something different. Reaching deep into myself, I reached for the connection I had with the others. Each one had a unique feel to it, just like when we were in the circle. 

I reached for Shema’s and pulled at it, pulling her power to me. My hands heated up and I felt like my skin was on fire. It took everything I had to hold that power, but as soon as I opened my eyes, I could see the flames licking at my fingers. 

There was one way to kill a vampire when you couldn’t use your magick. 

Fire.

I pushed the flames at him as he headed for Kian. They pushed along the floor and snaked up the vampire’s leg. He turned just enough to see me before I pushed every bit of fire power I had at him. 

The vampire turned towards me and took one step before his skin melted from his body and ash fell to the floor. 

I fell back onto my ass and released the fire I’d pulled from Shema. Kian hurried towards me and pulled me up into him. For a moment, I felt safe in his arms. I let the calm of his touch take my mind off what just happened. He was my safe place once and a part of me wanted so badly for him to be again. 

“Iana,” Kian said simply as he held me. “I’m not leaving again.” 

I opened my eyes and raised my head. “You have to.” Even as I said the words, they felt wrong. I wanted him here, with me. Why couldn’t I admit it to myself. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Shema said, leaning on the doorway. “The vampires took off after I started lighting them up.” She glanced at the ashes and raised an eyebrow. 

“I guess we can call to each others power,” I said simply, pushing Kian away and scooting from him. 

“No, you can do that.” She watched me closely. “You’re spirit. You have the dominion of all the elements. That’s why you’re in charge.” 

I dropped my gaze. This was all wrong. I never wanted this. The pressure alone was enough to make me break, but now with all these creatures and magick users on our ass, how the hell was I going to make sure everyone was safe? I had no business being the leader. I felt my chest tighten and my breathing stalled. I felt like the world was falling down around me. 

“Iana,” Kian said, stepping closer. “Breathe.” 

I waved him away. His presence was making it worse. I just wanted him to leave, but also to let him pull me closer. Everything was everywhere and I had no idea what I wanted. 

“I’m going to take her back to my place. You guys should leave too.” He sighed. “Do you have somewhere to go?” 

“I have my mom’s. I can take Khloe,” Shema said, “but we can’t stay gone forever.” 

“Just a couple days to give her a break,” he said, looking back to me. 

“I’m not a child,” I snapped. My chest still felt too tight to think and everything was spinning. 

“I didn’t say you were, but you’re having a panic attack and staying here is just going to make it worse,” Kian said, picking me up and helping me to my feet. “Plus that wound on your leg is still too fresh.” 

“We can’t run,” I almost yelled. 

“We’re not. We are regrouping,” he said, pulling me to him and glancing at Shema one last time. “If you need to come to my place, just call the number in Iana’s phone.” He tossed my phone to her and I felt the panic attack giving way to anger. 

“You took my phone?” I tried to push away from him, but he held tight. “You fucking asshole.” 

He didn’t say anything and the world folded into darkness. I felt my stomach flip and couldn’t decide if it was the traveling or the anger. But when it righted itself we were standing in a bedroom I recognized from another life. The one I always thought we’d live, but never could. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Fifteen

Ten Years Prior

I stood outside my house, occasionally looking back to the door to make sure my mom wasn’t awake. The backpack I had full of my shit was straining my back. Finally, a car crested the hill and stopped on the side of the street in front of me. 

The window rolled down and Kian raised his eyebrows at me. “Are you coming or not?” 

I smiled and opened the passenger door, getting in beside him. He threw the car into drive and we started moving. The night air felt good on my face and the radio playing the music he knew I liked bellowed through the car. 

This was it. This was the beginning of everything I wanted. 

Only it wasn’t and even I didn’t see the truck that barrelled into the drivers side of the car. Everything went silent and moved so slowly the way the door caved in around Kian and the glass shattered. The car spun, making my hair slap me in the face and my neck to whip my head into the headrest and then the passenger window. 

I locked eyes with him before the car finally came to a stop and he gave me a forced smile, but when I looked down at the rest of his body, I knew what was about to happen. 

I reached for him, but was pulled from the car by people I didn’t know and laid on the concrete. 

“Just stay still. Help is on the way,” a voice said. Lights shined in my eyes and then everything went black. 

I took in a sharp breath and opened my eyes. The lights were bright and everything was quiet except for the beeping of the monitors. The hospital was pretty standard. A small room with a bed in the center and machines to my right making sure I was still breathing and wasn’t actively dying. 

“Kian,” I said to myself. 

A man stood on the far end of the room. He wasn’t someone I recognized and the hairs on my arms stood on end. He was dressed in a black suit with dark hair and eyes. The air around him smelled like wet earth and decay. I knew exactly what he was. 

A reaper. 

“Is he…?” I couldn’t bear to say it. 

The man nodded. 

My chest tightened and tears welled in my eyes. 

“But he’s not gone.”

I glanced at him confused. 

“He’s a warlock. This is his transition,” he said, keeping his dark eyes on me. I watched him, still confused by what he was telling me. 

“You don’t know how warlocks are made,” he said with a slight smile. He stepped closer. “They die a human and are reborn a warlock.”

“So, he’s got magick now,” I said.

the man nodded. “Among other things.”

“This is what he was protecting me from,” I said, letting my eyes fall shut. He told me his father wanted him to take over his legacy even though he wanted nothing to do with it. This is what he meant. It wasn’t just about money and the power. I knew he was a warlock, but never that this was how it happened. Only that he had no powers and didn’t want them. 

“His family will blame you for his early transition,” he said. “They will keep you from him.” 

“I love him,” I said. 

“I know.” He put his hand on my blanket covered leg, the cold of his grip seeping into my bones. “I will see you three more times. The last will be your own death.” 

“Why tell me that?” I asked and he smiled.

“So, you’re ready.” 

“Ready for what?” I kept my eyes on him. 

“For what’s to come.” He stepped back. “Iana, you are stronger than you think. Let them in.” 

I wrinkled my nose in confusion as I heard voices in the hallway and glanced to the door. When I looked again, he was gone. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Sixteen

“What the fuck are you doing?” I stepped away from him just as quickly as we landed. The last thing I wanted was him touching me after he practically stole me from what was considered my mission. “We can’t just leave,” I spat.

“You’re in no condition to fight,” he said, taking a step towards me.

I put my hands up to stop him. “Stay away from me.” The last thing I wanted was him touching me right.

“Look at you. You can’t even stand.” He stepped towards me just as I lost my balance and started to fall. He wrapped his hands around my arm keeping me on my feet. “We need time.”

“It looks like we’ve given up,” I said. I didn’t want to give that impression to anyone that might be looking to start a fight. We needed to look strong, we needed to look like we can hold our own. Running didn’t give that impression. “When they come to find us, and were not there, they’re going to think they won.”

“Iana, there is no one coming if you’re not there.” He helped me the couple of steps to the bed, and sat down with me. “There’s something you don’t know.”

“Why would you keep things from me?” I stared at him for a moment. The look in his eyes was almost as though he was afraid of what my reaction would be for what he was going to tell me. “Just tell me what it is.”

“Iana, this bounty wasn’t put on you from any enemy.” He hesitated, “it was the witches.”

There was no way what he was telling me was true. He had to be mistaken, he had to have been given the wrong information from someone. Why would they do that? What would even be the point of the witch’s council doing something like that? “It has to be a lie,” I whispered. It had to be.

“I wish it was. I wish that it was the warlocks or the vampires, but it’s not.” He put his hands on my shoulders, seemingly keeping himself from pulling me to him. Part of me wanted him to. A part of me wanted him to just hold me and tell me that everything was okay, and that the people I didn’t try to trust with my own life, was saving my family, hadn’t just put a hit on me. It was almost more than I could bear.

As though he was reading my mind, he pulled me to him and I didn’t fight. I let his strong arms hold me there. Just like they had so many years ago. Just like I’d hoped would always happen. Even after everything we’ve been through, after all the lies, and all the deception. I still wanted him. I still wanted him to hold me, I still wanted him love me.

Kian pulled back a little put some distance between us. I didn’t tell him all the things I was thinking. What would be the point? We both made our decisions, and there was nothing that could change that. Even if I told him how I felt, even if I told him that I loved him and I never stopped. It didn’t matter.

“You’re safe here,” he said, standing from the bed. “Give your leg time to heal. Give your Magick time to heal.”

“What did that vampire do to me?”

“The best way to put it, is he was siphoning your power. When vampires kill witches, when they drink their blood, they take their power.” He met my gaze as he spoke. “I don’t know why they were siphoning yours, instead of taking it.”

“Maybe it was too much,” I said, letting my gaze drop. “Since my Magick is connected to the rest of the coven, it makes sense that could be too much power for one person to hold.”

“Except for you,” he said with a smirk on his face. “I always knew that you could hold more power than anyone else.”

I shook my head, but couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t know everything that I could do. Even I didn’t know everything I could do before I joined the coven. But now with this amount of power, it felt like my world was just too much. Stress of everything, stress of leading a group of people and then finding out we had to deal with a bounty, it almost broke me today. “Too much power.”

“If it was then you wouldn’t be able to handle it. You can.” He turned to face me again. “Iana, you can do much more than you think.”

“What did they tell you about me when you became a warlock?”

“Just the same thing that I already knew,” he said with a shrug. “I just have a feeling.”

I watched him for a moment, and realized I still knew his tells. He was lying to me. Why, I didn’t know, but nothing he was telling me was true.

“I’m only agreeing to stay until my leg heals,” I said. “Make sure you’re using as much Magick as possible to help me heal. The shorter amount of time I’m here, the better.”

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Kian

I closed the door to the extra bedroom. A part of me regretted that I lied to her, but she couldn’t know the truth. She couldn’t know that I was already approached from the warlocks in hopes that would allow them to hurt her coven and keep her myself. The truth was, Bracos was a powerful warlock. One I didn’t want to piss off directly. Even though we hadn’t been in charge for a while, he still had a lot of people within the council that would do anything for him.

So as far as he knew, I was playing by his rules. When he came trying to figure out what was going on, I probably would have to come up with some excuse. But for now, he didn’t need to know what was going on.

And neither did Iana.

I made my way down to the library, and glanced at the books I had. Most were my father’s. He was a collector magick books, but most of them I wasn’t allowed to look at until I became a warlock. The whole process was rather clinical and against my will if I’m being honest. It destroyed everything. But now maybe I could use it to at least help someone I cared about.

Or at least try.

I felt the energy shift before I heard him speak, and turned around to look at him as soon as he had materialized in my library.

“I see you have the which here,” Bracos said, his arms crossed but a slight smirk on his face, like he knew what he was doing.

“I told you that I would keep her safe no matter what anyone through it them.”

“And that was something that you were expected to do. But we do need to talk about the rest of them,” Bracos said, his tone becoming a little more stern.

“The rest of them are my concern.” I glanced back at the books, and pulled one from the shelf. It was an old book about spell work in the different worlds around us. I opened it and flipped through it as though I couldn’t care less about what he was saying.

“Then where are they?” He took a step towards me, and I leaned against the wall behind me.

“That seems to be a problem that you need to handle,” I said, finally looking up from my book. Bracos seemed to be a little stressed, and that was interesting to say the least. Why would he care what was going on with the coven? “Why do you need to find the others?”

“The whole point of this little deal, was so that you could have your witch, and I could clear the board.”

“You never said anything about wanting the whole coven gone.” I watched him as I spoke. “I get the feeling there’s more power there than you’d like to handle.”

“That’s not your concern, Kian.” Bracos took another step towards me, and I could feel the energy rising around us. He was getting more and more agitated the more we spoke. “Careful, you don’t want to be on my bad side when I come back to the council.”

“How do you know the Council will even take you back?” I realized by challenging him, this could make him more of an enemy that I’d have to deal with later, but at this point maybe it didn’t make a difference. There was clearly something there that was making him nervous, and that was making me more and more interested in finding out what it was.

“You know Kian, your pissing me off more and more the longer you speak. Do you know what they are or not?” He took another step. The way the energy almost choked me with how thick it was, it was almost overwhelming. There was no way that Iana wasn’t feeling this shift as much as I was. The last thing I wanted was him knowing exactly where she was, or how weak she seemed to be at this moment.

“I don’t know where they are.” All I can hope is that he didn’t realize I was lying to him, but I was going to do my best to protect them at least a little if only for Iana’s sake. I was going to give the rest of the women a fighting chance.

“They’re going to contact Iana at some point. When they do, let me know.” Before I could say anything more, he was gone.

At least we had a little more time, but how much I didn’t know.

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Iana

The next morning, after I’d had a chance to digest everything Kian said to me, all I wanted to do was get my phone back and tell the others. They had to know that we couldn’t trust our own witches council. If they were truly the ones putting the bounty on us, then we didn’t have very many people we could trust. All I could hope is that Callie had gotten in touch with the other coven in Washington, and was able to get them on our side. At least then we might have a fighting chance.

I made my way from the bedroom down the hallway, limping every step of the way. The hallway still at the same as it did ten years ago. The floor was still that same dark wood that I remembered sneaking through the house looking at with Kian. I remember the way it smelled. All of the paintings that Kian’s father loved so much, were still lining the walls. It was almost as if Kian didn’t even want to touch anything in the house after his father’s death. It was hard losing a parent, that much I knew from my own experience losing my father when I was young, but to lose both would be a tragedy.

Making my way down the stairs, was much harder than I thought it would be. Each step sent a new tinge of pain into my leg. While the damn thing had stopped bleeding, it still was a deep wound that would take months to heal without any kind of magick. At least I knew that’s Kian like to use healing magick he learned from his family so it wouldn’t take that long. If everything went right my leg should be healed within a few days.The magick being drained on the other hand, that was something different entirely. That was a mental thing only I could fix.

“It’s good to see you again, Iana,” a familiar voice said just as I got to the bottom of the stairs.

I glanced up to meet the gaze of someone very familiar. “Marta, it’s good to see you.”

“It’s been ages since you’ve been here. How are you?” The old woman looked me up and down, her brown eyes settling on my leg, and she shook her head. “It looks like you need some help.”

“It looks worse than it is.” I forced a smile, but she could see right through it I’m sure. “Kian is going to help me with this.”

“It’s good to see you two together again,” she said.

“We’re not together,” I said, hurriedly. The fact that she wanted to see us together again didn’t escape me. The feelings, they were still there at least for me, but it had been so long, and things had changed so much there was no way this was going to work. He was my friend, that was all. That was all he could ever be, no matter how much Marta or Kian or even myself wanted it to be different. I had a covenant to lead and I couldn’t think about love or old flames.

“That’s a shame. You’re good for him and he’s good for you.” She smiled before she stepped past me, and headed up the stairs.

I shuffled my way through the living room area, the same one that I’d been in the first time Kian brought me here, and turned to my left towards the old chef’s kitchen. The same dark wood that was prevalent through the rest of the home lined the walls and the floor the kitchen. I glanced up at the ceiling, and remembered how the beams always seem to be my favorite place to look when I was sitting in here. They used to have flowers that would wrap around them when his mother was alive. Now they sat bare, only the wood visible.

“I’m surprised you could make it all the way down here,” Kian said from across the room. I dropped my gaze to him sitting at the giant wood table his family used in the kitchen. There were only a couple of chairs there pushed up against the wall so some of the staff could use it if they wanted to. Kian was the only person that lived there who ever used it.

“Why because I’m so weak I can’t do anything?” I was being snarky this morning, but he kind of deserved it for being such a jerk yesterday.

“No, but you are pretty injured.”

“I still fought off a vampire,” I said, as I walked towards him. I took a seat in one of the other chairs against the wall, and carefully elevated my foot on the other one. I hadn’t had a chance to get any painkillers this morning, so the pain was almost too much. But there was no way I was going to show that in my face. The last thing I wanted was him making a big fuss about me and my injuries today. “Have you heard from Shema?”

“They made it to her mom’s okay,” he said, taking a sip of coffee. “Callie contacted me today too.”

“Did she find the coven?” This was the last thing I could hope for with everything going on. “How did she contact you?”

“She found the coven before I even left,” he said, setting the coffee cup down on the table. “I gave her my phone number so she could call me when she found them, and I could get her if she needed me to.”

“Did you tell them?” I kept my eyes locked on him as I spoke. He better have told them about the witches council. They needed to know so they can protect themselves, and so they didn’t contact them and give them a heads up of where we were. While we were hidden, we at least had some type of advantage. The longer we could take time and figure out our next move, the better off would be.

“I told them.” He didn’t look at me when he spoke. Maybe I been a little too hard on, but he should’ve told me in first place. If he cared so much about me he should have been honest.

“I need you to heal my leg,” I said, my gaze never leaving his. He finally met it, and a little bit of regret seemed to flash in his eyes. “The sooner I’m at least physically strong enough to get back, the better.”

“I can heal your leg, but you also need to find your power again,” he said.

“Let’s handle one problem at a time.” The more I looked at him, the more I can feel those old feelings. The more this place felt at home for me, and it was making me angry. I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t want to be where all these old memories were of him and me.

The sooner I can get out of here, the better.

I waited in the living room on that same couch from the other night for him to do any of his healing magick. It wasn’t something that was natural to him, because of the nature of his magick. Warlock magick comes from the darker side of magick itself. So, it makes it harder for warlocks to do healing when they want to. The thing was Kian always had some degree of skill with it even before he was a warlock.

Kian walked into the room, and paused for a moment at the doorway. His gaze met mine and there was something behind it I couldn’t quite place. It seemed as though while he wasn’t happy that I was here, he didn’t want to make it easier for me to leave. He wanted me here, even if he couldn’t admitted himself.

“I can heal you a little bit at a time,” he said, kneeling down to look at my leg. “If I try to pull too much healing at one time, it’s going to make me weak. We don’t want that. At least one of us needs to be able to defend us should the need come up.”

“I understand,” I said, nodding my head in acceptance. He was right. If someone knew that I was here, and they decided to attack us, we would need somebody to be able to defend us. I wasn’t able to do that yet. At least not until my physical self was healed, then I can work on my magick and hopefully be able to turn it around.

“It won’t feel good, but it will feel better than leaving your wound exposed like this.” He slowly lifted my pant leg, and looked at the wound itself. I hadn’t been taking good care of it since we left the first time. My mind just wasn’t on what could happen with my leg. “You really should have kept this wrapped.”

“I know, but there were bigger things I was worrying about,” I said. I flinched slightly as he continued to turn my leg to get a better look at the extent of the bite.

“You’re lucky that it takes more than just a bite to turn you into a wolf,” he said, a slight smirk on his face. “Do you know much about will shifters?”

“I know they exist, obviously.”

“But do you know the story of how they started?” He glanced up at me, and I can feel him with one hand on the top of my calf, and the other working whatever magick he used for his healing. It was warm, and the longer he held the magick there, the hotter it got.

I didn’t answer him, I just shook my head no.

“The shifters were always just wolves here, there’s a lot of animal shifters to. Some of them come from the ocean, some of them come from the land. They all lived here once. The warlocks made a deal with them, and they went back to their worlds. Many of them still are there, and some of the warlocks made other deals with them to contain their power. The only ones that didn’t go were the wolves. They wanted to stay, and it created problems for the warlocks.”

“Is that why there’s not many left?”

“That’s why many of the clans are spread out,” he said, glancing up at me. “They were the ones that didn’t give in.”

“So why all the hate for the witches?” I didn’t understand. Witches were also pushed down by the warlocks. If the wolves were looking for an ally, they would’ve had it in the witches.

“Because the witches made a deal with the warlocks first,” he said, pulling his hands away from my leg. “That’s how they chose to stay alive, instead of fighting against the warlocks in the beginning, they made a deal with them.”

“They don’t teach that in my schools,” I joked. The witch’s counsel made it clear that we only had a couple choices. We either married the warlocks and make peace that way, or enter coven and hold the magick we had apparently, over everyone else.

“I don’t think they teach that anywhere.” He stepped back, but paused for a second, keeping his eyes on me. “There are so many systems at play here, and we just either have to go along with it, or fight it.”

“But they don’t want us to know that, do they?” The heat in my leg where he was healing me, spread upward. Like my whole body was being healed in a way.

Kian kept his gaze on mine, even as he sat beside me, his hand brushing my arm just slightly. “Iana, I know what happened between us, but having you here again, I don’t want to lose you.”

“You know that we can’t be together. I’m in the coven, that takes everything away from me. That takes all the choices.” I watched him closely, but the only thing I wanted to do was feel his skin again. I wanted to feel him again. I wanted to feel like me, the me that I was so many years ago. The me I was before I lost him.

“We’re together right now,” he said, his hand brushing a stray hair from my face. His fingers barely touching my skin and sending heat through my body. “Iana, I love you. I will always love you.”

I wanted to say the words. I wanted to tell him I left him too, I wanted to tell him everything. All I had to do was just let go, to just let him in again even if it was only for night.

“I love you too.”

He leaned in and I didn’t pull away. When his lips touched mine it was just like before. Just like it always should have been. 

His fingers brushed against my waist and I pushed closer to him. All I wanted was to be in his arms again, to feel him around me and know  I was safe even if it was only tonight and never again. I didn’t care. 

“I meant what I said. I’m never letting you go again.”

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Nineteen

I slowly opened my eyes, and glanced around the room. This was the last place I thought I would be, and the last person I thought it would be with. Carefully, I turned to my side, watching Kian sleep. All those old feelings had come rushing back last night, and now I wasn’t sure I could put them back in the box.

His eyes slowly opened and he smiled at me. “Good morning,” he said, stretching just a little in the bed.

“I didn’t expect this,” I said, keeping my eyes on him. Everything about what it happened felt right. He felt right.

“I know. I didn’t either.”

“How do we handle this?” I knew that everyone would be not just surprised, but also potentially angry. The Council wouldn’t approve, that much was for sure.

“Maybe no one has to know.”

I sat up and leaned against the headboard. “No, I’m not doing it that way.” I turned my gaze to him. “If we are really doing this, it has to be all the way.”

“You want me to go against the warlocks,” he said, still laying on the bed, his eyes on me.

“This might just be the change that could help everyone.”

“I don’t think one person, or in this case two, is going to change much.” He sat up and wrapped his arms around me. “It could start a war.”

“Everything could. We have to start somewhere.”

“I don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire,” he said, letting his fingers lightly brush my arms as he held me tightly.

“I already am. For whatever reason, everyone wants us dead.” I leaned back into him a little bit more. I like the feeling of him holding me, of helping me feel like everything was safe, and that I was safe in this very moment. The problem was it wasn’t sustainable. The moment I left this room, I’d be right back in the middle of it. Right back into the middle of all the danger I ran from.

“Well, that won’t happen,” he said. “You have me, and your coven to help keep us all safe.”

“Maybe, but will that really be enough?” The truth was I didn’t know if having Kian on our side was going to be enough. We still had to deal with the wolves, and now the vampires that were sure to try to hunt us down. Since we killed one of their own, they would come at full force. It wouldn’t be just about the bounty, or what they could gain from us. It would be about revenge, and we may not be ready for them.

“I’m sure Callie is talk to that coven by now. She’ll be contacting me soon.”

“At least if we have the wolves on her side, will have some leverage,” I said. I still have the Council to deal with. What they’d done violated every rule within the witch community. If I exposed them, it would undermine everything they taught all of us. It would cause chaos within all of the covens. They feel like no one was safe. Maybe, they were right.

“If the wolves are working with us and the other coven, you’ll have enough power to potentially take on the witches council.” 

I shook my head. “I doubt even that is enough to take them on. All the witches fall in line with them. It’s going to take so much more,” I said. 

“But it’s a start.” 

My leg was doing much better today, even after last night. I thought maybe he’d lent me some of that healing power he’d managed to use while we were invested in other things. 

Waling down the stairs to the kitchen was a lot easier today. My leg was still red and angry, but the deep wounds were closed and the pain was so more like I’d hit it on the table or ran into something than having it almost ripped off my body. 

I smiled at the thought of the way he touched me and how he’d told me everything even when he thought it might make me mad or change how I felt about him. All those old feelings, the old ways we’d loved each other came back in an instant and I was just fine with that. Everything was changing, but it felt like I could handle it as long as Kian was with me. 

“I heard back from Callie,” Kian said the minute I stepped into the kitchen. 

“You couldn’t wait until I made something to eat?” I smiled at him as I spoke and he laughed slightly. 

“I guess I could have, but I figured you want me to tell you sooner rather than later,” he said, writing something in his notebook. 

I glanced at the page but couldn’t read anything. It was like it was written in  clear ink. “What are you doing?” 

He hesitated but set the notebook down and looked at me. “I’m drafting something to bring to the council.” 

“Like what?” I pushed. The more things he kept from me, the harder this whole thing would be for the both of us. I wanted it to work, but if he couldn’t be honest, it never would.

“Something to change how the warlocks work with the rest of the community. It’s time for change and I have a way to do something,” he said. 

I smiled at him. Maybe this would work after all.  “Get some food. Callie will be back soon.”

“Hopefully, today. Regardless, we have to show the council we know and they can’t push us around.” 

“I think that will be easy enough now that your power is back,” he said. 

“Not just my power. Every woman in the covens.” 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Twenty

The house looked like no one bothered it the last couple of nights, thankfully. Even the bits of magick still left were untouched. 

“It feels off,” I said.

“Because the magick isn’t working.” He glanced at me. “You’ll have to reset your wards.” 

“That will take time,” I said. It wouldn’t be too long, but it was long enough if someone wanted us dead, they might be able to make it happen. 

“We don’t have a lot of time.” My hope was that Shema, Khloe, and Lexa would get there soon. If they were here, we’d be able to set up the wards a little bit faster. The quicker we got it done, the better would be.

“We should go inside,” Kian said. He was right, we shouldn’t be standing out here where everyone can see us. Anyone that maybe watching the house, would know that we were back, and be able to start thinking about how they may attack us. The thought made me nervous, and I glanced around us checking for anybody looking or any magick that I might be able to feel.

“I don’t think anybody’s around.”

“You might not be able to feel every magick that exists,” he said. “There are a lot of different magick in the world, and witches don’t always talk about every single one.”

“The fact that you know that, as a little bit off-putting,” I said, glancing at him again. Trying to read him was like trying to read a brick wall. He was very good at keeping his secrets. That was part of the reason our relationship didn’t work out in the first place. I just hope we weren’t going down that same road again now that we had reconnected like we had.

“I read a lot, remember.” He didn’t look at me as he walks towards the house. I hurried to catch up. I didn’t really want to be out there on my own, and vulnerable potentially. He probably knew that, and that was why he was walking away like he was. So that I would follow and he wouldn’t have to say anything about it again.

Once we got to the door, I heard a car pull up and glanced at the still open door to see who was. Although, I already had an idea.

Shema park her little black sports car at the edge of the driveway and opened her door. Lexa and Khloe also got out of the car, and they all walked towards the door. Lexa was the first to look up and see me standing in the doorway. She smiled at me, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

“It’s good to see you’re okay,” Lexa said. I couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see that she cared, even though we barely knew each other. Maybe there was something to this coven sisterhood after all.

“Yeah, I think I’m much better today.”

Lexa’s gaze slid past me and settled on Kian for second before she looked back at me and a slight smile came to her lips. “Yeah, I can see why.”

I didn’t say anything to her to dispute it, because she was right, but I also wasn’t going to get into the complicated thing that was my relationship with Kian. Right now we had to think about getting the wards back up, and then how we were going to approach the Council with the information that we gotten. I knew they all were in on it, but they didn’t know that we knew yet. As soon as they did we lost our edge. So, it was important that we got there as soon as we could, but we had to secure the house first.

Shema and Khloe followed closely behind. Shema gave me a look, but I ignored it. If anyone knew the ins and outs of this relationship, she would. However, I wasn’t interested in getting into details with her. At least not right now. She was also the only one that knew I could take some of their powers. I wasn’t sure how much of that I should tell them. I also didn’t know if they could do it even though Shema seem to think they couldn’t. Maybe if we all work together we could use each of each other’s powers, to enhance our own. Something to think about for another day.

“Callie will be here soon,” I said. “Hopefully, the other coven and the shifters will be on our side.”

“And if they’re not?” Shema stood in front of me with her arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

“Then I guess we’ll have to do this on her own.”

“You want us to stand up to the witches council on her own?” Khloe looked at me as though I had just changed the rules on her randomly.

“What other choice do we have?”

“We could tell the witch council we know what they’re doing,” Lexa said, as she took a step towards the couch and sat down. “Isn’t that enough leverage to make them back off?”

“Not if they just kill us all,” I said, leaning against the wall. The entire thing was frustrating. If we didn’t have the backup of other people, we wouldn’t be able to do anything that would make any difference. We’d only be hurting ourselves in the long, but what choice did we really have? It was either stand up to the witch council, or let them potentially kill us. Neither were good options.

“Let’s get these wards backup at least,” Shema said. “Unless we get another being that can siphon all the power, we should be at least sort of safe.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” Kian said, walking into the room. “Most vampires don’t have powers like that. We just ended up pissing one off that did.” He looked down at his phone for a moment and his brows furled. “Iana, can I talk to you for minute?”

I cocked my head at him. He looked worried and it made me a little uneasy. “Yeah, sure.” I followed him into the little kitchen and he leaned against the sink. 

“The warlocks are setting a meeting tonight,” he said. 

“And that’s an issue because?” 

“Because it’s about your coven.” He sighed. “You’re out of time. Your coven has to go to the council tonight.”

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Twenty One

“Why do we have to drive again, when we have Kian?” Lexa said from the backseat of Shema’s car. 

I turned and gave her a look. “Because a warlock taking a coven of witches to the heart of the witch council won’t look good.” 

“Why do we care what we look like?” Shema said, glancing at me, her foot firmly on the gas pedal. 

I didn’t have an answer. Really, we shouldn’t care about anything they think. They wanted us dead and coming in with power was the only thing going to slow them down. Maybe we should have brought Kian. If nothing else it would have freaked them out, but it also would put them on guard. 

“Let’s just get there and hope Callie shows up when we need her,” I said, leaning back in the chair. It wouldn’t be long and everything would be different. Just because we confront them, didn’t mean they’d call off the bounty, but that was only the first thing I was worried about. 

“She’ll be there,” Shema said. “She has to be.” 

The drive was only an hour away, but it was the longest hour of silence I think I’ve ever had. 

We pulled up to a large home. I wouldn’t call it a mansion, but it was for sure better than anything I’d have been able to buy. The curved driveway gave way to a large red brick home with a double glass door. The door had etchings carved into the glass of flowers and symbols. Some I could see from the car and others that were harder to make out. 

The energy was thick with the magick they weaved into the home itself. This was the kind of ward only the most powerful witch could do. It almost took the air out of my lungs. 

“I’m kind of regretting this whole thing,” Shema joked and raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure we should do this?” 

“We don’t have a choice.” I glanced at her and then into the back seat at Khloe and Lexa. “Just remember the whole reason they want us gone is because we have power. Lean into that.” 

“I can do that,” Khloe said with a smirk. 

“Don’t blow their house away,” I said, shaking my head. 

“I won’t. As long as they don’t try to kill me again.” 

I stopped at her words and looked at her with confusion. “Again?” 

“Long story,” She said, and opened the car door. 

I glanced at Shema who shrugged and got out of her car. This was it. If Kian was telling me the truth, we’d be done with the bounty shit and maybe, I could get back to some sort of normal. I thought about Kian and the night we spent together and almost groaned. At least I’d be able to get back to almost normal. When the witches found out about me and him, they’d be coming for blood or make me leave the coven. Neither were a great option. 

We didn’t even make it to the door before the same old woman who was there when the coven was created stood in front of me. As though she came out of nowhere. 

“What are you girls doing here?” She said. Her arms were crossed in front of her hand she struggled to keep her eyes locked to mine. 

She knew why we were there.

“We need to meet with the council,” I said. 

“You’re entire coven?” She cocked her head as she spoke. “Looks like you’re missing one.” 

“She’ll be here soon,” I said. 

“Are you ready to disband?” She said as though she thought that was what the solution was and it accured to me, maybe the point wasn’t to kill us, but get us to give up. Then they could auction us off to the warlocks and get rid of us for good. 

“No,” Shema answered for me. 

The old woman glanced to me and I shook my head. “You heard her.” 

She looked almost angrier I’d agreed with Shema, but didn’t say anything else. She turned and walked towards the door, we followed behind. 

I glanced at Lexa. Her eyes were downcast and I wondered if she was up for this. Of all the women, she was the one I knew the least. 

I shifted my gaze to Khloe, and she met it. There was something behind her eyes, fear maybe. There was a lot I still didn’t know about her. When she came here, she was already having a hard time. If the coven was disbanded for some reason, she probably wouldn’t do very well on her own. I felt a little bad for her. This had to work, for all of us.

The old woman led us into the house, and through the large entryway. It was painted in off-white color with gold accents. Not something you see every day in the Pacific Northwest. Before was a tawny color of wood and looked to be pretty old. A part of me wondered if this house had been here for a long time, and we just didn’t know it.

We turned the corner and passed through a pair of double glass doors, entering a room that looked even more spectacular than the first. Shelves lined the wall for this from me. From what I could see at this distance, there were various magick books from the top to the bottom. On a shelf next to it still against the wall, there were various magick items that most of us would use for spells. Some of them were herbs and others were simple things like potion bottles, and hair. Not many of the covens had this kind of collection.

In the center of the room there was a pentacle drawn in black chalk on that same wood floor. While nothing was being presented in the magick area, that pentacle still held power. I could feel it the moment I entered the room.

“Where is she?” I stopped at the edge of the doorway, and crossed my arms. Shema was right there beside me along with Khloe, and Lexa. We were all waiting to see what was going happen next with her. “There are things that need to be discussed, now.”

The old woman turned and glanced at me, a slight smile on her face. “Most of the council is not here.”

“Then where the hell are they?”The old woman shrugged and I shook my head. “What’s with the smoke and mirrors?” I cocked my head, and kept my eyes locked on her. “What are you doing?”

“We’re creating a new alliance.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Shema stepped forward, her arms crossed as she spoke.

“It means, you are no longer needed,” she said, keeping herself centered inside the pentacle. I glanced at it, and realized we wouldn’t be able to do anything while she was standing in it.

“You knew we were coming,” I said shaking my head. Everything was a lie. They knew we were coming this time, and they knew every move we were going to make. This was all part of their plan. “Where are they?”

“You’ll find out. I would be getting home if you want to stay alive.”

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Chapter Twenty Two

“This is the stupidest fucking thing we could possibly be doing right now,” Shema said the moment we got out of the car. “Coming back here to wait and see what the hell they plan on doing. Why?” 

I didn’t know how to answer her. The best I could hope for is Callie doing what we’d hoped for and bringing back support, but at this point, I was starting to grow nervous myself. 

“We’re waiting for Callie,” I said simply.

“And if she doesn’t come?” Khloe said as I opened the door and stepped into our little home. 

“She will,” I said simply. 

“You have a lot of faith in someone you barely know,” Khloe said, pushing past me and sitting on the couch in the living room area. I followed her and leaned on the doorway. 

She was right. I barely knew any of them, but I did know we were all in this together and needed each other to get out of this. 

I turned and sighed. “We just have to,” I said. 

Khloe shook here head. “If I die because of your faith in someone-“

“-Then we all will die anyway,” I finished. 

“Way to inspire confidence,” Shema said, walking past me and taking a seat on the couch beside Khloe. 

I narrowed my eyes at her. “That’s not helping.” 

“So, we’re just waiting for them to come kill us?” Lexa said, leaning on the wall next to the door. 

I didn’t have an answer. Honestly, there was no telling what was going to happen next. We had no wards. 

“Without the wards there’s not much to stop anything from coming and taking us out,” Shema said. 

“It didn’t help us when we did have them,” I countered. “Being here is a form of power. It shows we are in control.” 

“Even when we aren’t,” Shema finished. 

“But they don’t know that,” I countered. “They only know we didn’t get killed.” 

“But the coven is going to tell them. They’re out there making a back room deal with god knows who,” Shema said, her voice laced with frustration. 

“We’ll find out soon,” I said. “All we can do is be ready to fight.” 

I felt the shift in the air. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it was clear they are here. By they, I mean the elder coven. They themselves were obviously here to oversee whatever they would do. 

I glanced at Shema and then Khloe, but they were already on their feet. They felt it too. Before we could react any further the door flew open and a tall otherworldly looking man entered, but that was the thing, the minute I saw his dark eyes, I knew what he was. 

A demon. 

His tall lanky form and the way he carried himself gave more than just an ordinary demon at that. 

“This coven is being disbanded,” he said, his voice smooth and almost melodic. 

“You have no authority over witch business,” I snapped and his lips turned up into a smile. 

“Except this isn’t witch business anymore,” he glanced past me to Khloe and his smile grew wider. “You really thought they’d let you out of your deal?” 

I glanced back to her and her eyes flicked to mine, laced with fear. “What is he talking about?” 

“The coven should protect me from it,” she said. “I… I.” 

“It does,” I said, snapping my eyes back to his. “We are still a coven and we protect each other.” 

“You really think you can beat an elder demon?” He laughed slightly, his platinum hair falling forward over his shoulders. 

I hesitated, and glanced at Shema, raising my eyebrows. 

“Sure as shit can,” she answered. 

I glanced at Lexa and she shot me a smile and I felt the room not only rise in temperature but humidity. They were calling their powers. It was too bad Callie wasn’t here to do whatever she could do besides listen to trees. 

He sighed. “What a waste. I would have liked to see what you could do without being broken in the games. Now they will have to settle for broken witches.” 

I flinched at that. The games were a slave sentence. Where you were owned and used until you were no longer useful. 

That was not happening today. 

Shema didn’t wait any longer. She pushed her fire straight at him. He held up his hand a it moved past him, missing him, but bits of ash from the wallpaper burning next to him, slowly fell onto his face. He flinched and wiped the ash away. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” he mocked. 

I pulled at the power connecting us all, trying to grab hold of fire and air. Maybe it just needed to be stronger. I glanced at Shema and she seemed to pick up what I wanted her to do and nodded. 

I felt the strands of each power and yanked them hard. Shema shot another stream of fire at him and again, he pushed it to the side. 

Then I did the same, but this stream, powered by not just fire, but air burned hotter and wilder and the best part. 

He never saw it coming. 

The demon stumbled back and stepped outside. I didn’t waste any time and followed him, Shema right behind me and Khloe and Lexa racing outside too. Just past the demon was the witch council watching us closely, all five of them. I glared at them before turning my attention back to the demon. 

“We’re more powerful together,” I said, holding my hand out to Shema. 

She glanced at it and nodded, before taking it. Her power surged through me. It was easy to access now that we were touching and my breath caught. 

Shema held her hand out to Lexa. She grabbed it and again, a shot of pure power raced through me. 

Khloe glanced at the demon and then back to me. 

“It’s your chance to make a choice, Khloe. What do you want?” I said, without thinking. It was almost like I could feel her going over everything in her head. The day she came here, drunk as shit. I got it now. She was running. We all were.  

She didn’t say anything, but grabbed my hand and the power surged through me. 

“Looks like you’re missing one,” the demon mocked and shook his head. “You are powerful, I’ll give you that.” 

He was right, Callie wasn’t here. All I could do was hope the trees were telling her everything that was going on so she could get her ass back here and that we’d be able to hold this asshole off long enough. 

Even with the magick surging through me, I could feel the shift in energy behind me and then his breath on my neck. 

“Glad to see you staying out of trouble,” Kian whispered from behind me. “How about a little help?” 

I felt another surge and glanced to Khloe. Standing beside her was Callie, holding her hand. Now we were a full coven and a warlock that probably shouldn’t be here. 

The demon stepped back, before glancing to Kian. It was almost like he was asking permission for something. I pushed the thought away and kept my eyes on the demon. 

“Leave,” I said and heard the snarl of a wolf from behind the witch council. “There’s wolves in this area, you know. They might get hungry.” Right on que the same black wolf stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked towards the five old witches along with the woman who’d tried to kill me on my hike not a week ago. She glanced at me and smirked. 

“Tick tock,” she said from behind them. “This is my territory and only my friends can be here. Not anyone associated with the witches council. 

“We are cutting ties from the council,” I said and the same witch from before stepped forward. 

“You will have no protection from the factions if you do this,” she said. 

I laughed. “You wanted to use us as pawns,” I countered. “I think we’re way safer on our own.” 

“You have no idea what’s coming,” she said. “You have no idea why we make the choices we do.” 

“I don’t care,” I said. “Leave.” 

She sighed and looked at the others before they all disappeared. Something I still hadn’t figured out how to do. 

The demon glanced at Khloe and then to me before shaking his head. “Don’t get too comfortable. I will be collecting on that deal.” The air turned ash filled around him and the smell of sulfur filled my lungs before he disappeared. 

I let go of Shema and Khloe’s hands and we all took in a sharp breath. We were safe, for now. 

“Why did you decide to help us?” I said to the pack leader standing with the wolf. 

“I owed a debt to Mylak and your little coven sister somehow got him to call it in,” she said. “You can stay if you don’t cause trouble, but the first sign of -“

“-We won’t bother you,” I cut her off and she gave me a look of pure annoyance. “What’s your name?” 

“Ryann,” she said, before turning and disappearing into the night. 

“I don’t know about you all, but I need a nap,” Lexa said, turning and walking into the house. 

“We should do that wards first,” I said and an audible groan came from all four of them. “Look, I don’t want anyone in my bed tonight while I’m trying to finally get some sleep.” 

“No one?” Kian said with a wicked grin and I shook my head at him. Really, right now?

“You’re right. We need our wards secure,” Shema said. 

“Then what?” Callie was sitting in one of the chairs on the porch I never really paid much attention to. 

“Anything we want,” I answered. 

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Kian

The moment I walked into the council meeting, I could feel something was wrong. The way the others turned and looked my way, getting all too quiet the moment the door opened and they saw me. 

The room was just as I remembered it. The tall ceilings with sterile steel walls. The center had a long table for the warlocks to converse over and the wall to the right was completely lined with windows facing the city. 

Los Angeles was a far cry from the Pacific Northwest, but it was the only place most of these men felt they could do their business. 

I glanced at each one, who gave me a look of surprise and also maybe even fear of what was going to happen next. 

“I’m guessing you know,” I said. No point in making small talk. 

“About the witches?” A tall older man said. He wasn’t someone I recognized but that wasn’t entirely uncommon. The ranks changed quickly. Warlocks always had someone gunning for them, even when they held a lot of power like most of the men in front of me did. 

“Yes,” I said, narrowing my eyes as I met the old man’s gaze. “That’s why this meeting was called, right?” 

“No,” a voice I didn’t recognize said from behind me. I turned to see someone I’d only seen in passing and on television. River Shadow from the rock band with the very same name. “We’re here because I’m taking over and wanted to make sure you knew.” 

A power grab. Interesting.

“I will be heading the LA council from now on,” he said. His dark hair fell slightly into his face and I crossed my arms. 

“Effective?” I said, still not believing this guy could actually maintain the control this council needed. Especially, with Bracos running around out there looking for a way back in. 

“Now,” he said, and turned to the others. “This witch business isn’t our problem for now.” 

“It is. If the witches think alliances aren’t honored, they won’t continue to work with us,” I countered and he paused, watching me carefully. 

“You have other motives in this,” he said and I cocked my head. 

“If you’re referring to my personal relationship to Iana, then yes.” There was no point in lying. The warlocks knew everything. “Just like you did when you made a deal with the vampires.” The rest of the council snapped their eyes to him. “I know the rumors.” 

“Rumors, but that’s all they are,” he countered and his dark eyes met mine, holding there for a moment longer than I liked. “If you want to protect this coven, by all means do it. The council won’t stop you. But there are bigger things at play here.”

“Like what?” I pushed. 

He glanced out the window and paused, like he was conflicted on what to say. “Things that are fated and can’t be changed.” 

“Then what’s the point?” 

He laughed slightly. “We maintain the control we can and hope when things go down, we’re on the right side.” 

“And if we’re not?” 

He looked straight at me and it chilled me. There was something he knew, something deeper.

“Then we all die together.”

I heard the ding of the elevator and turned to see who was coming so late. When the doors opened and he stepped out, I felt the color drain from my face. 

Fuck.

Want to read ad free? You can do that inside the coven. Click here to join.

Keep Reading…