Wicked Blood

by Emma Dean

  “She only gets a few minutes at a time,” the Morrigan explained, letting Helle land on her shoulder. “It’s easier to keep her alive as a raven.”

  Mika hadn’t thought about that.

  If the Morrigan could feed off prayers, then she was somehow keeping Helle alive too – a shifter who needed real food to live.

  “If one of Lucifer’s locked you away, could he release you?” Mika asked, walking to the edge of the cliff so she could see the inky black ocean below.

  “Perhaps,” the Morrigan said dismissively. “But this is a small world that was created specifically to hold me. There is a key. Find it, or the one who put me here. If I’m honest with you though, Daughter. You don’t need me.”

  Corbin appeared at Mika’s side; as if he was afraid she might jump off the cliff just to see what was really down there. Did an eldritch god hide here as well?

  “No, but I need you,” she heard Eisheth say.

  Mika tuned them out, trying to give them a bit of privacy. Why the demon had told her the goddess was only a friend, she didn’t know. She wasn’t going to pry just yet.

  “She’s not what I expected,” Corbin admitted, staring down at the water too.

  “What did you expect?”

  He shrugged. “The goddess of death.”

  Mika knew what he meant then. “She’s gentler than I imagined too.”

  The raven looked at her then. “Death is always gentle, Mika. It’s merciful and kind.”

  “Is that what you tell yourself when you kill people?” she asked.

  Corbin stiffened slightly and she could practically smell his rage. “I don’t torture people. I don’t seek revenge unless it’s justified. Only those who are targeted for the worst offenses get a fitting death. Or would you rather I made sure a child rapist didn’t suffer?”

  Stupid raven. Why he liked to fight so much was beyond her, but it always got her riled up and angry. Mika glared up at the male with the braided blond hair, beard, and tattoos to die for. “Then death isn’t always kind.”

  “Isn’t it though?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s kind to that child – to those future victims. Had I been contracted to end Bradley Davis’s life – it would have saved hundreds of people. It would have saved you from that night.”

  She frowned, not sure what to say to that. Mika shook her head. The way Corbin looked at the world – it was the same way the alpha fox looked at it. With their heads tilted and squinting one eye.

  They saw reality in a way that was truer than anything she’d ever been taught. This rosy filter over everything was how rapists and murderers got away with what they did. How they were allowed to keep doing it, because it was too hard for normal people to see – to do anything about.

  “I suppose it is kind,” Mika finally admitted. “Do you think I would have met you had my path been different?”

  Corbin smiled slightly. “You were always a blood witch. We would have met one way or another. Now, go ask the Morrigan your questions before Eisheth deflowers her and we have to watch.”

  Mika smiled back and squeezed his hand before releasing him.

  The Morrigan was a savage goddess of death – she fought hard for life but gave death as the final kiss goodnight. There was something reassuring about that.

  14

  Her hands were shaking as she reached for the doors that led into the Bay Coven’s meeting room. The same room she’d been in when those hunters had dragged her father and brother from their seats to kneel before the High Priestess and receive their sentences.

  She hadn’t been back since. Mika had avoided the coven meetings like the plague for almost a year now. Claire had been the one to represent their clan, even when their mother was dying. Even when their grandmother was dying.

  Without Claire they could have potentially lost their seat in the coven. The Marshalls could have lost any weight to their voice – weight and power they’d been building since the coven’s inception.

  Not that Mika really cared about her position within the coven. And it wasn’t like their clan was as large as it had once been. No, the Marshall clan was dying out which was another reason Mika had asked if Audrey wanted to join.

  Strength in numbers.

  “Don’t worry,” Audrey told her, placing one hand on Mika’s shoulder. “I’ve got your back no matter what.”

  Mika nodded and pushed the doors open. Despite telling Ethan and Lucien to stay at Morgana, she wished they were here. But Lucien was a shifter, and Ethan was unaligned from another state.

  Nothing either of them said in her defense would matter, and Ethan couldn’t go up against Takahashi and win. But Selene could.

  Mika gave Selene a nod as she entered the massive meeting room. So many empty spaces in the stadium style seating felt like a slap in the face – a very clear reminder of the poison that had grown unchecked in their coven.

  And Mika of all people knew how dangerous poison could be when handled incorrectly. If it wasn’t ripped out at the roots it would grow back again and again, a mistake that could easily get someone killed.

  She strode toward the High Priestess’s half-moon table, ignoring the other witches in their seats. She pointedly didn’t look at Claire who was already standing before Takahashi.

  Kenzie, Edith, and Selene were there including the foxes. Audrey went and sat with them, but Mika could feel her eyes on her back. Matthew was also there, sitting with his clan. And somewhere in the shadows, she had Corbin.

  The Morrigan hadn’t pressed the issue about claiming Corbin as her raven, and Corbin hadn’t brought it up again either. Mika was content to leave things as they were, let it take its natural course rather than trying to force the issue.

  If it was truly something she’d required the goddess would have pushed, but the Morrigan seemed content to catch up with Eisheth and answer Mika’s questions for the most part. If Mika could free her from that barren plane, she would.

  But the goddess had insisted she focus on staying alive.

  Surviving the challenge was more important, she’d said, and the Morrigan had given her a few pointers, explaining the exact rules of the Ritual aspect of the challenge. She’d even recommended a few books that might still be around, perhaps in a fox library if Mika couldn’t find them elsewhere.

  When it came to the mystery of blood witches disappearing from the collective memory though, the goddess couldn’t help. She’d been locked away before Elizabeth Marshall had suddenly given up everything she’d cared about to marry a male.

  Mika stopped in front of the High Priestess, nearly shoulder to shoulder with Claire. Jack Pine was somewhere, waiting to throw in his support no doubt, just like Selene and Kenzie were. They’d both gathered their allies for this.

  Jess had said she and Lucifer would only show if Mika needed them to, so if she got desperate…Mika rubbed her thumb against the obsidian ring Jess had given her so she could listen in without creating panic among the Bay Coven witches.

  There was silence as Takahashi studied them both for a moment. Then she sighed and said, “Mika Gabrielle Marshall and Claire Cordelia Marshall. You are summoned here today because of a formal declaration made by Mika Gabrielle. Is this correct?”

  “It is, High Priestess,” Claire said, voice strong and clear. No hint of the simpering high society princess in her tone.

  Mika felt nervous for the first time since making her challenge. Claire wasn’t just a bad girl who liked to have fun and flaunt power. She actually had power – power that had graced their clan since the very beginning.

  Claire wasn’t a blood witch, but she wasn’t some nobody either.

  There was a reason either the Takahashi, Kavanagh, or Marshall clan had ruled this coven. Takahashi had a great-granddaughter who may one day rival Selene. And Claire hadn’t been skipped over when it came to that strength either.

  “Can you please reiterate your declaration for the coven, Mika Gabrielle?” Takahashi as
ked, focusing on Mika.

  This was her last chance. The last opportunity to back out before it would be ironclad – no going back.

  Mika could feel Claire smirking beside her and gritted her teeth. She really thought a Council member for a fiancé was going to scare Mika off?

  “I, Mika Gabrielle Marshall, formally declare a challenge to Claire Cordelia Marshall for the position of matriarch within our clan.”

  Takahashi didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at Mika with disappointment. “And who was named the official heir?”

  “I was, High Priestess.” Claire shot Mika a look, clearly annoyed she hadn’t backed down.

  Another long pause and Mika felt like her chest was being stepped on by a gorilla. The High Priestess looked from Mika to Claire, and then back to Mika again.

  “This hasn’t been done in hundreds of years. And this challenge is not to be taken lightly. You must yield or die. Are you ready for that Mika?”

  As if she was the one who would lose. She turned to her sister. “Are you, Claire? You can deny my challenge and step down.”

  A loophole she’d learned, thanks to the Morrigan.

  Claire looked to Takahashi to confirm, and the High Priestess practically glared at Mika. “That is also an option.”

  “I refuse to deny this challenge,” Claire snapped. “I am the heir. The title is mine.”

  “We shall see,” Mika murmured, smiling slightly as Takahashi snapped her fingers.

  An ancient, absolutely massive book slammed down onto the table, and Takahashi opened it, searching for the last entry. Mika caught a glimpse of the word ‘challenges.’ There was a record book of witch challenges?

  Was it just the Bay Coven’s, or was it every witch ever?

  “Sign your name and then leave your mark in blood,” Takahashi stated, turning the tome and pushing it toward Mika and Claire.

  “You’re not going to deny her challenge?” Claire asked in disbelief. “I have a Council member to support my claim.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Takahashi snapped clearly irritated with Claire just as much as she was with Mika. “This is an ancient ritual, and once invoked by the sacred words it cannot be undone. This isn’t some childish game, but a fight to decide who is stronger and one or both of you may die in the process.”

  The High Priestess glared at them, but Mika was too focused on the book to care. “What do you mean, ‘our mark’?”

  “Your fingerprint in your blood,” Takahashi explained as Claire reached for the pen first. “A mark to identify each witch’s essence.”

  Blood and a fingerprint would mean Mika could be tracked down and found.

  “Once the challenge has been made, you cannot back out,” Takahashi went on, raising her voice so everyone else could hear. “In case anyone else is getting any foolish ideas. This is not a joke or a way to settle a squabble. This is not a duel. It is an ancient ritual that demands the strongest win. There are no rules – only survival. If you do not show you will be hunted and executed by the Old Ways.”

  Mika shivered at those words – so clearly Ritual as well.

  She watched as Claire pricked her finger without hesitation and smeared the blood over her thumb. Mika couldn’t tell if her sister simply wasn’t afraid – or if she didn’t think this was as serious as it actually was.

  Then it was her turn.

  As she sliced her own finger Mika wondered as blood slid down her thumb. More blood magic woven so tightly into their world it was like no one even noticed. Was she the only one who even saw it for what it was?

  Mika was honestly surprised there wasn’t more of a reaction to her challenge. She’d expected resistance and had even planned for it by making alliances. But it seemed Takahashi’s hand was forced by an ancient tradition.

  One that had been nearly as buried as blood witches. Mika wouldn’t have known everything she did without Victoria, the Morrigan, her fox connections, and the research Selene had already done.

  “The challenge is set for the Black Moon,” Takahashi declared before Mika’s blood had even dried. “July 31st at midnight.”

  The second new moon in the same month – a rare event. There would be no moonlight – simply darkness. The perfect night for new beginnings – for Mika who had always felt at home in the darkness unlike most witches.

  “Is it a public event?” Claire asked, glancing over her shoulder, at her new fiancé Mika assumed.

  “It is in more ways than one,” Takahashi told them, checking their signatures.

  Mika wanted to see that book.

  But then the High Priestess snapped her fingers again and it disappeared.

  “Anyone can attend the event. It is not coven specific.”

  Mika looked at Claire and saw her sister’s face was white. With fear or fury, it was hard to tell. No doubt Claire was pissed Mika was making her go through with this when she’d been named heir.

  And if there wasn’t so much at stake, Mika wouldn’t even bother.

  If she’d been a nice, normal girl with normal magic – well she wouldn’t have ever questioned Claire’s strength. But strength didn’t always equate to leadership skills.

  And Mika was strong, but was she stronger than Claire?

  “There are no rules at all?” Mika asked, eyes narrowing as she studied Takahashi’s fine Japanese features for any tell of a lie. She focused in on the sound of her blood pumping through her veins.

  “There are no rules at all,” the High Priestess confirmed. “A circle is drawn and until one of you yields or dies it will stay up. Anything goes.”

  Takahashi wasn’t lying.

  Mika’s heart skipped a beat. That meant she could use her blood magic, but if Claire forced her into it…

  Then she would be exposed. Everyone would know she was a blood witch.

  “The two of you are dismissed.”

  Only two weeks to train and prepare. If Mika was going to win without using blood magic, she would have to train hard.

  She turned and walked blindly to their clans’ seats and tried not to think too hard about what the coven would think when they saw her using real battle magic, not just what was allowed in dodgeball. Or who might actually show up to something so insane.

  The first in hundreds of years.

  Mika sat and looked up into the dark corners of the ceiling. Glowing red eyes blinked at her before disappearing. Whatever magic it was that ravens possessed; Mika didn’t want to know. They were creatures of the Morrigan – also known as the raven queen.

  Which made Mika wonder if raven shifters and witches were much more closely related than anyone really knew.

  Claire leaned over slightly, just enough to get into Mika’s space. “Yield or die.”

  Mika didn’t even bother responding. She just smiled as Takahashi went over the Lammas celebrations. She wasn’t as worried as she should be.

  After all, witches were warriors once.

  15

  “And you think you’re going to win the challenge like that?” Corbin demanded, pushing her backward hard enough she stumbled and fell. “If that’s all you got, you’re going to end up dead, and I refuse to let that happen. Now. Get. Up.”

  Mika was breathing hard and sweat dripped down her face, her back, her chest. Corbin had kept his promise and showed up once the sun had set, and the air had cooled a bit to train her.

  Where Claire was, Mika didn’t know. Audrey had made herself scarce once Corbin had stripped his shirt off so they could train.

  Every inch of glistening, tattooed muscle was exposed for her to ogle and admire. Mika honestly considered this the hardest part of her training – to focus instead of running the tips of her fingers over his abs.

  She shook her head and wiped the sweat from her brow. Then Mika flipped to her feet and tried to concentrate again.

  But the air was still balmy from the summer day. The night blooming flowers were starting to wake up as the moon rose higher and higher. Sounds from the city see
med muffled, like they were on their own private island inside the thick of San Francisco.

  Their property was definitely large enough with the proper foliage to feel the separation.

  Sweat dripped between her breasts and Mika stripped off her tank top so she was only wearing her shorts and a sports bra. She used the shirt to wipe down and tried not to smirk when Corbin’s nostrils flared.

  The way he looked her up and down though…it didn’t make it any easier to focus.

  “I’m not sure how this is going to help me win a challenge against another witch,” Mika told him, trying to ignore the hungry look in his eyes.

  Corbin grabbed a glass of water from the nearby table and Mika couldn’t stop herself from admiring the planes of his back if she tried. The tattoos made her mouth water.

  “There are no rules,” Corbin reminded her. “Nothing that says you have to use just magic. And this will help increase your speed and stamina. You, dove, need to use all the tools in your arsenal.”

  She looked away before he turned around. The moon was waning, and she watched its fat form languor in the night sky. The Morrigan would have said the same thing. Her spear wasn’t just for show.

  The shield around her and Corbin was a nice little illusion spell that kept Claire from being able to spy on her. Audrey had woven it so anyone but Claire could see Mika and Corbin thanks to a bit of hair they’d acquired.

  Mika tossed her shirt on the table and grabbed a glass of water. She glanced at her phone but didn’t pick it up.

  Both Lucien and Ethan wanted to come back, but there was nothing they could do. They would be there for the weekend and that was enough for her. It was much better than the weeks alone she’d had to endure at the beginning of the summer.

  Mika glanced at Corbin as she sipped the lemon water. Not that she was alone now exactly.

  “You’re improving,” Corbin told her, wiping the sweat from his face. That she could get him to sweat at all was an accomplishment.