Chapter 9 - Amanda
When Body drops me at the bakery, I have to go for a quick walk to center myself. That moment of connection was torture for me, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing it.
Yeah, I wanted to get to him, remind him of what he’s been missing out on—but I also just wanted to feel it again. I wanted to feel alive.
While we were out in the woods, I was pretty good at keeping him off my mind. But every spring, birds would sing in joy as they built their nests, deer would celebrate as they found new mates, and wolves would howl as they welcomed new pups into the pack.
The entire world would sing in love, lust, and the wonder of creation, and I was completely cut off from it… forever.
Being around him again has awakened a raw arousal in me that is so powerful, I can hardly stand it. Even now, my body is still throbbing with the aftereffects of that light touch and how it thrilled me to the bone.
I take a few slow, deep breaths, but the short walk has done nothing to clear my head. My nipples are smoldering, so sensitive the light touch of the sweater is making them rise up into peaks. The warmth spreads through my chest, down my belly, and deep between my legs, where a fierce ache increases in intensity, no matter how hard I try to ignore it.
I close my eyes, letting my awareness sink into the darkness behind my eyelids. Immediately, my senses reach out around me, and I realize that when I give in to this arousal, my connection with nature feels much stronger.
So what does this mean for the coven? What should I tell them?
No fucking clue.
“Amanda?” Lucy’s voice calls from the front of the shop. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” I answer. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“The others are here. Are you coming?”
Almost.
“Yes, on my way.”
I turn back to the bakery where Lucy is waiting. She beckons me inside, and we go through into the warm shop. All twelve of the others are seated at a corner table, with plates of baked goodies as well as coffee and milkshakes.
“I’ll be out in a sec,” Lucy says. “Without Peter, it’s been a busy morning, but Fiona’s on her way.”
She disappears out back, and I sit down next to Nell. The others are watching me with wide eyes and an almost creepy stillness.
“Okay, I feel like I’ve wandered into a budget horror flick,” I say, chuckling. “Why are all of you staring at me like that?”
“How was your wedding night?”
“Are wolves really animals in the sack?”
“Did your magic come back?”
“Is he under a spell?”
“Are we all getting married, too?”
“Girls!” Nell shouts. “Enough. Give Amanda a few minutes to settle in.”
Lucy returns with a cup of coffee. I take it gratefully, staring into it so I don’t have to meet the eyes of the other witches. I don’t have any clue how I’m supposed to answer their questions.
“Come on, Amanda,” Zoe urges. “Tell us.”
“It’s only been one night,” I answer. “There really isn’t much to tell.”
“But you had a relationship with him before, didn’t you?” Jeanette says in a challenging tone. “There’s a lot of rumors around town, but I think we should hear it from you.”
“Did you trick us?” Georgia asks bluntly. “Did you make us move away, just because of Body?”
“I didn’t make you do anything!” I snap. “I said I wanted to leave, and you chose to come with me!”
“You’re our high priestess!” Hildy protests. “Of course we’d want to follow you.”
I let out a long sigh. “I made it very clear that I was going far away and that the conditions would be hard. I also told you I wasn’t coming back. All of you understood. There was no force involved.”
“No more about this subject,” Nell announces, taking my hand. “It’s up to Amanda what she does with her life, just like it is with all of us. You made your choices.”
There are a few moments of silence, and I see the girls sharing looks. There’s obviously some anger about the situation, but I think it’s more about me hiding something from them and less about going out into the wilderness.
“Okay, so how’s your magic?” Hildy asks. “I’ve felt an improvement today, but not much.”
“Yes, I did, too,” I agree. “First thing this morning, I was able to connect with nature around me, to the point I could feel and hear all the living things.”
“Could you influence anything?” Nell asks, and I shake my head.
“I didn’t really try, but there was definitely an improvement in my sensitivity. There was an incident with a broken vase, but I’m not sure it was related.”
“Was there anything else?” Zoe asks. “Anything you can remember that made it stronger?”
A warm blush creeps up my neck, slowly spreading across my cheeks. I’m not about to tell them that some horny thoughts increased my power… well. Not yet, anyway.
Let’s see if that’s actually what it was, and not some crazy fantasy running away with me.
“Well, you know what we should do?” Lucy pipes up, saving me from answering. “How about we head out into the woods and just stretch our legs a bit? I think we should try using our powers and see what happens. It’s the only way to know if they’re getting better or not.”
The others all agree, and we pile into the old minibus. Lucy drives, and the others all chat excitedly at the idea of getting their powers back—and marrying wolves.
This might be getting out of hand. We’ve been single for so long, I never really stopped to think about how it would affect the others.
“Don’t beat yourself up, dear girl,” Nell says to me, gently stroking some hair back from my forehead. “They could have left any time they chose.”
I turn to her with a smile. “I forgot your strongest power was mind-reading. It seems like you’re gaining strength, then?”
“A little. But unlike the others, I won’t have the option to find a wolf mate.”
“Why?”
Nell looks about to speak, but shakes her head. “A story for another time. Suffice to say that I understand why you left Silver Meadows, and how difficult it is for you to return.”
I want to know more, but I don’t push the subject. We’re approaching the main camping ground. As Lucy parks the bus in the lot, the others all leap to their feet, giggling and chatting as they head for the doors.
As we begin to hike into the woods, my sensitivity returns. I can feel all the creatures around us, even the soft vibration of the trees as they speak to each other. The cold wind that blows down from the peaks of the mountain whispers secrets to me, hidden knowledge almost ready to be revealed.
We reach an open clearing, and Lucy lights a small fire. Even though she gathers the twigs by hand, she ignites them with a clap of her hands.
“You’re just showing off now,” I mutter, and Lucy laughs.
“I can’t help it! I’ve never felt so strong. It’s wonderful. Like pure pleasure throbbing in my veins. And it’s always strongest when…”
She breaks off suddenly, blushing.
“When is it strongest?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“When I’m with Peter, or even thinking about him,” she says. “It’s like his energy is joined to mine, and as it flows back and forth between us, it gets stronger and stronger. I can do things I never even imagined.”
“So, we should use that spell to trap a wolf, is what you’re saying?” Zoe asks. “If it worked for you, it should work for any of us.”
“No,” I say firmly. “That’s not what I did, and the universe still matched me with Body.”
“Yeah, but you’re super powerful, Amanda,” Tara says, with some jealousy in her voice. “If you thought about him too hard, it might have been enough to entangle him.”
I want to protest, but it could be too close to the truth. “It’s possible,” I answer, shrugging. “I won’t deny it. But I really wouldn’t recommend any spells. Let’s mingle with the guys a bit first. You might not even like any of them!”
Everyone laughs at that, and it sparks a conversation about what would be most undesirable in a wolf partner. We sit in a small circle around the fire, preparing to test our powers.
“So, show us, Amanda,” Nell urges. “What can you do now?”
I close my eyes and feel the energy of the forest around me. There is a small flock of birds nearby. If I disturb them, it won’t overly affect them, so, using a telepathic call, I urge them to come to me.
Balance is so important. If any force of nature is out of alignment, it could cause death and disaster.
I hear the others gasp in surprise. When I open my eyes, the birds are flying in a little circle above our heads. I wave my hand at them.
“Off you go, little ones,” I say. “Thank you for answering my call.”
“Okay, Lucy,” Nell says. “What about you?”
“Oh, you’ve seen enough of me,” Lucy says, snapping her fingers to make lines of flickering sparks in the air. “You should see me first thing in the morning at the bakery. It’s like the fairies from Sleeping Beauty making the birthday cake.”
Chuckles sound around the circle, and the other witches start to try out their powers.
Zoe, Dani, and Marie have always had earth-based powers, and between them, they make a little patch of grass grow with spring flowers in the center. Hildy, Georgia, and Cerene turn the earth, bringing stones and gems to the surface. Jeanette and Tara conjure a fierce wind from the peaks, turning the air cold and then warming it up again. Kelly, Alisa, and Penny commune with forest spirits and a few old ghosts.
Nell goes last. She manages to pluck detailed thoughts out of everyone’s heads, even when they shield against her.
“It’s a start,” Zoe says, watching her patch of green grass wither and die. “But it took all three of us, and it didn’t last long. Hurt like a bitch, too, and now I have a headache.”
“Me too,” Georgia agrees, rubbing her temples. “And all we sifted to the surface was a few rough crystals. That shouldn’t have been this hard.”
“Well, it’s an improvement, anyway,” Lucy says with enthusiasm. “Better than yesterday, isn’t it?”
“Much,” Tara agrees. “But I’m even more keen to get my hands on a wolf now. If you two have gotten your powers back and affected the energy in all of us from marrying them, imagine what will happen if all of us do the same!”
Everyone starts talking at once, and the eagerness of every single girl sends alarm bells ringing in my head.
“Please, calm down,” I say, waving my hands to get their attention. “This isn’t just marriage, it’s a magical bond. It may even be soul-deep and eternal. We don’t know yet. It’s a massive commitment to make, and you need to consider it carefully.”
“Easy for you to say!” Zoe snaps. “You’ve got your wolf and your powers back, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore!”
“She’s right,” Georgia says in a flat voice. “You can’t argue the point, Amanda. You don’t know how it feels for the rest of us to see you and Lucy using your powers like this when we can barely shift a rock.”
“Girls,” Nell cautions, “imagine being tied to a man who doesn’t want you. Imagine corrupting his soul and murdering his heart. You’d slowly drain him of his magical essence, and he would hate you more every single day. Would it be worth it, to get your powers back?”
From the shocked expressions around the circle, I can see that none of them had actually thought about it until now.
“That almost happened to me,” Lucy whispers.
“And may well be happening to me,” I agree. “It’s too early to tell.”
“So, by all means, girls, mingle and see if you and the wolves can find a good connection,” Nell suggests. “We’re here to build ties. But I beg you, don’t do any spells, please. We just don’t know enough—and we have never, ever supported subjugating another’s will.”
Nobody speaks, but it looks like all the girls are in agreement. At least for now.
“Come on,” I say, breaking the dark mood. “It’s getting late, and we should go home.”
I feel optimistic for about two seconds before I remember where I’m going.
Back home. To that wolf who hates me.