High Priestess

by Wendy Hewlett

  “There’s more children out there he’s harmed?”

  Raven still didn’t have a clue if Adara knew or not. “It’s possible. We need to investigate further.”

  Adara nodded then turned back to buttering the bread. Weird, Raven thought. She wondered if maybe Adara wasn’t able to broach the subject of Gregor molesting her. Maybe she just couldn’t deal with it. Raven couldn’t blame her. She couldn’t deal with it herself. Since she was worried Adara might be thinking about Gregor, she didn’t want to even attempt to tune into her thoughts and hoped Mick would be able to get a read on her.

  “So, are you ready for the gathering tomorrow night?” Raven asked Adara, hoping a change in subject would help to settle them both.

  Adara placed an assembled grilled cheese into the frying pan. “The gathering?” Keeping her back to Raven, she picked up a spatula and poked at the sandwich. “Yes, why do you ask?”

  Another weird response. “You were busy baking. I just wondered if you had everything ready.”

  “Yes. Everything’s ready.”

  “What will happen at the gathering? Will there be a memorial or something?”

  “I suppose, in a way. The coven will need to process their grief.”

  “And there will be a vote to choose a new High Priestess?” Raven remembered Ena saying that, if Adara was involved in poisoning her, she’d make a play for the HPS role.

  Adara looked over her shoulder. “Are you interested in the coven all of a sudden, Rave?”

  Raven didn’t like the look Adara was giving her, like she was pissed Raven was asking questions about the coven. It just made Raven want to push the envelope.

  “Simone thinks I’d make a good replacement for Ena as High Priestess.”

  The spatula landed on the stove top and Adara whipped around, throwing daggers at Raven with her eyes. “You haven’t had anything to do with the coven for years. You can’t just expect to waltz in and take over. You have no right.” Adara’s nostrils flared as she drew in a sharp breath.

  Raven was worried about Adara’s blood pressure. Her face turned deep red and she was vibrating, her fists white knuckled at her sides.

  “I never said I was interested in taking over the coven, Adara. I said Simone thought I would suit the role.” She slid off her stool and walked over to the stove, picked up the spatula to flip over the grilled cheese then gave the soup a quick stir. “There’s no reason to get so upset.”

  Adara took the spatula from her and nudged her away from the stove.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve just been so worried about you and I don’t know what’s going to happen to the coven without Ena. She was the coven. Always has been.” Tears pooled in her eyes.

  It had to have been hard on Adara losing her best friend. Ena was the only person besides Raven Adara had been close to. If she hadn’t murdered her, she was probably going through a lot of stress and grief. Raven leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Would it really piss you off if I came back to the coven?”

  Adara’s soft brown eyes met Raven’s and then she turned back to preparing the next grilled cheese.

  “You would need to be re-initiated. It’s been years, honey. You have a lot to learn and practice before you would be ready. But, Simone is right. You have the charisma to lead the coven. You’re just not ready for it yet.” She cut the sandwich that was ready, poured a bowl of soup and placed them in front of Mick. “Here you go, dear.”

  “Tell me about Kiran Hayes. What’s his role in the coven?” Raven asked.

  “Kiran?” Adara’s hand spread over her heart and her face flushed. “He’s High Priest. He has been since he and Ena came back from their honeymoon.”

  Whoa. Did Adara have the hots for Kiran? Did she think she would step into the HPS role and win Kiran Hayes’s heart?

  Adara set a plate and bowl on the island and motioned for Raven to take a seat then went back to preparing her own sandwich. Raven couldn’t make eye contact with her. Adara kept her eyes on the food she was preparing and her back to Raven as much as possible. Raven huffed then grabbed a bottle of ketchup from the fridge and went back to her stool. She squirted a huge blob of ketchup onto her plate and dipped her grilled cheese into it.

  Mick waved her spoon at Raven’s plate. “With all that ketchup, why bother with the soup?”

  Adara laughed. “Rave considers ketchup a vegetable.” She took the stool next to Raven and dipped her grilled cheese in her soup.

  “You haven’t told me about Kiran,” Raven said.

  “What do you want me to say, sweetie? He is what he is. He’s dedicated to the British Navy. The sea has always been his first love. Don’t get me wrong, he loved Ena, but he couldn’t give up the Navy.”

  Raven watched Adara closely as she spoke. The flush returned to her face and she kept her eyes down.

  “What was he like in the coven?”

  “He’s a talented witch, if that’s what you mean. Powerful. He’s loyal, kind.” Adara stared blindly at the window as she spoke in a dreamy voice. Her blush deepened and her voice hardened. “He’d have made a damn good father if he’d been given the chance.”

  “You’re angry at Ena for keeping us apart?” Raven asked.

  Adara finally made eye contact with Raven. “Aren’t you?”

  She wanted to say Ena made a lot of mistakes, but she thought she truly wanted to make amends and repair their relationship and she suspected Adara kept them apart in the same way Ena kept her from her father. “I think there’s a lot I don’t know yet, so maybe I should reserve judgment until I have the whole picture.”

  Adara stared hard at Raven. She tried to blank out her thoughts because she felt like Adara was trying to read her, felt like she was invading her thoughts. She’d never quite felt anything like that before.

  “Well, maybe you should spend some time with Kiran then,” Adara said as she turned back to her meal. “He’d have more answers for you than I would.”

  Raven wasn’t so sure about that. She glanced over at Mick, wondering if she picked anything up from Adara. Her brows were drawn together, a somber expression on her heart shaped face. She couldn’t tell if Mick had read Adara or not, so, while she ate, she quieted her mind and tried to listen. What she got shocked her – not from Adara, but from Mick. Adara was thinking about Kiran, Mick was thinking about Jaxon.

  Raven sucked in a sharp breath, dropping her sandwich on her plate. She pushed her stool back and got up to pace around the kitchen, glaring at Mick. Mick was in love with Jax. Mick glared right back at her, but her face was flushed.

  “What’s wrong, Rave?” Adara asked, watching her pace.

  Raven shook her head. “I’ve just remembered something about the case we’re working on. We have to go.” She turned to Mick. “Now.” Mick’s dour mood of the last couple of days finally made sense. She was feeling probably the same way Riley was. The people they were in love with were having someone else’s baby. Were Mick and Jax seeing each other? God, what a mess she’d created.

  They were out of the house in less than a minute with Mick jogging down the driveway trying to keep up with Raven’s long strides. Raven waited until they were in the car and backing out onto the road before she let loose.

  “Are you seeing Jax or just admiring him from afar?”

  “This really isn’t any of your business,” Mick answered, sitting stiffly in her seat, back ramrod straight.

  “Really?” Raven yelled. “You’ve been prying into my mind since I met you and you’re telling me this is none of my business? He’s the father of my baby, Mick. The man is head over heels in love with me.”

  Mick winced and sank back into her seat. “He wouldn’t be if you let him go. You don’t love him.”

  “If I let him go?” She had, hadn’t she? She told Jax that she would never love him the way that he loves her. She was being an idiot getting mad at Mick for loving him. If Jax could love Mick ba
ck, it would be better for all of them.

  Mick must have been reading her thoughts because her voice softened. “We’ve been dating for a while. Nothing too hot and heavy.”

  “You’re sleeping with him?”

  Mick’s face flushed again. “That’s really none of your business.”

  Raven rolled her eyes. “Right. It’s okay for you to rape my mind, but what’s in yours is private.”

  Mick’s head whipped around, her eyes wide. The flush disappeared, her face pale and maybe a little green around the gills.

  “Is that how you feel? Like I raped your mind?”

  “I didn’t invite you in,” Raven said. “In fact, I’ve told you plenty of times to stay out of my head.” Mick turned away, staring out the passenger window. Fine, Raven thought. Let her brood about Jax.

  “Did you pick anything up from Adara?”

  Mick kept her gaze focused out her window. “She’s definitely hiding something. She was blocking me.”

  “What do you mean she was blocking you?” Raven asked, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel.

  “Just that. She’s good, too. I couldn’t get anything.”

  “How do you block a psychic from getting into your head?” If Adara could keep Mick out of her head, Raven wanted to know how to do it, too.

  “Practice,” Mick answered. “It takes some skill and a lot of practice.”

  All this time, Raven had thought Adara’s psychic skills were weak. But she was beginning to see that wasn’t the case. Could she have been so wrong about the woman who’d taken her in? Had Adara been hexing Raven and Ena, keeping them apart? Had she tried to kill Raven by sending her into the path of Jaxon’s truck?

  CHPATER 15

  RAVEN PARKED IN Ena’s driveway with the grilled cheese sandwich she’d eaten feeling like a brick in her stomach. She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, concentrating on easing the tension in her shoulders and neck as she blew out.

  “I know this has all been hard on you,” Mick said. “I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”

  Despite all of her intrusions into Raven’s mind, she knew Mick meant well. “I know,” she said in a quiet voice.

  Mick smiled weakly. “And I’m really sorry for raping your mind.”

  Great. Now she felt like a total ingrate for saying that.

  “I’ve never really thought of it that way,” Mick continued. “But, you’re right. I’ve totally invaded your privacy.”

  Well, damn. Raven stared blindly out the windshield and took another deep breath. “What’s done is done. We can’t change it now.”

  Mick’s smile widened. “You’re alright, Raven.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Raven smiled. Then she thought about Riley. Did she still think Raven was alright? Did she still love her or was it too late? God, she hoped not. The heel of her palm connected with her chest just above her heart and she rubbed there unconsciously. Mick opened her door and got out of the car while Raven took another deep breath.

  When she stepped out, she stood staring at the house that had been in the Bowen family for generations. Generations of witches. What would her life have been like if she’d embraced that side of her instead of rebelling against it? What if she hadn’t blocked her psychic abilities? Would she have been able to warn Ena and prevent Gregor’s attacks?

  I should have seen it. I should have protected you.

  Hot tears filled Raven’s eyes. “I should have told you,” she whispered, knowing Mick was standing on the other side of the car. “The first time it happened, I should have told you.”

  You were a child and scared he would carry out his threats. But, yes, you should have told me, baby. I would have made damn sure he never hurt you again.

  Raven closed her eyes, forcing two fat tears to slide down her cheeks. She brushed them away with her sleeve and sniffed.

  “Raven?” Kiran called out from the side porch, his hand in the air, waving.

  “Are you okay? Do you need some time?” Mick asked.

  Raven looked at Mick over the roof of the car, standing with her hands tucked in the pockets of her jeans. “Would you mind? I’d like to take a walk on the cliffs.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Without another word, Mick strode up the driveway to meet Kiran.

  Raven didn’t wait around. She headed towards the cliff at the back of the house overlooking Fairy Lake.

  “Would you hang around for a bit and talk?” she asked Ena.

  Of course, darling.

  She walked to the edge of the cliff with the breeze teasing her hair and took several deep breaths of clean, fresh air.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had the chalice and the results of the water tests all along?”

  I didn’t want you to solve my murder too quickly. I needed time. I suspected someone influenced Adara to do what she did. I don’t think she would have come up with this scheme on her own because it goes against her sweet nature. Someone put her up to it.

  “Why Gregor? Was it because of me?”

  I had him expelled from the coven. He must have been holding a grudge against me all this time.

  “Why did you have him expelled?”

  Simone came to see me one day. She told me Gregor came on to her and when she rebuffed his advances he got violent. He tried to force her, but she managed to knee him in the groin and get away. The night we had that horrible fight, I asked him to come to the house so I could tell him he was no longer welcome in the coven and if he ever came near any of the members again, Simone and I would go to the police.

  “Did Adara know about this?”

  No. It never went further than Simone, Gregor, and I.

  Raven closed her eyes and stood there a moment just feeling the breeze and the sun on her face. What a mess she made of things that night. Ena hadn’t been renewing her relationship with Gregor, she was ousting him from the coven. If only she hadn’t freaked out and taken it out on Ena.

  You gave some advice to Mick earlier. You said what’s done is done. We can’t undo the past, sweetheart. We can only heal from it.

  “That’s why you hung around, getting into my head. Not to solve your murder, but to resolve our issues.”

  Yes, darling angel.

  A sob ripped through Raven’s chest and then something miraculous happened. Her mother’s arms wrapped around her, cocooning her in a loving warmth she hadn’t experienced for fifteen years.

  “Mom,” she rasped.

  I’m here, baby girl. I’m right here.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so horrible to you that night.”

  Shhh.

  Ena’s fingers threaded through Raven’s hair as she cradled her head. She wanted to stay there in Ena’s embrace forever. She didn’t notice the wind picking up until it was stealing her breath away. The ground beneath her rumbled and the edge of the cliff began to break away. Raven began to slide towards the edge where the cliff dropped off and jagged rocks waited thirty feet below. The force of the ground quaking knocked her off her feet and she clawed at the rock, tearing her nails as she desperately tried to grip onto something. She kicked her legs, now dangling over the edge, as if trying to swim up the cliff. Her lungs seized making it impossible to draw in a breath.

  It’s Adara. She’s doing this. Rave! Use your powers.

  Raven saw Kiran and Mick charge out the kitchen door and race towards her, but she was slipping steadily closer to the edge and they were too far away. All she could think about was her baby. She’d never even have a chance to live. She watched Kiran sprinting, his face pure white, his eyes bulging. She’d never get a chance to know her father.

  “I love you, mom,” she croaked. She hadn’t realized she was weeping until she heard her own voice crack.

  Hang on, angel. Use your powers. You are a powerful witch, Raven Sage Bowen. Use your powers. Remember what I taught you. Remember your dreams.

  She was slipping further, her legs now dangling over the edge as she kicked and clawed. Kiran
came to an abrupt stop and thrust his arms up in the air. She couldn’t hear what he was saying over the hammering wind until Ena’s voiced sounded in her head, matching the motion of Kiran’s lips. Their combined power like an electrical current crackling in the air.

  I call upon Earth, the power to make.

  I call upon Air, the power to take.

  I call upon Fire, the power to grow.

  I call upon Water, the power to flow.

  Stop this spell meant to harm,

  Heed our power; undo this evil charm.

  Still the earth, calm the wind,

  Evil forces rescind!

  As we will, so mote it be.

  The wind ebbed just as Mick reached Raven and grabbed onto her arms, dragging her away from the edge of the cliff. Raven wasn’t sure if the ground was still trembling or if it was just her. She thought she was dead, was certain she was going to end up impaled on the rocks below. She curled in on herself, on the baby growing in her belly while Mick rocked her. Kiran reached them and scooped Raven out of Mick’s grasp and into his arms. He carried her back to the house, murmuring she was okay over and over again, while Raven remained curled in a tight, trembling ball.

  * * *

  The rich, mahogany table was set with Ena’s best china and crystal goblets, glinting in the flickering flames of long, white taper candles. Kiran had gone all out with roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, and glazed carrots and green beans. Raven would have devoured it if she didn’t feel so sick. Her chest felt tightly restricted. Every breath was a hard fought battle. Her fingers were raw and she’d lost the nail from her right middle finger. The cut she sustained on her palm the day before throbbed like a bitch. She was sure it was expanding and contracting like you’d see in a cartoon. Kicking against the rock ledge had slashed and bruised her shins. Despite how much her entire body hurt, she was alive. But, damn, it had been close.

  The clatter of cutlery against china brought her back from the edge of the cliff.

  “You’re not eating,” Kiran said.