by Zoe Warner
“We have to train now. We can play later,” He played.
“What do you want me to do?”
"I want to see what kind of earth magick you may have. Maybe this is where we should start," he said. Zander pulled a small dying Oleander plant on the table. He'd carefully potted it, but still, it refused to grow. Its pink petals were wilted and brown and the once green leaves were barely holding onto the stem.
“I want you to heal it,” he said.
I looked at him and laughed. “I don’t think anything can heal it.”
“Try,” he said. “Close your eyes and think about the plant growing and getting stronger.”
I closed my eyes and listened to him as he spoke about the plant getting stronger and healthy. I listened as he reminded me this was the sign of our coven. I felt the air around my hands vibrate and warm. My breathing came in heaping doses. It was as though I was giving a part of myself to this plant. I could hear my heart echoing in my ears as a hand touched my elbow. I opened my eyes and glanced at the owner of the hand. Zander had a smile on his face and nodded towards the plant. I shook my head as I saw how it had taken on a life of its own. The delicate pink flower had broken the pot it was in and was now three times the size it was. It was full and even had three more buds on the stem.
“It seems you have a lot of earth in your magick, but you also had a lot of fire and air,” Zander said.
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure.” Zander pulled a larger pot from around the table and began filling it with dirt. “For us, we have always been assigned one element to work with. We can do a small amount with all of them, but one is where we have the most power.” He carefully picked up the newly healed Oleander and placed it in the large pot. “You have gained power from all the elements we’ve tested so far.” He glanced at me and smiled. “That makes you unique.”
I grimaced. “Or it makes me a target.”
“It may, but we are all here to protect you,” Zander said. He pulled the newly potted plant into the corner and wrapped his arm around me.
“All except Zane,” I muttered against his chest.
“He’s on a mission for the Council.”
“One you won’t tell me about,” I said. I pulled back from him and met his gaze. “Why all the secrecy?”
“I honestly don’t know what he’s doing either.”
I raised my eyebrows and sighed. I knew better than that. Zander always knew what everyone was doing. It was part of his magick. He felt the changes in energy on the air. It was odd, but it was also comforting in its own way.
“Zander, we have a visitor,” Zarrick said from the doorway.
Zander and I both looked at each other and then followed Zarrick down the stairs to the open entry area. It was more vibrant than when I’d first gotten here. The flowers were brighter reds and pinks and the tables seemed a little more suited for the area. The entry area was still the largest in the house, with its open windows and the only room with a breeze.
On the far end with his back towards us was a man I recognized from the council. He was sipping a tea. No doubt Zarrick had gotten it for him to make him feel less stressed. I hadn’t even gotten close to him yet and could feel the urgency of the visit.
“Zander, it’s good to see you,” he said with a slight smile. He took a final sip from his tea and set it on the table beside him. His wrinkled hands brushed the inside of his coat in anxiousness and he settled his dark eyes on me. “There is a meeting tonight.” He ran a shaking hand through his grey blond hair. “I’d like you all to come.”
“What is the meeting about?” I said. I already knew it was probably about me and the Demon that had escaped because of my magick. I just hoped he realized it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t agree to bring him back and I certainly didn’t have any control over what Alda did.
“The Demon has made some moves over the last few weeks,” he said.
“He hasn’t come for Cat,” Zarrick said from behind me.
“I imagine he’s waiting for you to be unprotected.”
“That isn’t going to happen,” Zander said.
I tried to hide my smile, but I couldn’t. The idea that I was finally protected and had not just one man to be there for me, but three made me feel like I could take on the world. Even if it may be the hardest thing she did.
“It’s a council issue and I would like you to go,” the man said.
“Matick, we haven’t had the best luck with the council. Why would it be different now?” Zarrick crossed his arms as he spoke.
“Because I’m the one in charge,” he said. “He stood and looked at me and then Zander. “I just want to hear what everyone has to say and go from there. This issue affects us all.”
“We’ll go,” Zander said out of nowhere. I glanced at him and wrinkled my brow, unsure. He looked at me and then back to Matick.
“Good,” he said. “The meeting is tonight.” He didn’t look at us as he walked through the door and left us to figure out what to do next.
“You do remember what happened the last time we went to a council meeting about me?” I shook my head as I spoke.
“That’s why Zane has a plan b,” Zander said.
“I knew you knew what he was up to,” I said, eying him.
“I didn’t want to use it unless I had to. I guess we will know what they want tonight.”
Twenty
I watched through the window as Zander drove through the desert. Matick didn’t live on the coast like many of the other Covens. He lived in Las Vegas, two hours the other direction. The desert gave way to a mountain pass and the southern part of Death Valley. I was thankful it was getting dark and the heat wasn’t as bad as it was the day before.
“Have you been to Las Vegas before?” Zarrick asked from the front seat.
“I passed through when I came out here before I met you,” I said.
“It’s an interesting place. There is a lot of energy.”
“I thought the council was based on the coast,” I said.
“Las Vegas is on the Eastern edge of the council Territory,” Zander said.
He pulled through the southern edge of the city, through Henderson and stopped just on the outskirts of the eastern edge. He pulled into the driveway of a large brick estate with a simple round driveway. There were a few other cars parked around a fountain in the center of the driveway with lighting at the bottom. I opened my door and stepped onto the pebbled driveway and made my way to the oversized door.
“He was a lawyer before he retired,” Zander whispered in my ear. “He was very good at his job.”
“Or he used magick,” I said with a smile.
Zarrick didn’t have to push the doorbell as Matick was there opening the door as soon as we got to the front of it.
He moved to the side to let us pass and closed it behind us.
“I’m glad you came,” he said as we walked into his living room. It was a large room with windows that went from almost the floor to the ceiling and a large round chandelier in the center. The stairs wound upwards towards the second floor with an intricate iron railing which looked like the same Oleander we had all around our home. I smiled at the thought. Every home seemed to have a touch of this beautiful flower in it.
My eyes slid to a short red-haired girl staring at her phone. She was walking down the stairs and didn’t bother to look up. I secretly wondered how she didn’t fall on her face as she stopped in front of me.
“This is my daughter, Celeste,” Matick said. She finally looked up and met my gaze. Her green eyes flickered and a smile slid across her face. She was around my age and there was magick visibly coming off her.
"Nice to meet you," I said after I'd regained my thoughts. This girl was powerful and she knew it.
“I’ll meet you downstairs, Dad,” she said before walking passed us and around the corner.
“Everyone is waiting downstairs,” Matick said. He held his hand out to show us where to go and I foll
owed as he and Zander led the way. Zarrick stayed behind me and would let his hand brush my ass from time to time as we walked. I smiled as we made our way down a normal looking set of stairs. The only indication there was magick was the air. It got thicker the further down we went. I almost couldn’t breathe. Zarrick put his hand on my shoulder and I felt the tingle of our powers melting together. It was reassuring and I felt myself relax a little.
Matick opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and we made our way through. The thick air gave way to a feeling of lightheadedness from the magick. I steadied myself with Zarricks arm. He put his hand on my back and stayed close. Zander met my gaze and then turned to Matick.
“What can we do about this Demon issue?” Matick got right down to business. No one said anything, but I felt all their eyes resting on me. I bit my lip and Zarrick pulled me in closer.
“We could form a new coven,” a voice said from the back. I watched as he pushed through the group until I could see who it was. Caleb stepped through the people and stood beside Matick.
“I don’t know how that would work,” Matick said. “We are all bound to different covens.”
“But they are all tied together. It’s possible to make it work,” Caleb pressed.
“No, there has to be another way,” Matick said. He glanced at all the people, looking for a suggestion.
“We know he is after Cat. We will keep her safe until we can destroy the Demon,” Zander said.
“How do you know you can?”
“I don’t, but none of us know what we can do to stop it. This is the best option for now.”
Matick nodded and turned back to the others, “does anyone disagree?”
No one said anything and he turned back to Zander. “Then it’s agreed. You will protect her, but if anything happens, we will have to look at other ways.”
“What does that mean?” I whispered to Zarrick.
“If something happens, they will keep you here for your safety,” Zarrick whispered. His breath on my skin made my whole-body tingle. “We don’t want that.” He ran his hand down my arm and I had to suppress a moan. Every touch since we finished the binding was like thousands of nerves firing all through my body.
“That’s all, then,” Matick smiled and put his hands up. “Enjoy the drinks and get to know each other. A strong group will help everyone.”
Caleb walked towards us, keeping his eyes locked to me. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re a danger to all of us,” he said. He ran his hand through his disheveled hair before sticking them in his pockets.
“I’m surprised you care, Caleb,” Zander said. “Don’t you have better things to do?”
“Zander, you’re stupid if you think she isn’t going to get you killed,” he said with a laugh. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“I’m not even worried about it,” he said. “This is my coven and I know how to take care of them.”
“Where’s Zane?” Caleb said.
“Not here,” Zarrick answered. “Go home, Caleb.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You’ll see, this isn’t going to end the way you want. You’re all going to die and she is going to burn the world.”
I watched him walk away and turned to Zander. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not good.”
Twenty-One
I glanced at my blood covered hands and felt the panic set in. I dropped them to my side and looked at the house I’d called home for such a short time. It was burning and blood was running from the doorway. I felt him behind me before I saw him.
“This is what happens,” he said. I turned to face the Demon I’d only met once in real life. He smiled as the firelight licked his face. His dark hair was neatly combed back and he was wearing a dark suit. He looked very out of place in the scene before me.
“I won’t let it,” I said.
“What if I told you there was no stopping it?”
“I’ll find a way.” I didn’t move.
The Demon stepped closer. He looked so human, but the power radiating from him was anything but.
“No matter what you do, I will burn the world,” he said. He touched my face and I stiffened. His touch was hot like the fire I knew was burning around us.
“I’ll fight you,” I whispered.
He laughed. “I love your spirit, but everything you love will die.” He stepped so close I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. “It’s destiny, no one can defy it.”
I opened my eyes with a start. The cold sweat was dripping through my clothing. I sat up and blinked until I realized I was at home and it wasn’t burning.
I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and pulled off my sweat covered pajamas before walking to the mirror on the other side of the room. I didn’t recognize myself. Sure, my features were all the same, but there was something different about me, my energy. It was a lot stronger than it had been in the past and I felt different. I’d only been bound to my men for a few weeks, but it felt like forever. Everything I thought I’d known about myself was a lie. I wasn’t just a woman looking for my place. I was a woman that had once destroyed everything with a Demon. I wasn’t sure if I could resist that cycle. The only thing that kept me grounded at this point were my men.
That was it. I was in love. I’d never even thought it to myself, not until that very moment. I laughed slightly and shook my head. I was a complete idiot.
I walked to my window and opened the shutters. The air was cool and everything was quiet. I loved this time of the morning. Everyone was still asleep and even the breeze seemed to obey my commands.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. It was odd at first, to hear the voices on the air. It only happened when I was mad or relaxed, but I could hear everything and everyone. I concentrated on Zander. My mind shifted under my command and I found myself watching him sleep in his room. His bare chest heaved up and down as he breathed. I smiled.
I thought about Zarrick and my mind again complied. I felt a surge of energy before I was standing in his room. He was laying on his side, the blanket tossed up around his feet. I smiled as I took in his perfect muscular ass. He liked to sleep in the nude, which I appreciated.
I thought of Zane and waited for my mind to comply. It didn’t. I pushed harder and felt a sharp pain behind my eye. I sighed and opened my eyes. The voices of those in other houses popped back into my head. I thanked the air for its help and the voices faded in response. I made a face and closed the shutters.
I sat on my bed and thought about Zane. What kind of mission could he be on if I couldn’t track him? I hadn’t bothered to tell Zander about these abilities because they came on so fast and I didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t protect me with his connection to air. The truth was, all the elements sang to me at different times depending on what I needed.
I bit my lip. The idea of telling my men how much power I now held scared me and if it scared me, it would scare them even more, but it was time to come clean. Tonight, was the full moon and I planned on telling them everything.
Twenty-Two
“Are you sure we could do this without Zane?” I said, looking at the chalk circle in the middle of the entryway. The flowers were pushed back against the walls to give us more room and Zander had taken all the iron tables from the house.
“He’ll do his own honoring,” Zander said. He motioned for us to walk into the circle as he poured some salt and herbs into a bowl.
“Something tells me this isn’t an honoring.” I stopped at the edge of the circle and crossed my arms.
“No, it’s not. This spell is for protection.”
“I thought the Oleander was for protection,” I said.
Zander shrugged. “We need an extra layer. Zarrick already took care of the Astral Plane. This is just for the Physical Plane.”
“What do you mean, Astral Plane?”
“It’s the next layer of existence. There are a lot of Witches and Demons that use that
plane to attack, among other things,” Zarrick said, coming from behind me. “Everything is secure.”
Zander watched me and I shrugged. I walked inside the circle and he smiled. I watched as he went completely around the circle with his mixture and then stepped inside himself.
“Is that it?” I almost couldn’t complete my words as the energy violently shifted and I felt like I’d been thrown in the air. Of course, I was still on my feet, but the shift happened so fast I couldn’t think.
I caught Zarrick watching me with a smile on his face.
“That’s the protection spell,” He said.
“We didn’t say anything,” I whispered.
“Don’t need to. Words mean nothing, really.”
“They work to unite a thought. That’s about it.” Zander said. He was still kneeling at the line, but something was different. “Since we’re bound, we don’t need words.”
I watched as the line started moving outward towards every wall of the house. The energy built around me. My skin tingled and I felt the energy rise in my stomach. It was so intense I couldn’t think or breathe. I gasped to catch my breath and Zarrick put his arms around me.
“You’ll get used to it,” he whispered in my ear.
I held onto his arms as the mixture of salt and herbs slid to each outside wall in the home and out of sight. The intense power I was feeling didn’t fade, it great stronger as it mingled with the earth below the house. I could feel it moving and saturating every fiber of the ground.
Then it started to ease and I could finally catch my breath.
“This is your first full moon, it’s intense at first,” Zander said. He reached for my hand. “It gets better.” When his hand clasped mine, I felt some relief.
Zarrick pulled my hair back and kissed my neck. I leaned into him and closed my eyes.
I felt Zander’s touch on my cheek only a second before his kiss took all my thoughts away. Zarrick’s hand slid under my shirt as he cupped my breast with only the thin material of my bra separating our skin. I moaned against Zanders lips.
