If you were to ask me if I glanced, I’d tell you that Thorin made me do it.
When I enter the threshold, her cat is sitting on the stairs, glaring at me.
“Your cat pissed in my shoe,” I tell her.
She walks up the stairs, scooping the cat up and kisses his old gray head. “Walter has a great judge of character,” she says.
“Any progress on the spell?” I shout as she stomps up the stairs.
“Go fuck yourself,” she yells as the front door slams shut, and I’m quickly covered in darkness.
I put the sheets on in the dark and wonder if maybe I can get Violet on my side after all. I mean, the marriage needs to be forfeit, along with the complications of this spell. But she is next in line to be High Priestess. Maybe there’s hope after all.
Chapter 14
Ihaven’t spoken to Silas in four days. I just leave my door unlocked, and he comes and sleeps on my couch, giving the hex what it wants as I figure this out.
I’m no closer to anything than I was that day at the courthouse, and I’m not sure what to do next. He can’t keep coming over. It’s only a matter of time before one of us gets found out, or worse.
There have been no wolf surprises either, just complete indifference between me and my dear husband.
Mason jars are filled with water, Iris’ potions are lined up on a table, and there’s a clear circle outlined with flickering candles.
My grand-mère approaches me, her hands framing the sides of my face.
“Violet, dear, is something troubling you?”
“No, grand-mère.”
“You could tell me anything. You’re the most treasured thing in my life. Is this about turning thirty?”
I swallow and nod, worrying that if I say anything, she’ll somehow guess what’s going wrong in my life. AKA the massive man she hates with a fiery passion being my husband who I left sleeping on my couch again this morning.
“Thirty is young for a witch. Tell me how you feel when you’re eighty,” she says with a smile. Her fingers stroke my cheekbones lovingly. “I know I’ve been hard on you lately, but it’s because I love you, because you are the successor of this coven. One day I won’t be here, but I’ll rest in the wind knowing my granddaughter is carrying the legacy of this coven. Just like my mother did before me,” she says.
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t. You’re everything I dreamed of.” She kisses my head as we enter the circle, every witch of every age holding hands as we begin tonight’s rituals.
Iris is on one side of me, her grandmother and mother next to her. My grandmother is on my right, connecting the rest of the coven.
Silas’ words ring through my ears, but with the power of all the witches together, they slowly fade away.
This coven is my place, it’s my peace. This is my legacy, and I have to uphold everything my grandmother has built. It’s my duty.
The magic flowing through me feels cosmic and binding in a way I’ve never felt before. It’s almost like the universe knows I need to be grounded. I need to be centered with my coven. These women are the only family I need, and despite Silas’ pleas for us to get along, there’s one cold, hard truth.
I’ll always choose my coven, and he’ll always choose his pack.
Tonight, I’ll convince Silas of the one thing I had hoped to avoid. Tonight, we call on the spirits to help us end this farce of a marriage.
There’s howling in the distance as we chant, everyone attempting to ignore the noise. It’s too loud and frequent to be the werewolves. It has to be Silas’ pack.
Yet, I keep my eyes closed, following the chants and letting the Mother Goddess flow through me. Everything slowly disappears. It’s just me and my coven, as it was meant to be.
Feeling rejuvenated after the ritual, I help Ember place lids on the mason jars.
“The Chervil will be ready to harvest soon. So will the Comfrey. I’ll bring them over to your place when they’re ready.”
