Page 25 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
“The witch is here,” Claire called out to Tierra and anyone else within hearing distance. The doorbell rang, and Claire made her way to the front door. Tierra joined her just as she opened it.
“Girls. How good to see you. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine,” Justine said as she pushed her way into the house. She might have moved her things to the coven’s compound, but she still acted as though she owned the mansion.
“You’re not welcome here,” Moira called from the stairs.
Tierra fired an admonishing look toward her before she turned back to their guests. “Hello.” She stuck out her hand in greeting. “I’m Tierra de Moray. These are my sisters, Claire and Moira.”
“How delightful.” The classic blonde extended her hand as well, offering a weak handshake to Tierra and Claire. She nodded toward Moira, who only stared back.
“It’s my pleasure to introduce High Priestess Lucinda, from The Brehon’s Chair in Ireland.” Justine acted as though she’d just presented Her Majesty, the Queen of England.
Claire lifted a brow, never one to be impressed by titles or egos. Tierra, on the other hand, inhaled an excited breath as her eyes widened.
“Oh, my goodness.” She took Lucinda’s hand again and held it between hers. “This is such an honor.”
“I knew you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity,” Justine said with extreme gratification. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime visit.Plus, Lucinda has offered to share her knowledge with the coven.”
Lucinda released a gracious chuckle as she placed her free hand over their joined ones. “And I see that you have other exciting news to share.”
Tierra’s face paled. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” She pulled from Lucinda’s grasp.
Lucinda gave her a puzzled expression as she studied Tierra’s face, and then she suddenly smiled again. “Are you sure? I sense new life all around you. Are you—”
“It’s all them new plants she’s been growing.” Moira bounded down the stairs and looped her arm around Tierra’s elbow. “Her greenhouse is near to exploding with new life. Right, Tierra?”
“Would you care to see it?” Tierra asked, regaining some of her color.
“I would be delighted.” Lucinda turned to Justine. “Shall we?”
“I’m coming, too,” Moira said, not releasing Tierra. “Claire, you should start tea.”
“Tea, but—”
Moira effectively silenced her reply with a cryptic look.
“I’ll start tea,” Claire said. “And find Aerin. I’m sure she’ll want to meet our guest.”
Moira nodded, pleased that Claire had caught on to her ambiguous directions. Moira didn’t want tea. She wanted the four of them in the same room until they knew if they faced an enemy or not. Echoes of Dru’s caution returned, and suspicion reared its distrustful head. The moment her sisters and the two guests entered the solarium, Claire raced up the stairs to Aerin’s room. She knocked once and then entered.
She found Aerin in the adjoining bathroom, soaking in a frothy tub, headphones plugged into her ears. Aerin sat up with a start as she approached.
“The fuck, Claire? You scared the goddess out of me.”
“Justine’s here. With a guest. Some high priestess from chair in Ireland. I think she figured out Tierra’s pregnant, but luckily didn’t spill to Justine.”
“God.” Aerin’s face blanched. “Hand me a towel. Wait. Chair from Ireland? Not Brehon’s Chair.”
“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t remember. Tierra seemed pretty impressed with her.” She held a fluffy blue towel to her sister and turned to give Aerin privacy.
“The fucking Brehon’s Chair is supposed to be the judgment seat of the Archdruid, a very sacred Druidic site in Dublin County. If she’s come all this way, this is serious shit, Claire.”
She caught Aerin’s gaze in the misty mirror. “What do we do?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure she’s here because we’ve opened four Seals. Certain people on this planet are going to recognize shit like that. It won’t go unnoticed.” She rushed from the bathroom into her bedroom and started pulling out clothes. “Our best option is damage control until we figure out what we’re dealing with. Get back down there. Don’t leave her alone with Tierra.Ever. I’m sure as shit she’s figured out about the baby. We can’t let her know who fathered the thing.”
“No. That would be seriously bad. Goddess. Why the hell did I open the damn door?”
“You couldn’t have known. Go back. Separate them if possible.
