IN THE NEXT few hours, a minimum of 200 witches had arrived. They were of different shapes and races, but they all bore some things in common. They all paid their respects to Lorna, and they had magic running in their veins.Enrique stood apart, being the only male and the only non-witch in the gathering, he was feeling like an outcast. He kept his eyes on Lorna, ignoring the looks that some of the witches threw at him.The sun was starting to set, and bonfires were lit at different spots. The mumbling of over 200 women talking swarmed the air."I was not expecting this sort of turn-up," Lorna said, coming to stand by his side."Is this all the witches in the world?" Enrique asked, watching as the crowd mingled with one another.Lorna heaved a heavy sigh and shrugged. "It sure looks like it," she said."Sister," a dark-skinned woman came to join them. She hugged Lorna warmly and kissed her cheek."Ada," Lorna greeted. "I wasn't sure you were going to make it," she said. The witch cal
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERLORNA AND ENRIQUE had been gone for hours now. We had no way of knowing if they were alright. I poked around my lunch uninterested."Patty would be happy if you ate up," Mitch said. I sighed and nodded."I'm sure they are fine," he said, knowing what was on my mind already. "They have my cell phone number.""Are they going to call?" I asked."Probably not," he chuckled. He reached across the table and picked a lone green pea from my plate. "But they will be fine." He threw the pea into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.I nodded again. I was probably worrying for nothing and that was not good for my health. Maybe it was my coping mechanism. It was easier to worry about things I could relate with; like Lorna's safety and how she was grieving, than to worry about things out of my control... like Vladimir's interest in my blood, or my ancestry and the chance that I could be the reincarnation of the most powerful witch to ever exist."If the kids saw you worrying like
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERADDISON SKIPPED AHEAD while Aiden stayed close to my side as we took the short walk to Beta Draco's house."SO is she really a human?" Aiden asked, looking up at me."Watch your feet," I told him and nodded. "She is.""Why did her mummy drop her here?" He asked.I doubt it was a parent who dropped off a child in the middle of snowy mountains unsupervised."I don't know, Aiden," I answered truthfully. "YOU don't?" He asked."I don't." I sighed."Hmm," he kicked at a mound of snow. "I thought you knew the answers to everything."I chuckled. "What made you think that?" I asked him.He shrugged his small shoulders. "You are an adult."That was even funnier. If only every adult had the answer to every question, there would be a lesser number of fucked up adults out there. "No, Aiden," I said softly. "Nobody knows all the answers.""Not even our teachers at school?" He asked, his eyes came up to my face again.I sighed and shook my head. "Not even your teachers at school.
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER "EASY, DRACO," I said in a calm voice. "Take it easy." My Luna aura must have washed out because he was suddenly calm, although his breaths came out in guttural grunts. He sat down on the chair and tapped his thumb against his knee repeatedly in agitation."I had to tell you," I said. "You're the one taking her into your home. You had to know the risks involved."He nodded. "Thank you, Luna." He looked up at me. "But how did you come to this conclusion?""It was Lorna," I said honestly. "Tell me; what has she said since she woke up?"Draco shook his head. "Nothing." He replied and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I think I heard her mumbling something to your children as we left. That must be the first thing I've heard her say."I nodded. Bringing the children along was a good idea. They would help her come out of the hypnosis. I hope it was nothing like what I experienced. "I tried talking to her when she came out of her unconsciousness," I told him. "She kept on re
IT WAS A starry night and the wind swept the vast expanse of the desert in strong waves. On the warm sand, a total of 405 witches stood in a circle, they all wore black gowns. In the middle of the circle, wood and sticks had been stacked like beds in a dozen places. The dead witches were laid upon the wood like they were sleeping. They looked almost peaceful. The whole environment was serene.Enrique stood a few yards away from the meeting. He heard the small mumbling of the witches as they carried out their final rites. It was an eerie place. He felt goosebumps break out on his neck. "Could do with some warmth now." He growled to himself under his breath, rubbing his hands together. Lorna stood alone in the middle of the dead witches. "We are gathered today," Her voice was soft, but it was like the wind worked for her. It carried her voice so everyone heard it gently. "To mourn and put our sisters to rest." She looked around. She could not make out the faces of the numerous women tha
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER I TRIED TO sleep in Mitch's embrace, but my mind refused to go calm. It felt like I was supposed to be somewhere else, but I didn't know where.After trying fruitlessly for an hour, I slid out of his arms. He was still deep asleep. I adjusted his neck position to prevent pain, then I walked out of the lounge room. It was dark outside, but it got dark very quickly here, so I knew time might not be far gone. I went to the dining room, Liz and Patty were just cleaning up the table."Good evening, Luna," Patty said.I nodded."The children have eaten dinner already," Liz said. "You and the alpha were sleeping. I didn’t want to wake and disturb your rest.""Oh. Thank you, Liz." I told her. "Where are the children now?""They are in the TV room now," she said. I nodded again and started to go out. "What will you have for dinner, Luna?""What's available?" I asked. I was not in the mood to eat. For some reason, I wasn't hungry."Uh... we have pot roast," Patty said. "Sal
TO VORENUS, IT often felt like they were always moving from one bar or club to another. Some centuries ago - no, some months ago - he would have enjoyed it. The thrill. The high and fast life. The blood of new and fresh humans. It was all too enticing, but now, Vorenus wanted nothing more than to just stay alone and stare at the moon."Vladimir wants you," Alice growled from the darkness.Vorenus remained sitting. He did not give any indication that he heard her."Are you listening?" She asked.He cocked his head and dropped from the rooftop of the club they were at that night."Where is he," He asked, brushing past her roughly."The VIP section," she said, walking up to him. "Can you believe that this club is tied to his name?""I can, Alice," Vorenus said, pushing past the dancing humans. "I can because I was there when he acquired all the lands centuries ago.""You might be older than me, Vorenus," Alice hurried up and whispered into his neck."I am older than everyone you know," V
"I DID NOT expect this much," Enrique said. He and Lorna were sitting on the sand a few distance from where the tents were erected."To be honest, neither did I," Lorna said, leaning into Enrique's frame."We didn't bring a tent," Enrique grunted. "We should have.""It is not needed," Lorna said. "Look at the sky. It's so beautiful."Enrique looked up and nodded, but he said, "You can't lie on the sand," he said. "It would be uncomfortable to sleep on."Lorna chuckled dryly. "Who said anything about sleeping?" She asked. "We are all keeping a watch vigil.""You people have a lot of rituals," Enrique muttered under his breath. She nodded. "We are not shapeshifters like werewolves and Lycans; we are not monsters of the night or water like Vampires or Sirens... but what we do have, is our tradition. And it's something we will always relish and follow."Enrique remained silent for a moment, then he scoffed and said, "Sirens." He chuckled. "Those things are not real.""Oh is that so?" Lor