CHAPTER THIRTEEN || HARRIS #3
Just as I predicted, when I called him, Cole agreed to relay the message that we needed the coven’s help.
And they came, right before nightfall. Reed was beside me, his hand in mine, as we waited at the edge of the circular gravel parking lot.
The rest of the pack stood behind us, watching.
Tamrand was with us as well, his expression pinched tight with worry.
“Here they come,” Reed said, tilting his head to the side, as if listening.
The witches arrived a moment later—two black SUVs that looked like they didn’t belong on the unpaved road. They were too sleek and pristine for a place so thoroughly natural, with its moss-covered log cabins, looming evergreens, and dirt walkways. They parked beside Reed’s truck in the gravel lot.
Poppy exited first. She was a short, thin witch in her twenties, with long flowing red hair, sharp blue eyes, and pale, freckled skin. I could almost see the magic crackling around her like a halo of power—something that hadn’t happened when we’d first met.
Exactly like with Daniel.
Weird. I’d never seen magic before coming to Crescent Springs. Now it was happening every other day. Was this another side effect of the mate bond?
“Can you see that?” I asked, glancing over at Reed.
He didn’t have to ask what I meant—he merely nodded, his spine rigid.
Then, out of the same car, stepped a tall blonde woman, perhaps in her late forties or early fifties, with a severe expression on her regal features.
She was dressed in an all-black skirt suit so expertly tailored it looked like it might’ve been some high-end designer brand.
Then came an older, matronly woman, also dressed all in black, with her salt-and-pepper hair in a tight bun, a somber look on her face as her gaze settled on us.
I recognized them both—vaguely—from the rapid-fire introductions I’d gotten at Thierry’s wedding.
The first one was Tatiana, the witch queen of Seattle, and the other was Wynn, the eldest member of the witches’ council.
Then there was Simone, the dark-skinned vampire who was mated to Poppy.
She was dressed in a flowing ruby-colored gown.
She took the redheaded witch’s hand with a radiant smile.
Her dark eyes swept over each of us in turn, seeming to miss nothing.
I had met her once before, at the same time I’d met Poppy.
Despite her incredible age—Cole had once told me she was one of the oldest vampires he’d ever personally met—she was surprisingly down-to-earth and kind, in her own way.
She caught my eye and nodded at me, recognition flashing across her face.
I nodded back.
From the rear of the second car, a thin, white-haired warlock with violet eyes, dressed in a black suit, stepped out.
I could see a shimmer of power around him the same way I had with Poppy, like heat rising off pavement.
A tall, broad-shouldered vampire with sandy hair was right behind him, dressed in an identical black suit.
“Holy shit,” Reed whispered, his gaze fixed on the sandy-haired vampire. “That’s Nathaniel Bailey, the vampire king of Seattle, and his mate Ethan. I wasn’t expecting them to come.”
“You’re the alpha,” Emma replied from behind us. “He must have come as a sign of respect. His husband, Ethan, is the future leader of the Seattle witches. Him and Poppy both.”
Reed’s gaze settled on the white-haired warlock. He didn’t say anything more, but I could feel his anxiety. I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
From the last vehicle, two more witches emerged that I didn’t recognize. They formed a line behind the others, facing us.
“Tatiana, the wolves of Crescent Springs thank you for answering our call,” Reed said, addressing the regal-looking blonde witch with a bow of his head.
She inclined her head in return. “Good evening, Reed. The witches of Seattle are at your service.”
“And a few of us vampires, too,” Simone chimed in, giving Nathaniel an amused glance.
The vampire king chuckled, but Tatiana shot Simone a silencing look that the ancient vampire answered with a serene smile.
“So,” Poppy said. “Now that we’ve all been way too stuffy and formal for one day, show us where you want the portal and we’ll pop it open.”
Lee and Hunter both chuckled at that.
Reed’s gaze lingered on Simone’s long, flowing dress. “Uh, do you guys want to get changed first? It’s in the middle of the forest, so it’s probably going to be muddy.”
“Darling,” Simone said, favoring him with a wide smile. “I’ve never been afraid of getting my dress—or my hands—dirty.”
Lindsey snorted from behind us. “Noted. And well warned.”
“Moving right along,” Ethan said, a touch too brightly. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Indeed,” Nathaniel agreed, giving Simone a reproachful look.
With that, Reed led all of us to the spot where he and I had been attacked in the woods, where Sally’s scent had vanished. “This is the only place we’re sure it’s come through.”
A thrill of fear shot through me, and I had the wild impulse to put a stop to this.
Should I have brought the amulet? After all, it blocked—or neutralized—magic.
I’d left it at the cabin because I didn’t know if it would interfere with the spell to open the portal.
Now I wasn’t so sure that had been a good idea.
The Algea was a magical creature, after all.
Would the amulet have slowed it down or hurt it?
Too late now, I told myself. Suck it up.
“Well then,” Tatiana said briskly. “Nightfall is nearly upon us. I suppose we ought to get started.”
Then, with a flourish of her hands, as though releasing a bird, brilliant motes of bright white light ignited all around the clearing, providing enough illumination for the witches to work by.
“You must hurry,” Tamrand said. He stood a few paces away from the rest of us, rigid as a spear. His eyes seemed faintly illuminated in the darkness. “Sally is running out of time.”
Poppy’s gaze flicked to him. “Wait a second. You’re fae.”
Tamrand inclined his head by way of reply, but I didn’t miss the way he frowned. Apparently, he was uncomfortable being recognized as anything other than human.
“You can’t just… wave your arms and make a portal?”
Tamrand’s jaw tightened. “I cannot. Were I capable of such a thing, I never would have risked revealing myself by involving others in my affairs.”
“I’ve only ever met faeries during coven gatherings, when we celebrate in the Otherworld,” Poppy said. “I’ve never met any who prefer to live here.”
Tamrand’s frown deepened. “Our temperaments are as diverse as any other person on this plane of existence or any other. But should you ever encounter any of my kind again, my name must never cross your lips.”
Poppy and Simone traded a bemused look, but Tamrand seemed deadly serious.
“Alright,” Tatiana said, interrupting their exchange. “We are ready to begin. Reed, you must ready your wolves to be prepared for whatever comes through the portal once it is opened.”
Lee and Hunter exchanged a troubled look. It was Lee who spoke. “What does that mean?”
“The topography of the Otherworld is roughly parallel to our world,” the older matronly witch standing beside Tatiana explained, speaking for the first time.
“While we have befriended the fae creatures near Seattle’s covenstead, making this exercise as safe as it is capable of being, we have not done such a thing here. ”
Ethan chimed in. “Wynn’s right. We’re opening a door. We have no way of knowing what will or won’t come through once it’s opened. Including—or maybe in addition to—your monster.”
“Wait,” Lacey said, sounding alarmed. “That’s an option?”
Poppy gave her a wry look. “It’s magic. Everything is an option. You guys need to hang on to your fur coats.”
“You’re hilarious,” Lacey said, glaring at her.
She beamed back. “I try.”
Tatiana cleared her throat pointedly.
Poppy sighed, dejected, and added, “Alright, showtime.”
And then we watched as the witches worked together to open a portal to the Otherworld, where anything at all could come through.