Tabitha Featherstone’s smile was as bright as the sun at high noon, and she vibrated with an energy to match. Even in the Kentucky humidity, her bouncy blonde blowout seemed to magically hold together and her perfectly polished nails were the same pink shade as the tailored blazer she wore over a white shirt and jeans.
“Eli, Olivia, hi. Oh my God, I love your hair. Is that natural?”
“It is, actually.”
“Incredible. I would kill for that color. I’ve tried silver toner three times and I just end up looking like a wet raccoon.” She turned to her sister. “Tori, come say hi.”
The younger Featherstone trudged over. She was the opposite of Tabitha in almost every way, from the dark hair, pale skin, to the eyes so deep green they were nearly black. She wore an oversized sweater, jeans and scuffed boots, all black. The bored expression on her face clearly signaled she did not want to be here.
“Hi,” Astoria said. They all waited for her to say more, but several beats passed and she remained silent.
“She’s shy,” Tabitha said brightly.
“I’m not shy,” Astoria said. “I just don’t perform on command.”
Olivia liked her immediately. Beside her, Eli had gone rigid. Not his usual Eli-stillness, where he was just being himself. Rather, it was something else. Whatever it was, Olivia couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“How long are you guys staying here?” Tabitha asked.
“A couple days maybe,” Olivia said, trying to keep things vague. Although these witches knew all about Lycans, she wasn’t sure how much Ransom would tell Margaux about their little predicament. “We just needed a few days away to relax.”
“Well, it’s a gorgeous spot for it. I keep telling Mother we should go on vacation sometime. Like, the Bahamas or Paris. But she keeps nixing the idea.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “Between us, I think she’s allergic to relaxation.”
Olivia laughed. Tabitha was impossible not to like. “What about you? Do you come here often?”
“When we have business here, though Mother mostly handles the lodge stuff with Silke and the magic stuff with Ransom. She’s the one more talented with wards and prefers to work alone. I tell her I tag along because I want bemore proactive in maintaining friendly relations with our Lycan neighbors, but really, it’s because someone has to make sure she doesn’t offend anyone beyond repair.” She held up her left hand and pointed to her bare ring finger. “Also, I’m getting married here next year. Winter solstice.”
“Congratulations! Who’s the lucky guy?”
Tabitha laughed. “No idea.” She shook her head as she read what was likely confusion on Olivia’s face. “Seriously. Mother’s still negotiating with the other covens. Bloodline compatibility, power balance, territorial alliances. It’s a whole process, fascinating and important to us witches, but boring to most. My older sister Rowena married into the Ashford coven last year, so now I’m the next daughter in the line of succession. My matchhasto be strategic.”
Olivia narrowed her eyes at the young witch. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Absolutely. I trust the process. And whoever it ends up being, I’ll make it work. I have to, if I want to be the future matriarch.”
Tabitha had said it without arrogance, and Olivia figured she was just one of those type A people who didn’t let things like doubt or insecurity stop them from accomplishing their goals.
“Tori thinks I’m insane,” Tabitha added.
“I didn’t say that,” Astoria muttered. “I said you were a fool.”
While Tabitha described the solstice ceremony, the candles, bonfires, binding vows at midnight, Olivia caught something in her peripheral vision. Astoria’s gaze had drifted to Eli. She was studying him with an intense focus, her head tilting slightly to one side.
A shout from outside cut through the conversation, followed by a crash and a string of profanity.
“Aw, hell.” Silke was already on her feet. “That’s Hawk.”
Eli moved before anyone else could react, out the front door and over the deck railing toward where Hawk was on the ground beside an overturned ladder, clutching his ankle while Ink stood over him with his hands on his head.
“Is he okay?” Tabitha craned her neck to see through the window.
“He’ll be fine,” Silke said, already heading for the door. “Not the first time someone’s taken a tumble off that roof. And he’s a Lycan, so he’ll heal quick.”
Olivia started to follow, but footsteps from the hallway made her halt. Margaux Featherstone emerged from the back office with Ransom right behind her. Up close, the matriarch was taller than Olivia expected, and her gray eyes steely as she looked straight ahead.
“Girls,” Margaux said, her voice cool and crisp. “We’re leaving.”
“Already?” Tabitha’s face fell, disappointed.
