by Ariel Marie
I head downstairs to grab breakfast. I could have just flashed to the kitchen but that would just be lazy and I usually end up scaring the shit out of my grandmother’s cook Sarah. Sarah has been with my family for about forty years. She’s a feisty sixty-two year old woman, with shoulder length gray hair and the warmest brown eyes. She runs her kitchen with an iron fist. I can remember all the sweets she would bake for me when I was a child. My favorite dessert is her red velvet cake with her famous cream cheese icing. When Keegan and I would come to visit my grandparents in the summers, she would make sure I always got my red velvet cake.
Each summer we would learn about spells, potions, ointments and curses. Being part Witch and part Fae, we had to learn to balance our powers.
Keegan’s Fae magic is more dominant. When most people look at him, no one would believe that he is part Witch since his Fae features are dominant. He is very powerful. He has mastered his Fae powers and his element. Most Fae have a few powers that they are good with. Not all of the Fae are blessed with control of the elements either. That’s why he was chosen to lead the Guardians. He has fire magic, creating and manipulating fire along with telekinesis, teleportation and the power of persuasion. My older brother is intelligent, strong, and lethal.
My Witch magic and Fae magic are about the same, neither one is more dominant than the other. I excelled as a child learning how to control and use my Witch’s magic as well as my Fae powers. I am able to control the air or wind, telekinesis and teleportation. I can also see someone’s memories when I touch them. Out of all the powers a Fae can have, no Fae has all of them. The Supreme Being blessed each Fae with the powers that she saw fit to give us.
I sneak in the kitchen and make it over to the refrigerator. It’s a chef’s dream. It has two six-burner stoves, tons of dark granite countertops, two islands and plenty of white cabinets. It’s the perfect commercial size kitchen for Sarah so she can feed all of the Witches that live in my grandparent’s home and any visitors that stay. As I’m digging in the fridge, I hear someone clearing their throat. Glancing over my shoulder I see Sarah standing behind me with her hands on her round hips and tapping her right foot. She snatches me up in a crushing hug.
“Lina, what are you doing here?” She was out of town for a few days when I got here. She brushes her salt and pepper colored hair from her face.
“I’m here to help Grandmother with the disappearances,” I say once I’m able to breathe when she releases me.
“Have a seat! Let me fix you something to eat!” This woman is a whirlwind in the kitchen. We catch up on the latest things going on with each other while she cooks. Before I know it, she’s setting a plate of pancakes, bacon, eggs and hash browns in front of me. It’s a good thing that I don’t live here all year round! The way she cooks, I would easily weigh a few hundred pounds. She continues to putter around the kitchen, while I dig into my plate.
“I knew I smelled a Fae,” a sarcastic voice says behind me. I can’t help but roll my eyes. It’s my cousin, Calista, daughter of my mother’s sister Ilona. Ilona is the middle child of the three sisters. My mother is the oldest and my aunt Adela is the youngest. Calista is Ilona’s only child and is extremely spoiled, selfish and a royal bitch.
“Bitch.” I pause. “Oops, I mean Calista,” I say just as sarcastically. I turn in my chair to face her. Calista is about five foot nine inches with strawberry blonde hair that stops at her shoulders and has a thin shapely build. Most guys flock to her when she’s out in public. She’s four years older than me and has held a grudge against me as long as I can remember. I don’t even know what I’ve done to her that has made her hate me.
“Behave girls!” Sarah snaps at us. She knows Calista is trouble with a capital T. Calista walks around to the countertop that has a bowl of fruit on it. She grabs an orange and starts peeling it.
“So who were you and Granny hosting in her office last night?” She asks, one eyebrow raising as she starts eating her orange, leaning against the counter.
“None of your business.”
“It had to be wolves. I saw three of them slinking around our house and yard last night. If I’m not mistaken they were members of the Diamond pack meaning that sexy Alpha of theirs was in the study with you guys.”
“You don’t need to worry about Colin.”
“Oh, Colin is it? Good strong Scottish name. That goes well with all that black hair, blue and brown eyes. Tall dark and handsome, just like I like them!” She licks her lips.
“Shut. Up.” My eyes lock on her. I put my fork down and stand up and slowly walk around the counter.
“Calista!” Sarah exclaims. “Not in my kitchen, take your shenanigans somewhere else!”
Calista rolls her eyes, grabs another orange and bumps into me as she brushes past me. Oh, no this bitch didn’t! I grab a handful of her hair quicker than the eye can see throwing her up against the wall. I flash to her grabbing onto her hair and push her face first into the wall with my other arm in her back.
“Girls!” Sarah screams as she rushes over to us.
“I better not hear you speak about or even look at Colin again,” I growl in her ear. I tighten my grip on her hair, pulling her head back.
“You think he would go for someone like you? A half-breed?” she snarls trying to get free. This bitch has balls. Sarah rushes over to us, trying to break my hold on Calista’s hair. I am tempted to pull it till it comes out but then my grandmother walks in the room.
“What’s going on in here?” She stalks over to us. I let Calista go and step back. She rubs her head while staring at me with disgust. I stand there and cross my arms across my chest and stare right back at her.
“Nothing,” we say simultaneously, still staring at each other. We both refuse to be the first to look away.
“Well, don’t let nothing happen again!” she says looking at both of us. Calista is not crazy enough to try to go up against my grandmother. She’s a strong witch, but she knows she’s no match for my grandmother and she hasn’t learned yet that she’s no match for me. Sarah seeing that my grandmother has everything under control slips out of the kitchen’s double glass doors that leads out to the back patio porch.
“Calista, leave us.” My grandmother waves her hand dismissing her. Calista stomps out of the kitchen, looks over her shoulder and flips me the bird.
“I expect more from you, Lina.” She immediately makes me feel like a little girl instead of a kick ass Guardian of the Fae.
“She started it!” I exclaim, realizing I sound like a five year old. I almost want to stomp my foot. How am I the only one getting reprimanded when clearly I was not the only one about to fight here in the kitchen? Fighting between Calista and me is not new. This dates back to our childhood. She has always picked on me.
“Well, I finished it. Get your things and meet me in the spell room.” She walks out the kitchen, leaving me alone with my now cold food.
Chapter Seven
~Lina~
Witchcraft can be traced back to the beginning of mankind, the Paleolithic period, which predates Christianity. The word Witch originates from the word Wicca that means wise one. In the beginning the first known witches were mediators between the humans and the supernatural. They were healers, with their extreme knowledge of herbs and medicines. They sat on their village leaders advisory councils. They were well respected and held in high esteem amongst their communities.
Christianity came into existence and the world began to view witchcraft differently. The Church began a merciless assault on the Witches. The Church declared that any persons practicing witchcraft were Devil worshippers, pure evil and were against the Church. A worldwide panic began as the Christian faith spread to all parts of the world. The Witches went into hiding. They could no longer practice out in the open. They were no longer accepted in the communities that once loved them. They were forced out of their homes and had to run for their lives.
Witch-hunts began, as did burning witches at the stake. The Pope
authorized the killings of Witches. The Christians hid behind their Bibles, quoting the verse, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
Witch-hunts became more common across Europe, the Americas and other countries. Witches were hunted down and killed by burning at the stake, being stoned to death or drowned. This began the Witch migration. Covens were uprooted to other parts of the world so that they may live in peace. They would hide amongst the shadows and when they would need to deal with the humans, they would not divulge that they were Witches and would act as human as possible. Most Witches do not look any different than humans. They had to hide their true selves and their powers so that they may live. New generations were taught in secret. The older generations refused to let the old way die out.
Over the centuries Witches continued to practice in secret, honed their powers, believing that one-day, those who shunned them would accept them again, one day they will be powerful again, grow in numbers, and one day, will be needed to save mankind.
* * *
The spell room in the Văduva estate is located in the lower level of the home beneath the earth’s surface. I walk down the dark winding tunnels to the spell room. I pause outside the massive dark wooden door. It’s been a while since I’ve been in here. Most of my time has been spent in Faery since I became an official member of the Guardians.
I push open the door and step in. It never ceases to amaze me of all the wonder and power that can be found in the spell room. The room is large, dark, but strangely comforting. There are small glass windows near the ceiling that are scattered around the room that lets in just enough sunlight. Candles are scattered everywhere to light up the room. Even though the rest of the house is modernized, my grandmother has kept her spell room dated to the old ways of the Witch.
The bookshelves house ancient spell books, herbology books, books on healing that my grandmother has collected over time. There are a few tables, counter tops to work on and even a few couches. There are shelves that house hundreds of different types of natural herbs, stones, candles and everything else that a witch would need to cast a spell or make potions or ointments.
My grandmother is working alongside my aunt Adela, who is the youngest of the Văduva daughters. Adela is vertically challenged like all the Văduva women with her round face and the same black hair as we all have. She has warm brown eyes that always seem to twinkle. When she turns and sees me coming to the door, a huge warm smile stretches across her face. I can’t help but run to her and hug her. She’s my favorite aunt on my mother’s side. She reminds me so much of my mother.
“Aunt Adela!” I step back grinning.
“Lina, my dear. Why have you been here for a few days and I’m just now seeing you?” She playfully looks hurt.
“I’ve been running around working on the disappearances. I’ve barely had time for anything else.”
“Not too busy to fight with your cousin again, I hear.” She raises her eyebrow.
“Calista is always begging to get punched in the face.”
“Next time just make sure I’m there so I can witness it!” We laugh together. I knew I loved this woman! Even when I was child, Adela has always looked out for me. When my mom died, she was right there with my grandmother making sure that my brother and I would grow up knowing their side of the family and to learn how to use our witch powers and learn of the history of the witches. She doesn’t have any children of her own, so we became her children.
My grandmother calls us over to her. She has a few vials filled with a light blue liquid capped with little wooden corks sitting on the countertop. She has a few herbs out and one of her book of herbs. She reaches into a cabinet on the wall and brings out a white candle and matches.
“What time are you going with Colin to meet with the wolf’s friend?” my grandmother asks.
“Colin texted me last night and said he would pick me up at eleven this morning. Serah’s friend agreed to meet with us at noon at her apartment. Which is great because we can trace the route she took home when we leave.”
She nods. “Good, we have enough time. Adela, grab a little dragon dill, winter parsley and bring it over to the alter. Lina, grab your athame and my boline from that table. We must do a purity spell, to purify your thoughts before you meet with the missing wolf’s friend and tinker with her mind. We don’t want to leave any lasting effects on her. You’ve been under so much stress, that you need to have a pure heart when diving into her mind.”
She’s right. I must purify my mind and heart before delving into someone’s brain. By purifying myself, there are fewer chances that I will leave a trace of myself in her psyche and misinterpret the memories that I’ll see.
I reach into my bag I brought and bring out my athame’s case. It is a black lacquer case with my name engraved on it. Nestled inside of it is my athame. An athame is a ceremonial double-edged dagger that is used to direct energy during a ceremony. Mine has a dark wooden handle that has an inscription engraved in the ancient language of Duyaji. On my athame it reads, Blessed be the Princess.
The Văduva alter has been in our family for centuries. It is a small rectangle table made of dark red oak. The four legs each are inscribed with spells to bless the table. My grandmother places the white candle and a cauldron on the table. There is a smaller table next to it that is used for prepping plants and herbs and anything else that we may need for a spell. My aunt takes the boline from me and starts dicing and cutting the herbs my grandmother asked for.
We all gather around the table. I strike a match, lighting the white candle. My aunt places the minced dragon dill and winter parsley in the cauldron. Adela lights the herbs too. The candle has a tall flame and the burning herbs burn a green flame. I use my athame to wave the smoke from the burning herbs so they spread further into the atmosphere. This directs the energy in the room around us. I begin speaking the spell while my grandmother and aunt push some of their power into me.
Bless me Goddess
Keep my heart pure
Keep my mind open
Give me strength
Send me wisdom
Goddess protect me from Evil
Use me as your vessel
Goddess I call on you to send the energy of the Universe to me.
The white candle flame shoots up five inches high. The burning herbs’ green flame changes to a white flame. The air warms around us, the smell of the burning herbs disappearing. The other candles in the room cease to burn, cloaking the room in darkness aside from the white candle. The air thickens and I feel a warm sensation starting at the tips of my toes and fingertips, it climbs my body until the warm feeling reaches my heart. I knew the Goddess herself granted my purity spell request.
* * *
Colin will be here any minute to pick me up. My heart beats a little faster when I think of his mismatched eyes. I keep trying to convince myself that I’m feeling excited on the prospect of working this case by myself without Keegan or any of the Guardians, but I would just be lying to myself. I just have to make sure that I don’t drool when looking at him. He pissed me off thinking he can try to tell me what to do. He’s not my Alpha, he’s about to learn who I am. I am the Princess of the Light Fae and I’m not used to anyone denying me what I want.
Too bad he’s not into me. We could have fun while I’m here in the realm. But as serious as he is, he would probably not even give me the time of day. The whole meeting he growled, scowled and was downright rude. He doesn’t even seem to like me, would barely even look at me. The sexy growling sounds he made caused my heart to jump and I had to keep myself from squeezing my knees together for what it was doing to my nether regions. I’m definitely into him. It’s just my luck! I would be attracted to someone who can’t stand me. I can’t remember ever being this attracted to someone. Even thinking of my relationship with Christian, I don’t think my body ever reacted like it does with Colin.
My mind turns to Keegan and the Guardians and how they are doing with their part of the investigation
. I remind myself to call him when I get back. I grab my sword and strap her to my back and secure my marauder to my waist. There is always the chance of running into trouble while out and I want to be prepared. As I run down the stairs the doorbell rings.
“I got it!” I yell so that the butler, Henry, doesn’t come to answer it. The wolf named Alec is standing at the door grinning.
“Your chariot awaits, my Princess.” He gallantly bows. I can’t help but laugh. I liked him right away. It also doesn’t help that he appears to be a ‘fan’ and he’s also good-looking. I know that if Tillie was here, she would definitely be all over him.
“Who is going with us?” I ask as we walk down the stairs and towards the black Tahoe.
“You, me and Colin.” He opens the door and I climb in. He shuts it and runs to the driver side and hops in. Colin is sitting in the passenger seat.
“Hello, Colin.”
“Hello,” he responds gruffly, barely looking at me. Just great. This is going to be a long day.
Chapter Eight
~Colin~
Why does she have to smell so good? Why can’t she be a girl that doesn’t shower? A woman who didn’t take care of herself? That would make being around her much easier. Her in cargo pants and combat boots have to be the sexiest thing I have ever seen on a woman. The apricot smell fills the air in the truck and I almost groan at the smell. I shift in my seat trying to rearrange my erection pushing at my jeans.
Alec shoots me a look like he thought I had lost my mind. I probably have. I have never been drawn to any female before. After setting up the meeting with Serah’s friend, it took me almost fifteen minutes to decide if I should call Arlina or text her. I convinced myself it would be better to text her since it was late and she may be asleep. As soon as I sent the text, she instantly replied, letting me know that she was up. Then I couldn’t help imaging what she had on and then was up half the night fantasizing about the little sexy warrior princess.
