The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 197
“Sofia, my darling, you brought me some gifts!” Addison called out from behind us.
“Wren?” Dante asked.
“Long story,” I said.
“He’s the cult leader, the crazed blood knight from the myths,” Kane said helpfully.
Dante released me, and I turned to see Addison, the woman who’d outed me as Sofia’s descendent, and enough cultists to fill the room. Where did they keep coming from?
53
“How did you find us?” Kane demanded.
“Why are you here?” Gideon snarled.
“Who the fuck are you?” Dante asked.
Addison raised an eyebrow and put his hands in the pockets of his suit pants.
“Really, Sofia, you’ve seduced three men? Do you not think that’s a bit much?”
“My name is Wren, and I haven’t seduced anyone. What do you want?”
His charming smile faltered. “I am here to use the cambion and infernal blood you so kindly caught for me…”
“Wait, I’m lost. First I seduced them, then I caught them for you?” I asked.
“Did you not? I thought you had used your wiles to make them believe you loved them… and then put them in a neat little box for me to collect.”
I frowned. His mind worked very differently to mine.
“I vote we kill him,” Gideon said.
“Works for me,” Kane said.
“The Council would back that decision,” Dante said.
“Looks like its unanimous,” I said.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Addison snarled.
The woman next to him looked exasperated.
“I already told you that it was Sofia who locked you in the vault! Her descendent, the love of your life, already tried to kill you once!” she said.
Addison frowned. “But… she was perfect…”
Gideon’s hands caught fire. Dante’s quickly followed suit.
“Kill them!” Addison roared.
I really hoped the Council was going to give me a large bonus for this.
The cultists were more cautious this time, stuck to the edges of the room and watched us closely as they did so. I felt Addison’s magic sink into my blood. It felt like small barbs sinking into my veins. I wasn’t going to roll over and give up. I dug deep and pulled out every thread of magic I could muster and reached for his heart. If the bastard wanted to play that game, I’d play. The image of his heart formed in my mind. I drove every bit of magic I could into it, aiming to crush it and remove all traces of life force. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. He had a couple of centuries practise on me, and I had a couple of cultists trying to stab me.
My attention was split between the cultists swinging wildly at me with what looked like kitchen knives and the feeling of my magic at war with Addison’s. The barbs of his magic slowly pressed deeper into my veins. The pain blurred my vision, but not as much as the blow to the head that came from one of the cultists.
I spun around, but the blood on the smooth tile floor made it slippery. My foot almost went out from under me. I caught my balance quickly enough to slash open the cultist, but it meant that I lost a grip on Addison’s heart.
The cultists pressed in around us. I caught sight of Kane slicing one of their heads clean off. The sound of pain, rage, and unfettered glee filled the room with a cacophony of sound that felt as though it had my head in a vice. Dante was fighting with his full demon side out for all to see. His fury filled his bloodsong and reverberated the room, driving me on to keep going. Gideon was bouncing around the place, tearing out throats. I fought to regain my purchase on Addison’s heart while trying to fend off the cultists, who were growing bolder. They were crowded in around me, reducing my movements. I couldn’t sustain this much longer. I needed to end it and get out.
Dante fought with a viciousness that only a demon could, his foes left broken and shattered around him. Infernal fire and candlelight lit up the smears of blood covering the walls. Shadows pooled at the edges of piles of innards and the remains of cultists. The smell of cooking meat and burning hair soon layered over the stench of death that choked me.
Dante came to my side, where he pressed his bleeding wrist to my mouth.
“My blood will give you the strength and magic you need to end this,” he growled.
“I’m not like that…” I said weakly.
“Wren, you and your magic are the only things that can end Addison.”
I opened my lips and allowed his blood to trickle into my mouth, vaguely aware of the screams of agony and sound of crushing bones around us as Dante continued to break the cultists. His magic flooded my system, the pain faded away to nothing, and I felt stronger than I had ever felt before. It came with a feeling of euphoria that I needed more of. I pushed his wrist away, terrified that, if I didn’t, I’d become truly addicted.
“Now save us.”
No pressure.
Gideon and Kane had come in closer and were circling around, killing off the cultists who had been joined by fae-vampires and wannabe-ninjas. They worked as beautiful team, moving around each other seamlessly as though they’d been doing it for years. I focused on Addison’s magic and blood. He gasped when I took a hold of his heart. I sank my magic into it like the barbs he had buried in my veins. I squeezed with everything I had, picturing it being crushed within my fist. The pain was verging on unbearable as his own magic sank deeper into me, trying to tear me apart from the inside.
I could see his magic within his heart as a quiet feminine voice told me to tear out the magic. That was all that was sustaining him.
It seemed like I’d lost my mind, but squeezing his heart wasn’t getting me the results I needed. The guys were beginning to slow. They were covered in blood, some of it their own. I closed my eyes and searched for Addison’s magic within him. I trusted that the guys would keep me safe.
Addison’s magic looked like a red mist coating his skeleton. I reached out with my mind and plucked at the mist. Slowly, it peeled away from him, and he screamed. The agony made my head feel as though my skull were imploding in agonising slow motion. Breathing was becoming difficult, but I wasn’t going to give up.
I grabbed onto the veil of magic and tore at it. It came away in great swathes. Addison’s high-pitched wails were audible over the cultists’ final war cries and the death gasps around me. The scent of death washed through the room, removing all traces of fresh blood and innards to be replaced by old musty bones and the wreaking stench of ancient rotten meat and dried blood. I reached within him and stripped away the last small shred of magic.
The room went silent.
I opened my eyes to see the fae vampires had all dropped where they stood. Addison was gone, and the cultists were at a loss what to do with themselves. They looked down at their hands, where they held kitchen knives, hammers, and in one case a spade. A look of confusion filled their expressions before they looked at us, coated in their brethren’s blood. Some of them were fool enough to peer down into the darkness around their feet, where the flickering candles cast deep shadows. The light, however, showed the gruesome sight of broken bodies, dismembered limbs, and so much blood.
One woman fainted. The rest ran. They formed a stampede that pushed its way through the narrow doorway crushing some of its members before they vanished out of sight.
I was feeling very light headed, and my legs were threatening to give out beneath me. Dante put his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek, a dampness left on my skin. I pressed my fingers there and saw they came back bloody. I didn’t want to know why he had blood on his lips.
“You kissed me,” I said to him, frowning.
“And you, you kissed me, too,” I said to Kane.
Gideon grinned at me, and everyone laughed.
It was ridiculous. We were standing in the middle of a pile of bodies, blood, and gore. We’d rescued Dante from a bunch of purists who were trying to sacrifice him like in the movies. We’d killed the blood knight of the myths. It was so surreal.
“The Council had better pay me well for this,” I said as I gingerly picked my way through the mess.
Dante supported me as I walked, and I was glad of it.
“I’m sure they will,” Dante said.
“Gideon, help me burn this place,” Dante said as he helped me onto the ladder.
Kane had gone up first, and he helped me up at the top. The sunlight up there seemed horribly bright. I squinted at the clear blue sky visible through the window and felt it was wrong. After everything we’d been through, it should have been storming out there. Instead, it was a beautiful day, and the world carried on as if nothing had happened.
54
We stumbled back to the apartment looking a mess. Many people paused to look and whisper about us. I didn’t give a damn about any of them. I was ravenous and in desperate need of a long hot shower.
We all stripped down to our underwear once we got inside. My injuries had healed a little from Dante’s blood, but the vast majority of his magic had gone into my magic. I flopped down on the sofa and remained sprawled out while Kane gently cleaned and applied healing salve to my multitude of injuries. The Silk and Thread clothes had done fantastically, but everything has its limit, and they had certainly hit theirs.
Gideon curled up next to me, his head on my shoulder and a gentle smile on his face as he fell asleep. It was alright for some. Dante emptied out the kitchen and gave everyone a large plate of sandwiches. I didn’t taste them, I just shovelled them into my mouth like there was no tomorrow. In return for the food, he’d called first turn in the shower. That left me with Kane.
“What the fuck was the deal with that kiss? And why don’t you care that I kissed Dante?” I demanded.
I was exhausted, and any tact I might have had was long gone. Kane smiled gently.
“Because they’re both yours,” Gideon said smugly.
I craned my neck to look down at him.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
Kane blushed and looked down.
“There are these things… I, er… polyamory,” Kane said.
I frowned and tried to understand.
Dante strolled back into the room shirtless and glistening.
“The Morrigan gave you all three of us,” he said with a smirk.
“She did what? How do you know?” I asked.
I was completely lost. If I understood them correctly, and I was sure I hadn’t, they’d just told me the Morrigan, the goddess of war among other things, had declared them my life bonds or something. I didn’t deal with the gods, I’d never had any contact with the Morrigan, and they didn’t give a damn about me.
Well, no, they hired me for work sometimes, but that was the minor gods, and they’d never screwed around with my romantic life. That I knew of.
Kane and Dante shared a look.
“You’re goddess chosen, and she chose us as your guardians and… partners,” Dante said.
“Since when?” I asked.
Kane laughed and reached out to stroke my cheek.
“Since a couple of days ago. She visited us while we were out in the city,” Kane lifted his left inner wrist and showed a raven feather tattoo formed of Celtic knots. Dante showed his wrist to have the same tattoo, as did Gideon.
I looked down and yelped when I saw the tattoo on my wrist as well.
“How did she sneak that on there?”
I’d been tired and side-tracked, but surely I’d have felt the goddess’s touch! A woman appeared out of thin air just behind the armchair. Her long hair appeared to be formed of raven feathers, her lips were blood red, and her eyes held a fierce intelligence.
“I’m a goddess, Wren, I can do many sneaky things,” the woman said with an amused smirk.
The Morrigan was one of the very few gods to walk the earth. They usually remained stuck on their own plane. She had managed to cut some sort of deal or weave some magic or something to allow her to visit the earth occasionally. I didn’t know whether to be terrified or honoured. I settled on awestruck.
“I chose you - and your men - very carefully. You will be tested to your very limits, but I have faith that you will fulfil your role. Do not disappoint me,” she said.
Her voice carried the rasping edge of a raven, and I realised I couldn’t hear her bloodsong. Maybe she was an illusion and I was in shock. That made more sense than any of this.
“You’re not dreaming, Wren Kincaid. I will be watching you,” she said.
“Why me? Why them? What role?” I asked.
The Morrigan smiled. It didn’t reach her amber eyes.
“Do not ask too many questions, and never doubt me,” she said coolly.
The questions flew around my mind. It wasn’t every day you spoke to a goddess.
“These men were chosen for you the day you were born. They will protect, guide, and satisfy you,” she said firmly.
She looked between the guys while I tried to wrap my mind around everything. They’d known, but they hadn’t felt the need to tell me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked Kane quietly.
“Because I told him not to. You couldn’t be distracted when you faced the blood knight,” the Morrigan said.
“How did you claim me?” I asked.
As far as I knew, all witches belonged to the Crone.
“Blood witches are mine. The Crone does not dare touch you. Enough questions. If you need me, then I will come.”
With that, she vanished. My heart was racing and trying to break out of my ribcage. Gideon wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled against my neck. I pressed my face against his shoulder and tried to fight back the tears. It had all been too much.
Once I’d calmed down, eaten a lot of chocolate, and had a long hot shower, the guys explained that the Morrigan had approached them while they were away from me. I wasn’t ready to jump into bed with all of them. I needed time to come around to the new state of my world.
Dante knew I was a blood witch, and he was ok with it. I’d been goddess chosen, and the events of the past few days all swam around my mind.
Kane kissed my temple.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked gently.
“Very lost and confused,” I admitted.
He smiled, a soft smile that lit up his eyes.
“We’ll be here with you every step of the way,” Dante said as he squeezed my hand.
Gideon had been ousted to the armchair, Kane and Dante sat on either side of me. The hound had taken it surprisingly well. I felt him pining for the contact down the bond, but he hadn’t said anything.
“What do you think she meant, ‘fulfil our role?’” I asked.
“No one knows what games the gods play,” Dante said.
“That wasn’t very reassuring,” I said with a small laugh.
“We’ll focus on the present and the certain future,” Kane said.
“We’ll return to Prague and let the Council know everything that’s happened. You’ll need to register Gideon, then you’re moving to Inverness. I have a property there where we’ll all live,” Dante said.
“You have this all figured out,” I said with a smile.
It would be good to return to the Highlands again. I’d missed them so very much, but I hadn’t been able to afford to live there.
“The Council are going to give you a long-term job,” Kane said.
“And we’re going to do your ascension so you come into your full magic,” Dante said.
“I am not being branded,” I said reflexively before looking down at my wrists, both of which now bore tattoos.
“You’ll be working for the Scottish Council. They don’t believe in that bullshit,” Kane said, his full Scottish accent coming through.
“What about the fact I’m a blood witch?” I asked quietly.
“We’ll tell them you’re a combat witch,” Gideon said.
“Aye, your prowess with your daggers will allow them to believe that,” Kane said.
“And they’ll have my word,” Dante said.
I started to relax. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.
55
My little apartment in Prague felt so strange and wrong when I walked into it. What had been my little home now felt… wrong. I couldn’t quite place my finger on what had changed, but the sense of it being a sanctuary had definitely evaporated. I was ready to move on, and I was sure my landlord would be happy to have someone who paid the rent on time move in.
Dante had returned to his own apartment for the night, leaving me with Kane and Gideon. The hound looked around the space with curiosity.
“It is an odd little place,” he finally said.
I smiled and collapsed into my beanbag before I opened up my laptop. It was my last night in that place, and I was going to spend it watching my detective show.
Gideon and Kane settled down on either side of me. Gideon with his shoulder leaning against mine, and Kane with his hand on my knee. None of them had pushed the romantic side of things, which I appreciated. I wasn’t going to deny that I was very attracted to all of them, but that was different to getting into a complicated relationship with all three. That was going to take time, and I was thankful they were willing to give it.
“So, what is this tv show?” Gideon asked with a deep furrow between his brows.
“It’s an English detective on a Caribbean island, and he solves murders that happen there,” I said.
Gideon smiled, apparently happy with that premise.
We watched three episodes before the topic of bed was raised. I was exhausted, but the bed wasn’t that big. Gideon leaned in and brushed his lips over my throat.
“I’ll take my hound form and sleep on the beanbag,” he said.
With that,` he began stripping down. I turned my back, still not being ready to see him entirely naked, despite his insistence on being that way as much as possible.
Kane and I headed to the bedroom, where I awkwardly changed into my sleepwear and tried to relax into his arms as I had done so many times before. Fortunately, the moment I placed my head on his chest and his bloodsong washed over me, everything felt right again. Gideon’s calm happiness spread through the bond, and I fell asleep feeling contented and quietly hopeful.
