Page 3 of Fight Fire With Fire

“He’s the best,” I agreed with a smile. “But he’s supposed to be. He’s not just the head of my coven. He also represents all the fire witches on the Council of Five.”

“I know,” she sighed with a little shrug. “That’s part of what makes me so nervous.”

“How come?” I asked.

“Because he’s like…the most powerful fire witch in the world. But he’s also my grandpa.” Her nose scrunched. “So I should be better at fire spells, right?”

“The only thing anyone expects from you is that you try your best.” I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and traced my fingers over her palm. “I have no doubt there’s a lot of power in these hands, but you’re still only ten. You need some time to grow into it, the same as any other witch.”

Oriana heaved a deep sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

“Want to know a trick I learned when your grandfather was training me?”

She nodded her head. “Yes, please.”

I flashed her a mischievous grin and whispered, “Cookie breaks make the lessons go by faster, and the sugar is great fuel for your next round of practice.”

Her eyes widened, and she turned toward her grandfather. “Could I go get a cookie, pretty please?”

“Since you asked so nicely…yes, you may.” He held his hand out to her. “But only if I get one, too.”

Oriana practically dragged him into the kitchen, which made me laugh. But my head jerked toward Opal when she sniffled instead.

“Don’t mind me.” Her smile was watery but genuine. “It’s just that moments like these remind me of everything I missed out on when I was her age. I’m not quite so sentimental when Oriana trains with Rowenna, but something about seeing her learn magic from my grandfather gets me every time.”

I reached over and patted her hand. “You don’t need to make excuses to me. I understand.”

She let out a shuddering sigh. “I think out of everyone in my life, you’re the only one who truly would. ”

I’d felt a sense of kinship with Opal ever since we met. She’d come to visit Blake only a few months after my parents had died, and she shared her story with me. Hearing about how she’d been abandoned as an infant and passed from one foster home to another for years had put my situation into perspective. As badly as it had hurt to lose my parents, at least I’d known their love before they died and a soft place to land after they were gone.

When Blake took me under his wing, I knew it was in large part because of the guilt he still felt over the years he had missed with Opal. But his ulterior motive didn’t diminish my gratitude in any way. Not when I benefited greatly from his guilt. He put a roof over my head and made sure that I had the best training available. I wouldn’t be nearly as skilled at wielding my fire magic today without all of the hours he had spent teaching me.

“Look, Mom! I brought you a cookie, too.” Oriana’s squeal lightened the mood. Opal smiled at her daughter as she handed her one of the chocolate chip cookies I’d baked this morning. Lifting hers to her lips, Oriana widened her eyes as she looked up at me. “Oops, I forgot to bring you one.”

Patting my belly, I flashed her a reassuring smile. “That’s okay. I had some for breakfast when they were fresh out of the oven.”

“And I need to speak with Ember about a matter related to coven business anyway. We can do that while you two enjoy your cookies,” Blake suggested, jerking his chin toward his office.

I followed him down the hallway, worried by his serious tone. The coven wasn’t facing any crucial issues at the moment. We rarely had during my years here. Blake was a great leader with a heck of a reputation with the other covens. Nobody wanted to go up against him. That was why he’d been picked to represent the fire witches on the council, after all.

He didn’t leave me in the dark for long. As soon as we were seated, he opened the top desk drawer and pulled out an envelope. Tapping his fingers against it, he explained, “This needs to be delivered to The Abyss. I would like you to take it there for me.”

I would do just about anything for him, so my answer came easily. “Of course, I’ll go.”

“If I could send anyone else, I would. But it has to be somebody I trust.” He handed me the envelope. Flipping it over, I saw that it had been sealed with a red glob of wax that had been stamped with Blake’s mark—a flame with the letter “A” in the middle. “That needs to get to Adan Deville, the owner of The Abyss.”

“Adan Deville,” I echoed with a nod. “Got it.”

“He’s a dangerous man, Ember.” Blake conjured a ball of fire in his palm and stared into the flames. “If Brock was here, I would send him instead.”

Blake’s grandson was his second in command but only the third strongest in terms of magic in the Aldebrand family. Opal’s power surpassed his, but she was happy being a part of the Ainsley coven, where her consort was the head. My magic was strong thanks to all of the training I’d received, but my natural talent paled in comparison to that of Blake’s descendants.

But that didn’t mean I fell on the lower end of the spectrum when it came to witches. Not when the Aldebrand coven was widely acknowledged to be the strongest in fire magic. Being a few notches below the most talented fire witches was pretty darn good as far as I was concerned. And I had only confirmed my affinity for fire magic three weeks ago, so I still had plenty of time to grow in power.

I’d never been there before, but I felt confident enough in my abilities to say, “Don’t worry. All I’m doing is dropping off a message. I’ll be in and out of The Abyss in a jiffy.”

“That’s my hope, but I don’t want you to underestimate the challenges you might face while at The Abyss.” He steepled his hands together. “Adan doesn’t have many rules, but he’s strict about the ones in place. You need to be aware that—”

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