Chapter 15 Trish
Trish
My muscles burned in places that I didn’t even know I had muscles, but after they’d dismissed a few witches for good, I walked out of the first trial with my head held high.
And then I ran from there as fast as I could, hoping I wouldn’t bump into Jaxon or any of the rest of the coven. I knew it would be awkward being close to them again, but I hadn’t realized they all were so… close. It was foolish of me to think that when my world imploded, theirs fell apart too.
As a grown woman, I knew better. Still, it stung a bit that they’d been able to move on with their lives and form tight bonds with each other while I dealt with my situation alone.
It didn’t matter, though. That wasn’t what I was here for. I had a job to do.
I’d kept my ears and eyes open throughout the physical tests, but none of the witches or warlocks working with Vincent were talking. I couldn’t get a read on anyone or sniff out anything wrong. One day down, and I didn’t have more information for Alpha Kera. I’d need to up my game.
That meant I needed to figure out my magic fast. Tomorrow I was sure they’d have some magical tests, and that was where I’d be eliminated. Then my newfound bravado would be all for nothing.
I refused to go down like that.
Or we could take an afternoon nap, my wolf yawned.
Not yet. First, we needed food. My stomach was eating itself. After that, I’d ask around and see if I could find some sort of cleansing crystal or healing witch or booster spell. Something to at least help me fake it through whatever trial Vincent had planned for tomorrow.
This side of the festival contrasted sharply with the training grounds.
Whereas that field was dirt and crushed dreams, these tents were alive and vibrant.
Flowing skirts and pealing laughter as ribbons danced, tied to long flowing hair.
Whispered incantations blew on the soft afternoon breeze that drifted through the stalls.
A merchant measured a vial of dried herbs. Another filled a bag with feathers. Beyond the barter and trade, a group of musicians lounged on the grass, lazily strumming their instruments. Barefooted dancers toed the earth, moving to the beat.
The hum of magic was everywhere. And it wasn’t just in the vanishing cards or floating orbs and cheap parlor tricks. This was an earth-deep magic that thrummed with the pulse of life, strengthened and reflected by the hundreds of vessels gathered in one place.
My hands warmed with the ache to reach out and touch it.
To take a piece for myself and allow it to fill me again.
It’d been so many years since I could practice my true calling without it blowing up in my face and I itched to try it just one more time.
A little tug in my heart begged me to come out and play.
My stomach rumbled on cue, and I turned away, heading to the food. Later, I told myself.
“Biscuit or scone?” the old woman at the head of the serving line smiled with a mouth full of sharpened teeth.
I picked up a plate, feeling my stomach rumble louder. As wolf shifters, we ate a lot, and I’d burned a ton of calories today.
“Can I have both?” I asked gently, already feeling bad for the request.
“Of course you can.” The woman shoved both pastries onto my plate, adding a second biscuit. “Never be ashamed to take what your body needs.” Then she lowered her voice to a whisper, “Just skip the soup today. Charles can’t cook for shit.”
A gasp at the end of the line came from a skinny warlock with ruddy cheeks and bright red hair. He held his ladle aloft, shaking it as bits of mashed peas went flying through the air. “You know I can hear you, you old crone.”
“Ignore him.” The woman gave me a second scone too. “All talk that one. Unblocking, my ass. Flows straight from the gut if you ask me.”
I was still smiling good-naturedly as I picked my way down the line, gathering bits of fruit and dried meat before I reached Charles, who made a big show of handing me a bowl of soup.
“That old witch doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” he huffed.
I accepted the bowl, biting down on my smile. “Honestly, you can’t be a worse cook than me.” The soup smelled fine. A little too many vegetables for my taste, but I hadn’t burnt it, so I wasn’t complaining.
“Bah.” He shook his ladle again. “She’s just bitter that her old man couldn’t get it up. I told her it wasn’t my spell.”
My cheeks physically hurt from trying not to laugh at the silliness of this all. “What did you do?”
“Me?” He gasped. “Nothing. She came to me for my magic, and is angry that flow wasn’t the problem.”
That sobered me a bit. “Flow?”
“There’s no dam blocking the river.” His tone took on a sing-song quality. “The well is dried up, if you know what I mean. Nothing I can do to fix that.”
“What exactly is your magic?” I studied him, trying to get a read. We all were born with different gifts. I used to be able to pick up on these kinds of things. My own magic made it so. But since the fracture, nothing had been very clear.
“Energy. River. Flow.” Charles touched each of his chakras, smirking a bit as he added, “Release.”
“The soup is poison!” the old woman yelled randomly.
Charles cringed. “That sort of thing.”
“Wait…” My jaw dropped. “Could you help me?”
“With what, darling?” He eyed me up and down. “I’m not really playing for your team. Though if the wine is flowing, I’ve been known to—”
“No, with your magic,” I hurried to say. “You release blocks, right? What about magical ones?”
“I can. If there is a blockage. But I’m not sensing one with you.” Charles frowned as he dipped his ladle in the soup. I stepped out of the way so I didn’t hold up the line.
“Could we try? Things haven’t been working lately with my… magic.” I balanced the bowl of soup, grabbing a spoon and digging out a bit. “Mmm…” I moaned loud. “This soup is really good.”
Charles swatted me away playfully, but I saw the gleam of relief in his eyes. “Will you be at the gathering tonight?”
“The bonfire?” I asked, looking over to where the structure was being re-erected for what seemed like would be a nightly event.
“No, not that,” he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “After. A special gathering just for fun.”
“Oh.” I blinked, trying not to look as ignorant as I was. “I guess I didn’t get the invite.”
“Consider this your invite,” he said. “Meet me in the woods at midnight. I’ll make you a special wine.”
This is not a good idea, my wolf cautioned.
What are you talking about? I bit into a hunk of biscuit as I walked. This was too good to be true. Fate was on my side. Why else would Charles be put in my path? A secret gathering of witches in the moonlit forest sounded like my kind of night.
You’re hearing yourself, right?
You should be excited. You’ll get that nap after all.
*
“There you are.” Jaxon growled as I stood, zipping up my tent.
I arched a brow as I stared at him. “Why are you acting like that? You’re a wolf shifter. It’s not like I was hiding. You could smell and sense me in there.”
He absentmindedly rubbed his chest. The action made me touch my chest too. That stupid, ever present ache.
“Are you okay?” Jaxon’s voice softened. “You slept all afternoon.”
“Did I?” I glanced at the setting sun. It’d been a long night, but I was so excited to see if this Charles character could help me that I hadn’t thought I’d be able to close my eyes.
Now they were wide open and Jaxon was freshly showered. His wet hair dried in the golden hour of the sun and his white shirt was open just enough to reveal the smooth, bronzed muscles of his chest. He smelled like home. Like comfort and warmth and happiness. All the things I wanted in life.
Stop it. Jaxon Cadejo wasn’t mine.
He could be…
I shut her up with a growl.
Jaxon watched me patiently. I squirmed under the intensity of his gaze. When I didn’t elaborate, he broke the awkward silence.
“What was all that about this morning?” he asked. “I thought Meg told you to steer clear of Vincent until Alec and Alpha Kera returned.”
“Meg isn’t my Alpha.” I pushed past him.
“No, but your Alpha would want you to stay away from Vincent too.” Jaxon stormed up beside me.
I resisted the childish urge to stick my fingers in my ears. “Can all of you just stop worrying about me for five minutes and let me live my life?”
“This again?” He growled as his frustration broke through his calm facade.
Good. The sooner he cracked, the sooner he’d realize I was a lost cause that didn’t need him to save me.
“Since you didn’t hear me the first hundred times I told you,” I said. “Let me make this clear. I am not your problem.”
I crossed my arms over my chest as I walked faster, hating how long his stupid legs were and how easily they kept up with mine.
“Stop.” He grabbed me by the elbows, spinning me toward him until I was forced to look up, to see the pain etched on his face. “Stop saying that.”
“It’s true.” I growled again, not sure why my body was arching closer to his when all I wanted to do was run away. “I. Am. Not. Your. Problem.”
“Sometimes I wish that were true.” He dragged a hand through his hair; eyes wild with his beast, no doubt remembering the dying promise he made to an old wolf-witch that trapped him with me.
My own wolf was howling.
I blocked out the noise. “I released you from her vow,” I spit. “You don’t owe anyone anything.”
“How can you say that?” He clenched his fists and growled. The sound was tortured.
My heart beat harder as my eyes dropped to his lips. He licked them. They were dry. I had balm. On my own lips.
What were we fighting about again?
“There you two are,” Gentry said.
I jumped back as if I’d been burned, tearing my gaze away from Jaxon and trying to catch my breath.
Jaxon turned to stone. Every muscle on him was clenched, tense and ready to spring.
He still thought of me like an annoying little sister.
Someone he was forced to follow around and protect, despite me begging him to leave me alone.
Gentry froze, looking the two of us over. “Sorry to interrupt. The bonfire is about to start. We saved you both seats.”
“Good. We’re all going to stick together from here on out,” Jaxon said, glaring at me. “Otherwise, I’ll pull the Alpha card and get all of you out of here before I handle things myself.”
“Fine.” My heart still pounded, but I kept my chin steady as I followed Gentry, trying to think about how to get away from this. If he demanded obedience, my beta wolf would be powerless to stop him.
Not that I’d want to. She purred.
Will you knock it off?
Jaxon was never going to listen, not while he still had that knight-in-shining-armor Alpha complex. And I was never going to be able to fix my magic if he was always hovering. I needed to get his attention off me and release him from this stupid desire to protect me, for good.
I’d have to play nice for now.
Then I could find a way to escape to the witchy gathering in the woods.