Page 15 of Coven

Ember nodded and walked over to one of the long couches in the center of the room. “I told you we’d be speaking again soon.”

Sora snorted. Typical controlling alpha wolf, he said in a scathing voice.

“Come and sit.” Ember sat down and waved to the other couch. Kana walked over, set his bag on the seat next to him, and sat.

“I want to know what’s in the bag,” Ember said. He leaned forward and his eyes were intense as he stared, unblinking, at Kana.

Kana tried not to squirm. Ember’s eyes were beautiful and fiery, and rather than scaring Kana into answering, they were igniting a completely different emotion.

“Why do you need to know that?” Kana finally answered after the moment of silence dragged on a bit too long.

Ember opened a manila folder sitting on the coffee table between them, pulled out a photograph, and pushed it across the table for Kana to see.

“Because I think you have a couple of cats hiding in there, and I want to see them both.”

Kana looked down at the familiar surveillance photo, Mika and Sora completely visible where they trailed behind him.

“Why were you watching me?” Kana asked, rather than answering Ember’s demand.

“To find useful leverage. I didn’t expect to find it so quickly, though,” he added, his voice almost admonishing.

“I overslept,” Kana replied, then paused when he realized it sounded like he was pouting.

Except, Ember’s lips tilted in that amazing half smile, and he let out a short chuckle.

I wanna see! Sora demanded. A paw slid out the side of the bag, where Kana hadn’t fully zipped it closed, and then pushed the zipper open farther.

Don’t! Kana gasped. I want to keep you a secret!

Sora’s head popped out of the hole, and he looked at Kana with a reproachful frown. He already knows about us. No sense in prolonging the inevitable. And I want to see this pretty wolf! Sora squirmed all the way out of the bag and hopped up onto the table.

Mika’s head popped out of the bag a second later. I agree with Sora. Your pretty wolf already knows we exist, so there’s no point in my suffocating in that bag any longer. But, I think he wants more from you than just confirmation of two familiars. He hopped up onto the table next to Sora.

The cats were studying Ember just as Ember was looking at them. Kana had no idea what any of them were thinking, but Ember seemed to make some sort of decision because he leaned back into the couch cushions and returned his attention to Kana.

“Male witches are supposed to be incredibly rare,” Ember began, and his voice was light, almost as if he was musing his internal thoughts out loud. “When they do occur, they’re allegedly fairly weak. In the history of witches, has there ever been a male with two familiars? Two cat familiars, even?” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees as if the closer proximity to Kana would force Kana to answer. His eyes were piercing in their intensity, and Kana didn’t want to look away. “I am an alpha wolf, the alpha of my pack, and I know fellow predators when I see them. There is no way those are regular house cats.”

Neither Mika nor Sora twitched, but Kana let out a soft gasp.

Ember’s half smile returned. “I thought so. You really have no talent for lying, you know that?”

Sora and Mika both laughed. He’s got you there! Mika said in a jovial voice as he continued to laugh.

Kana just sighed. “That’s why we’re hiding.”

“Let me guess. Your witches’ coven put up with you because you had a bit of power, but the second they realized you had actual, real power, they tried to take advantage of you?”

Kana nodded, then shook his head. “I ran before they found out I matched with two familiar cats. I’m hoping they never bothered to look for me, but just in case, we’re trying not to be conspicuous.”

Ember snorted. “And then those dumbasses in your office decided it would be a great idea to go interview a couple of vampires.” He paused, as if he were deciding something. “You brewed the Hunter’s Bane,” he said, his voice firm as if he was stating fact instead of guessing. “Without the benefit of the hunter’s recipes too, which means you made it up on your own. Plus, you drew four circles out of thin air when Master Xavier decided to attack. Most witches I’ve encountered need a smooth surface, chalk, candles, and incense just to get their magic to work. How powerful are you?”

Ember didn’t need to know about Kana’s childhood: getting the dregs of the magic schoolbooks after the girls had chosen the best. Studying alone because no one wanted to bother teaching him and haunting the library so the matron didn’t know what spell books he was reading. Then, after running away, practicing in secret so he wouldn’t be discovered, with only Sora and Mika to help him figure out how to work his spells in the ways he wanted.

“I’ve never had the chance to compare my powers to another witch,” Kana answered instead. Although, given he had two familiars, and Mika and Sora were each able to assume three forms, Kana was fairly certain he was pretty strong.

“If you say so,” Ember replied with a shrug. “But that brings me to why you’re here.”

Finally, Sora said with a groan. I’m hungry. The sooner we finish this talk, the sooner we can get dinner! Sora flopped down into a sprawl on the table. Mika hopped over to curl up in Kana’s lap.

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