Episode 245
DARK LADY
Heather
The moon is a crescent sliver tonight, not the full moon hanging low over the treetops like June was hoping for. Which only proves she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Any witch worth her salt would be aware of the moon phases.
She’s not a witch.
But she’s up to something.
And while I got kind of all in on her moon ceremony idea, part of me is a little apprehensive.
I have to admit, though, that the atmosphere is working. The petals scattered across the grass, the bowls of dried hibiscus and crushed jasmine that perfume the warm air.
And in the middle of it all stands June—naked as the day she was born and without a mask. Guess she decided against hiding ourselves.
Of course she’s the one leading the ceremony.
And of course she’s already skyclad. She looks like something out of a fever dream, all hips and curves and confidence, her hair wild around her shoulders, her skin shimmering with whatever oil she slicked on before stepping into the moonlight.
Gold dust, probably. June doesn’t do subtle.
And then, of course, the pussy gems.
She holds a bundle of sage in one hand, a candle in the other, and her voice is low and steady as she walks the circle, casting the smoke over each of us in turn. Ariel is barely breathing, and she’s gripping Alex’s hand as if some goddess is going to swoop down and steal him away.
Emily looks bored.
Then again, Emily always looks bored. She fidgets with her bracelet while River stands next to her.
Sebastian is here for it. His eyes are wide and his smile full of life. He winks at me.
And I hate that I like it.
Evangeline left, said she’d help set up but she sure as hell wasn’t getting naked.
Misty hasn’t joined the circle.
And Sienna…
Where the hell is Sienna?
And Brett?
And Jake?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” June says. “Shed your clothing, as you shed your ties to Gaia, the earth. For now we will draw down the moon, and we have more power if we bow to the goddess as we came into the world. Skyclad.”
I remove my clothing slowly. No one will see anything they haven’t seen before, and even though I’m pretty sure June is up to something, I want to join in. I helped plan this, after all. My apprehension is still there, but what the hell?
And if I end up fucking Sebastian inside this circle? Can’t say I’ll be sorry.
I’m not sure if I believe any of it. I’m not sure June does either.
But something is making me feel…
Not emotional, exactly. But something different.
There seems to be a charge in the air, something electric and heavy, like the seconds before a summer storm.
June pauses at the center of the courtyard beside the flat stone she’s using as an altar. It’s dressed in white linen and decked with everything she could scavenge from the mansion’s cabinets, gardens, and relaxation room.
“I call to the divine,” June says, her voice vibrating through my chest like a drum. “To the spirits of this place. To the wild, the wounded, the wicked, and the wise. We are not afraid of the dark. We come to dance with it.”
She tips her chin up, arms lifted to the sky, bare breasts gleaming in the moonlight, and for a second I envy her. Not for her body—not exactly—but for her freedom. Her I-don’t-give-a-damn command of the moment.
She starts to hum, slow and deep, and I follow.
Why not?
The breeze picks up, rustling the trees. The flames in the lanterns flicker.
Sebastian removes his clothing, lets his hair flow over his bare shoulders.
And I gulp.
I’ve seen him naked many times, but somehow, under the moon and in this circle, he looks like a god come to life—a god of the underworld, draped in shadow and sin.
When he looks my way, his eyes don’t simply see. They claim.
Every inch of him radiates power. And something stirs in me. I feel what he’s feeling. And it’s electric.
And it’s also painful—pain coming from him.
I should look away. But I don’t. Does he feel it? Our connection?
I’m still staring when in my peripheral vision, I see Emily join in and disrobe.
Emily, whose name Sebastian called me after we fucked in the pool.
Is he in love with her? I wait for him to turn, to give Emily the feral gaze he’s giving me.
He doesn’t.
Maybe it’s because River then sheds his clothes and grabs Emily’s hand, marking her.
Maybe it’s because he wants a quick fuck later, and he thinks I’m a sure thing.
Or maybe…
Maybe…
He feels something. He feels the connection.
At this point, does it even matter? I’ll take the billions any way I can get them.
When Ariel and Alex discard their clothing, June’s smile goes wide. It’s not everyone, but apparently it’s enough for June.
We follow her in the circle, our bare feet clinging to the grass.
“Tonight,” June says, “we let go. Of guilt. Of fear. Of anything that doesn’t serve who you’re becoming.”
We murmur agreement.
“Louder.”
“Yes,” I say.
“Yes,” the others say.
June dips her fingers in the bowl of rosewater and flicks it toward us.
Then she looks at me.
“You want to say something?” she asks me.
I blink. Shit. I must’ve been staring too hard.
“No,” I say. “Just watching the show.”
She tilts her head. “This isn’t a show, Heather.”
“Sure,” I say. “Then let’s get on with it.”
June starts to chant, and the rest of us fall into rhythm. It’s a low, haunting sound that seems to rise from the earth itself. The moon shines above us.
And while I don’t think we’re summoning anything real…
Something’s here.
Something that wasn’t here before, and I’m not talking about Darby or Jake or the visiting chef.
Something—or someone—has come to the island.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ready.
Thank you for reading Wanting You!