Page 14 of Blood Coven

Alina smiled softly. There was a knowing look in her eye as if she had a secret and knew Red did, too. She cocked her head and asked, “What do you wish to be protected from, Red?”

Red thought of what her mother said to her and what her grandmother threatened her with. She nearly choked as the words clung to her tongue. “The Wolf.”

The ground crunched beneath Tatiana’s feet. Lilianna let go of Red’s hands and looked at the ground. Alina and Sorin kept their attention on Red.

Stepping around the fire, Alina approached, weaving around Lilianna to get through. She took Red’s hands in her own, replacing Lilianna’s warmth. Then she kissed Red’s left cheek, then her right. “Come.”

Together, hand in hand, they approached the fire.

Sorin grabbed Red’s other hand. “Has it been enacted?”

“I do not know,” Red replied to Sorin’s question regarding the curse. “I can only speculate.”

“It has not,” Alina told them, her voice authoritative. “You would know. But we must act quickly if you believe your life is at risk.”

Circling the fire, each girl took her assigned place, all within arms reach of each other. Standing on either side of Red were Alina and Sorin. To Alina’s right was Tatiana, and beside her was Lilianna. Alina brandished a small blade, pressed it to her lips, then spoke an incantation. “Dare praesidium meum sanguinem in me.” Her voice was quiet at first. Then she repeated it louder, “Dare praesidium meum sanguinem in me!”

Alina removed the blade from her lips and held out her palm.

Sorin dug something out of her pockets, a powder that smelled of lavender blended with carrion. As Alina sliced open her palm, Sorin sprinkled the powder over her wound.

Alina stepped towards the fire, so close that it reached for her nightgown but could not catch it aflame. Flipping her palm, she held it there and squeezed tight, a mixture of blood and the power dripping into the fire, which turned a red so dark that it appeared black near the base; the rest of it was blood-like.

“Amare,” she whispered, then withdrew her hand. White sparks burst from the fire, showering Alina but not burning her.

Lilianna and Tatiana repeated the process together; their whisper, “Pater.”

When it was Sorin’s turn, she put her hand in the fire without hesitation. She growled, “Silvania.”

When it was Red’s turn, she could not grip the blade as Sorin handed it to her—despite wanting to join, wanting to be safe from harm, wanting to be part of this coven. Years of being warned about things just like this rippled through her. Never stray from the path, never dabble in witchcraft, never open that part of herself up.

Suddenly, like a flower blooming in spring, Red felt something unfold inside of her, absorbing the power around her. Power from the other girls, power from the Earth itself, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. A thought occurred to Red: Denying myself this power, am I denying myself what it means to be a woman?

Sorin’s brown eyes narrowed, not in anger but in understanding. “Alina,” she beckoned with blood dripping from her hand. “She must be initiated.”

Alina wiped her palm on her white dress and turned to face Red head-on. Taking the knife from Sorin’s hand, she pressed it against Red’s willing hand, which she held gently. A warmth spread from Red’s palm to her stomach, making it flip.

“Everything will be okay,” Alina whispered.

Red nodded to encourage her to go on, offering a small smile.

Alina dug the blade into Red’s flesh.

Flinching, Red stared in awe as her flesh parted, the skin peeling back like a lipless gape, followed by pooling blood. Finally, the pain came, a white-hot sensation that made Red feel alive.

Alina gripped Red’s hand, interlocking her fingers to combine their blood. Then Alina pressed her forehead to Red’s. “I’m going to kiss you,” she whispered. “Is that all right?”

“Yes.”

Her lips touched Red’s.

Red shivered with pleasure. Was it witchcraft, or was it something more? The question ran through her mind a dozen times before the brief kiss concluded, and Alina released her hand. The tingle on her lips lingered, and Red’s stomach lurched as her heart hammered against her ribcage.

Alina stepped out of the way to let Sorin take over, but her gaze never left Red.

Sorin added powder to Red’s fresh cut, its heat making her skin prickle. The light blue veins along her wrist darkened to black, and the tingle turned into a dull ache. Warmth crept up from the soil, igniting her body as though she stood within the fire. Beads of sweat formed above her brow. It was not the flame that warmed her, but the Craft. She could feel the forbidden power spread through her body. It built up in her chest, filling her heart with a surge of strength and desire.

Red had watched the other girls do it, and now it was her turn. What she needed to be protected from—was it even real? It didn’t matter; what mattered was that she stopped it before anything happened. The word came off her tongue easily, and though she knew nothing of the old language, the word ‘wolf’ was one uttered by every tongue in their town.

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