Page 10 of Wildfire Witch

“Are you looking forward to the super blood moon tonight?” he asked.

“Maybe. It depends on what happens.” I circled my fork vaguely.

“Well, we’ve taken plenty of precautions,” Seth said. The two men exchanged a quick glance and murmured too low for me to hear. Ceridor shook his head and shrugged at him. “I’ll show you after dinner, sincesomeonewas distracted.”

“You cannot fault me for that,” Ceridor said, voice edged with frosty power.

Seth rolled his eyes. I did too, feeling like that was the correct response.

While Ceridor cleaned up, Seth took me to their balcony. Any furniture they’d had was removed, leaving a stone platform and a heavy black metal railing. A soft wind tossed around my hair the moment I stepped outside. It was magic—an arc of glowing fae runes spread around the square space.

A dome of water surrounded the balcony. “I cast this with oil from a special fae fish. It makes us invisible from the outside, so you don’t have to worry about your fire being spotted,” Seth explained.

“I didn’t know that was possible,” I said.

“Not been around other witches much, huh?” He looked me up and down, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was full of some kind of nervous anticipation. He had his hands clasped to keep them still.

“What does all this do?” I pointed out the fae runes, so I wouldn’t have to answer his question.

“Cer called it a breath trap. If he has to activate it, it’ll suck all the oxygen out from under the dome of my water bubble. It should stop your fire magic like.” He snapped his fingers.

If I had an episode, the breath trap would also stop Aodhnait from incinerating us both.This is why you came here tonight.They really were going to get me through the blood moon safely. We’d soon see whether it would work a miracle and restore anything of my past lives.

Seth may have noticed the pull of worry at my lips, as he said, “And Cer is going to be out here with you. You’re in very capable hands.”

I put on a smile for him. “Of course. I really appreciate you two doing all this for me. I have no idea how I’ll repay you.”

Those kind eyes of his creased from a spontaneous smile. “How about that kiss, for starters?”

I considered for a moment. Though I didn’t want to start drama with Ceridor…I wanted to kiss the cute EMT too much to let this moment pass. Hooking a hand around his neck, so he’d bend down a bit, I pressed my lips to his. It was a quick brush, yet when it was over, I felt the need to go back for more.

Aodhnait hummed, vibrating my ribs with her approval. Seth tilted his head, brows drawing over his glasses with concern. “Oh, um, don’t mind that,” I said quickly, poking the skin over my heart to coax the phoenix to stop. “That’s just…”

As soon as she stated,“I like him,”the humming stopped.

“I liked that,” I echoed her with a shy laugh. “But I think I’m going to meditate out here, to get ready. You know…guide the flow of magic and whatnot.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, okay. I mean, me too.” We sounded like two awkward peas in a pod right about now. “Take all the time you need.”

“Okay. Thank you,” I said. As soon as I had my phone tucked on the other side of the glass sliding doors that led to their balcony, to keep it away from any potential fire, I sat cross-legged in the middle of the space and closed my eyes.

Meditation was a habit I’d once practiced with zeal in a previous life. I retreated to it when I sought peace and harmony. It didn’t always work for me, not like it probably used to, but I could measure my breaths and clear my mind without difficulty and slip into a trance for hours.

I would need balance within, just in case the erratic magic around the super blood moon triggered a change in me. I sought that peace within myself and didn’t open my eyes until there was a shift in magic next to me and a soft noise.

Assuming it was Ceridor coming outside for the big event, I cracked open my eyes to find the glowing outline of a ghostly man sitting next to me.

NIX

He was a natural redhead,reds and oranges threading through his receding hairline and neatly trimmed beard. Under the glare of ghostly light that surrounded his incorporeal form, he was wearing a rustic tunic and pants that wouldn’t look amiss at a renaissance fair.

I believed in ghosts and knew they moved around the living, stuck on the mortal plane. But to actually see one…I’d paled and frozen in place. Malevolent shades didn’t smile as kindly as he was, as far as I knew. He seemed to be made of a vortex of pure witch power. I felt the pull of it drawing me in.

“Hello, Verity. Melisande sent me.” He had a wisp of a voice, barely here despite the energy I sensed in him. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

Slowly, I shook my head. I searched for Aodhnait in my head, but she was still and quiet. It was just the ghost and I here as the moon shaded a vivid crimson above us, bathing us in red light.

“I’m your brother, Royce, and I’m here to help you break your curse. Take my hand, and I will show you the way.” He extended his palm toward me.

---