Page 40 of Her Forbidden Shifters
“Something tells me you’re not home for pleasure,” she said. “Lay it on me.”
I met her gaze and hesitated. She really hit the nose on that one. But I wasn’t ready to dive in just yet. I wanted to enjoy my home just a little bit longer. So, I shrugged.
“Cat got your tongue?” she asked.
I sighed. “I wanted to enjoy a little more time before digging into business.”
“Welp, no time like the present,” she said.
“Sad, but true,” I muttered.
She crossed her legs on the small bench and then twisted to face me. “Talk to me, sister.”
I dug into my story and didn’t shy away from all the dirty bits. I even included Avery’s disappearance, the battle that resulted in sex with my boss, and everything in between. Once I was done, she processed through everything and then settled her gaze on me with an apologetic smile.
“I’m so sorry to hear about Avery. I know how close you two are,” she said. “What do you need from me?”
“A location spell,” I said.
She shook her head. “I have never done one on a shifter before, much less a person in general. Most of the things I have ever located were items of the not-so-animated kind.”
“I know, but I was figuring if we gathered more than just the two of us, we might pull it off,” I said.
“Savannah,” she said through a sigh, “you have been gone for quite some time. We’ve lost too many dear members, to begin with. I’m afraid something of this caliber would put us on the map of those assholes. I can’t risk that.”
I nodded. “I understand, and with luck, you won’t have to worry about that. I’m planning on putting a stop to them once and for all.”
“Did you talk to High Priestess Raven about this?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I came to you first.”
Toni stood up and held out her hand to me. “If you get her stamp of approval, I’ll consider it. Otherwise, my answer is no.”
I took her hand and stood from the bench. We interlaced our arms as we headed back to the house. “I will respect the decision regardless.”
“I love you for that,” she said.
“I love you too.”
The rest of our walk back was filled with moments of reminiscing. We both grew up here. So, our entire lives were filled with magic and possibilities. Fond memories. The kind I never forgot.
Before long, I stood in the council room, waiting for High Priestess Raven to show up. When she did, she entered the room with the grace and poise I remembered her having. Her long silver hair caught the small amount of light filtering through the windows on the external wall, glittering like the crone she was.
Oh, and she was my grandmother.
“Savannah, it’s a pleasure to see you home,” she said as she took a seat on her throne of sorts. It was really a ceremonial chair designed for the high priestess in charge of the whole coven.
“I’m afraid I’m here on business, High Priestess,” I said.
“Oh?” she asked. “Do tell me.”
I did so. Digging into the story another time, omitting the unnecessary parts that didn’t pertain to my request. Maggie Raven was a busy woman and kept all the working parts of the coven house in top order. Her time was valuable and didn’t deserve unnecessary information.
“I see,” she said then shifted her gaze to Toni. “And your feelings on this?”
“It would take the use of eleven sisters, but I could do it,” she said. “My only fear, as I have shared with Savannah, is the consequences of such a powerful spell. I would hate for any more of my sisters to fall victim to the organization responsible for so many losses already.”
“Eloquently put,” High Priestess Raven said.
