“I gave her the gist,” I answer making my way toward the food, Donovan following behind.
Felix rolls his eyes and works his way out of the kitchen, so as to not be stepped through. He changed from earlier, and now is wearing a fitted black t-shirt that has a cartoon of a guy in a red and black superhero suit holding comics with the phrase ‘I have issues’ written across the bottom. He’s the slimmest out of the guys, but his muscles are still visibly toned. Each time he rubs his neck, I see peeks of his firm belly.Even the one that doesn’t have the excuse of supernatural genetics is hot. How is that fair?
After making up our plates, I notice a slight problem. There are four chairs and five people-- six if I include my aunt, but she seems content to lean against the counter drinking her tea and nibbling on some toast.
Nolan notices my dilemma and smirks, sliding back his chair. “Come here, Callie love. You can share my seat.”
Mildred flashes me an amused look, and I internally groan. I sense another ‘we’re just friends’conversation in my future. His new nickname for me is probably not helping.
Donovan takes the remaining empty seat, and Nolan pats his lap in invitation to sit down.
When I sit, setting my plate next to his, I mutter, “Eat carefully, Casanova. Wearing breakfast is not a fashion statement I want to make.”
“I have better table manners than that,” he assures, then shifts us so we’re sitting at more of an angle, me sitting sideways across his lap. Now, we’re both closer to our respective plates. Nolan eating with his left hand while I eat with my right.
For a while there’s silence as we all wolf down breakfast, everything quite tasty and extremely filling. I’m only about halfway through my plate, but the guys are already finished, when Mildred announces, “Later today, I have an appointment with Neva Reyes, the head of the local coven, and Callie, I was curious if you wished to join me.”
All of the boys trade silent looks, and Nolan drops his hands, one around my waist and the other squeezes my knee in warning.
“Why?” I stutter out.
She looks at me curiously. “I’ll need their help removing the binding spell. That’s why we came here. This coven doesn’t directly report to the council, which means the news of you being freed won’t get back to them.” There’s a wry tug to her lips. “I’m powerful, but not that powerful. The immense amount of magic that was needed to bind you will require the help of most of the local coven to remove it.”
“Good luck with that,” Donovan mutters under his breath.
Kaleb cuts Donovan a chiding look before turning his focus to my aunt. “What I believe he meant to imply is that the local coven isn’t really known for their generosity. I also have my concerns. Will they be able to sense what Callie is? Can they be trusted with that kind of information?”
“Don’t trust the coven,” Nolan demands, venom infusing his sultry voice. “Even if they agree to help you, don’t trust them. They only care about one thing, themselves, and they’ll sell you out faster than you can blink if it benefits them.”
Putting my fork down, I place my hand over the one he has around my waist. Sliding my fingers between his, I attempt to offer some comfort, feeling heart sore over what has been done to him.
Nolan glances up at me with a ghost of a smile and rubs my thumb with his.
Both Felix and Connor are silent, though Connor has a clear look of distaste in regards to the coven. It’s astounding they all agreed to be my friend after they found out I was a witch.
Mildred blinks with surprise over the guys strong opinions regarding the coven. “Yes, well, I’ll be sure to remain cautious, but remember, Callie and Iarewitches. And not any witches, but ones with a lot of power and prestige backing us. Even if we’re not part of their coven, we are still witches.”
I can practically hear Nolan grinding his teeth, and I really wish she hadn’t lumped us in with the local coven. This is a time where I’m really okay with being considered an outsider.
She sips her tea and turns her focus to Kaleb. “Like I told you before, the knowledge of spirit witches has been carefully pruned from our histories. There’s no reason for the coven to think of Callie as anything more than a powerful witch, something completely expected considering her bloodlines.”
All this talk of prestige and powerful bloodlines is starting to make me feel like a racehorse that someone is trying to sell off and hoping the buyer doesn’t notice I’m lame in one leg. I sigh and lean more into Nolan’s shoulder. Absently, he readjusts me so I sit more comfortably in his lap.
My aunt watches me for a moment surrounded by my friends, then does a subtle nod, like she’s come to a decision. Calmly, she states, “All right. The best method of removing Callie’s binding spell is with the help of the coven, but I’ll do my best to keep her from them as much as possible until it’s time for the ritual. I’ll impress upon them that it’s in their best interest to help me remove the spell, as a cracked binding spell can be very volatile, even more so considering how powerful Callie’s magics are.”
“Volatile sounds bad,” Felix says from his place near the large bay window. “‘Very’ and ‘even more so’ sounds really bad.”
There’s a stillness among the guys with his comment that leads to a sinking dread in my stomach. My heartbeat flutters like a caged bird, and I begin to pull on my left sleeve, my right hand trapped in Nolan’s.
The words tight in my throat, I ask, “When you sayvolatile, what do you mean?”
The tension that tugs at Mildred’s eyes doesn’t bode well. “Darling, I don’t want you to worry, because we’ll remove the spell before any real harm can be done.”
“You mean like turning a small backyard fire into a huge bonfire that set a whole bunch of blankets and clothes on fire? Thinking that might have caused some harm,” I retort, the air getting thinner.
She presses her lips tight together, before softly answering, “No, I mean before the amount of magic that’s continuing to collect inside of you breaks the spell on its own, and the backlash of that much power takes out half the town.”
All of us are dazed under the weight of her words. The wake of silence an oppressive ring in my ears.
