“Yep,” I reply, biting back a smile.
“Thanks for clearing that up,” she groans, but there’s humor in her voice.
Smirking, I nod, and she rolls her eyes.
The rest of the guys release a tense laugh, and Mildred looks confused, but doesn’t ask for an explanation.
Kaleb shakes his head and attempts to draw us back on topic. “What happened to the spirit witches?”
Mildred blinks for a moment then clears her throat. “Um, yes, well, what happens to all with absolute power, I suppose.”
“The spirit witches became corrupt?” Donovan questions. He lays a hand on Callie’s foot, as if to assure her he won’t let something like that happen to her.
“Not the spirit witches themselves,” Mildred reassures, “but those that served beneath them. The world is a very big place, so these seven rulers relied heavily on their own councils of witches to help oversee, as well as be the voice for, their people. As I understand it, the councils were gifted great amounts of magic for their service, but it wasn’t enough. They wanted to rule, and used their influence over the people to get it. Fear is a powerful thing, and they wielded it well, convincing the people that it was only a matter of time before their benevolent rulers became tyrants. They deemed it dangerous and unnatural for one witch to hold so much power.”
“And everyone just rolled over and let it happen?” Donovan scoffed. “If they were so powerful, how were they taken out?”
Mildred’s gaze focuses on me when she murmurs, “They were betrayed.”
My wolf begins to growl over the insult, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from snarling. Callie grunts when I squeeze her tighter to my chest. She pulls her hand from Kaleb to rest it on my forearm, and I breathe her in.
“I wouldn’t,” is all I can manage to grind out.
Kaleb looks at me carefully, and I worry he’s catching on how much Callie means to me. I don’t understand it, so the last thing I need is Kaleb poking his nose into it.
“No, but your ancestors did,” Mildred counters gently. “During the time of the spirit witches, shifters acted as their guardians and most trusted friends. Volkov literally means wolf in Russian.”
I feel like I’ve taken a blow to the head. My mother was a human, Puerto Rican woman and the Alpha is as brown as I am. There’s no way I’m Russian… there’s no way I could descend from these shifters, but my wolf somehow knows differently.
I look at Callie, taking in her loosely curled blonde hair, her warm skin and how small she feels in my arms. In my mind’s eye, I conjure the delicate features of her face and the endless depths of her grey eyes.Is this why I feel this way? Because a long time ago my ancestors protected hers?
“This history lesson is all well and good,” Callie pipes up. “And later, I’m sure I’m going to want to know more, but what makes you think I’m one of these spirit witches?”
“Because magic wants to survive,” she replies bluntly.
“Cryptic, witches are cryptic,” Felix mutters, once again reminding me he’s in the damn room. I can see him in the corner of my eye, but he’s so unusually quiet that I keep forgetting he’s there.
Nolan and Donovan both snort.
“Yeah, you’re going to have to be a lot more specific,” Callie sighs, reaching up from my arm to rub at her face. She leans back into my shoulder, her body beginning to droop with fatigue. I tuck her head under my chin and adjust my arms so that she sits more securely against me.
Mildred gazes at Callie with sad eyes. “This is another complicated story that involves your mother, your father and what he did to you.”
“Is that how you knew what he did? Or that he did something?” She asks carefully. “Because you know I’m a spirit witch?”
“Partially,” Callie’s aunt replies, folding her arms. “I can feel the excess magic that’s pouring out of you. The only way that’s possible is if there’s a crack in the spell that’s binding your magic, and well, your magic has to be strong enough to create such a crack in the first place.” Her fingers tap against her bicep. “Like I said, magic wants to survive and in the case of a life threatening situation, if the witch is strong enough, their magic has the possibility of breaking a binding spell to save their lives.” She pinches her lips. “When I saw how you reacted to your father’s arrest, I knew it wasn’t an accident that cracked the spell.”
“That’s what he meant,” Callie whispers, her knuckles going white in Nolan’s hand. His face is drawn as he looks over at her. “He expected me to use my magic to stop him.”
“Yes, darling,” Mildred answers softly, sadness and guilt weighing down her words. “What he didn’t understand, or chose to ignore, was that your magic was already doing what it could to protect you. It made sure no matter what he did, you’d survive.”
“So, he knew what I was? He knew about spirit witches?” she retorts, heat building in her husky voice.
“I believe so, yes. Which is why I know the council is behind what keeps happening to the spirit witches.” Mildred releases a pent up breath. “Before your father was cast out, he was a leading member of the council. I think he knew that your mother was a spirit witch and helped her hide it.” A tear falls down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away. “I don’t know why she didn’t tell me. Maybe the bastard convinced her it was too dangerous to tell anyone. Lina would do anything to protect the people she loved.”
“Like kill herself to hide that her daughter is a spirit witch?” Kaleb interjects with kindness.
Mildred shakes her head violently. “No. No, she wouldn’t do that. Hide, yes. Kill herself… especially without any explanation? No. Absolutely not.”
