Page 95 of The Fearless Witch

The magic slid over my skin, tangling into my hair and clothes where it turned into dust that vanished with the wind. Once my ears popped, the sounds returned, and with them, the shouting came. It took me a moment to realize it wasn’t of pain or panic, but howls of joy and victory.

A pair of arms caught me from behind, raising me to my feet, but I was too focused on running my hand through the space where the ward used to be to make sure it was fully gone.

“You did it!” Isaac’s voice made me turn just as he squashed me against him. “You really did it! It looked so easy!”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Roman chided as the werewolf released me. “She told you she would. Celeste always keeps her promises.”

He gave me a small wink while Malakai and Beleth approached.

“Very flashy,” Beleth pointed out, dusting his shoulders from the specks of magic that continued to flutter in the air. “Can we go now? Aren’t you two supposed to fuck to solidify your bond or whatever?”

Isaac glared at him, but I sensed desire shoot through our bond, making my own body heat up. Feeling Roman’s hand on the small of my back, all kinds of fun ideas sprung to mind, but as much as I wanted to indulge in them, I knew this night was far from over.

“Isaac, incoming!” Allison’s voice called just as the air on the other side of the now-shattered barrier rippled. One after another, witches translocated into the space, their magic flaring around them the moment their feet touched the ground.

Isaac and Roman grabbed my shoulders at the same time, dragging me behind them. I tripped on my dress and stumbled back into a hard chest, a pair of tattooed fingers gripping my waist to steady me.

“A bit overdressed for a fight, aren’t you?” Beleth scoffed in my ear and before I could reply, his shadows slid around my legs, tearing the fabric off until it dangled around my knees in uneven strips. I glared at him, but he just shoved me forward, crossing his arms like he was planning to just watch the show. I waited for the anger to come, but the lack of it in his gaze made me turn around without a word.

By the time I circled Roman, ignoring his warning look, the witches had gathered closer, with the ones on the front looking ready to wreak havoc on us all. Their eyes widened when they recognized me, and I smiled back at the familiar faces.

Edna Whitmore, the Head Witch of the Coven of the Guiding Hand.

Tenzin Hhandu, the Head Witch of the Coven of the Divine Spirit.

Shen Meihui, the Head Witch of the Coven of Sacred Knowledge.

Three of the most powerful and dangerous witches in the whole world and naturally, the ones that either thought me an abomination or a high risk that required immediate extermination. Of course, they’d be here now. I was just surprised Mariam wasn’t with them to complete the usual quartet. Their Covens had been trying to destroy me as ardently as the Order. Perhaps even more so.

“We should have known,” Edna spat, her mouth twisting with distaste. “Every time something bad happens, you’re always involved. Don’t you get tired of causing trouble, Ancient one? Or, after all those lifetimes, the only thing that matters to you now is bringing misery to your kind?”

I smiled, the words sliding past me like an inconsequential echo. At least there was no name-calling this time, which was probably because of all the people behind my back. Not that I needed them, not with so much power still brewing inside of me.

“Yes, making trouble for you is very high on my priority list. Right between sucking cocks and running for my life because my kind decided I was evil for something I did hundreds of years ago,” I replied with the same smile, although it was getting harder to keep it up.

“You killed your fellow witches barely eighty years ago!” Edna snarled, her magic turning red while it slithered up her arm like a snake. “Or were you just protecting yourself again because they attacked you without cause?”

Frustration made my skin bristle, but I ignored the feeling just as I ignored Isaac’s reverberating growl. There was no way Edna didn’t know the truth about that night, about the witches that had been working with the hunters, about the children that had been taken, and about the fire that had covered it all. Her Coven’s purpose was to know everything and make sure the humans never found out about us. It didn’t matter if she knew why that happened; she knew it did.

My eyes slid to the witches behind them, to faces I remembered from the Samhain ball and others entirely unfamiliar. Most had to be Regina’s Coven with the way they were glaring at the shifters, but there was a small group around Edna that looked entirely too focused on her.

“I’m tired of defending myself in front of people who don’t listen, so go ahead. Make me your villain again.” I shrugged, crossing my arms and checking my nails. Dirt had slipped beneath them when I sank them in the ground and I made it my point to look like getting it out was more important to me than the conversation we were having. “Spin whatever lie you want for the masses. The ones who matter to me won’t believe you, anyway.”

“You are a disgrace!” Tenzin spat, the earth rupturing beneath her feet as she took a step forward. I looked up from my nails to meet her gaze, studying the twisted expression that I knew all too well. “You choose those animals over your own kin!” she continued with the same derisive sneer. “This is why everyone hates you. Not because we are jealous or afraid. You always choose others over your fellow witches!”

“Well, my fellow witches haven’t given me a reason to choose them, have they?” I cocked my head. “Are you here to fight? Because I’d like you to get it all off your chest so I can tell you what’s going to happen from here on out.”

Unflattering murmurs erupted from among the witches, their expressions getting more and more frustrated as the collective glow around them intensified. Behind me, I could hear people shifting, ready to let their anger out on those who hurt and banished them from their homes.

“Celeste,” Roman said softly, but I didn’t miss the note of reprimand in his voice. I glanced over my shoulder and he raised an eyebrow, no word necessary to convey the look in his eyes.

‘We have a plan,’ it said. I sighed.

The witches quieted, and I turned just as Edna was lowering her hand.

“Stand back,” Roman warned someone, but I didn’t bother checking who. A shifter, no doubt, maybe even Isaac since his rage and thirst for blood were getting hard to ignore through the bond.

“As much as I would love to bring you all to your knees,” I said, trying not to sound too threatening, “we have a bigger fish to fry.” A few murmurs came from behind me, sounding both surprised and angry, but I ignored those, too. “As it stands, something even worse is threatening us all and it will be in everyone’s best interest to—”

---