Affinity
Iwaved the eagle feather in a light zig zag motion over the smoking sage bundle.“Cleanse this space so that only white light remains,” I told the smoke asSylvia and the coven looked on. Sylvia had initiated me into her coven a fewmonths ago. Now I was learning magic. Kai wasn’t crazy about the idea but Iloved it. I loved learning about all of the different spells and ways to read andmanipulate energy. It felt like I could study magic for 100 years and neverknow it all. I walked over to the copper bowl that held white salt and grabbeda handful. I sprinkled it in a circle around us. “This casting is blessed,” Itold the coven with confidence. Sylvia looked at me with pride. She walked overto the large wooden table and began to arrange certain items in a circle.
“Ladies, we are blessed to have Aurora in our coven. These timeshave become uncertain. The balance has tilted in favor of the vampires and sowe witches, who like to remain neutral, have had to take a side. We have sidedwith humanity, and therefore, with the werewolves who protect them. Aurora isspecial. She’s lived her entire life believing she was human, and now she is awitchanda werewolf. This gives her a wonderful perspective. We havegathered here tonight to ask our ancestors and spirit guides to reveal heraffinity so we may help her develop her magical gifts.” Sylvia carried herselfwith such confidence and authority. I now recognized her as an Alpha in thewitch world.
I stared at my shoes nervously.
“Aurora, Aurora, Aurora.” The witches began to chant and startedinterlocking their hands to make a circle around me and Sylvia as we stood infront of the table.
Sylviagestured to the objects on the table. There were five colored gemstones in acircle. “These are affinity stones. The white stone is a scrying stone. Witcheswith this affinity have the gift of future sight. They are seers. I presumethis will be your affinity because of your Matefinder abilities,” she told me. “Theblack stone is the spell casters’ stone. This is my affinity. Any spell I do isten times more amplified than an average spell caster.”
Whoa.That must be why she was the high priestess of our coven.
“Theblue stone is the healers’ stone. They have a natural affinity for healingspells. Gretchen is an affinity healer.” Sylvia nodded to an older witch whosmiled at me.
“The green stone is the alchemystone. Any metal or mineral can be mutated at the alchemists’ wish. They areusually very rich because they love turning steel into gold.” She flicked hereyes to a middle-aged witch with long black hair. Her neck was adorned ingolden chains. Large chunky diamond rings glittered on her fingers. She smiledat me and I caught the glint of a gold-capped tooth at the back of her mouth.Interesting.
Sylvia continued. “The last stone, thered stone, is the power stone. Usually only an affinity to dark witches, itmakes them hunger for and absorb other witches’ power.”
My mouth dropped open. I wasreminded of Prudence, the dark witch working with Layla. Thathadto beher affinity. Sylvia gave me a slight nod as if she knew what I was thinking.
“Now Aurora, when I say theenchantment, you will hold your hand over the stones and see which one calls toyou. Then you will be mentored by a witch who has mastered that affinity.Ready?"
I let out a deepbreath. "Sure," I said, and tried not to let my voice croak. I gothit by a car a few months ago. Then I got turned into a werewolf, found out Iwas some rare Matefinder that could match up wolves to save my race withprocreation, and now this. Not too much to handle. Nope. I could do this. Justbreathe.
Sylvia threw someyellow powder over the stones.
"Turmeric,"she told me. "To purify."
I was stilllearning after all.
Sylvia threw herhands up in grand fashion. "Guides and teachers, hear my call! Aurora haschosen to follow her magic, let us put her to the test. Help her choosestraight and true; help her be her very best!" I wondered if rhyming wasrequired for spell casting. Mist flew from Sylvia’s hands and surrounded thestones.
My palms began itching.Sylvia had told me before that it was rare that I could see the mist, that Icould visually see magic. So maybe Iwouldget the seer stone. I wasalready able to see the futures of the mates I paired up in my visions. Iwouldn’t complain if I got the alchemy stone but I didn’t want the red powerstone. My palms were warm and getting hotter. I looked at Sylvia, who nodded. Ilet my palms hover over the stones and made a circular motion. The white seerstone began to wobble. Whoa! It was moving! Then it rolled a few inches intothe center of the circle.
"Good girl! Aseer!" Sylvia told the coven and everyone clapped. I smiled. Just as I wasabout to pull my palm away, I felt it itch again and radiate warmth. A secondstone began to wobble, the blue healer stone. I could hear gasps of breath allaround me as the blue stone rolled into the center and softly clanked againstthe white one. My palm cooled and I lowered my hand. I had forgotten abouthealing Kai’s leg in the woods … Was that an affinity?
"Twoaffinities," Sylvia said in shock.
"She's a Devi.A flesh wanderer!" another witch declared.
"We don't knowthat!" Sylvia answered sternly.
Oh, God. Not again.Not another freak thing. What the hell was a Devi?
"Twoaffinities. Werewolfandwitch. There are many signs that she could be aDevi," another witch commented, looking at me curiously.
"A Devi?"I rubbed my sweating palms on my jeans. The word was foreign to me. The witchespronounced it Day-vee.
"Sweetheart,do you believe in reincarnation?" Gretchen asked me.
"Enough! She'shad enough!" Sylvia suddenly yelled and the other witches quieted.
"This castingis over. So be it. She will be trained with two affinities." Sylvia hadthe sweet mom thing going on ninety percent of the time but the other tenpercent, she was a force to be reckoned with. This was one of those times. Noone challenged her.
I could hear the witches gathering their thingsand leaving. Gretchen approached me. I could smell her. Frankincense. Sheplaced a hand on my shoulder and I immediately felt comforted and at peace. Wasshe healing me?
"It will beokay, dear," she whispered, and then she left.
