Alix (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #1)

by Virginia Hunter

  “What’s so funny?”

  For an answer, she kissed him passionately.

  The rest of the day and into the night, they pleasured each other, breaking in every room of the cottage. By late evening they were wiped out, and ready to crash. Snuggled tightly in Troy’s arms, Alix slept more deeply than she had in her entire life.

  Alix awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. The scent wafted in over the fire that blazed in the hearth. Just as the morning before, she stretched out in the silk sheets, “Ugh, I’m sore,” she moaned.

  “Me too!” Troy’s voice echoed from the kitchen.

  Alix laughed. “You should be!” She wasn’t entirely sure how they had gotten into some of the positions they experimented with last night, but figured they’d both have to take up Yoga to prevent stiff muscles in the future.

  “Breakfast is served,” Troy said, in a pretend manservant voice, rounding the corner to the bedroom. In his hands was a handcrafted, wooden tray with tiny legs. A white plate piled with toast, bacon, and eggs, sat next to a glass of orange juice, and a cup of steaming coffee.

  Alix sat up quickly, covering herself with the sheets. “Wow, you really know how to treat a lady.”

  “You have no idea, my dear,” Troy retorted.

  “Oh, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.” Alix winced, as she shifted into a better position. Jokes aside, she was going to look into that Yoga thing.

  He placed the tray so that it straddled her hips, and leaned over to press his lips softly against hers. His touch was so soft and soothing, she didn’t want him to stop. “I’ll be right back,” he said, pulling away.

  Alix pouted playfully. “Where are you going?”

  “To get mine.” He gestured to the tray of food.

  “I suppose that’s okay,” she said.

  He smiled as he left the room. “Got to keep up my strength!”

  Alix giggled, even though she wasn’t a giggler. With a sigh, she looked over the spread. The silverware was as ornate as any of the other amenities found in the cozy little cottage. Polished to a reflective sheen, the utensils were almost too fine to use. The rumble in Alix’s tummy overrode the urge to be so sheepish about using the dinnerware, and she dug in.

  “Man, this place is posh,” she said around a mouthful of bacon, as Troy came back into the room with his own tray.

  Troy laughed as he sat next to her. “Yeah, I’d have to agree. I wonder what the rest of the place looks like.”

  Alix frowned. “Didn’t you see it when we got here?”

  Troy shook his head while wolfing down his food. “No, it was dark... and I was kind of out of it. Not to mention I was afraid you were hurt more than Miranda had led on.”

  That made Alix feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She reached over and rubbed his shoulder. “I’m glad you were there.” Then she punched him in the arm, but not too hard. “That’s for scaring the shit out of me. I thought I’d lost you at that gas station.” She teared up.

  Troy flinched and choked on his drink. He twisted so that he was facing her, and pointed at the tattoo on his chest. “No worries. I’m indestructible thanks to you, Babe.”

  Alix wiped the moisture from her eyes, and took a second to ogle the muscles that rippled along his side, chest, and shoulders. Focus girl. “Don’t test that theory too much, okay? I don’t think I can handle it.”

  “Same goes for you,” he grinned.

  “Deal.”

  Troy leaned over and kissed her. He tasted of bacon and grape jelly, but she didn’t mind.

  They finished their breakfast shortly after, hopped in the shower, and then got dressed.

  “So how do we get a hold of Miranda?” Alix asked, sliding her boots on.

  “She said there was a path that led up to a mansion,” Troy answered.

  Alix scrunched her nose. “A mansion?” Aren’t we in Oklahoma? “Are we still in Oklahoma?”

  That wonderful grin that always knocked Alix right out of her socks spread across Troy’s face. “Yep,” he said.

  “Okay,” she drawled. “I didn’t think they had mansions in Oklahoma. This ought to be interesting.”

  Troy rolled his eyes, “Yeah, right.”

  In truth, Alix was looking forward to speaking with Miranda. So many unexplainable things had happened in the past week, not to mention the life-altering mystery she had lived with for the past nine years. Now, after all those trials, after all that time, an opportunity to find real answers had finally presented itself in the form of the lovely woman that had saved their lives.

  “I’m ready,” Alix said, getting to her feet. “Let’s do this.”

  Troy put out the fire in the hearth, and together they stepped out of the tiny sanctuary.

  Alix had a pang of regret leaving the only place she’d felt safe during the past week. But there were questions that needed answering, and she wasn’t going to get them if she remained locked up in this remote all-day-love-shack. The lingering regret bled away with each step down the cobblestone walkway, and took in her new surroundings.

  The first noticeable thing was the weather. It should have been in the twenties for this time of year, but felt more like it was in the fifties or sixties. Dense vegetation covered the ground everywhere they looked. Redwood-sized trees blocked out the sky, and heavy vines dangled from the branches high above. Alix wasn’t a botanist by any stretch of the imagination, but some of the plants she saw, couldn’t have been native to the area. I mean giant ferns don’t grow in Oklahoma, right? Hell, she wasn’t entirely sure if some of the plants were from the right time period. Alix had gone to enough school to have learned about megafauna. When looking at the foliage surrounding the cottage, she envisioned it being the corresponding flora that the giant beasts from long ago would have feasted on.

  “Whoa,” Troy breathed, gawking at the forest-gone-wild.

  “I know, right,” Alix replied. “Where’d Johnny Appleseed get the magic seeds?” She turned in a slow circle, as they walk up the winding dirt trail. Everywhere she looked there were plants, flowers, and trees, vibrant with color beyond what she remembered from everyday life. Beams of sunlight cascaded from the canopy, fanning out across the trail, and deeper within the forest to create some sort of heavenly mystical aura. It was as if they had entered the Garden of Eden, or what Alix thought it might look like at least.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Troy said, still gawking. “How is it even possible?”

  “Witches remember.” Alix wiggled her fingers at him. “I’ll get you, and your little dog too!” She cackled.

  “Not bad,” Troy said with a laugh. “But seriously, stop. You’re freaking me out.”

  “Shut up you big chicken,” Alix teased. She didn’t think anything could scare Troy. Not anymore anyway.

  The forest began to shrink to normal size, and the temperature dropped dramatically the farther they went up the trail. The ultra-vibrant colors faded as well, yielding to the drab hues of winter. Giant oaks opened to an ocean of blue sky above, and the undergrowth turned into a continuous blanket of light-brown grass. The velvety lawn rolled right up to the back of a giant, pillared structure that looked more like a museum than a home. Troy hadn’t been joking when he’d said mansion. Most of the house looked like it had come right out of a Forbes magazine. The structure was a giant, double terraced rectangle, with columns surrounding the perimeter. It looked kind of like a plantation-style home, but there were several exceptions to the traditional architecture. The first being that the entire house sat on a foundation of cut river stone. The beautiful blocks fanned out into the landscape, creating a network of patios, walkways, and grottos, that accented the natural surroundings perfectly. The other differences were minor in comparison, but noticeable nonetheless. The columns were squared instead of round, and the wood of the exterior was stained dark walnut, as opposed to painted white.

  The place was huge. Alix wasn’t a great judge for spacing, but the thing could probably host a party
for a hundred people easily. A true celebrity’s wet dream.

  “Aren’t witches supposed to be evil, and live in broken down outhouses?” Troy snarled, as they walked. He gestured to the massive house. “That doesn’t look evil or broken down to me.”

  “Well, I don’t feel evil,” Alix replied, rolling her eyes. “And seeing as how I am a ‘witch,’ you can trust me when I say I’m not evil.” She smiled sarcastically at him. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, jeez.”

  “Or in fairytales apparently.”

  Alix laughed. She could understand Troy’s concern. The last decade of her life had been wrapped around the supernatural, and her denial of it. Believing in fairytales wasn’t something the average person generally did, but she and Troy weren’t average people. They were going to have to face this thing, no matter how dressed up, and pretty it looked. “If we don’t like what they have to say, we’ll bail,” Alix said. “Cool?”

  Troy nodded as they came up on the back patio area. “It’s definitely going have to be based on what we hear because I’m loving what I see.”

  Alix snorted, but couldn’t disagree. The “patio” was a multi-tiered paradise with fountains, shaded sitting areas, and hot tubs. On the main patio, that connected directly to the house, sat a massive long-table. A wooden pergola covered with dormant wisteria vines sheltered the table, adding the kind of elegance and functionality Alix, again, had only seen in magazines. Even though it was cold out, Alix could have spent the better part of the day just gazing at all the splendor. She sighed. “If only it were summer.”

  “Yeah, that’d be a sight for sure,” Troy said, as he walked straight up to the double French doors, and tapped on the glass. “I don’t think it’d matter what Miranda said to us at that point, we’d be staying regardless.”

  Alix gave him a sultry smile. “With playtime in the cottage no doubt.”

  “And everywhere else,” he answered slyly just as someone came to the door.

  An elderly man dressed in a slick gray button-up and black slacks opened the door. He was taller than Troy and somewhat gaunt, but still maintained an athletic build. An easy smile lined his features that also touched his eyes. “Miss Baris has been expecting you,” he said in a deep baritone. “My name is Jones, please come in.” He stepped aside, beckoning them inside.

  “Nice to meet you Jones, I’m Troy.” Alix’s lover offered his hand to the man after entering. The two shook hands, and then the older man extended his hand to Alix.

  She smiled, and shook it as well. “I’m Alix,” she said lamely. She wasn’t sure how to act in a situation like this, she’d never been in a rich person’s house before. “Miss Baris... is that Miranda?”

  “You are quite correct,” Jones answered. “My apologies for the confusion. Now, if you both would follow me, I’ll take you to her.” The gaunt man took off at a brisk pace, crossing the threshold to another room, before Alix and Troy could say anything.

  They hurried after Miranda’s butler, or whatever he was, into a large sitting room off the patio. Plush furniture filled the space, but not overly so. Many older-looking paintings covered the walls, adding a classy feel to the joint. Jones continued on into a hallway on the far side of the room without stopping.

  Alix eyed the old man. “Powerwalk much,” she mumbled to Troy in irritation.

  Troy chuckled and shrugged. He sped up to not get left behind.

  The hallway they walked through was lined with display cases filled with china, crystal, and various other collectables, some of which looked really old. Alix didn’t get a good look at any of it because of the pace, but she had the feeling that the trinkets inside the finely crafted cases were expensive. Several openings in the hall broke off to other places in the mansion, but again, given their pace, Alix couldn’t observe them long enough to get an idea what purpose the places might serve.

  Jones continued straight as an arrow through the length of the house, finally coming to a stop at one of the doorways. “Here we are,” he said, raising an arm toward the room, and bowing slightly. “Miss Baris awaits inside.”

  Troy walked up to Jones, and peeked into the room. “Wow, this is really nice.” He stepped in without further hesitation.

  Alix stopped, giving Jones a nod. “Thanks.”

  He gave her a pleasant smile in return, and then sped off down the hallway.

  Alix shook her head, as she watched the elderly man disappear through one of the doorways. Weird, she thought, ignoring her own hypocrisy. Bigger fish to fry. Let’s get this over with. She took a deep breath and went in.

  The “nice” room turned out to be a freakin’ two story library. Books lined shelving that went from floor to ceiling, and a catwalk with iron railing ran along the second story of the entire room. Miranda sat at the far end of the library in a recliner that must have come straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. She looked even more stunning here, than when Alix had first seen her at the service station.

  When the auburn beauty saw them, she stood and smiled. “It’s good to see you two, and in such good health. Please, come sit.” Miranda gestured to two more chairs, just as plush looking as hers.

  Alix and Troy took their seats. Alix felt a little under dressed in her blue jeans. Actually a bit rough around the edges in comparison to Miranda’s fine, cowl-necked sweater and form-fitting slacks. Not to mention the woman’s flawless complexion, and silky auburn locks.

  “I hope the cottage was sufficient for your needs,” Miranda said, taking her seat again.

  Alix felt her cheeks burn, and forced herself to not look at Troy. “Yeah, it was really nice,” she answered. “Thanks.” She could see Troy nod in her peripheral vision, and was glad he didn’t say anything obnoxious. She wasn’t sure if she’d start laughing from embarrassment, or just crawl under the chair and hide.

  Miranda smiled, not skipping a beat. “I can only assume you have questions?”

  Do I ever, she thought and almost blurted. All of the unexplainable things that had happened to her since she had turned sixteen came rushing to the forefront of her mind. And effectively clogged the pipeline. She opened her mouth to ask something, anything actually, but nothing came out. She had completely locked up.

  Troy filled the gap of her tongue-tied bungle. “Are we safe here? I mean, are those guys and that thing going to keep following us?”

  “Eventually others will come looking for you, but they won’t find you here,” Miranda answered. She gestured to the room and beyond. “This place is a sanctuary. Protected from those who would harm people like us.” Her gaze shifted to Alix.

  “How’s that?” she asked, finally able to speak.

  “The house is shielded against the prying eyes of those who might hunt us.”

  “And how is it ‘shielded’ exactly?”

  “With magic of course.” Miranda smiled. “Things you will learn if you choose to join us.”

  “More bribery?” Alix asked.

  “Not just that,” Miranda said. “I must protect the coven. Even from potential allies.”

  “That’s fair,” Troy interjected. “Protecting your own isn’t a bad thing.”

  Miranda gave him an appreciative nod.

  “You said I was a witch,” Alix continued. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that you’re special.” Miranda leaned forward with excitement in her eyes. “It means that you can do things no one else can do.”

  “Yeah, I got that part,” Alix said. Thinking of all the times she had gotten strange looks from people. How she’d ended up hiding her gift as much as possible, afraid of what those people might think, or more importantly, what they might do to her. “But how does what I do make me a witch? I mean, shouldn’t I be green or something?”

  Miranda shook her head and laughed. “No of course not.” She leaned back in her chair. “But, the power you possess is only one facet of your potential. You are capable of much more, and when we are together as a group—As a coven—There
are no limits to what could be accomplished.”

  That hadn’t occurred to Alix. The possibility of doing more. She’d spent most of her time hiding what she could under the guise of tattoos and street art, living in fear of her gift, and not trying to expand to her full potential. Not until recently anyway.

  Troy shifted in his seat. His demeanor was calm, though Alix knew better. The way he was flexing different muscles, told her that underneath, he was ready for a fight. “How many...witches are here?” he asked.

  “There are three of us currently,” Miranda answered. “You’ll meet the others before you join.”

  “Whoa, hang on. We haven’t said anything about joining yet,” Alix said. This place was pretty awesome so far, but they still hardly knew anything about it.

  “If you join, is what I meant to say,” Miranda corrected. “I’m not going to force this on you,” she continued. “You both are free to leave whenever you like. I only hope that you’ll hear what I have to offer before you make a decision.”

  Alix relaxed a bit, as did Troy. Miranda seemed to be on the level. But so many bad things had happened lately, that she couldn’t bring herself to fully trust the woman at the moment.

  “What about this?” Troy said, spreading his shirt so that Miranda could see the tattoo on his chest. “Can you tell us anything about it...I mean, why it’s made me pretty much indestructible?”

  Miranda glanced at the tat. “Unfortunately no. I’ve never run across a power like the one Alix possesses. I can tell you however, that a guardian inherits special powers to help defend and protect his witch, but those powers are limited.”

  “The bonding you were talking about at the gas station,” Alix said. “That’s what you’re talking about, right?”

  Miranda nodded. “Yes. It’s a special bond between a witch and her chosen companion.”

  “How did that happen?” Alix asked. “I don’t remember choosing to do anything like that.”

  “The bond usually passes during an extremely emotional situation, or activity,” Miranda hinted.