“We do not know how many enchantments have been placed on those papers. So, we need to be out in the open where, if there is any backlash, I can deal with it.”
Aside from the two Council members, only Luke joined them, as Nina had wanted the bare minimum of people present.
Kevin watched her set up and, seeing the quiet confidence in her face, he noted how she had matured into herself in the past few days. Gone was the uncertain girl, and now the woman standing before him was confident and aware. Her smiles had become infrequent, although she still found it hard to mingle with the other pack members.
Hearing a sound, he turned to watch Heather enter the room. She went up to Nina and murmured something to her before handing her an apple. The witch smiled back at her and bit into it. The elder seemed satisfied at that and went to sit on the side. Kevin wondered whether Nina reminded Heather of someone. The prickly elder was soft like pudding when it came to the wide-eyed witch.
Watching Nina perform a location spell was entrancing. Kevin had seen her perform basic healing spells or make furniture levitate, but those seemed inconsequential after seeing how she carried out this entire ritual. He had offered to help her, but she had given him a look, which had made him hold his tongue.
She was completely lost in her preparations, and when she stopped, she took a hold of the hem of her shirt and was about to pull it over her head when Kevin loped over and immediately grasped her wrists.
He stared at her and asked, “What are you doing?”
Nina released her shirt. “Taking off my…” She paused and looked around, as if suddenly realizing that she was not alone. Her ears turned red. “Sorry. I was not thinking.”
Kevin backed off, his eyes wary.
He probably thought she was crazy. Nina shook off the awkwardness. Kevin would not possibly understand, and Nina told herself that he might not be very happy with knowing that she performed all of her rituals in her bare skin. Not something she should mention to her shifter.
Since when had he become her shifter?
As she entered the circle she had drawn, she knew it was time to get down to business. Putting all thoughts of the brown-eyed shifter who could make her body burn to one side, she took her place and started gathering her power.
She did not know when her eyes stated glowing silver, but the sharp intakes of breath that she heard did not miss her. What she found strange was how aware she was of Kevin. When performing such a spell, Totters would be a focal point, but instead of one, there were two. She could hear each heartbeat that radiated from Kevin. His wariness calmed her down, and she brought her hands together. The area where she had drawn with chalk glowed and a silver mist rose up from it.
As Nina recited the spell, the words blended into one another, and she focused her power in one area. Feeling it gather above her, she released the power she had bound to her. The mist spread out in thin lines and one went directly into Totter’s chest.
Nina’s eyes widened.
Her familiar flew up in shock, and a black mass flew out of the ground and wrapped itself around Totter. Nina immediately moved, or tried to. However, she found herself unable to budge.
“What?!” Her eyes flew to her wrist, and she tried to move her fingers. However, they were frozen. Her eyes darted to where Totters struggled within the black mass.
Kevin was snarling.
The falcon was too high up for any of them to be able to do anything.
She saw Abigail and Samuel gathering their power, and she clenched her teeth.
“Master!”
“I’m trying, Totters!”
“My magic is ineffective against it!”
Kevin must have realized her position, because he tried to drag her out of the circle but there was a barrier, one that she had not put up.
“It will be over soon, my dear.”
The familiar voice that washed over Nina filled her with horror. “Mother, what are you doing?!” she cried out.
“Only what I have to do.”
Filled with a slow dread, Nina realized what Mother’s intentions were. She struggled against the magic that bound her with a new desperateness. “Let go of me! Do not do this!”
“It is the only way, Nina. I do not wish to be cruel to you, my child”
The weakness she could feel from her familiar made tears of frustration leak out of Nina’s eyes.
“No,” she whispered, her head bent in what looked like defeat.
She could see Kevin climbing a tree to reach her familiar. Her heart filled with a fierce love at seeing how intent her mate was at rescuing her faithful companion.
Her mate.
His strength came from his strength of character, his kindness, and his loyalty.
She stopped struggling, and her mind calmed down. When she lifted her head, a silver mark glowed on her temple. Her eyes were no longer that cerulean shade of blue. Instead, they were silver with no iris or pupil. A terrible silence filled the land as the insects froze at the scent of a new predator, one who was more terrible than anything they had felt.
Even the shifters became still, not knowing how to react to the threat that emitted from the young woman.
In the fairy domain, Kalen threw back his head, and his face was filled with a weary sadness. He floated over the figure of a young woman who lay encased in glass, looking like she was slumbering. His fingers traced her features over the glass. “Time for me to go, my love.”
“I said, let me go!” Nina’s voice echoed through the woods. Gone was the huskiness that defined her voice. It was deeper, more powerful.
She gracefully shrugged off the magic that bound her.
Mother’s fear was vivid in her mind, and she felt her withdraw. However, Nina did not care. Unleashing her full power, she swiped her hand in the air, destroying the dark mass that was trying to kill her familiar. The power that flowed through her was immense, and she did not know how to control it.
“Nina.”
Kevin’s voice was like wading through a cool pond. She mentally relaxed and focused on him. He held Totters in his arms, and Nina tried to pull herself out. She saw him walking over to her and stood still, scared of hurting him. This power was so dangerous. She could eradicate this entire forest in a heartbeat, could destroy this entire shifter pack in the blink of an eye.
She did not realize that she was trembling until Kevin grasped her chin with his free hand. She tried to tell him not to touch her, that she could kill him, but nothing came out. Instead, she felt the press of his lips against hers. It was a kiss – not to excite, but to calm. Nina remained still as he moved his lips against hers. After a few seconds, she responded, and as she allowed herself to be whisked away into Kevin, she felt her powers retreat and she pulled away.
She blinked up at Kevin, who just pursed his lips. “Your tattoo is still there.”
“What?” She touched the spot on her temple, which felt sore.
“You’re the Caillagh,” Samuel breathed from where he stood, his face pale.
“The…The what?” Nina blinked.
Abigail’s hands were not quite still, as her eyes transfixed on the young witch. “The First Witch. The Caillagh was the one who created the Council, and it was passed down to us that when the Council would shatter, the Caillagh would return to forge it again in fire.”
Nina took a step back, feeling uncertain with the way she was being looked at. “I’m not…I do not…”
“Your mark is proof enough,” Samuel pointed out.
Panicking, Nina looked at Kevin, and her power surged forward, making her step back. There was something new in Kevin’s eyes, something she knew but she could not put a name to it.
“You guys need to…” She swung around and threw up a barrier within a micro second. She had not heard the footsteps, but she had sensed the shift in the air. The stream of fire that came at the barrier had everybody tense.
“They are after your familiar,” Heather growled, and sure enough when the witch hu
nters emerged, their hoods were thrown back, showing their disfigured faces, and revealing their target.
“Master?”
Nina did not understand why this was happening. Why would they target Totters? Unless…everything snapped into place…unless Totters was the last key?
The locater spell had gone straight for her falcon. Which meant that the pages were inside of him. Or to be more precise, they were melded into him. If Morrigan wanted those pages, she would have to kill Totters – something she was not about to let happen.
“Kevin!”
The shifter nodded. “I’ve got him.”
Nina’s eyes widened a fraction when her eyes met his. This was the moment. In her prophecy, he had been holding her injured familiar.
Time to carry through with her decision.
The barrier lowered, and Nina unleashed her power. The barriers set up by the hunters were destroyed, but their numbers did not diminish. If anything, they increased.
“What are they?” Luke asked the question, as they saw beings crawl out of the ground and join in the mass gathering that was ready to attack and destroy.
“Ghouls.” Abigail said, grimly. “Lucille’s ghouls. She was one of those who wanted to use the book. Guess we know which side she’s on.”
Nina let loose a blast of her power, which eradicated a fair number of their enemies, but they just kept pouring in. She caught Luke’s furious scowl as she looked at the den and thought of everyone inside, and she turned around and threw up an even more powerful barrier, which would remain there even after something happened to her.
She did not miss his grateful look, and the alpha now focused on the coming onslaught.
The witch made sure that Kevin was in her line of sight at all times, and she tossed spell after spell, which did not kill but paralyzed the enemy, making them ineffective. They were surrounded, which did not bode well for them. Seeing a figure in the distance, Samuel snarled, “Lucille.”
“Only a coward hides behind her people!” Abigail’s snarl was shadowed with grief and pain, and for a moment, Kevin wondered if they truly did not know who had thrown the blow that had killed their fellow Council member. He deflected a blow from a ghoul and made a mental note that they were stronger than they seemed. Their flimsy appearances were deceptive.
One hand shifted, and he slashed at the ghoul who grinned at him in a horrifying manner. It was enough to make him shudder with revulsion. He watched the ghoul topple onto the ground and then lay there, its grin not fading.
“That is some freaky shit,” Kevin told Totters, who blinked in agreement.
He could see Nina holding her own, and he saw the arrow that few out of nowhere. It looked flimsy enough, but when it moved on its own accord, changing its direction toward Nina, his blood ran cold.
Her familiar saw the same thing, and he flapped his wings, wanting to be released. Kevin tossed him into the air, letting the wind catch his wings. As Totters flew to intercept the arrow, Kevin raced toward where Nina was exchanging blows with a hunter who seemed to be dodging most of her spells.
Her eyes were not glowing, so he could see that she was still holding back.
“Nina!”
He shouted her name when his eyes caught Totters being forced to deflect other arrows.
Who the fuck brought weapons to an Others fight?
The arrow would hit the witch before he could reach her. However, fate was on his side, and he saw the shock reflected in Nina’s eyes when she saw his face and, perhaps, a little fear.
He did not have time to ponder on that as he grabbed her and tossed her to the side to avoid the arrow. However, the glimpse of her determined face was all he saw as she latched onto his wrist and whirled back, standing between him and the arrow.
Nina felt the arrow pierce her back and bit in her cry.
Poison.
She forced herself to remain standing, and she opened her eyes to reassure Kevin that it was okay when she saw the strange expression he wore.
Feeling the wetness from his arm, she looked down involuntarily and saw the three spears that protruded from his abdomen.
She had been too late.
Chapter 13
Nina’s world turned red.
There was so much blood.
The shattered wail that rose up silenced most of the fighters, and one by one people turned to see the young witch crumble to the ground, clutching onto a still figure.
Heartbroken sobs as she tried to heal him, and failed again and again.
“Nina, do not cry.” His broken plea did not seem to reach her as she shook her head and tried to fix something that was beyond broken.
“You’re not going to die! You are not! There is…I can fix you. Just…Just, you stay with me!” Her words lacked conviction, and Kevin could see her exhaust herself trying to bring him back.
His bloodied hand reached up to cover her cheek, and his eyes were filled with a deep sorrow as he made her look at him, and said quietly, “Not this time.”
When she shook her head, a sob escaping her lips, he swallowed the pain. “You’re going to be okay, Nina.”
The tears spilled down her cheeks, and Luke’s shout was like a buzzing in the background. She could not think past this pressure in her head. Something was beating at her mind, wanting to get out, and Nina wanted it to stop. She wanted it to stop, and she wanted Kevin to stop talking as if he was going to die.
He was not going to die!
“You cannot! You cannot just barge into my life and then leave.” Her words were a whispered scream. “You do not get to do that! You do not get to carve a place in my life and then leave! I cannot live without you.”
She confessed the last words as her energy drained, and she lowered her head, leaning it against his forehead.
She saw his lips crinkle into a weak smile. “Fell in love with me, did you?”
Nina let a sob break out of her, and her eyes squeezed shut as she shook her head. “N…No.”
Although his color was fading fast, the happiness that shone in his eyes was overwrought with sadness. His words a bare whisper. “I would have followed you to the ends of the earth.”
Nina ran her trembling hands over his face as if memorizing it. No words came out of her mouth, just the tears that would not stop and the pain in her chest that felt like something had ripped her heart out.
She watched the emptiness grow in his eyes and she closed them, her heart not able to withstand such grief. Her body rocked back and forth mindlessly as the numbness filled it.
Kevin’s pack was fighting the ghouls, the grief visible in their faces. Nina watched them with empty eyes, nothing registering in her. The painful pulse in her mind along with the icy feeling in her chest made her lower her head.
Let them all die.
Nobody deserved to live.
“That’s what I thought as well,” came a familiar voice from behind her, “when Carina passed on.”
If not for his shock of golden hair and wild green eyes, the grief-stricken witch would not have been able to recognize the teenaged boy that floated in front of her. Kalen’s eyes were gentle, however, as he raised her chin with a finger. “Your mate is not dead, Caillagh. You can still save him.”
The battle raged on outside of the barrier, and more Shadow Claw shifters had joined the fray, but inside the little bubble, no sound penetrated.
“What?”
“The mating bond. Open your mind.”
Seeing how confused his words were leaving the witch, Kalen placed two of his fingers on Nina’s forehead, and the world blinked out.
It was darkness, and yet she could see.
“Look for your mate.”
Kalen’s word resounded in her mind, and she surrounded herself with her cloak of grief.
Kevin was gone.
The very thought of him had her curling up within trying to bat off the pangs of loneliness that attacked her. It felt like a chunk of her soul had been ripped out. It did not make sense. S
he had known the shifter for less than a month.
But her soul screamed and bled in the cage of aching emptiness.
Kevin.
Something glowed in the distance, and without any reason or any sense of direction, Nina let herself float toward it. The source of light was apparently very strong, because as she drew nearer, the light permeated the darkness.
Two strands of light hovered in midair. The silver one glowed bright and strong; while the golden one was fading, withering away at the edges. Nina flowed toward it, and her hand passed over the one whose light was growing dimmer by the second.
Kevin.
One edge of the golden light was entwined with the silver one, but it was slowly coming undone. Filled with an urgency that Nina could not explain, she tried to stop the two strands from separating. However, her magic was useless here.
“Relax. Accept the bond.”
Kalen’s word flowed through her, and the witch tried to let go of the grief to focus. But the beating pulse in her head would not let her be. So, instead of trying to think past it, she opened her mind.
The pain was blinding, and then the intensity hit her. The silver cord wrapped itself around the golden one, and Nina opened her eyes.
Kalen smiled, and his smile held bits of sadness. “Well done. You did what I failed to do.”
“Kevin.”
“Is alive,” the fairy king told her as she watched the color fill the shifter’s face. “You, however, have poison in your system.”
Nina looked up and gave a fierce smile. “What’s a little poison?”
She could feel Kevin in the back of her mind, and she closed her eyes and called forth every bit of power she had. When her eyes opened, they were that silvery hue, and she ran her hands over Kevin, healing his injuries. The poison was forced out of her body by the magic that coursed through her.
“Your mate will heal himself, Caillagh. It’s time we join the battle.”
And they did.
But the numbers of the enemy had increased, and the shifters were outnumbered. Nina, herself, had drained a lot of her magic in trying to save Kevin.
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