Page 21 of Blood Coven

Matthias gaped. “H-hit you?”

“Enough to leave a bruise. On my shoulder, then grip my wrist and pull it hard enough to leave marks.” Ana turned around and braced herself for the blow.

“No, I will not… I cannot hit a woman,” Matthias managed.

She glanced over her shoulder. “I can do it myself if you are not able. The mantle above the fireplace would work to create a bruise, but it would be less believable.”

Ana knew the best way to get a man to do something he did not want to do was to make him feel inferior. It worked on Blaez often enough, though he never laid a hand on her.

A sigh came from Matthias. “Ana…”

“Do it,” she snapped. She felt the stinging pain of a fist contacting her shoulder. She stumbled forward with a shout of agony; she had never been hit before. The shock passed, but the pain lingered.

In an instant, Matthias’s pleas of apology came, begging for her forgiveness. She turned with a slow grace and rolled up her sleeve, holding her left arm out. She wasn’t sure if she could lift her right arm now that her shoulder throbbed so hard. Matthias held her wrist, and his eyebrows knitted together as if he were the one being hurt. Shutting his eyes, he twisted and yanked in one swift movement, pulling Ana towards him.

She yelped as she collapsed into him, vibrating with excitement. Matthias instinctively wrapped his arms around her frame.

“I am so sorry,” he said, his face anguished. “I am so sorry.”

Ana smiled against his spice-scented, broad chest. It was the first time she had felt anything in a long time.

13

SILVANIA

THE YEAR OF THE MOON

ALINA

Alina used the glow from the moonlight to see, for the candle beside her did little. The moon called to her like an old friend, reminding her of times she spent beneath it, dancing and singing, learning the ways of the Earth and how to harness the energy it held. Such energy came from the roots of the trees, full of ancient knowledge. Another kind of power came from the moon. The moon created waves in the oceans; the tides obeyed every command it gave. She could feel each change as it waxed and waned.

Alina used that powerful light to create a potion to curb the effects of her insomnia. She had suffered sleepless nights since childhood, which made her days drag on, leaving dark circles under her eyes and weakness in her body. The meager hours that she did manage to rest were fitful and filled with nightmares.

One day, she decided to embrace the night since it so desperately wanted her awake throughout its hours. Combining herbs, liquids, and the right amount of mixing, she found a way to alert her senses. She discovered a love for the night and everything that came with it. In tune with the moon more than the sun, the soft sounds of nocturnal creatures in the woods had always beckoned her. She bathed in the energy of the forest, the energy of the moon, and her black skies. Alina found her calling that night.

A few months later, Sorin arrived in the town with more knowledge of witchcraft than Alina ever thought possible. She told Alina that while something drove her out of her own home, something much stronger brought her to Silvania. A power capable of drawing her across oceans.

Since Sorin arrived, she taught Alina everything she knew. Together they grew and bonded, using their collective intuition and connection with nature to enhance their abilities. They made it their goal to help other girls in similar situations, young women who suffered at the hands of their parents or siblings. Especially those with an aptitude for witchcraft who did not know how to harness it or realize what it was. Like Red. She was a natural witch with a gift, yet she never embraced the energy of nature. It came as no surprise to Alina; the town snuffed out women’s power wherever it could.

Alina added her concoction to a cup of water and watched it swirl into the clear liquid, turning it gray with a hint of purple. She focused on the glass, but something moving outside her window shifted her attention. Nothing stirred this late in the evening unless there was trouble: an angry man with a mind full of vengeance, a jealous spouse spiteful of a lover.

A young woman in a red hood.

Jumping up from where she crouched, Alina ignored the cry of her muscles, which had been locked in one position for so long they had seized. She shoved the window open, knocking over the freshly brewed potion. She paid it no mind. Herbs could be replaced; people could not.

She hopped out her window and landed softly in the grass below. Each blade of grass sent energy through the soles of her feet as nature wrapped itself around her in cold bliss. Hoping the strength and power stayed with her, she pursued Red through the forest. Her posture was wrong, too proper… Alina’s head spun as she realized what had happened.

Red had been sacrificed to the Wolf. A family would die tonight.

“Red!” Alina hissed. The last thing she needed was to attract the attention of the whole town. Her own parents did not worry her, though she didn’t know what sort of punishment they would inflict upon her if she was discovered. She always suspected they would understand or pretend they never discovered it in the first place. Just as they turned a blind eye to how she loved, she suspected they turned a blind eye to her witchcraft to keep her safe. Stories of witches being burned were not so old that they were forgotten.

“Red!” she called again, daring to raise her voice a little louder.

Just when she thought Red would drop her stony demeanor, she turned sharply and cut through Alina’s family garden.

Alina raced to her friend, thankful Red turned into her yard and not someone else’s. Her bare feet padded hard against the cartwheel-ruined path before she darted to her garden. When she caught up, Alina gripped Red’s arm tightly and yanked her, hoping to pull her out of her trance.

Red’s trudge did not falter. Though Alina pulled with all her might, whatever force of nature compelled her was stronger than anything she had ever seen. Unable to stop her, Alina placed herself in front of Red, shoving her hands against her chest.

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