Page 50 of Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones

Herbs hung from the ceiling over a large butcher block island. A cauldron sat bubbling away over an open fire which I assumed was the reason for the stench. There were books, bones and parchments littered across the island top and a row of jars that I definitely didn’t want to take a closer look at.

As I stepped deeper into the room, I could hear someone shifting in the shadows. I turned to Nox who pointed to the corner furthest away from us.

“I knew you’d be coming,” a woman’s voice said.

“Show yourself,” I said, trying to stay calm. Deimos rippled under my skin as Raevyn’s mother stepped into the light. I could feel his need to make her pay and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to hold him back when the time came for us to leave.

“You’re here about Raevyn, aren’t you?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “There are things that don’t add up.”

“Let me make us all some tea,” she said with a sigh. “This might take a while.”

Raevyn’s mother waddled over to the kettle, her belly large with child, and set about making us a drink. I bet Raevyn would be beautiful pregnant, her skin glowing, her hips wider, her — fuck. It wasn’t the time for thinking about something that may never come to pass. I wasn’t even sure we could have children. But, for the first time in my life, I wondered about the possibility.

“What’s your name?” Korbin asked as he sat on one of the stools.

“Alice,” she replied, lifting the tea tray. The cups wobbled and chunked as she struggled with it.

Hawk reached out to take it from her and she sent a small smile his way.

“Thank you. You’re not a Revenant,” Alice stated.

“No,” Hawk said as he set the tray down. “I’m a Moroi.”

“Wow.” Alice’s eyes widened at his words. I bet she’d never met one before. There weren’t many left. Just ghost stories and myths really. “You’re a long way from home.”

“He’s a long way from his resting place,” Nox said with a snort.

Alice frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Raevyn wanted to test her powers and she brought the monolith back from the Depths,” Nox said.

“Impressive,” Alice said with a smile. It wasn’t a big one, but there was some warmth to it. “I always knew she was capable of great things.”

“Then why does she not think she has any magic?” Korbin asked. “We could sense it as soon as we met her, but she seemed to believe she was a Null.”

“It’s complicated.” Alice tapped the side of her flowery mug with a long fingernail.

“Then uncomplicate it,” I snapped. Korbin shot me a flat look, his white eyes seeing too much of my inner turmoil.

“Who is her father?” Korbin asked.

“That’s the complicated bit.” She paused for a moment, her lips pursed, and brow drawn down. “I don’t know who he was.”

“How can you not know?” Nox hissed.

I tried to quell the urge to rip open the woman’s throat. How could she not know who she’d fucked?

“I was young and rebellious,” Alice said with a wistful look in her eyes. “We’re a matriarchal coven. There’s no place for men except to provide offspring.”

“Wow,” I mumbled.

“We’re a sisterhood and have been for centuries. We go through a process to choose our potential donor and—”

“Potential donor?” I scoffed.

“Casimir,” Korbin said sharply. “Remember why we’re here.”

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