I sigh and glance at Silas one more time. He doesn’t look as angry when he sleeps, if anything he reminds me of the boy I once loved all those years ago. Soft, kind, and gentle.
I’m not sure what he went through, but it’s clear that part of him I once adored is long gone. All that’s left is an angry, bitter, control freak.
I might slam the door a little harder than necessary before leaving. Walter will ensure that Silas doesn’t do any damage to my home. He’d call upon me right away if he was doing anything suspicious. Not to mention the most important things in my home are warded and the shifter wouldn’t be able to find them, anyway.
My teleportation magic isn’t as strong as my grand-mère’s, but it’s passable, especially in locations I’ve already been. After a quick breath, I call on the familiar location and teleport to my grandmother’s greenhouse.
“There you are. I tried calling you and stopping by your house yesterday. I know you wanted a low-key thirtieth, but what the fuck, Violet?” Iris says as I happen to pop into existence right next to her.
I dust my dress off and look down at her hands. “Is one of those for me?” I ask with a smile and she rolls her eyes andhands me the iced pumpkin spiced latte. I hum with the first sip. “Thank you, I needed this.”
“You’re welcome. But you’re also not off the hook. You couldn’t text back?”
Clearly, I should have thought of my alibi before now. I’ve been so consumed with needing to figure out this counter curse, hex, spell, whatever the fuck it is, that I haven’t thought about how I’m going to keep the coven off my back while I resolve it.
“I was trying to astral project,” I lie to her, and she pulls me closer to her body.
“Why, it’s been a good hundred years since anyone in the coven has been able to do that?”
“I was hoping to find my mother that way,” I say. It’s a truth mixed with a lie, so hopefully she buys it.
She furrows her brow and nods. The topic of my mother has always been an interesting one with the coven. Of course, anyone my age or younger knows nothing. But the older witches all have the same story. She was troubled, and she left with me in her belly. No one heard from her again, and my grandmother found me at sixteen. No one’s story ever falters.
I’ve only seen three photographs of her, all in my grand-mère’s home. One when she was a young child, another at fifteen, and another at eighteen, when she disappeared.
My grand-mère has tried multiple location spells with a few of my mother’s items, and none of them have worked. It’s been long speculated that she doesn’t want to be found, and I still can’t wrap my mind around why.
Why would she abandon me and leave me far from my coven? Why would she never come back around?
Yet, I never act on my curiosity. This coven is everything to me. My loyalty stays with my family at all times. The coven is my family, not the woman who left me alone and helpless.
“We should keep that between us, then,” Iris says with a nod.
I want to tell my best friend what’s happened, and get her help, but I just can’t. As much as I trust Iris, I feel as though only I can fix my gigantic man issue that’s currently haunting my home.
“Gather around,” my grand-mère says as everyone takes a seat.
The coven is about forty strong, but we network with other covens when necessary. Our family comes first, but we will outreach a hand to another coven. After all, we’ve all been blessed with the same gift from Hecate.
“Now, as many of you know, the Moon Walker Pack has taken on a new Alpha.” Most of the witches seem disinterested, and my grandmother taps her wand against the podium. “Typically, I wouldn’t be concerned either. That pack hasn’t had solid leadership in decades. But this one is different. I need everyone on high alert. Especially the coming full moon.”
She doesn’t mention how he wanted peace, and neither do I.
“I fear under this new leadership they will do what they have always done. Taking things that do not belong to them. We must stay vigilant and not engage unless you find it is completely necessary. In the meantime, I’ll be looking deeper into their new pack leader, Silas. I believe striking this down by the head will be our best option.”
I swallow thickly, knowing she’s right, but hating the way it makes me feel.
“Now, let us discuss this full moon's rituals and potions needed,” she says, changing pace.
Iris stands up. “I have a few potions brewing that need to sit out in the full moon. I can barely keep the seduction potions on the shelf,” Iris says and my grandmother gives her a wide smile.
Iris is not only extraordinarily talented with potions, creams, soaps, what have you, but she also makes a ridiculous amount of money for the coven.
“I’d like to ensure we have a few gallons of water sitting out for the gardens,” Ember says from the corner where she sits with her mother.
I lean forward and wave, which she returns with a quick smile.
“Wonderful. We will also use the moon to unify our coven’s strength. It’s paramount that every witch, regardless of age, is present,” my grand-mère says, with no window for discussion.
