The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 117
“I’m not sure my stay is going to last much longer.”
“You can’t leave without your answers.” He held my gaze, his blue eyes keeping me captive.
“If I can find them here.”
“Oh, you will.”
I tugged on my hair. “How?”
“If they won’t teach what you need to know, then I will.”
I stared at him. “Why risk it?”
“And let your coven come after you? There’s much about your own powers you’ll never learn away from here. If your family won’t help you with that, someone needs to. Right?”
“It’s only Nils who’s against me.”
“And if he’s threatened by you, he won’t stop until you leave. He’ll turn them all against you, one by one.”
“How do you know?”
Killian laughed bitterly. “I know Nils all too well.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve picked up another enemy?”
“Unfortunately, you have.”
11
“Let me get you something to drink.” Killian rose. “Do you prefer tea or something stronger?”
I put my face in my palms. “Something stronger.”
My quiet, peaceful life was officially dead—with Claudia close on my tail and Nils figuring out ways to rid me of the coven I now needed so desperately.
Clanging noises came from the kitchen and then Killian’s footsteps came my way.
I looked up. He carried two tall clay glasses. Smoke rose from the tops.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He closed his eyes and breathed in the smoke. “A wonderful calming tonic.”
“That’s what you meant by something stronger?”
“Of course. What did you exp—? Oh. Do you want a fermented drink instead?”
“I’m curious about your tonic. What is it?”
“It calms without stinking up the senses.”
“Kind of like my teas.” I held my hand out for a glass.
Killian handed me one, and then sat next to me and drank from his.
The smoke tickled my nose and I sneezed.
He chuckled. “Not used to tonics?”
“It’s been a while, to say the least.” I sipped the drink. It tasted like a mixture of peaches and spices. A light wave of relaxation washed through me.
“Where did you say you were from?” He set his empty cup on the table.
“Originally?” I sipped again and felt more relaxed.
He shrugged and leaned back against the couch.
“My coven is on the outskirts of Boston, but I call a town near Seattle home.”
“You draw power from the enchanted woods of the vampires?”
I finished my drink and nodded. My troubles seemed so far away. “I’m friends with the rulers.”
He scratched his head and looked either intrigued or amused. I couldn’t tell which. “A witch who befriends both vampires and werewolves.”
My brows came together. Had I mentioned Toby to him?
“You arrived with that one, remember?”
“Right. Well, I mostly stick with humans. At an arm’s length.” I leaned back and melted into the couch.
“You are surely the most intriguing witch I’ve ever met.”
“Really, I’m not. I’ve spent much of my life teaching fitness classes.”
“That, I believe.” He grinned. “And even that is fascinating, Gessilyn.”
Warm chills ran down my back.
“Although I certainly have a good life here, I’ve always been curious about the outside world.”
“I can imagine. Do you get outside the woods often?”
He shook his head and leaned closer. “The forest of confusion is as much to keep us in as it is to keep everyone else out.”
My eyes widened.
“Many a male witch itches to get out and explore. It’s in our nature, you know. Men, we’re built for discovery and conquering. That’s why your father went out into the world after his falling out with my mother.”
“Your mother? She was the previous leader?”
“Indeed.”
“So, if you have a daughter…?”
“Bye-bye, Selena-Marie.” He waved and sighed.
“Let me guess. She doesn’t like you?”
Killian laughed out loud, startling me. “Not in the slightest.” He leaned closer. “In fact, she’s spelled all the girls of my generation to be put off by every male in my line.”
My mouth gaped. “For real?”
“After she won over your father, yes. As soon as any of us are born, she goes away and conducts her spell. From that moment, girls are appalled by my brothers and cousins.”
I stared at him. He was gorgeous, and if his relatives were half as good-looking, it was hard to imagine anyone being repulsed.
“She may be small, but she’s powerful and devious. Never forget that.”
“I won’t.” I stared at the ceiling and took it all in. Then the drink really hit me. “Do you have a bathroom?”
“Sure. Back that way.” He pointed toward the back of the house.
For some reason it surprised me that they had one. Everything in the village was reminiscent of the old days, but yet they had running water and electricity. The best of both worlds.
I got up and found my way to the bathroom. The lights weren’t as bright as I was used to, but it was more than enough. I kind of preferred the dim glow. It reminded me of candle light.
I took care of business and then went to the mirror. I looked horrible—not that it should have been much of a surprise after dealing with the crows and the woods of confusion. I splashed some water on my face and hair, trying to redeem what I could.
Just as I was finishing, a small mark appeared in the middle of the mirror. It was about the size of a thumb print. It grew darker and then shot up, making a straight line. It stopped and went down at forty-five degree angle.
A rune. It was being made before my eyes.
Claudia had found me again.
Anger burned in my stomach and radiated out.
The rune continued growing, becoming more of an intricate design.
I stared at it, fury pulsating through me. “Stop!”
It did.
My heart raced.
The rune remained. I didn’t know how to make it go away. It couldn’t stay in Killian’s bathroom.
“Erase,” I ordered.
Nothing happened.
“Go away.”
It didn’t.
“Disappear.”
Nothing.
The line moved again.
Anger surged through me again in waves. The rune continued to grow.
They weren’t going to stop until I made them.
I tapped into my fury. Energy built in my palms. I held them out and brought them together. A light ball formed just above them. It grew the angrier I became.
The rune was almost finished. I couldn’t let Claudia into this place.
I threw the ball of energy at the mirror. Both shattered upon impact. Shards of glass flew everywhere. I ducked, covering my face until everything settled on the ground.
Killian threw the door open. “What’s going on in here?”
I stood up and dusted glass from my clothes and hair. “They found me.”
His eyes narrowed. “How?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry about your mirror.”
“No worries. I can easily make another. We need to cover you in a cloaking spell.”
“I have one. Not that it’s doing me any good lately.”
“Then you need something stronger. Tell me, did you use a spell you learned from them?”
“Yeah, how else could I?”
“That’s your problem.”
I folded my arms. “It worked until recently.”
“Maybe they didn’t want to find you until now.”
“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine?”
Killian laughed. “Well, it’s probably true. You don’t know what changed?”
“Other than so many of the dead returning to life not long ago?”
“Do you suppose Claudia was one of those?”
I flinched. “Returned from the dead?”
He nodded.
“If that’s the case, I wasn’t even aware she had died. I wouldn’t have needed to spend most of my life in hiding.”
“Let’s not dwell on that. I’ve got much to teach you, starting with a proper cloaking spell.”
“I should clean up this mess first. Oh, and do you have any other mirrors?”
“Yes. I kindly request that you not look into any of them for the time being.”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Come on. I need to check my supplies. I might be low on faerie dust.”
“I have some… in my satchel.” I sighed, deflated. “In Frida’s house.”
“We’ll resort to going back there if we need to, but let’s check my stock first.”
“Sounds good.” I swept my hands all over me to check for stray shards of glass.
Killian led me down the hallway and stopped in front of a closed door. He turned to me. “By the way, how did you manage to break the mirror into so many small pieces? I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“You haven’t?”
“No.” He opened the door and looked at me in expectation.
“I don’t know how I did it. As the rune expanded, I just grew angrier. Then a ball of energy formed in my hands. I threw it at the rune and the mirror shattered.”
“Interesting. You do have a strength of your own. Now to make it work for you.” He entered the room. It was a study with a large mahogany desk at one wall. Next to it was a shelf full of leather bound books. The rest of the room was filled with ingredients for spells. They were in glass jars, tiny vials, clay containers, and small leather bags.
I walked around the room, taking them all in. It was more than I had ever seen, even the few times I’d been allowed in my coven leader’s home as a child.
“Where did you collect all this?” I turned to him, amazed.
“The woods, of course.”
“But they’re not enchanted. Not this forest.”
He shook his head. “But it has plenty of magical elements, thanks to the longstanding curse of confusion. No one expected it, but the longer it remained, the more magic seemed to sprout from it. Anyway, we need to protect you.”
Killian wandered around, grabbing jars and vials. He lined them up on his desk and tapped each one.
“I’m low on both faerie dust and unicorn horn flakes. I don’t suppose you have the flakes, also?”
“Wouldn’t leave home without them. Well, not on an international trip such as this, anyway.”
“Sounds like we’d best head over to Frida’s then.”
My stomach twisted in knots. “But Nils is there.”
Killian frowned. “Doubtful. I’m sure he stormed out of there not long after you left.”
“What if Selena-Marie is waiting there for me?”
“Then she’ll have to go through me if she wants to try anything.”
I tilted my head. “Why would you risk it for me? You don’t even know me.”
“One outcast helping another. Is that really so strange?”
“No, I suppose it’s not.”
“Besides, it beats sweeping shop floors for a pittance.”
“Come again?” I asked.
“It’s all the work I can come by around here. I opened a shop, but you can imagine Selena-Marie’s response to that.”
I frowned. “Did she threaten anyone who purchased anything from you?”
“Something like that, but that’s the gist of it. I make more as a cleaning crew than a shop owner.”
“If your family is so influential, why can’t they help you?”
“Until Selena-Marie’s family is out of power, we don’t have any influence. Let’s get those ingredients.”
My stomach lurched, threatening to relieve me of both the relaxation tonic and Frida’s meal.
12
Frida’s house came into sight. My entire body tensed.
Killian stopped and closed his eyes. “I can’t sense Nils.”
“You can sense—? Never mind.”
He opened his eyes. “Your brother has a strong negative presence.”
I opened my mouth, none of my questions made it out.
“Don’t worry. We’ll go over everything you need to know. Once you tap into your reserve, it’ll be easy.”
“If you say so. Let’s get this over with.”
We walked up to the door and I knocked.
Frida answered. Relief covered her face. “You didn’t leave. I was so worried. Don’t listen to Nils. He doesn’t trust anyone. In fact, he—Killian?”
I smiled awkwardly. “I made a friend.”
Frida eyed him and lowered her voice. “You might not want to come in.” She glanced back at me. “Actually, you might not want to, either. At least not now.”
“Why? I thought I could stay here. If you’d rather I didn’t—”
Frida stepped outside and closed the door behind her. “I would love nothing more, but Mother has decided to camp out here. After you left, so did Nils and then the others.”
“She’s here?” I asked.
“Right. That’s what I just said.”
I turned to Killian and shot him an annoyed look. “You couldn’t sense her?”
He shrugged. “She’s a different beast altogether—and I mean that.”
Frida whispered in my ear. “Maybe try Roska’s place. At least for tonight.”
Killian stepped up as close as Frida stood to me and spoke just as low. “She can stay with me tonight.”
“No, I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“We need to start training you immediately, wouldn’t you say?”
Frida’s eyes filled with concern. “What do you mean? Did something happen?”
Killian turned to me. “How involved do you want her to be?”
Frida glanced quickly between Killian and me. “What’s going on?”
I cleared my throat. “We have reason to believe my coven is getting close, that’s all. And I need the satchel I left in your place. I think in your living room.”
“How close?” she asked.
I glanced at Killian, suddenly unsure of how much I could trust Frida. Or him. Who could I really trust? That morning, I hadn’t known any of them. Now I was relying on these strangers with my life.
Killian leaned closer to Frida. “They used runes to try to enter my house. But Gessilyn destroyed the rune.”
Frida’s mouth dropped and color drained from her face. “You… you obliterated a rune?”
“She has gifts.” Killian stood tall and gave me an approving look.
“Unbelievable.” Frida continued to stare at me. “How?”
“I’m not really sure—it was all so fast.”
Killian arched both of his brows. “See what I mean?”
Frida trembled. “I-I… but you, I mean—”
“It’s never been done before.” Killian turned to Frida. “Would you grab her bag? I’d really rather not go in there.”
She straightened her back. “I’m going with you two. Hold on.” Frida went inside. Arguing ensued, and then she came out with my satchel. She handed it to me. “Let’s go.”
“You’re going to defy Selena-Marie?” Killian asked her.
“Over this? You better believe it.”
We headed for Killian’s house.
“Because I broke a rune?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“It’s probably not going to happen again. I’m not going to look into any other mirrors.”
“Why not? You really should. You could really hone your powers if they came out so easily.”
“You offering up your mirrors?” Killian asked. “She’s not looking through another one of mine and giving them opportunity to find her.”
“We’ve got to find her more.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t come here to entice my old coven for a visit. All I want is to learn how to use the magic within me. That’s it. Then I’ll be out of everyone’s hair.”
“You can stay in my hair all you want,” Killian said and chuckled.
“And I don’t mind you being here,” Frida said. “I want to hear all about your life in America. Were you around for the Salem trials?”
“I missed those ones in particular, but the effects were felt in that area for a long time. My mother was burned at the stake.”
“That’s horrible,” Killian said.
My heart constricted. “It was just as bad to be forced to watch.”
Frida gasped.
“I’ve heard those Puritans were monsters,” Killian said.
“Were?” I asked. “They still have factions on the east coast. They may be quiet, but they’re very much alive and well. You’re also too kind in calling them monsters. There’s no word that accurately defines what they’ve done—the murders, the torture.” Tears welled up in my eyes. “I don’t want to think about this. Too many memories that need to stay buried.”
“Of course,” Frida said.
We reached Killian’s home, and he opened the front door. He turned to Frida. “Again, I ask if you’re sure you want to do this. Stepping in here, you’re going against your mother on many levels.”
“I want to help my sister, and whether or not she likes it, Gessilyn is my sister.”
“Just making sure you know what you’re doing.”
“Full well.”
Killian indicated for us to go in first. We did and he closed the door behind us. “What do you have in that?” He nodded toward my satchel.
I set it on the table and took out the contents. “Most of it’s pretty basic stuff from the enchanted forest near my home. Unicorn horn flakes, faerie dust, dragon scales, troll tears, and that sort of thing.”
They both picked up vials and studied them.
“Vampire blood?” Frida asked, frowning.
“Not just any vampire blood,” I said. “Fyrsturae blood.”
