by Larissa Ladd
The Sacrament
Eye of the Coven Series Novella #3
Larissa Ladd
PUBLISHED BY:
Larissa Ladd
Copyright © 2014
LarissaLadd.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical re-views and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1: Devan - Coven Comes First
Chapter 2: Cherry - The Match
Chapter 3: Cherry - Warm Ball of Fury
Chapter 4: Devan - Questions and Doubt
Chapter 5: Cherry - The Other Man
Chapter 6: Devan - Jealousy
Chapter 7: Devan - Enemies Collide
Chapter 8: Cherry - Fluttering Heartbeat
Chapter 9: Cherry - Wedding Preparations
Chapter 10: Devan - The Bride
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Chapter 1: Devan - Coven Comes First
I lay on my side in the double bed and looked at Cherry’s sleeping form next to me. She was beautiful when she slept, her perfect skin smooth and soft, and her face still, like she was a statue. The only thing that was missing was the sparkling green of her eyes that were so prominent when she was awake.
It had been a long couple of months. It was hard for us to carry on like nothing had happened and, at times, this felt awkward between us.
We’d fought with each other in my apartment because she was so angry that I hadn’t told her that I was a fae, despite the fact that she’d neglected to tell me she was a witch. After that, it was almost as if we were careful around each other, too careful. I was stronger than she expected, and I think that we were both scared that we would make mistakes in our relationship again. The break up, brief as it was, had taken a lot out of us.
It was because of the emptiness inside of me, the hole that had opened up when she was gone, that I had decided that, even though we were supposed to be natural enemies, we could make it work. We had to. I didn’t want to live my life without her. I couldn’t.
She stretched, making soft noises, and then opened her eyes. She turned her head and looked at me, and the perfection of her face when she slept changed into sheer brilliance when she smiled at me. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.
“Morning,” she said with a husky voice, and I smiled at her.
“Have you been staring at me for long?” she asked.
“No,” I lied.
“Liar,” she said, and I laughed.
“What are we going to do today?” I asked. We had the whole weekend ahead of us, and I was looking forward to spending it with her.
“I have to go to a meeting,” she said and got up.
“What, why?”
“The coven needs to meet.”
“And you have to be there?”
She smiled and leaned forward, pecking me on the mouth. “Of course, I’m the high priestess now. It’s my job to lead it, so I can’t miss it.” She got up and walked to the bathroom. I felt disappointment sink in.
“I thought we would be together this weekend,” I said, trying my best not to sound hurt.
“I just have to take care of this, and then you’ll have me all to yourself.” Her muffled voice came out of the bathroom. “It will only be a couple of hours, nothing hectic.”
I tried my best to take this in stride, but that sinking feeling of disappointment in my stomach was getting stronger. I would only see her this afternoon.
Even though I’d known that she was a witch for quite a while and understood what it meant for us, I still had liked it better when she was just a regular witch instead of the high priestess.
“How about we go to the movies after I get back?” she asked coming out of the bathroom, and I smiled, trying to make it look genuine.
“That sounds great,” I said with false enthusiasm, trying not to sound as dejected as I felt.
“I’m sorry, honey,” she said, sitting back down on the bed, “but you know these are things I have to do. I can’t do anything that would make them suspicious.”
I nodded. Our relationship had to be a secret to the coven because of what I was. That meant that even if we were together, she had to put the coven first, so they wouldn’t think there was a reason that they needed to worry. Not even her sister, Marlena, knew.
I had never met most them, but considering that witches hated fae, it was probably better that way. They didn’t know me the way Cherry did, and they weren’t really going to stop and try to get to know me before they fought me either.
I looked at Cherry’s hands as she pulled open the closet doors and stood back for a second to decide what she wanted to wear. Her hands were on her hips, and her ring finger was bare. She wouldn’t wear the ring I bought her when we’d gotten engaged. It would remain in her jewelry box until she came back from the meeting.
I understood that to wear it meant that she would give us away, but I didn’t like the odd feeling of rejection that crept up on me when I saw her bare finger. She was my fiancée and I wanted people to know that. It was silly, I knew, but I couldn’t help how I felt.
Cherry pulled clothes out of the closet and got dressed. She took the black cloak out too and stuffed it into a bag. She couldn’t be seen in public wearing that thing; it would be a dead giveaway.
I have to admit, I’d asked her to put it on once so I could see what she looked like wearing it, and she definitely looked a lot more like a witch, a scary witch. Now, I was happy when she only put it on after she got to the place where she was meeting with her coven.
That was another thing. I wasn’t allowed to know where their meetings were. Obviously, I wasn’t allowed to join her, but it was very serious that it stayed a secret.
“Imagine what will happen to us witches if anyone finds out,” she’d said.
“It’s not like I’m going to tell on you,” I’d replied, feeling hurt.
“I know, but it’s just safer this way. We aren’t exactly well received by society.”
“Well, these aren’t the days of the Salem witch hunts anymore,” I’d said trying to justify, but she’d given me a you-wouldn’t-understand smile and I’d left it at that.
As long as I knew she got there and back safely, I was happy. And Cherry wasn’t the type of girl who you could mess with. I’d seen the reaction of those around her in public; there was something about her that made you think that something wasn’t right, that it was dangerous to be around her.
I didn’t feel that way of course, but I wasn’t human either, and that might have helped. I never thought she was scary, not even when I first met her. I just couldn’t believe her beauty, and then when she spoke, how interesting she was.
She walked over to the bed and kissed me, not half-heartedly but properly.
“I’m really sorry,” she said, and her eyes told me she meant it, “I’ll try to wrap it up as quickly as I can. And then later we can do whatever we want.”
She turned and walked out the door. I was in her apartment alone now.
Kitten, her cat, jumped onto the bed and sat close to me. I scratched her behind the ears and her eyes dropped; a soft purr emanated from her chest.
Kitten hated Cher
ry. Why she was still here was beyond me, because just like most people, she thought Cherry was scary too. Then it hit me—food.
I got up and walked to the kitchen and filled Kitten’s food bowl. I flicked on the TV, but after a while, became bored with it and turned it off.
I decided to go to my own apartment. I didn’t mind being here, but it wasn’t the same when she wasn’t around. I couldn’t feel at home.
Cherry and I had decided that it wouldn’t be wise for us to move in together. Part of the reason was because we were trying to hide our relationship from her coven, but it was more because of us and how our relationship was right now.
We were still so careful with each other, still needed our space because we weren’t always quite sure how to be around each other. We loved each other; that was certain, but we couldn’t really relax completely. Maybe the fact that we were supposed to be enemies had something to do with it, but I didn’t know.
We stayed over some nights at each other’s apartments, but, other than that, we kept our lives fairly separate.
I pulled the door shut behind me and heard the lock click in place. I went down the stairs, taking them two at a time. When I reached the front door I looked up and down the road. It was a stupid habit; the witches didn’t know about me, but now that I was dating one, it was safer for me to keep an eye out.
Chapter 2: Cherry - The Match
I walked the familiar footpath through the fields that would eventually reach the cave. It was a sunny morning and the wind chased over the fields, carrying the birds with them. Despite it being a beautiful morning, I felt down.
Devan had looked so disappointed when he’d found out I had to leave for the morning. I hated that I had to put the coven before him, but that was the only way we could be together. If the coven knew, it would have to end. I may have been the high priestess, but the fact was that I wasn’t allowed to choose my own husband now that I was. My being with Devan was what caused all the trouble within the coven before. Even though I was high priestess, I found that I didn’t have that much freedom to do what I wanted.
I knew when I agreed to be high priestess that I was giving up any chance of having a normal life, well, as normal as I could have it, being a witch. I had just done it because they’d gotten what they wanted back then; they’d managed to rip my heart out by making me lose the one person who meant the most to me. But now I was high priestess, and even though there were rules about love and marriage and all that for me, more than I’d had before, at least I didn’t have anyone to answer to.
At least no one had approached me about a match for me. I didn’t know how that would work, but at least that was a rope bridge Devan and I hadn’t had to cross yet.
I didn’t know how I would tell him something like that, anyway. It was the one thing about me being the high priestess that he still didn’t know. It was just not the kind of thing I could bring up. What would I say? Hey honey, we’re engaged and all, but I’m actually supposed to marry someone else. Those are the rules.
It wasn’t something that I could tell him. I didn’t really know how we would approach it either, if it came down to it. What would we do? What would he do if he found out?
Part of the reason why I didn’t tell him was because I didn’t want to fight with him. Not now that we had just sorted things out, and it looked like it was going well for us again. The break-up had been something I didn’t ever want to go through in my life again. I had never felt as dead as I had for that short while. Even though Devan wasn’t what the coven would choose for me, even though he was, in fact, supposed to be my enemy, I’d rather have him in my life than not at all. My life was simpler yet more complicated, all at the same time, with him in it.
As I drew near to the cave, I saw two dark figures disappear into the rocks. A moment later, I stepped through the crack myself, and I was in the cave. I could never get used to the dark, musty atmosphere, and the torches of dancing flame against the wall still gave it quite a medieval feel, despite the fact that things had become more modern now.
I looked at the faces around me, and noticed we were only missing Nema, the woman who had been the high priestess until I’d taken over.
I waited a few more minutes, making small talk with one of the newer witches, when an eerie silence fell over the cave and the unknown penetrated the atmosphere. The cave, which was usually quite warm because of the torches, warm bodies, and lack of circulation, suddenly went cold. The hairs on my arms and neck stood on end and a shiver travelled down my spine. The flames in the torches shrunk and almost dimmed before they managed to revive themselves and carried on burning.
Nema had come in with two other witches, witches who didn’t belong to our coven, witches who I didn’t know.
“This is Dana and Mason,” she said without a greeting. She may not have been the high priestess anymore, but she still had an air of authority that the whole room respected.
“Hello,” I said, feeling unsure, “welcome to our coven.”
It was strange having other witches in the cave. It was supposed to be our secret. Nema called me to one side.
“I know you’re high priestess, but I took the liberty of inviting them here. Dana is the high priestess of the Valley.”
I’d heard of the Valley before. It was south, far south, and their coven was something of an ally to ours. I’d heard stories from my father about witches from our coven and the Valley collaborating or even marrying.
“Why are they here?” I asked, thinking that maybe something was wrong.
In answer, Nema clapped her hands twice and the small talk fell quiet again.
“As you know,” she said louder so that everyone could hear, “the witches from the Valley have been our allies for many years. When there was war, we’d called upon them, and when important moves had to be made in the hierarchy of witches, they helped us out as well. Well, today, Mason is here with Dana from the Valley, and he has travelled all this way as a match for Cherry.”
The other witches gasped and exclaimed and there were smiles all round. But my ears started ringing, and for a moment, I felt I couldn’t breathe.
Mason looked at me and smiled. He had almost white-blond hair and pale blue eyes, a very stark contrast to the black cloak he was wearing.
I looked at Nema, who stood next to me, looking proud.
Dana and Mason walked towards me, and greeted me. Dana extended her hand and I took it, acknowledging the high priestess of the Valley.
“I’ve heard a lot about your strength from Nema,” said Dana graciously. “She says that you will be a great leader, someone who has the capacity to go far.”
“Thank you,” was all I could say, because, in all honesty, I felt like I was going to cry.
“You’ll find that Mason here is exactly what you need. His strength is unbeaten by any in our area, and he has the makings of being a fine leader himself. All he needs to be able to take over that role is a woman by his side to be the high priestess. When we heard from Nema about your strength, it was an opportunity we couldn’t miss.”
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” Mason said and held out his hand.
No, I wanted to say, no I will not, this is ridiculous, I don’t know you and I don’t want to. But I didn’t. Instead, under the satisfied eyes of Nema, I extended my hand and shook his as well.
“Will you be here long?” I asked, hoping for a no answer.
“Yes, I’ll be staying with Nema,” he said, “Dana will return to the Valley tonight.”
My heart sank.
I walked home, not seeing anything of the beauty around me that I always relished so much. It was just after noon but it could just as well have been midnight for how much darkness had suddenly crept into my life.
I hadn’t expected it all to happen so soon; already a man had been chosen for me because I was the high priestess. I thought there would have been at least be a bit of time for me… actually I didn’t know at all what it was that I
thought. Maybe the point was that I didn’t think at all.
And now it had gotten this far; there was a man in the coven, staying here, waiting for me to belong to him so that we could make the most of my being the high priestess. Nema had laid it all out to me after everyone had been addressed, it was simple. Dana had proven him to be strong enough to be the high priest of a coven, known his strength to be unlike any that has been witnessed before. And then Nema had told her of how spectacular I had become, and the deal was made, an arranged marriage by the witches. It didn’t matter that my parents were dead. I was being forced more and more into a life that I never would have chosen for myself, a life that I have fought against for as long as I remembered.
And now I would have to break it to Devan. Our date night tonight would be ruined, our weekend together was going to have a black cloud over it.
My mind raced. There had to be some way that I could prevent this from happening? There had to be some way, something that I could do to change my fate. But the fact was that I had willingly become the high priestess, even though at that point I had thought that there was nothing left without Devan in my life, and there was no backing out now, not even now that I didn’t want the man who was given me. This was witch rule, this was how it worked in our circles. I had fought my coven about becoming the leader, but now that it had gone this far, there was no fighting about what was to follow.
When I got to my apartment, I called into the dim light, but I was met by only the silence of the empty house. I closed the door behind me and sank onto the couch, head in my hands. How would I ever tell Devan this?
I felt like I was being torn apart, like the last bit that was left of me was being smothered by them, that the sliver of happiness I had thought I had finally found since I met Devan was slipping away. My heart was wrenching and I found that I was fighting tears, refusing to cry because I wouldn’t give up that easily.
Devan found me in this same position, with my head in my hands and my heart sunken to the floor, an hour later. I had given him a key, and he pushed open the door, his face alight with a grin, only for it to darken with concern when he saw me.
