Page 29 of Castings & Curses

Heaving a sigh, Corwin went to stand just outside the circle of rocks at a point where he could continue to make eye contact with his alpha and mock the proceedings at will.

Unfortunately, Natalie immediately ruined his plans by moving everyone around until he stood directly across the circle from her, with the other six witches positioned an equal distance from each other filling out the circle.

The only way he’d be able to make eye contact with Jared now was if Jared managed to take his eyes off his mate and turned his head ninety degrees toward Corwin.

Since that wasn’t likely to happen, the only one Corwin was in danger of making eye contact with now was Natalie herself.

“Everyone else,” Natalie raised her voice to be heard over the murmurings of the gathered wolves. “Create a second circle of power around the Coven. Come along now, don’t be shy.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Corwin’s packmates slowly filled in a secondary circle.

The moment the last person got into place, Natalie raised her arms toward the sky and said, “For Pippa and Jared, standing within this circle of power, we ask for the greatest of blessings.”

A couple twitters and shuffling feet told Corwin he wasn’t the only one who thought this was nonsense.

Why these witches, who had an incredible amount of power, wasted their time with silly rituals and ceremonies like this, he’d never understand.

“Silenceis the first requirement for a blessing of this magnitude.” Natalie’s voice boomed across the clearing, and as if by her will alone, silence fell. “For our sister and her chosen mate, we offer these blessings and these gifts.”

“May your mating weather all the storms that come its way,” Tempest’s voice rose and with it, the air became charged with electricity.

The hair on Corwin’s arms rose, then the tension broke with a loud crack of thunder, followed by the snap of a lightning bolt that slammed into the ground barely an inch from where Jared and Pippa stood.

Six more lightning strikes hit the ground in quick succession, creating a circle of scorched earth around the couple.

“May your mating live beyond the scope of death,” Morana called out, her voice rising to echo across the field. “May it rise again and again to flourish in lifetime after lifetime. May it knit your souls together as one, so that death is never a true end, but simply a journey into eternal life.”

From beneath the charred soil, directly behind where Pippa stood on one side and Jared stood on the other, blackened vines rose, snaking around and around, creating a small wall around them.

“May your mating be blessed with passion and love,” the voice was barely a whisper, yet Corwin heard it perfectly.

It was the Coven member who rarely spoke. Amari, he thought Pippa called her.

Oh, shit.

Hadn't Jared said the shy witch was the one who had set off that sex magic bomb at the diner a while back?

A strong gust of wind rushed by, sending leaves flying through the air.

Those leaves swept into the space between Jared and Pippa and hovered there, spinning round and round before blowing outward with such force, the couple swayed, though some unknown force kept them upright, while Corwin—

He jerked his head up, heat spiraling through him as a scent like none other barreled past, and Natalie caught his attention.

She stood directly across from him, that stupid staff she always carried gripped in one hand as she whipped it through the air before tossing it to the other hand and continuing the weave.

As she worked her magic, the red jewels at either end of her staff glowed brighter and brighter.

Bright green eyes blinked and that’s when Corwin realized a white cat was weaving with the staff, directly under it.

The cat wasn’t even looking up at the staff, but was somehow moving with it, as if following a dance routine only it and the staff knew.

He knew Natalie was powerful—ofcourse,he did.

He was a beta wolf, after all, trained to recognize any potential threats to the pack.

And regardless of what others might believe, Natalie of no last name, High Witch of the Zero Cum Laude Coven, was a cauldron of power.

He figured it was why she set him on edge every time he was around her. Because he could sense the power boiling beneath her skin and couldn’t stand the thought of it so close to the vulnerable of his pack.

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