by Ruby Raine
"So how does Stricker fit into all this?" asked Courtney. "The prick doesn't just surrender himself."
"He didn't," Lizzy explained. "He was booted as leader of the Feyk."
"How did that happen?" asked Melinda.
"Evil is in total upheaval," Charlie continued. "Rae's arrival has set off a chaos bomb and evil is either on the run or joining forces. The Demons are recruiting for war."
The room slipped into a hush, although this wasn't exactly a surprise. Albeit a grim reality they'd have to face all too soon.
"A Demon war will be the biggest, nastiest battle ever fought." Melinda leaned into the counter to steady herself.
"A war that might change the landscape of the world, and not just The Demon Isle," William added in bleak reality.
"But how do the Feyk fit into all of it?" asked Annie.
"They opted not to join forces with the Demons." Lizzy raised an eyebrow as if to say, I know, right? Being just as shocked by this as the rest of them.
"They haven't suddenly turned a page and become allies, or good," Charlie clarified. "They just didn't want to fight in a war they felt certain they'd lose, regardless."
"Because Demons and true evil do not share power," William stated. "Stricker disagreed?"
"He wanted to join the Demons. The rest of the Feyk did not and mutinied. They were pissed he'd gotten them mixed up in the last attack, and basically, they want to go into hiding until the war is over."
"Probably hoping everyone else kills themselves off so they can rise up to the top by simply stepping out of the damn shadows," Courtney spat. "Fucking cowards is all the really are."
"While true, it still doesn't explain why Stricker is locked up in our basement," noted Melinda.
"The Feyk offered him up as a peace offering. They'd leave us alone if we leave them alone." Charlie eyed Courtney.
"Only one Feyk I'm interested in killing and he's in your basement." Of course, before she killed him, she'd have some fun torturing the sick fuck and getting some answers out of him. She'd finally find out who really murdered her coven and fiancé, Bree.
"So they just popped in and dropped him off?" Melinda questioned.
"More or less." Her brother glanced around the room. "I was hoping to talk with Rae. We know so little about Demons, really, when you think about it."
"And with the Guardian and Demon truce over, we can't know what to expect." William ground his jaw, his gaze blackening. And wasn't that a thought that dimmed their hope for a longer break from the chaos. And he still had his own personal demon to deal with—Mina. His sire. The bitch who'd cursed him into this existence.
As if she read his mind, Melinda's hand slid into his own as a firm reminder they were in this together. His anger ebbed because she was right, and he was not going back on that promise.
"We're sure this isn't a trap of some kind?" Melinda asked.
"That was my first thought," Lizzy replied. "But no. It's not a trap. The Feyk made a bargain."
"And they do honor their bargains," Courtney growled.
"I guess for tonight, we keep Stricker locked up. Tomorrow, we'll see if we can make him talk." Charlie smirked when Courtney snarled out that she'd make the fucker talk.
"And the Demons?" asked Melinda.
"They're coming." Charlie's features hardened. "I don't know when. But they will come."
"Time doesn't mean as much to them as it does to us," reminded Melinda.
"Which might give us time to prepare," William said. "But I'd be remiss if I didn't advise immediate precautions. Including, at the least, warning Michael and Emily."
"But we will wait until morning," Melinda practically ordered. "I mean, geez, give them one night before their world is ruined again."
Charlie smiled somberly but agreed.
"I can't even fathom what a war between Guardians and Demons will look like, but it will find its way here. Maybe even the entire damn world."
And wasn't that a terrifying thought. The unaware world thrust into a supernatural war.
What would the world be like when it was done?
Lizzy grew inquisitive and a minute later Charlie was nodding as if they were having some silent conversation between them. It brought a smile to Melinda's face. She hadn't even had a moment to enjoy her brother being home. He was totally still Charlie, and yet, different. There was a calmer confidence to him that had everything to do with his new mate.
"We need to spread the word," Charlie announced.
"Up until now, most of the supernatural world has lived as we do," Lizzy continued. "They find a coven," she aimed at Courtney, "or a place like Sorcier," she aimed at William and Annie, "and stick together."
"And on rare occasions, like recently here, or during the Deane war long ago, have banded together to fight," Charlie continued.
"But this fight is bigger than any one of us alone." It was William who said it, and though it pained him to involve others, they were right. This war would spread and be far more reaching than just the shores of the Isle.
"I'm not saying we turn the Isle into a battle zone, or bring the entire supernatural community here," said Charlie. "But they need to be prepared too, so they can fight to protect their own covens. Their own Sorcier's."
"With Demons running amok, no place will be safe," Annie realized somberly.
"It's time for a new Grand Coven." Charlie let that sink in. There was no time in recent memory when a Grand Coven had been needed. In fact, it had been dissolved long, long ago.
"Grand Covens haven't even existed in—" Melinda had to really think about that.
"Well over a hundred years," Lizzy informed. "The world was different then. Smaller, in some ways. But also more dangerous for supernatural beings as humans did not understand us, or want to. And not that it's changed tremendously in the here and now, but at least we have better ways of blending in and communicating with each other."
"But I think you're right," William agreed. "It might be time to reconvene the Grand Coven."
"Leaders of supernatural covens all over the world coming together in one place?" Melinda stated tersely. "What could go wrong?" She rolled her eyes. "JINX doesn't help by the way. Already tried." She glared playfully at William who gave her a humored simper in return. So much for a break and peace and quiet.
Lizzy grinned. "That's the great part though. The Grand Coven doesn't happen in one place. Or even a real place. It's a meeting of the minds. A magical mind palace, if you will."
And Melinda's jaw was hitting the floor again. It was almost incomprehensible. A magical meeting of the minds, inside their minds.
"That's a heck of a thing, right there," expressed Courtney.
"But needed. The war is coming. Our world, our way of life is in jeopardy," said Charlie.
"As is the human world," Lizzy added. "Bringing back the Grand Coven is the best way to protect our way of life."
"And what about the human world?" asked Annie.
"We've always been protectors of everyone," Melinda answered.
"And so it shall always be," William stated firmly.
"But we are not enough to win this war," admitted Charlie.
"Which is why we need the Grand Coven," added Lizzy. "So everyone can decide amongst their own communities how to defend themselves as well as protect the unaware human population."
A hush blanketed the kitchen as they processed what was to come. And even though it was frightening, not knowing what the future held, there was an odd sort of confidence that kept the overwhelm of the situation dampened.
Perhaps it was that the reality wasn't sinking in yet—they were going to fight Demons.
Or perhaps, it was that all they'd learned and experienced had readied them for this war.
The lessons were some of the most brutal, life-changing, and non-sensical lessons in so many ways. But just thinking back to the months and years gone by, and recalling where their lives had been before, they'd not have been prepared for a war of this mag
nitude or importance without that brutality and harsh reality check.
In some ways, though, there was no way to be perfectly prepared.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," started Melinda. "It's kind of sick really, but after all the trials we've suffered through, we have been pushed to our limits and beyond. In a way, forcing us to be ready for this war."
"Like fate, or magic, or what have you has been working in mysteriously witchy ways to prepare us for this battle all along?" offered Lizzy, having been thinking something similar.
"So there is a point to it all?" Courtney responded. Her own actions under fire seeing as they'd gotten her to the here and now.
"It may not seem like it in the moment," said Annie, "but I've always thought such." Of course, being around people like Aunt May in Sorcier had a hand in that.
"Bravery comes from understanding fear," William stated, his gaze nuzzling Melinda as all eyes pinned on him. "And loyalty doesn't come merely from legacy or a sense of duty," he aimed at Charlie. "But by understanding what it means to be cast aside and treated as worthless." He nodded kindly at Lizzy.
William breathed deeply, looking inward to himself. "The true fight comes from within us all, not just on the battlefield. True freedom comes from knowing what it means to lose it. And true strength and purpose in the fight to keep that freedom can only come from understanding the cost of losing it."
They'd all been forever changed by recent events. He realized now, more than ever, just how important a part they each had to play in this world and a future still undecided. Things in this life did not always seem fair. Or right. Or make any damn bit of sense in the immediate scheme of things.
And while some wrongs could never be righted, and some things would never make sense, and while William had never believed that every single event happening around them could be part of some grander plan, there was something perplexingly calming—this knowledge that maybe, just maybe, there really was some unknown, unseen force at work, pushing them so they'd be ready.
They were balancing on the brink of a war the likes of which none of them had ever witnessed or may ever witness again. And while it loomed over them like a heavy and dreary darkness that could easily consume them all, they'd never felt such a sense of hope. And purpose. And unity. And strength.
It went beyond duty or legacy.
Beyond being witches, and vampires, or werewolves, or spirit vessels...
Beyond friendship and family—a bond deeper than blood that was far reaching and unbreakable.
It was the value of life, and love—priceless commodities worth every sacrifice—an unshakable connection to all things worth fighting for in this world.
Whether it was preordained in the stars or by destiny, or by the blood running in their veins, they would heed the call and fight. Not just because of duty. Or out of fear. But because it was simply the right thing to do.
War would come.
But they were ready to face this evil, together.
WICKED GOOD WITCHES BOOK 14
##
Who Wants to Witch Forever?
Supernatural Protectors: A Legacy of Magic
CHAPTER 1
OCTOBER ON THE DEMON Isle brought with it an autumn landscape so idyllic it looked almost painted on. It also gave the locals a slight reprieve from the busy summer tourist season before the biggest holiday of the year—Halloween, which loomed just a couple of weeks away.
But September had come and gone in a surprising hush, at least for the Howard Witches and their job as protectors of the Isle, as they finally got that break they so desperately needed to catch their breaths after the long and chaotic summer of magical madness.
But it had been anything but dull or quiet as per the day-to-day lives of the witches.
Charlie and Lizzy—now mated nearly a month—had returned from their short mating celebration and had decided it was time to clean out the Howard's parent's old bedroom. A job long overdue. One Charlie had never wanted to do because it had felt like giving up on their parents ever returning. But they were confirmed dead now. Gone. And it was time to move forward. Plus, it made perfect sense that he and Lizzy move into those quarters seeing as there was a small den and a nursery, which Lizzy and Charlie hoped to have need of sooner than later.
They'd also married—as humans—in what Lizzy called a no-nonsense gather all the friends and family together so we can get hitched and drown in tequila while dancing on the beach around a bonfire. And Charlie couldn't find a single argument in her plan of a simple and easy wedding, so he went right along with it. They were now Charlie Howard and Lisbeth Deane-Howard. And working like two werewolves on a mission to make little Deane-Howards to fill up the nursery.
Michael, however, was in the process of packing up his belongings and moving out of the mansion. Howard's often did leave the mansion to live elsewhere on the Isle, but as the numbers of the family had dwindled, they'd stuck around more. But now that he and Emily were married, they'd decided it was time to get a place together and make a home of their own.
Emily sold her father's house, having no desire to live there again, and she and Michael purchased a cottage on the Ocean's shore not far away from the mansion. Close enough to get to the mansion in a pinch, but far enough away to have some peace and quiet—something he was more and more in need of when the noise from living as an empath grew too overwhelming.
Emily's Aunt Lucy departed the island and returned home with a promise to visit in the spring—she wasn't much for cold weather or winter. It was a sad departure, but also filled with the hope of a strong relationship that was more than family bonds or being spirit vessels. They'd truly become kindred spirits in their time together.
Lucas and Riley had extended their stay with the Guardians, along with Mathew and Rae—Mathew popped in to say hello and check in on things now and then. But Rae and the Guardians were scheming a plan for the inevitable fight against the demons. Although Rae was keeping her most precious secret—how to kill the demons—to herself, for now, seeing as she was the only one capable, and didn't want to chance those secrets getting into the wrong hands. Basically, the fewer people who knew, the better.
Regardless, she was getting to know her family, and them, her. As well as figuring out how the Guardians moved forward. The longstanding truce between Guardians and demons was ended, and while the Guardians still considered it their job to care for humans, things might not move forward in exactly the same manner it always had.
Back at the Howard Mansion, there was also the Feyk bastard still prisoner in their basement. Stricker—Sir Tinkham Sickereaux—had not given in and talked—well, not yet. His secrets were still his own seeing as they had little in the way of leverage when it came to interrogating the Feyk who already believed he would die in their possession, so why tell the truth. He'd prefer to take his secrets to the grave.
And they refused torture—although, the longer time moved forward without the Feyk breakin, and the more stubborn the prick became, the lines got blurrier. William was forced to give up trying to get the rat bastard to talk when the vampire's temper flared, and he threatened to tear the Feyk's head off—make that, his powerful hands were clinging around Stricker's neck and Courtney had to pull him off.
And as much as she wanted to force the bastard to tell her who was responsible for her murdered coven, she'd ended up in the same danger zone as William. In the end, they'd decided to back away as getting intel was more important than the instant gratification of hearing his neck snap, or Stricker taking his last breath.
Melinda hadn't even bothered trying interrogation, having decided the others were better suited, but her patience was as thin as everyone else's. They were getting nowhere. Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy did most of the questioning the last few days. Unfortunately, all they'd confirmed so far is what they'd already suspected—Courtney's coven had been murdered by someone else over the Feyk's head. He'd just been a hired gun and nothing more. But they hadn't yet confirmed if
it was someone her coven had known and trusted or a stranger with some unknown vendetta.
It was a slow and tedious process with little in the way of progress being made. But true to their word, the rest of the Firebrand Feyk's had not played any elaborate tricks and had gone into hiding, as insinuated they would.
Regardless of their uncooperative prisoner and the frustration of making little progress on that front, and Mathew checking in with news of the impending demon war, life on the Isle held a relative peace. They wanted to bask in it forever, but they were witches and peace never lasted long. Still, it was becoming difficult to envision a terrible war still brewed.
The difficulty ended, however, when the Grand Coven reconvened for the first time in many generations—a magical meeting meant to reunite good supernatural covens from around the globe. Something that hadn't been needed in many a long year as the supernatural world had lived in relative quiet and peace. All of which unraveled in recent months.
But the meeting had revealed some terrible truths. It was discovered that around the same time Courtney's coven of witches had been murdered, two other witch covens in different states had fallen the same fate, plus another coven overseas in England.
Connected?
Coincidence?
Were they only targeting witch covens?
So far, other supernaturals had not been targeted.
There wasn't any proof one way or the other—but the Howards had just the Feyk in their basement who might break the case wide open. Interrogation tactics might have to get harsher if they were going to get the prick to give up what he knew. They didn't like the idea of harming someone to get intel, even a bastard as evil as Stricker. But many innocent lives were on the line and something needed to be done.
The information learned in the Grand Coven was disconcerting and disheartening and brought their peaceful revelry to an end. At the same time, there wasn't enough proof to make any real plan of action. Witches were being targeted. But the culprit and the reason why were yet a mystery. One could assume it was to gain something the witches could offer, but as to exactly what the end goal was, this was anyone's guess.
