Page 48 of Petals of Innocence

Forty

EtainandCiaranwerelate meeting Anin and Kes in the study – excessively late. The hours leading up to first night had been filled with exploratory touch and pleasure, the likes of which Etain could only have imagined. Ciaran gave Etain the space and encouragement to explore her desires, and she could not wait to delve into them further. Her face must have been starting to flush, because when Ciaran looked at her, his face morphed into one of equal parts smugness and heat.

“If you keep thinking about whatever it is you are, my little witch, I will have no choice but to take you right back up to our bedchambers. Then we will never have our mating ceremony or ascend our thrones. Honestly, taking you back to our bedchambers sounds like a better idea to me. Fuck the Night Court.” The heat in his eyes told Etain he was entirely serious. While part of her wanted nothing more than to do just as he said, the other part remembered what Hecate had said about the role she would need to play in the future. That future depended on them ascending their thrones.

“You know we can’t. You will have to prove to me later how poor of a decision I made by showing me all of the things we could have been doing.”

Ciaran laughed and promised her he would do just that. They stood in each other’s space staring between them, when Kes cleared his throat. Etain remembered their friends were in the room, and they were here to help them prepare for the coming ceremonies. Etain grabbed Ciaran’s hand and gave it a little squeeze before turning to face Kes and Anin.

“Sorry we’re late. We should have let you know we were running behind.”

Anin’s smile grew wider as she looked between Etain and Ciaran. It was as if she could read every sordid detail what the two had been doing and why they had been late. Kes, ever the clueless one, started to complain in his haughty way. Anin shoved her elbow into his ribs, and Kes’s diatribe ended before it even really began.

“Oh! It’s not a problem at all. We are both happy to see you back and unharmed. You’re positively glowing! You must besohappy!” She emphasized the “so” confirming what Etain had already suspected; she knew exactly why Etain was glowing. Etain tried to hold her smile back with her teeth.

Anin walked up to Etain and embraced her, whispering conspiratorially in her ear, “You have much to spill later.” She pulled away winking at Etain, both of them giggling.

Kes and Ciaran looked between the two females, then at each other, shrugging as if to say, “I have no idea,” which only made Anin and Etain laugh harder. Linking arms, the two walked towards the table, which thankfully still held breakfast, because Etain was starving. She regarded her friend out of the corner of her eye, checking her over to make sure was okay.

“I’m fine, and you?” Anin said, catching Etain’s perusal.

“I am fine, as well. I think we have much to share with each other.”

“We certainly do,” said Kes as he took his seat next to Anin. Ciaran and Etain were the only ones eating. Kes and Anin ate earlier while they’d waited for the other two to arrive. It was decided Kes and Anin would share first, while Etain and Ciaran replenished their energy. While the two told their tale, Etain found herself almost in tears over Kes’s near death. He must have seen the emotion in her eyes, because he assured her he was right as rain. Anin was quick to say there was nothing “right” about him, which lightened the mood dramatically.

When they began to share the fight with the Day Court King, Ciaran was seething. He interrupted with threats of death; Anin and Kes shared a look. Anin told of how as she whirled and dodged the king, and how the thin strand from her collar started to unwind around her. Ciaran interrupted again, but this time with laughter.

“No,” he said in between deep belly laughter. “Please tell me he grabbed the lead? Oh gods, I don’t know if I will survive the laughter if that actually happened. It’s what happened, isn’t it?”

Kes and Anin nodded in unison, and Ciaran roared with laughter. Etain had never heard him laugh so hard, and judging by the look on Kes’s face, he hadn’t for a long time, if ever. Kes bellowed with laughter with his cousin, while Anin and Etain looked at each other and shared a smile with a head shake. Only their mates would find the death of a king hilarious.

Etain paused for a moment, looking between the two, wondering if they were mates. She had assumed they were after learning what fated mates were. She guessed she would find out definitively at some point, whenever they were ready to share the news. She realized they didn’t know about Ciaran and Etain being mates either.

Ciaran started to tell their story, and Etain couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“We’re mates,” she said, interrupting Ciaran.

Neither Anin or Kes looked all that surprised in the slightest. Anin even said she had thought as much from the first time she saw them together. Ciaran smiled softly at Etain. Obviously her interruption had not bothered him; if anything he loved hearing her claim him. Etain told them about her visit with Hecate, the Many Faced Goddess, and what she had learned from her. The comment about the witches needing to seek solace in the Night Court under Etain’s protection had Anin sitting up straighter.

Etain could see the worry written on her friend’s face. They could all feel a heaviness looming over them. Since they didn’t know what was coming, the best they could do was prepare themselves for whatever the future may bring. For Etain, that was learning magic and how to control her power. The last thing she ever wanted to do was blow someone up again. She could not be certain the next time wouldn’t be one of her friends, or even worse, her mate.

“I desperately need to learn to control my power and how to access my magic. I fear I might harm someone on accident, and I need to be able to protect myself. Ciaran can not be by my side at all times, neither should he need to be. Please tell me one of you know someone who can teach me?” Etain pleaded.

“Actually, I wanted to tell you – the high witch of the coven I grew up in has personally offered to help you not only learn your power, but master it. While that is wonderful, I think you will be most thrilled to know she is also a Walsh witch.” Anin gave Etain an excited smile.

“She’s my family?” Etain breathed out.

“She is. I have been incredibly excited to tell you, and I am sorry I did not tell you sooner. I wanted to tell her first. She is overjoyed to meet and train you. It’s been years since she has had any kin, and she has always wanted to meet the Walsh’s from beyond the veil.”

“Me, too,” Etain said in awe. “When can we go?” she asked the room.

“Kes and I have a council meeting approaching. As soon as we finish here, we can take you both to the Silver Moon Coven. When you are ready to be picked up, send me a message on a spelled scroll.”

Etain’s smile was enormous, and she thought her cheeks might never recover.

“The only thing we must do before we leave is plan when the mating ceremony and the ascension should happen. I had already been of the opinion sooner rather than later. But now with the death of the Day King, and the likely drama the Queen will bring our way, I would rather it be as soon as possible.”

While Etain was still overwhelmed at the prospect of being queen, she did understand the need for Ciaran and the court to be at full power. She would need to ask Ciaran later what would happen after the mating ceremony; she was concerned there would be new things she would have to cope with. Since coming to this realm, it has been one surprise after another. It would be rather helpful if she could have a heads up this time. She did not fear solidifying the mating bond with Ciaran, quite the opposite – she couldn’t imagine not doing so. They were linked forever, but she could feel a final thread which would take the bond even deeper. She assumed that was what the mating ceremony would do.

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