The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 116
Frida jumped up and turned to the other sister. “Come on, Roska. Let’s get dinner ready.”
I turned to her. “I can help.”
“Nonsense. You’re a guest.” She turned to Nils. “Play nice.”
“Get dinner ready.”
“Where are you from?” Eldon asked. He raked his raven-black hair and studied me with his kind, but piercing dark eyes.
“America. I was born in the colonial period.”
Nils glared at Johan. “Interesting. The exact time frame when you were traveling.”
Johan nodded. “Before I returned and married your mother. You’re astute.”
“She’s not such a distant relative, is she, Father?”
“The exact relation isn’t of importance.”
“Oh, but it is.”
Eldon rose and put a hand on Nils’ arm. “Relax. Let’s find out more about her.”
Nils stepped back. “I’ll ease up when I feel like it.” He turned to Keran. “What do you think?”
Keran sat. “I don’t think it’s a matter of being right, brother.”
“So, I’m the only one with my sanity about me?”
Eldon sat next to me. “Why are you so worried, Nils? If anyone should be, it would be Frida as the eldest daughter.”
Nils stared Eldon down. “You hold the same suspicions I do, then.” He turned to glare at Johan.
Johan arched a brow. “What do you suspect?”
The testosterone in the room was growing too much. Just before I was about to excuse myself, Roska came into the room.
“Stew’s ready. It looks delicious.”
I followed everyone into a lavish dining room. The long table reminded me of the colonial times, though the decorations were thoroughly Icelandic. Everyone sat, leaving an open space between Johan and Frida. I sat in the chair and restrained myself from digging right into the food.
Frida smiled. “Eat, everyone. I’m glad I made so much. Must have somehow known I’d need it. Now to figure out what to make for the rest of the week.” She laughed.
Everyone ate, except Nils. He didn’t even bother lifting his spoon.
If I hadn’t been so hungry, I might have cared. As it was, I was famished and the stew was delicious.
“Looks like she has your appetite, Father.” Nils shot a glare at Johan.
Roska dropped her spoon.
My cheeks flushed with heat. “I don’t usually—”
“You don’t have to defend yourself to him,” Keran interrupted. “We all know what it’s like to travel through the forest.”
“What do you mean by Father’s appetite?” Roska asked. She brushed a curl behind her ear and wiped some spattered stew from her face.
Nils sighed. “You really haven’t put it together yet, baby sister?”
Roska looked back and forth between Nils and Johan, then finally at me.
“She’s the true eldest sibling. But not Mother’s.” Nils pushed his chair back and rose.
“Sit,” Johan ordered.
“Is it true, Father?” Frida stared at him.
Johan twisted his napkin. “Yes. I met her mother when I was traveling and trying to find myself.”
“After you had the falling out with our old coven leader?” Roska asked.
“Yes.”
Frida turned to me, her face pale. “You’re not here for more than just information, are you?”
I shook my head. “All I want is to live a quiet life in peace. That’s it. Nature chose me to be coven leader of the one I grew up in. They resisted, and I didn’t want the position, anyway. The only way I can get them out of my life is to draw from the powers I have, and unfortunately, I know nothing about them.”
Everyone sat in silence until finally Keran began eating again. One by one, everyone else ate the stew, including Nils.
“What happened with your old coven?” Johan asked.
I took a deep breath. “The short version is that I grew powerful from a young age—far more than they’d ever seen. There was another girl who was supposed to rise to be coven leader, Claudia. Her family had led for many generations. My powers outweighed hers. Then grew exponentially more. It seemed like every time I turned around, I destroyed something or hurt someone accidentally.”
Roska’s eyes widened. “Didn’t they train you to control your magic?”
“No, everyone feared me—even the eldest leaders. They forced me to stand down—to honor Claudia as the leader. When I refused to ignore my strength, they shunned me. Those who wouldn’t… they killed.”
“That’s horrible.” Roska frowned.
“It was, especially on my own.” I drew a deep breath. “It was enough to send me running and practically give up magic.”
“Wait,” Eldon said. “What about your mother? Where was she?”
“She had been burned at the stake by then.”
Johan gasped. “How did you get away?”
“They tried to kill me, but I was too powerful for them. My strength wasn’t enough to defeat them, though—their combined strength outweighed mine. If I’d been practicing magic all this time, I could probably send them all to the grave. But I have no desire to be part of any group. Despite that, they have a renewed drive to kill me.”
Johan’s eyes came together. “We can’t allow that.”
Nils slammed a fist on the table. “Nor can we share our family secrets with her.”
Eldon glanced at him. “She has every right to our magic as we do.”
“Why?” yelled Nils. “She hasn’t been here.”
Roska turned to me. “But if she’s our sister, we should help her.”
“Half-sister.” Nils scowled at me, his hatred seething.
I rose. “Look, I didn’t come to cause any trouble. I’m sorry I’ve upset you.”
Keran frowned. “It would appear Nils is the only one upset.”
“And I’m stronger than any one of you.” He stared at each of the other siblings.
“But not me.” Johan shot him a look of warning and turned to me. “Sit back down. You’re staying.”
“Really, I—”
“Sit.”
I did.
“Don’t listen to him,” Frida said. “Nils will adjust. He’s not one who accepts change very easily. You’re still more than welcome in my home. Mother even agreed to that much.”
Nils rose and sent his chair flying backwards. “And you know what that means—that the rest of us will be forced to stay here as well because of Mother’s orders.” He glared at me. “Do us all a favor and leave.”
Roska put a hand on my arm. “Stay. I want to get to know you.”
I glanced around the room. Everyone other than Nils seemed to be in agreement with her, nodding toward me. Nils continued to glare at me. He held my gaze and I couldn’t let go.
Finally, I broke free and rose once again. “Thank you for your hospitality. I really should be going. I’ll figure something out with my old coven myself.”
Frida jumped from her chair. “We want to help. Well, most of us.”
“She wants to go,” Nils said. “Let her.”
Frida turned to him. “Stop trying to control us. I, for one, am sick and tired of it. You’ll never be coven leader, so get over it and quit taking your anger out on everyone else.”
Nils face contorted. “I’m stronger than all of you, even you, Frida. Our coven is going to fall apart once you step up into leadership. You don’t have what it takes.”
“Shut your trap.”
Frida flew backward and crashed against the wall. She reached for her throat, gagging.
“Say that again,” Nils dared her.
10
“Let go of her,” Johan ordered.
Frida continued struggling to breathe.
“Not until you all come to your senses.” Nils narrowed his eyes at his father.
Johan raised his hands.
Nils stumbled back, but not to the extent that Frida had. “I told you, I’m stronger than each of you.”
Eldon rose. “Stop, Nils.”
Frida kicked her feet as she struggled against the unseen force.
In a flash, everyone else rose from their chairs and aimed their hands at Nils. He stumbled to the ground, cursing and thrashing around. Frida fell to her knees, gasping for air.
I stared at the scene in front of me, horror filling me. “I’m sorry I came. I never wanted any of this to happen.”
Nils forced himself up and glared at me. “Then leave, and never come back.”
“No,” Roska said.
“Gessilyn, let’s talk.” Johan’s eyes widened.
Tears blurred my vision. I ran out of the house and didn’t stop once outside. The dirt paths were now empty of people. I went the opposite way I’d come, hoping to find the woods sooner.
It had been a mistake to come. I’d ignored the vision. I thought I’d known better. Instead, I’d caused an upheaval throughout his entire family.
I passed more buildings, these ones appearing to be tiny shops. Off to the side sat what looked like a jail from hundreds of years ago. It was nothing more than iron bars, providing no protection from the elements. I came to a little clearing with a see-saw and a couple swings made of rough rope and uneven wood for the seats.
Tired, I paused and leaned against a tree. No one was in sight. I gasped for air and slid down to sitting.
What would I do? Try and find my mother? I could at least learn what I could from her if I couldn’t from Johan’s family. She might know some of his magic.
I pulled my knees up and rested my forehead on them. Did I have any other options? Find someplace else to hide? It had taken my old coven no time to find me here in Iceland. Toby and I had barely landed when the crows had shown up—but that was also after I’d done a locator spell.
It was as I always suspected. Using spells made it easier for them to find me.
Could I continue to hide from them if I stayed away from magic? If I just lived as a human, would that be a good enough cover? All I would need to do would be to figure out where I wanted to live. Hawaii was nice year-round. London was a bustling city. It could be easy enough to blend in.
Though if Claudia could track me down when I didn’t practice magic, then it wouldn’t matter where I went. I would be forced to face them, and as a witch, I was weak. I couldn’t even run a successful locator spell to find Victoria or my own mother.
If I did manage to hide again, even if it lasted centuries, the coven would still find me eventually.
“Are you okay?” came a male voice from the side.
My head shot up. A tall, tanned witch with dark, slightly wavy hair to his shoulders kneeled by my side. His eyes were kind and full of concern.
“You seem troubled. Mind if I sit?” he asked.
“On the dirt?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.”
He sat. “Ugh. I see why you’re troubled.”
I smiled, despite my worries.
“That’s better.” He extended a hand. “I’m Killian. You are?”
“Gessilyn.” I took his hand and shook. His skin was smooth and his hold solid.
“And you’re a long lost relative of Johan’s?”
I released a long, slow breath. “Not that it’s going to help me much.”
“Why’s that?” Killian pulled his hair behind his shoulders.
“Nils doesn’t trust me. Nor does Selena-Marie.”
“I hardly find that surprising.”
“Really?” I arched a brow.
Killian shook his head, getting some hair into his eyes. “Nils feels that everyone is a threat if they don’t bow down and worship his greatness.” He inched closer and lowered his voice. “Truth be told, he gets that from his mother. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“Any enemy of Nils’ is a friend of mine.”
I stared at him. “You don’t even know me.”
“You exude trustworthiness.”
“Are you for real?”
“One of my strengths is being able to feel people’s motives. Yours are pure, yet they leave you troubled.” He rubbed his stubble. “Am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I glanced around, still seeing no one else. “Are you sure you want to be seen talking to me? What if someone walks by and tells Selena-Marie?”
He shrugged. “Let them.”
My eyes widened.
“I’m powerful, and she knows it.”
I arched a brow.
“We have a long and complicated history. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.” He studied me, seeming curious.
“I suppose.” My knee ached, so I stretched out my legs.
“Want to come back to my place? It’s much more comfortable than this.” Killian reached under himself and pulled out a rock. “See?”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not.” He rose and helped me up. “It’s not every day a beautiful stranger makes her way to our little village. Most don't make it a mile into the woods before they turn around, never to return.”
“It’s hardly impressive that I made it through. Your coven’s magic runs through my veins.”
“I’m amazed. Follow me.”
Killian led me past the jail and to another area with homes. He stopped in front of one that looked the same as all the others and held the door for me.
I went inside, finding it fairly similar to Frida’s home. It was both homey and earthy with plenty of Icelandic furniture. Some breathtaking paintings hung on the walls.
“The artwork is amazing,” I said.
He grinned. “Made ‘em myself.”
“Really? You painted those.”
“What can I say? Beauty inspires me.” He held my gaze.
My breath caught.
“Hungry?” he asked. “Thirsty?”
I struggled to find my voice. “No thanks.”
“Have a seat.” He gestured toward the couches.
I sat on the end of the larger one. He sat on the other end. “What troubles you, Gessilyn?”
The way he said my name sent chills down my back—in the best way possible. I found myself wanting to tell him everything, which was so unlike me.
“Is it men?” he asked, resting his arm on the back of the couch. “There are too many chasing you, and you can’t figure out what to do, right?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No.”
“What’s wrong with them? Well, if that isn’t the cause of your woes, I give up. You’ll have to tell me.”
My cheeks warmed. “Actually, there are people who want me dead.”
“Other than Nils and his evil mother?”
“I never said—”
“You don’t have to. Who’s after you?”
“The coven I grew up with.”
“What’d you do to them?” Killian ran his fingers through the length of his hair.
“I grew more powerful than the girl chosen to be the coven leader.”
“How dare you?” He chuckled. “Tell Killian everything.”
He leaned closer, his blue eyes piercing me. It was hard to focus on anything else. The room grew warm.
“Sorry,” he said. “I tend to come off a little strong sometimes.” He leaned back. “You don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t want to.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” In fact, part of me really wanted to tell him. “When I grew up, I never really felt like I fit in with the other girls. I’m not really sure why, you know?”
Killian nodded. “They were intimidated by your beauty.”
My face flushed with heat. I looked away and stared at a painting of a lake. “I think it was more that they could feel my power and were jealous.”
“Of that much, I’m sure.”
I cleared my throat. “So, anyway, it was never like anyone hated me. I was just never really part of their group. They would run off to the woods or the cemetery without me all the time. Some of them would stare at me, almost begging me to say something. I never did, though.”
Killian rubbed his chin. “Did you have anyone on your side?”
“Not after my mother died. But I never wished them any ill will. Even now, I don’t. I’d just like them to leave me alone. I’ve left them alone for centuries.”
He looked sad and then a moment later, deep in thought. “Why do you think they’re after you now?”
I shrugged. “It’s nothing I’ve done.”
“What have they done?” He raked his fingers through his hair again.
My skin grew warm. I picked at a fingernail and told him about the crows and the runes in my condo.
“It’s definitely a good thing you came here. What does Johan think of all this?”
“He didn’t like it, but Nils threw such a fit that everyone else was overshadowed. I couldn’t take it, so I left and that’s when you found me.”
“Don’t take Nils personally. He’s easily the most selfish person I’ve ever met. If he doesn’t get his way, he intimidates until he does. Unfortunately, being Selena-Marie and Johan’s son, he holds a lot of strength. Not many can stand against him, so he’s used to getting his own way.”
I leaned my head against the couch. “What am I supposed to do?”
“You could always ignore him and talk to the rest of your family.”
“Selena-Marie will only let me talk to them as a group—and that includes Nils.”
“Ah, right. Like mother, like son. Am I right?”
“It would seem that way.”
“You could always stay here. I’d be happy to help.”
I turned to him and arched a brow. “But Selena-Marie said—”
“She doesn’t have much of a say against my family line. If my mother or aunt ever manage to have a daughter, that witch will be displaced. This generation of our line is full of men.”
“So, she—they—aren’t of the strongest family line?”
Killian shook his head.
“Why doesn’t your mother or aunt lead the coven, then?”
“It’s always from the youngest generation, once they reach full magical maturity.”
“Why are you so interested in helping me?” I asked.
“Like I said, it’s hard to ignore a stranger making it into town. Especially one that Selena-Marie allows to stay. The last time we had visitors, they were hardly here an hour before she shooed them away.”
