“Right.” I swept an arm dramatically through the air. “Um.”
The scientist in me still wasn’t comfortable with this whole leading rituals thing.
“One thing first.” Corbin stepped forward. He held out the box in his hands. “We’ve never done anything official to mark Maeve as our High Priestess. We should do that now.”
He pushed the box into my hands. My fingers ran over the rough wooden surface. I fumbled with the clasp and lifted the lid.
Tears sprung to my eyes as I beheld the treasure inside. Nestled in a bed of purple velvet were the three jewels of our coven – made of citrine – a stone that Corbin told me directed power, creativity, and decisiveness.
The ring. The pendant. The diadem.
The same three jewels my mother wore in her portrait. I ran my fingers over the cold surface of the stones. The metal had dulled a little with tarnish. My heart clenched at the thought of my mother’s elegant fingers touching the same stones.
“We kept them in the drawer all this time,” Corbin said, his smile wavering. “Waiting for you.”
“I—”
I couldn’t find words.
Corbin’s fingers left the bottom of the box. He dropped to his knees on the grass, bowing his head before me. He touched his fingers to mine. The air between us sizzled as his magic poured out of him and entwined with my own. He looked up again, his bright eyes meeting mine, wide and filled with love.
“Maeve Moore, my priestess, my love. I lay down my life for you.”
Fuck. What the hell am I supposed to say to that?
The grass on my left rustled. I tore my eyes from Corbin. Arthur knelt in the dirt, the hilt of his sword in his hand, the blade pointing down toward the ground, toward our enemies. “Maeve Moore, my priestess, my love. I lay down my life for you.”
Flynn dropped to his knees with a dramatic flourish. That wicked grin lit up his face as he pressed his fingers to my hands and said, “Maeve Moore, my priestess, my love. I lay down my life for you. And as an Irishman, it’s worth at least ten of these other fellas.”
I laughed as tears streamed down my face. On my right, Rowan – precious, beautiful Rowan – sank to the earth, his voice as clear and loud and steady as I’d ever heard it. “Maeve Moore, my priestess, my love. I lay down my life for you.”
My eyes met Blake’s. He hesitated, pitching backwards. For a moment, I thought he was going to turn and bolt. Then his face broke into a wicked smile. “Had you for a moment there, Princess.”
He sank onto one knee, placing a hand over his heart. “Maeve Moore, my priestess, my love. I lay down my life for you.”
I glanced at each of their faces in turn, seeing their openness, their strength, their love. They had already dedicated their lives to keeping me safe, and now, here they were, promising more than I should ever have the right to ask of them.
My fingers itched to fling the box away, to sweep them all to their feet and give them the gift of their freedom, of a life without obligation to me and this coven. I wanted Corbin to go to university, Flynn to exhibit his art all over the world, Arthur to join a metal band, Blake to open a curry shop and Rowan to realise just how amazing he truly was. But the tip of Arthur’s sword bobbed over the dirt, and I remembered that this was so much bigger than us.
None of us asked for this duty, but it was ours. While we still drew breath, we had to fight to save humanity.
I stared down at the glittering jewels.In the movies, these sorts of things are always done for you by a nubile young slave.But this was real life, and I already had all the testosterone in my life that I needed. I lifted the necklace out of the box. With trembling hands, I pulled it over my head so the pendant hung between my breasts. The weight of it dragged my neck forward.
The ring next. I slipped it onto my finger.
It fit perfectly.
I set the box on the ground and lifted out the diadem with both hands. I smoothed my hair down and placed it on my head. It felt weird, like a shackle. Power hummed from the metal, growing warm against my head.
I opened my mouth. I found the words.
“I lay down my life for all of you, my warriors, my guides, my witchy men, my loves.”
Five pairs of eyes stared up at me with such reverence it stole my breath. My chest swelled until my heart threatened to burst through my ribcage.
Weirdly, standing out here with all my guys, the wind wisping my hair against the back of my neck, the grass cool beneath my bare feet, our magic spiralling around us, wrapping us in a warm, protective glow, made the magic rush through my body the same as when I’d kissed them for the first time. Even though we weren’t touching, this ritual, thisbinding, was even more intimate than sex.
A tear rolled down my cheek. I swiped a hand across my eye. “Stand up, you guys. We have work to do.”
