CHAPTER 16
Zara
I settled into the soft cushions under me, celebrating that everything in this building was orc-sized and made me feel like a delicate porcelain doll. Grinning at the females who were also snuggled into the sofa, I said the one thing I needed to.
“I missed you all. Being there with the Warlocks was like missing a part of me. I know I wasn’t really a part of the coven,” I explained, feeling heat sweep into my cheeks. “But I always wanted to be, and at least I knew that I was part of the family.”
Tabitha’s eyebrows flew up immediately and she leaned forward toward me with a small glare. “You were always part of our coven, Zara. The most important part.”
I frowned before shaking my head. “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to lie to me. My powers were unpredictable , I know. But since I was taken, I’ve learned to focus them better and I’m going to train harder—”
Tabitha shook her head, leaning forward to take my hand, her expression fierce. “No, Zara, you don’t understand. You were the reason we had a coven. Your mother formed the coven for you .”
My lips parted and I froze, shock filling my body. “What?” I gasped, shaking my head and looking between the women I’d grown up with.
“She knew that they would come for you,” Floria whispered, taking my other hand into hers. “And that you’d need protection in case anything happened to her.”
Hanna nodded, putting her own hand onto Tabitha’s shoulder. Tasia linked her fingers with Hanna and Floria’s free hands. Gabbi was asleep in her new bed, having worn herself out with excitement.
We formed a circle now, all connected, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I thought—” I started, my voice getting watery until I cleared my throat. “I thought that you formed the coven to do magick together,” I whispered, searching their faces.
One by one, these females had become a part of my family. Tasia had been the last, and I was closest to her age, but even then, I’d always thought I was apart from them. But was that because they’d wanted it that way or because I’d kept myself apart, assuming I wasn’t needed?
Their words shone a new light on the way I’d felt while I was growing up. My mother had wanted these females to guide me.
“Why couldn’t I participate in the circle?” I demanded, turning to Tabitha.
She snorted out a laugh, patting my hand with tenderness. “No offense, Zara, but you’d have been more likely to blow the circle up than contribute to it when you were younger,” she said on a peal of laughter.
The others joined in and even I gave a rueful smile. It was true. Even now, my powers were bound by the spell my mother had cast on me before she’d left the world. I pressed my hand to my wrist—where the threadbare braided bracelet was still on.
The biggest spell I’d been able to cast was to open a portal between Hellplane and this one. If I’d been at full power, the likelihood of me casting the spell would be low. I would have probably blown up the orcs and myself instead.
“I still can’t control it,” I whispered, swallowing hard. “If I unbind myself to face Veron, I’m not sure what’ll happen.”
Tabitha sighed, squeezing my hand. “We’ll help you figure it out. Your mom may have bound your powers, but we’ll find a way to help you focus them. Channeling them has always been a struggle, but I think I know a way.” Her eyes got hazy as she pondered something and we all waited. “I’ll have to seek assistance from another coven, though.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head. “You know how dangerous that is. Mom warned me that the other covens might want to get on the warlocks’ good side and hand me over. If they actually win…” I trailed off, shaking my head and the other witches sobered, knowing what I was talking about.
If the prophecy was right and I was impregnated by him, he would use that child to imprison all the worlds. Their magick wouldn’t just be formidable. It would be absolute. And a power like that in the wrong hands didn’t bear thinking on.
“That isn’t going to happen,” Hanna said in a low, sweet voice. “We’ll protect you.”
I smiled at her, love filling my heart for this family that had formed around me. “Thank you,” I told her, swiping at the tear that gathered in my eye. “But I want to protect you . What’s the use of all this power if I can’t even use it to take care of my coven?”
“I’m guessing from your reaction, that you didn’t know you’re our High Priestess?” Tasia leaned in to ask with a wink.
My eyes widened and I shook my head. “No, I had no idea,” I gasped.
The group giggled, and then Tabitha’s hand tightened on mine. “You’re the obvious choice. Your powers will keep growing, and you’ll be able to lead us. Your mother announced it before…” she trailed off, her smile turning sad. I swallowed hard, knowing she meant before she died . “And we all agreed. You’re the best choice,” she finished.
I took a deep breath, gathering my strength before I gave a firm nod. “I’ll do my best,” I told them and they all smiled at me, our hands still connected.
“Now, we’ll have to start on that protection spell,” Tabitha told me, releasing me long enough to open my mother’s spell book on the table between us. She turned to a page and then joined hands again. “And we’ll use your strength, but focus it, is that okay? You’ll have to allow me to channel your power,” she explained, her voice encouraging.
I nodded again, leaning forward to skim the spell.
“It’s an easy one,” Tasia told me with a wink. “We just need some herbs.” She stood, walking over to a box where there were some jars. She pulled out the heavy marble mortar and pestle that my mother had always used.
My heart gave a sharp pang as I saw it, remembering how she’d allow me to grind herbs for spell pouches. I looked away, focusing on the book instead, reading as she began adding herbs to the mortar.
“We sold some potions to the orcs who live here,” Tabitha told me, watching me closely. “They seem very nice.”
I smiled, nodding, covering my mouth and hiding the grin that had spread across my lips at the mention of them. “They are really nice.”
“That’s the horniness talking,” Floria told Tabitha with a sage-like nod, her eyes twinkling.
I gasped, reaching forward to slap her arm and she laughed. I joined in, having missed this closeness. Most of the witches in our coven were still young and they were all single.
I’d never seen any of them dating. They were very cautious when it came to males and I hadn’t noticed it until I’d started dating and they were all overprotective.
“Aren’t you going to warn me away from them the way you used to when I was younger?” I asked Tabitha, laying my head on her shoulder.
She stroked her fingers through my hair and laughed. “Not this time. Fated mates are different. I know he’ll protect you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” she told me, and I held my breath. I knew I was his mate, but I hadn’t admitted it to myself yet. I was living in a state of eternal denial.
I forced a smile and then looked away. “There’s a lot of orcs in their clan,” I told them, trying to change the subject. “I haven’t met all of them yet, but I know three of them well. They were living on the plane that Veron had taken me to.” I scowled, but shook my head. “They’re great. I’m going to have to scry for their mates. I promised them.”
“Scrying for mates takes a lot of focus,” Tabitha warned, “and concentration.”
Focus and concentration. Shit. The two things I’m the worst at.
“I might need your help with that,” I admitted, giving her a guilty smile. She snorted out a laugh, hugging me close again.
“I’ve missed you,” she told me, and Floria and Hanna nodded, sending winks my way.
“Okay, here we are,” Tasia said, making her way over with the pouch of ground herbs and crystals. “This is everything. We’ll need to sprinkle the herbs and water on every cornerstone of the building and bind the crystals to the cardinal points.”
I nodded, leaning forward and taking a deep breath while squeezing the hands of Tabitha and Floria again, preparing myself to join the circle—for the first time. “Now how do I do this?” I asked them, looking around and their eyes—which had been closed, popped open with shock.
Tasia released a snort and then laughed, shaking her head. “You say the spell and Tabitha will focus your power, just like your mom. The circle will enhance the power and it’ll spread to where we need it,” she explained after she’d settled.
“Right,” I said with a firm nod, taking a deep breath. I read the words, the magick symbols familiar to me. I’d read the book from cover to cover at least three times when learning under my mom’s tutelage. “I’ve got this.”
“You do,” Tabitha agreed, nudging my shoulder with her own, keeping a firm pressure on my hand. “You’ll do great and even if you don’t get it the first time, we’ll just keep trying.” That took some of the pressure off of me, so I sucked in a calming breath before I began chanting the spell. I felt my power grow, the words activating it inside me, and I closed my eyes, repeating the words.
Everyone began murmuring them with me, our hands getting warmer as the connection grew. The sense of oneness that I’d always wanted to be part of was filling me up. Their presence was making itself known as our magick combined. I opened my eyes to look around me at the others in the coven, grinning as I kept up chanting.
Their eyes were closed and their brows were drawn in concentration. I should be concentrating too, but I was too excited to just be part of it. Much less in charge of it. I started as swirling lights began circling us. I kept saying the words, keeping my eyes on them, but they didn’t come closer. Moving outward instead. I could feel Tabitha channeling my power through herself, focusing it in a way that I still had to learn how to do.
I was awed by it, watching the sparkles grow brighter and larger, moving around the room in swirls, pushing away from us as the circle got bigger and bigger. It kept going, out of the room, but I could feel it. The power was growing, moving to protect the building. Squeezing my eyes shut, I kept chanting.