Page 23 of Castings & Curses

Rowan snorted. “I’ll have you know that I’ve found plenty of eligible women to play with.”

“Sure, after driving a couple hours away,” Tempest said.

“I’m not really in favor of all that driving,” Morana said glumly. “Seems the drive back would ruin all the positive effects of any orgasms gained.”

Amari giggled, but as usual, didn’t contribute to the conversation.

“And all ofthatis why The Zero Orgasms Coven is really the perfect name for us,” Pippa said. “Because this town is literally two steps away from becoming a ghost town!”

While the Coven began to argue about the state of the town and its potential for attracting new residents, Natalie pondered the question of their coven’s name.

The truth was she rather liked Pippa’s suggestion, though it was perhaps a bit too on-the-nose. While the debate turned to the question of whether moving to Zero had enhanced the appeal of the town, Natalie considered and discarded a number of other possibilities.

She was ready to give up when it came to her.

“The Zero Cum Laude Coven.” She announced the name seriously, with perfect Latin pronunciation.

The rest of the coven fell silent.

“What’s that?” Pippa asked.

“The Zero Cum Laude Coven,” Natalie repeated. “No one has to know that in our heads, we’re saying cum in an entirely non-Latin, let’s-get-it-on kind of way… or that we’re basically identifying as the coven of zero orgasms, like Pippa suggested.”

Months later, Natalie still grinned at the memory of her coven’s hilarity and the gales of laughter that had followed.

From that moment on, they were known as the Zero Cum Laude Coven.

They always said it properly, even amongst themselves, because somehow in the light of day, saying the name with proper pronunciation seemed even funnier.

Natalie, in particular, found the name to be hilarious, especially after they cast their first spell as a coven.

It had been a rather complicated and ambitious spell, so all things considered, Natalie was pretty impressed with what they’d accomplished.

In this matter, their coven was definitely worthy of the designationcum laude, for their casting was truly worthy of the Nobel Prize of Spells, evenwiththe miscommunication that had Jo screwing them all by casting for their fated mates, rather than simplybedmates.

Within a few short weeks of their exceptional casting, their town had gained a wolf pack, a chameleon coalition and a coven of vampires and Natalie had thoroughly enjoyed introducing the Coven with its new name to the representatives of each.

Unfortunately, the first representative to arrive had been that idiot wolf, Corwin.

She’d led the negotiations for the town as he’d set out to buy as much of it as he could and he was still holding a grudge.

After negotiations had ended, he’d even tried arguing with her about her coven’s name.

“It makes no sense,” he’d sneered at her. “Do you even know what cum laude means?”

“Of course, I do,” she’d snapped. How rude! Just because she’d mentioned to the town council that sellingallthe available land to just one entity might be a mistake.

Corwin had taken offense, but who wanted a wolf pack running around everywhere? Twenty-five percent of Zero was land enough for them!

It was more land than even Natalie’s coven had, simply becausetheyhadn’t been interested in any of the buildings downtown.

So why the wolf felt slighted, she hadnoidea. After all, the coven had arrived first, no matter what he seemed to think, so if anyone deserved the most land, it was them!

Or the humans—the few of them who had stayed throughout the generations, thus managing to keep the town, if not thriving, at least not completely dying either.

After all, itwastheir town first.

“What does it mean then?” he demanded.

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