“Jaxon.” The softness of the earth muffled Falcon’s approaching footsteps. “We must go.”
Jaxon leaned in, kissed Tess once, twice, before backing away from her. “You don’t need to worry about me or any of us for that matter. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about. It’s me. This is going to cause me to have a heart attack before I’m forty.”
He held her hand for as long as he could before the call to duty made him relinquish his treasure. Releasing her, he joined with the remainder of the Assembly and disappeared.
Damn him! He could just disappear and leave her to wonder and wait, her imagination creating horrifying images in her mind. Tess’ irritation increased, expanded until she paced the living room at a rapid rhythm. Her fingers returned to her hair countless times, tangled in the thickness before dropping to her sides once more. How much time had passed since Jaxon had evaporated with the others?
She swept past a black leather sofa, an antique rocking chair polished to a gleaming shine and an apothecary table from the 1800s. The whisper of wealth didn’t soothe her. All of his money couldn’t protect Jaxon from the witches.
Stomping to the front door, Tess tugged it open. The night offered no respite from her turmoil. The sky, now the color of an inky mist, blinked with lightning. The winds stirred, an ominous warning to the approach of a storm. Emotions raged to compete with the rumble of thunder in the distance.
Tess moved to the edge of the mountain, her feet crunching over rocks and sticks. Peering down into the valley below, she squinted but her vision failed her. The wizards had obviously been using some kind of superior vision or looking spell to enable them to see the tower as she could only see trees and shadowy, unknown figures.
And she could only wait and pray Jaxon would return to her alive and well.
* * * * *
The walls shook. Lightning danced across the concrete floors and circled the wizards from feet to head. Gathered together, the sextet of wizardry descended to the top floor of the tower. The battle between the covens halted. Weary witches turned of one accord to stare at the intruders. Some paled. Others gasped. Only Athena smiled.
“Welcome to my home, Jaxon. I didn’t think I would ever see you here again.” Her eyes flicked over the remaining wizards, dismissing them. “And especially not so soon.” She brushed a hand down the length of her supple body. “I wish I could say I’ve missed you.”
Aguinar stepped forward, her hands raised in supplication. “Falcon, our battle is not with you and yours. We are here to defend our right to remain separate and apart from the Coven of Allesandra, no more.”
Athena shoved a hand against the old witch’s shoulder. “Stop groveling. These old guys aren’t big on compassion.”
Aguinar stumbled and righted herself by placing a hand against the brick wall. “We only wish to leave.”
“And so you shall.” Jaxon responded to the witch’s request with a sweep of his hand toward the stairs. “But only you and the remaining Coven of Ballhastra are free to leave. Our business is with Athena and her sisters.”
The older witch’s eyes strayed to Falcon’s face as if seeking permission from the highest of powers. He inclined his head slightly. “What Jaxon says is true. You may leave.”
Athena’s hand shot up and a row of bars secured the doorway. “No one is leaving without my permission. It is still my home.”
Jaxon removed the steel rods with a glance and a quick toss of his head. “Fight your own battles, Athena. You should not ask these witches to risk their lives for a cause only you believe in.”
Athena’s lips thinned, the only outward sign of her disapproval. When she spoke, her voice was still unruffled, soft even. “You take great liberties here. I wouldn’t come into your home and presume to make demands.”
He took a step forward, ignoring the warning hand of his leader. “Have you forgotten your midnight foray into my home two nights ago? And the meeting with my wife? You came without invitation, to make demands. You placed not only your own life in jeopardy but the lives of your sisters as well. But then no one here is surprised you would place your own greed above the lives of those you have promised to protect.”
“My sisters trust me. They know I will do what is best for them, for the Coven.”
“And does Arista still feel that way?” The velvety softness of Jaxon’s voice, more than the words, brought a startled gasp from the gathered witches. Slowly, in unison, they backed toward the stairs, seeking escape, a refuge from the impending war.
Fury flashed in Athena’s dark eyes. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You would dare speak my sister’s name when it was you who took her life?”
Jaxon circled the witch, power rippling with each move. He walked with the self-confidence of a formidable opponent, one who, facing his enemy, knew his own strengths. “I only took what Arista willingly sacrificed. Perhaps she should have considered her actions more carefully.”
Athena lifted her shoulders in a halfhearted shrug, her poise restored. “And perhaps you should protect your wife better.” She whipped her head around, met Jaxon’s fiery gaze. And smiled. “It is never wise to underestimate your opponent.”
He didn’t need to open a window to know that Athena’s evil had touched Tess. Fear touching his heart, he focused on his home. Running the instant his feet touched solid ground, he broke through the door and pushed into the living room. “Tess! Where are you?” He didn’t acknowledge the thump of feet as the other wizards raced to join him.
Jaxon took the stairs two at a time, racing, praying, cursing Athena with every breath. Tess hadn’t answered his call and the emptiness surrounded him. Bathed in fury, he shoved open the bedroom door and found her. Crumpled beside the bed, her hands clutching around an antique ice pick, Tess sat with her eyes closed. Blood trickled from her mouth but her heartbeat was strong. He breathed a prayer of gratitude as he ran his hands over her, searching for injuries.
“She is alive.” He stood, lifted her in his arms.
Charlemaine placed a hand on her daughter-in-law’s hair. “We should take her back to the citadel. She has lost a lot of blood. We will need to heal her.”
“She is not one of us. She needs a doctor,” Andion pointed out.
“I can heal her.” Jaxon’s voice was cold, unrelenting.
Jensen stepped in front of his son. “It is not wise to use your powers now, not with your emotions controlling you. All of us can feel your anger. Falcon and I will take care of her.” He touched Jaxon’s shoulder. “Trust me. We will see to her.”
Tess stirred against Jaxon’s chest. She mumbled his name and reached out for him, searching blindly with open hands.
“I’m here. You’re safe. I’ll take care of you.” Jaxon held her closer, tighter, and began walking toward the door.
The wizards around him exchanged glances as Jaxon’s voice lost the formal edge. He’d easily slipped back into the man Tess knew.
“The witch was here.” She blinked open her eyes and centered her gaze on his face. “I got her.”
She couldn’t be talking about what he thought, could she? No mortal had ever gotten close enough to hurt a witch. He stopped walking and looked into her weary face. “You got her?”
A weak nod accompanied a raised ice pick that glinted with blood. “She was here before. I recognized her.” She paused, licked her lips. “I stabbed her.” Her eyes widened, horrified. “Oh God, I stabbed a witch. She’s going to kill me.”
Jaxon shifted her in his arms and resumed walking. “No, she’s not. She’s never going to come near you again.” The words were dark with promise.
Falcon intercepted his path, holding out a staying hand. “Tess, you say you wounded the witch?”
She turned her head and Jaxon saw her wince as she tried to focus on the wizard’s face. “Yes. I’ve never stabbed anyone before. Am I going to go to jail?”
“You’re in our world now and we make the
rules here. You’re not going to jail,” Jaxon reassured her, his voice strong with conviction.
She relaxed a little, slid a hand up the wall of his chest to curl it around his neck. “Good. I don’t think I’d like jail much.” Her eyelids drifted closed.
“Tess,” Falcon placed his hand on her arm, “this is important. Where did you stab the witch?”
“In the bedroom.”
“No, I mean where on her body did you stab her?”
She shuddered. “In the shoulder, I think. I was hiding in the bedroom because I heard something.” She cracked open one eye. “I’m not a coward but she’s a witch.”
Falcon smiled to reassure her. “No one would ever accuse you of being a coward, Tess. Are you sure that is the witch’s blood on the ice pick?”
A gasp followed another nod. “Ow. My head hurts. Yes. I stabbed her in the shoulder once she came into the bedroom. I was behind the door. She didn’t know I was there.” Her eyes rolled to Jaxon’s face. “Why didn’t she know I was there? Couldn’t she sense me?”
Jaxon shouldered Falcon out of the way to resume walking. “Not all witches have the power of discernment. The witch you encountered doesn’t have the abilities Athena has.”
“Is Athena going to come after me?”
How can I tell her what she wants to hear? This had taken him by surprise and few, if any, wizards were ever caught off guard. What the fuck was his problem? He carried her to the sofa and placed her gently on the cushions. “Rest now. We have much more work to do.”
“Isn’t that what you said before you left me alone?” Tess’ voice held enough pique to make Jaxon grimace. He had no doubt, once she’d fully recovered, there would be hell to pay. And he couldn’t blame her. He’d left her alone while he’d gone off to fight a
battle with a witch who for the moment had gained the upper hand. But he’d take it back.
She pushed herself up against the arm of the sofa, one hand curving around the back of her head. “God, what a headache. You didn’t know that witch was coming, did you?”
Dammit. He couldn’t lie to her. Jaxon traded glances with his mentor before he nodded slowly. “Athena knew I would try to protect you. She staged a battle to draw me out, to leave you alone and unprotected. She knows you’re vulnerable right now.”
Tess’ brows drew together. “You mean because I’m human?”
“Because you’re still mortal.”
“Have you ever, have any of you ever, considered the possibility I might not get pregnant? You know, some women in my society are unable to bear children. What happens then?”
Frowning, Jaxon looked down at her. “That should not be one of your worries.”
“Why not? How can you be so sure I’m going to get pregnant or are you just going to wave some type of wand for that too?”
“You need to trust me.” He heard Tess’ teeth snap together and he couldn’t blame her. If he were in her position, he wouldn’t want to be pacified either. “Relax and stop worrying. Just let me take care of you.”
“Are you going to use magic on me?”
Falcon cleared his throat and stepped forward. “That is the easiest way to heal you.”
Her brow remained furrowed. “I’m not sure I like the idea of being the target of your magic. What if something goes wrong? I could end up as a billy goat somewhere in the East Indies.”
Rane gave a snort of laughter. “It would appear your wife does not share your confidence in your abilities, my brother.”
Jaxon silenced him with an uplifted hand. “Nothing will go wrong, honey. I have healed other humans. I can assure you they are alive and perfectly well. Now just close your eyes.”
“I’d rather keep them open so I’ll know what’s happening.”
He knelt down beside her, touched her cheek. “I’d rather you closed them.” He ghosted his hand over her face, watched her eyes close as she succumbed to the potency of his spell.
“If you are sure you do not require our assistance, we shall leave you to tend to her.” Falcon placed his hand on Jaxon’s shoulder. “Once she has returned to full health, the two of you will join us.”
Jaxon nodded, his eyes still on Tess’ sleeping face. As he healed her with the magic of words and movements, the fury raged inside him. Like a storm that ravaged homes and lives. Like a hurricane even he could not control.
* * * * *
“She drew your blood!” Athena raged.
“I am aware of what she drew,” Hestra snapped in response. “The pain is quite real.”
Athena reached out, smacked the wound with the palm of her hand and the ragged edges sealed. The blood dissipated along with the pain. “If you would concentrate on your powers instead of those human males you find so fascinating, you would be able to heal yourself as well as I can.”
“You know that I want this as much as you do. I too want to defeat the wizards. But Arista has died and I start to wonder whether supremacy is worth dying for. Some of us just want to live normal lives.”
“Some of you are fools. As long as the wizards are in power, we won’t be able to lead normal lives.”
Hestra stood up to the formidable witch without consideration for her own safety. “Your definition of normal differs from mine and my sisters’. Ultimate control could get us all killed and revenge will come at too high of a price.”
Athena’s eyes narrowed as her face contorted with fury. “As the leader of this coven, it is my decision whether or not we seek revenge.”
“Everything is your decision,” Hestra snapped back.
“I have sacrificed my life to ensure the continuation of the Coven. Those who don’t wish to be a part of what I’ve created are free to leave. Have always been free to leave.”
“We all know what happened to Harmony when she left. You killed her.”
Athena approached, a whirl of ire and darkness. “I protected the Coven.”
Hestra clamped her hands on her hips. “You didn’t trust her to keep silent about us.”
“She was a witch who turned her back on what she was. You can’t leave the magic behind. It is a part of you, a part of all of us. We can never go back to being what we were before we found the magic within us.”
Though her eyes still blazed with fury, Hestra’s shoulders sagged. “Had I known this was my fate, I might have thought differently about my desire for magic.”
Athena’s breath hissed out in a burst of shock and outrage. “You belong to the Coven, Hestra. Never forget that. There is no time for regrets and fanciful dreams. You are a witch of the Coven of Allesandra. You have been given much and as such, much is required of you. You will protect the Coven, do your duty, or like Harmony, you will reap the consequences of your unwise decision.”
Rage simmered in Hestra’s eyes. “I would never turn my back on the Coven but I don’t have to like what the future holds in store for us.”
“Leave me. Your clumsiness will aid the Assembly in their attempts to thwart us. With the blood of a witch, they can cripple us with the right spell. And there is no doubt in my mind that Jaxon and Falcon will create that spell. I have to be ready to dilute it, to protect all of us.”
Hestra started toward the stairs, stopped to add. “Since I am so clumsy, perhaps it would be best if you did your own dirty work next time.”
Athena’s eyes shot sparks. “You will do as instructed.”
Hestra whirled, tossed her hair back over her shoulders and glared at the leader of the Coven with open hostility. “And suppose the wizards discover the spell? I’m not going to be the one who goes one-on-one with Jaxon when he finds out we—”
Spiraling into the air, Athena whirled forward until she could land inches away from Hestra, interrupting the woman’s speech. “I repeat, you will do as you are instructed.”
For a brief moment the tension mounted. Witch faced witch, both imposing in their own right. Sides chosen, they squared off, hands fisted at their sides, eyes blazing with inner fury and contempt. Un
til the roar of the wind dragged them toward the window and forced their attention to the night skies. And the incoming storm. With lightning bolts like daggers and winds ripping the bricks from the tower, the tornado whirled forward, threatened the safety of the witches confined within the concrete walls.
“Jaxon has certainly worked himself up into a fine temper.” Athena’s voice crackled with laughter, indifferent to her own lack of safety. “I would imagine this,” she swept a hand toward the sky, “is supposed to scare us. With all of his might, he conjures a whirlwind. How utterly banal. Would I have even a morsel of his abilities, I would rule the world.” And with the arrival of Jaxon’s child, she would.
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