Chapter 40
40
brAM
“ W ould you care to tell me why I received twenty different magazines in the mail today?” I pinch Ava’s hip. She squeals and skitters a few steps ahead of me. We’re on our way to the clearing for the new moon ceremony.
As of right now, we are the rocky but still united Luminara Coven. Lucida is doing her best to hold us together, but there’s a lot of fighting between members of the old covens. After nearly the entire council betrayed us, a lot of trust–trust that was already tenuous–was lost. The council is still under house arrest and Lucida has been working through a plan to figure out their replacements. She’s being careful about the process, but many of the witches in Mystic Hollows are not pleased with how long it’s taking to punish the old council.
“What magazines?” Ava walks backward, smirking at me. Josephine and Roman are leading the way. Stellan, Odie, and Ambrose are next, with me and Ava bringing up the rear on the trail.
“Just off the top of my head there was Fashion Doll Quarterly, Girls and Corpses, Dentists of the Upper Peninsula, Emu Today, and Elder Care Monthly.” I tick off the names, lifting a finger with each new title.
“Girls and Corpses has some good articles.” Ambrose throws over his shoulder.
“I don’t want to know any more than I already do about your fetishes,” I groan.
“Maybe if someone hadn’t signed up my email for a Norwegian Michael Jackson Fan club that sends no less than five emails a day, this wouldn’t have happened to you.”
I chuckle. That was a creative one. I catch up to Ava and snag her hand. She shakes her head as she glances up at me.
“I don’t know what the emails say. But they keep sending out invites for a live meet up. I’ve already unsubscribed three times.”
“I’d look at it as an opportunity to make some new friends.”
“Are you implying she needs new friends, Blackthorn? Or are you asking her to find you some new buddies. I like MJ. You didn’t have to keep it a secret. Maybe for Halloween next year I can dress up as the werewolf in Thriller and you can be the scared girlfriend who runs away. You’d look great in a poodle skirt,” Stellan says with a grin.
“With that lovely visual burned into my brain, let’s switch topics. Where’s Piper?” Ambrose looks around as we step into the clearing. Witches are milling around, waiting for Lucida to begin the ceremony.
“She said she’d meet us here.” Josephine cranes her neck to look around. There’s a bunch of candles on the altar, but it doesn’t provide enough light to see out to the edges of the clearing.
Ava frowns, biting on her lip. “She’s been really quiet lately. We were supposed to get dinner on Tuesday, and she canceled.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her in close. Odie looks worried, but she signs. “I’m sure she’ll be here.”
“Luminara coven,” Lucida’s voice interrupts, and the low murmur of chatter goes quiet. “I know we’ve had a rough few months, but I’m grateful to see so many faces here tonight. This has been a time of transition and hardship. I know you’re all eager to move forward. I also know that you’ve been waiting for news on how I plan to handle the council. In order to hear all your voices, we will be holding a series of events which will help determine who is the best fit to form the new council. Once those seats are filled, we’ll determine what justice can be had against the ex-council members.”
Passionate whispers break out across multiple groups, including ours.
“What kind of events?” Ambrose looks up from his phone. He was typing out a message, but I can’t see who he’s texting.
“Who the hell knows,” Roman replies.
“Tonight, I ask that we set aside those distractions and focus on what’s important. The unity of this coven. Restoring your magic for another month. Coming together and supporting each other. We have challenges ahead of us, but don’t let that distract from the community we are forming. Together we can thrive.” Lucida raises her hands to the sky. She begins to chant, and magic travels up from the earth to pool in my chest.
I hug Ava close, and she wraps her arms around my waist.
“You good?” I murmur into her hair. My life has never felt so complete. Knowing the truth about my mother, having my friends close, and being bonded with Ava is more than I ever could have imagined. Ava still hasn’t talked to her mother yet, but she’s thinking about it. And while these events to find the new council could be a nightmare, for the first time, maybe ever, I’m optimistic that things will work out.
Ava squeezes me tight. “Never better.”
The End