“She’s not answering me.” I tried to sigh, but it was hard to do in my current position.
Cassidy’s pouty frown and furrowed eyebrows flipped upside down as she bent forward and brought her head in between her legs. As I did the same, her expression was flipped right side up. Each of us were in the same pose, stretching our hamstrings as we mixed our own routine with the recommendations of our trainer.
Emilia carried an air of intimidation as she walked into the room, but it melted away the moment her tan lips lifted into a welcoming smile. Her voice was a steady soprano that provided instruction end endless encouragement, despite her height and broad shoulders. It was unsurprising that she towered over me, but she had almost every male in the room beat as well.
A jolt of excitement danced in my stomach when she pulled the oversized t-shirt she wore over her head, and I saw the muscle that coated her body. Any decent warrior could see her
“You tell anyone, and you won’t see a cent of your inheritance when I’m gone.” Grandma narrowed her eyes, but the frown that tugged at her lips made the flimsy threat ineffective.“I didn’t even know we had an inheritance.” I snorted as I stood at her side in the kitchen.Like I had hundreds of times when we lived in the little cottage, I began gathering the dirty bowls and pans that collected in the sink as she baked. A thin layer of silence settled over us, one that reminded me of long days training with Chris and cherry pies that sat on the windowsill to cool.“So, you don’t want me to tell anyone you were here or that you were here and using magic?”She swatted at me with a rag until I chuckled and moved away from the sink. Breyona finished putting the rest of the dried dishes away and perched herself on the edge of the counter, her eyes curious and eager. Her obvious love of magic m
It was when we reached the third chapter of Rowena’s book that Cordelia’s knowledge came into play. The chapter on sigils and their unique brand of magic was one of the longest in the book.“Sigil’s tie into the other forms of magic since there’s a symbol for just about everything. There are ones to scare off enemies, capture memories and fool the human eye. There are a few witches, who after decades of practice, manage to create their own but it’s dangerous and tricky work.” Cordelia said as she entered the room, a small and unassuming book in her hand.“So, a sigil that’s meant to shield someone from an enemy has protection magic mixed in with it?” Breyona questioned. She’d deny it vehemently, but it was clear she got her love of magic and myths from her scholarly parents.“For the most part, yes. Let’s say you’re exceptional with sigils. You should be able to use ones that var
After promising another three times, grandma finally left to beat dad home. He had no clue she’d overheard him talking to Flora on the phone and found out about their get together, even though he should’ve realized you can’t hide anything from grandma.Rowena slipped away to her bedroom after making me swear an oath I’d tell her, or Cordelia should something like that happen again. She left the three of us to eat grandma’s leftovers and brush through various sigil books. Beneath each hand drawn symbol was a tip to help make the spell stronger.Many called for white chalk or paint, others wanted black, and the harsher sigils called for animal blood. Some of the symbols became so complex my eyes couldn’t discern where one line began and another ended.There was one sigil that sent my thoughts veering towards the marks on my neck. It wasn’t Asher’s on my mind, even though I showed off the cobalt mark every chance I ha
Asher made himself scarce for the rest of the night per Breyona’s orders. Zeke stopped by half an hour after our conversation about the past and stole him from the front step after promising no alcohol or half-naked women. He made sure to clarify that meant for Asher and not himself before peeling off into the night.‘Wait till he finds out instead of a kegger, we’re teaming up with tonight’s patrol.’ Asher’s voice was amused as it rumbled in my head, each syllable an aftershock that made goosebumps lift along my arms.‘You’re going to ruin his entire night.’ I bit back my laughter as the doorbell rang and both Cassidy and Breyona’s cheerful faces played on the security camera. ‘I have to go now; the girls are here. Maybe give a little and let the poor Alpha have a beer, he’s been working hard since Carson’s death.’I couldn’t make out Asher’s reply because I’d
“I know, it’s insane.” Breyona’s laugh was breathless and just a bit choked up as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Staring off into the forest, her voice unnaturally soft she said, “I never thought I’d be able to feel that kind of freedom again…it’s like—it’s like I can breathe again.” “Breyona, I don’t know why they did that…but there’s no way they won’t want something in return.” I wasn’t sure what made my chest ache more, warning my best-friend her dream come true might actually be a nightmare, or seeing the denial bleed across her face when I continued carefully, “I’m just worried they’ll take back what they gave you in the first place…” I didn’t want to say it, but she wasn’t giving me a choice. There was stubborn refusal in her warm hazelnut eyes, but I knew no matter how miserable she was without her wolf, she’d be worse off without Giovanni. “…Giovanni’s life.” I murmured and watched as the iron bars of resolution slammed down over her eyes
“Oh, these are good.” Cassidy’s moan sounded from the kitchen, followed by Breyona’s laughter.I squinted against the early morning sun that peered through the curtains and padded down the hall, catching snippets of their conversation the closer I neared.“Aren’t they? You don’t know him, but the recipe belongs to a grumpy vamp named Tristan. It took me days to figure out how to make them since he’d always grumble when I asked.” The sizzle of something cooking in a pan followed Breyona’s soprano and filled the air with something both sweet and savory.“Tristan knows how to cook?” I asked skeptically, leaning against the door jamb as both she-wolves spotted me lurking.Cassidy was perched on one of the island stools eating a bowl of oatmeal and nibbling on a rolled-up pancake, her strawberry blonde hair a halo around her shoulders.“Oh, he does. Gio was complainin
“Hopefully, Breyona makes it out before this all blows up.” Cassidy huffed, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as we raced down the winding backroads, closer to the center of town.She seemed at ease behind the wheel, taking the sharp turns with a look of focus on her face. I jumped and clutched the seatbelt against my chest when the car lurched forwards, the exhaust snarling from the rush of power. Cassidy cursed, which was decidedly more surprising than the sudden acceleration, and leaned down to grab something off the floor.“…can’t drive with these things on.” Her snarl was forced through gritted teeth.We neared the trunk of a thick oak tree and just when I thought we were going to plow into it, she sat up with a fuzzy pink slipper clutched in hand. With the flick of a wrist we coasted around yet another sharp curve, back to driving smoothly even though the speedometer didn’t dip below sixty-five.&ld
On the bright side, Asher was no longer snarling and frothing out the mouth. The only caveat was that my fickle magic hadn’t taken away the rest of his anger, because without an explanation or apology, he turned around and grabbed Clint by the shirt a second time.The battered but slowly healing Judge was thrown to his knees just a few feet in front of me. Even though his face was a mottled and swollen mass of flesh, he managed to hold onto the air of superiority that clung to him. Its strength surpassed that of the scent of blood, and was stronger than the expensive cologne he wore, that even now I could smell.“Apologize to your Luna.”When Asher spoke his voice resembled the endless pit I had seen in his eyes, the very one I somehow chased away using magic. His hair wasn’t even disheveled from the fight—his heart rate barely elevated. His spine was made of pure steel, as rigid and unbreakable as his stance.Clint Armstrong