Page 125 of Sigils & Spells

“It’s all my fault,” Morana said. “I told you I shouldn’t participate in the casting. My magic did exactly what I said it would—it called the dead.”

“They’re notdead, Morana,” Tempest said in disgust. “They’reundead.”

“Yes,” Morana agreed, “and what do you think the undeadare,but people risen from thedead?”

Tempest grunted, a look of dismay on her face. “You mean our spell reallydidcall the vampires to town?”

“Of course it did,” Natalie said. “Why else would they be here?”

“I just thought it was a coincidence,” Rowan said.

“And I really hoped it was one,” Jo said, “because vampires are in no way eligible mates.”

“Who said anything about mates?” Pippa exclaimed in horror. “Why are you saying mates?”

Jo glanced around at the rest of the coven, all of whom looked as horrified as Pippa felt. “I thought that’s what we were casting for. Right? Our mates?”

“Are you kidding me?” Natalie exclaimed. “Tell me you’re joking.”

Everyone glared at Jo.

“Of course, I’m not joking. Isn’t that what we agreed to? We all talked about our need for mates, right here at this table, then we went outside and cast a spell calling them to us.”

“Not our mates!” Rowan snarled.

“We just wanted a little bit of sexual fun,” Pippa said, feeling quite faint at the thought of a mate.

One man for all eternity?

What a nightmare!

*.*.*.*.*

“I’m sincerely impressedyou found this place, Corwin,” Jared said.

The search for new territory had taken entirely too long.

Five years of living on less than a quarter of their original territory had taken its toll on all the pack members.

They had fought the ruling, of course, but in the end, the government had won and the pack had been forced to sell the majority of its lands to the government in an eminent domain case.

Losing the lands had been a wound that would never heal, but seeing the woods the pack had explored for centuries razed for the building of a super-highway had been like a knife to the heart.

Jared had immediately sent his enforcers to search for a new territory, but the search had lasted for years.

There just wasn’t that much open space left in the world anymore and what was out there was often unavailable for private purchase.

That this town in the middle of Kansas had so few non-paranormal residents and so much empty territory in every direction was as unexpected as it was welcome.

Even so, it had been a traumatic move for everyone involved.

When their entire lives had been spent on the ancestral lands of their people, and their identity was wrapped up in those lands, leaving them was difficult at best.

“It’s weird,” Corwin said. “I’d just about given up on Kansas. So much open land, but very little of it perfect for our needs. I was actually heading home when I had this urge to go south instead. An hour later, I drove into town and felt as if I’d finally found the place for us. Woods to the south, prairies to the east, and an almost deserted downtown. So much property available for purchase.”

“And the rest is history.” Jared grinned. “We’re just lucky we found the town before the vampires and that other pack.”

Corwin scowled. “A lot of goodthatdid us.”

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