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The words pop out and all four of them go still. The idea settles against us and, holy penguins, it feels right. So freaking right. That’s what we need to do: start our own coven with our own rules. We can make it so much better, give witches like Merritt a place to belong, let everyone have access to whatever magic they can use, so long as they aren’t hurting people.
I look at them expectantly, waiting for them to agree with me.
But Fielder shakes his head slowly. “We can’t just start a coven, Sweeney.”
“Why? Who would stop us?”
Hardin saunters over to us. “Uh, all the other covens, love. Seriously, every other coven would come after us.”
“The safest way for us to make a change, for us to build the coven we want, is to claim one that already exists, Ro,” Ezra joins us.
“And we will do that, and keep you safe, I promise, Sweeney.”
I swallow. Fear and anxiety clawing all over me, trying to take root and burrow deep and make me run. Fuck. I want to run. But I don’t want to run without them. If what they’re saying is true and we can’t be together if we aren’t in the same coven, then… isn’t this worth the risk? Aren’ttheyworth the risk?
“We’re all gonna die,” I mutter before nodding my head. “But okay, yeah. Let’s do this. Let’s get me to be a part of your coven, and then I’ll challenge Julie for her spot.”
They all breathe out in relief, reaching out to touch me in gratitude. But then I keep talking, “But if the testing is still ongoing by the time August rolls around and there is the possibility of them binding your magic, I’m out. I won’t do that to you.”
They all look at each other, and I know they are once again having a silent conversation without me. I wait. Eventually, they all nod. Fielder presses his forehead to mine. “That won’t even be an issue, Sweeney, because we’ll have you named heir by the end of July.”
His nose brushes mine, and then he pulls back. “Ezra, let’s go finish the paperwork for membership. Gideon, get together whatever you need for the tattoos. I want to get those on us as soon as we can. Hardin, keep our girl from doing anything reckless, please.”
I scowl at him, but he just smirks at me. “What, pray tell, do you classify as reckless?”
“Packing up all your stuff and running, Sweeney.”
I shake my head at him. “You should know me better by now, Harris. I wouldn’t do that. I’ve made my decision, I’ll stick by it. I’ll stick by you.”
The smile he gives me is blinding and full of heat as he steps right into my body and tips his head toward mine. “And even if you ran, we’d still find you. You’d still be ours.”
“That’s right, I would be,” I agree, simply. I don’t want to deny it any longer. This thing we’re building is real, and it has the potential to be so damn good.
He lets out a groan and bends his head to kiss me. It’s quick and not nearly as in depth as the emotion of the moment demands, but I guess he’s in a rush to get this ball rolling. We are, after all, working with a deadline.
I meant what I said about not sticking around if we can’t secure my position with the coven. I won’t be the reason they lose their powers. They didn’t say it outright, but I get the sense that losing their powers means that they’ll be kicked out of the coven.
This is all they’ve ever known. It’s as much a part of them as my memories of my dad are a part of me. I won’t let that be taken from them.
Ezra and Gideon kiss me goodbye and then all three of them head out the door, off to do their various tasks. Hardin grins at me, tucking his hands into his pockets.
“What should I do to keep you out of trouble, love?”
I sigh and shake my head. “I don’t know, Hardin. What do you want to do?”
He stalks toward me, and I back up on instinct. He grins and follows, hands emerging from his pockets to hang at his sides, rings flashing as he flexes them.
The look in his eyes is heated, running over my bare legs, up to the swell of my hips the curve of my waist, like he wants to burn me up and eat me.
I think I want that too.
I keep backing up, angling for my bedroom door. He sees where I’m going. I know he does, but he just keeps following, slow surefooted steps of a hunter who is sure of catching his prey. My fingers drift up to my tie as I move, slowly undoing the knot and sliding it off. It drops to the floor.
My fingers are steady as I reach for the buttons of my skirt, slowly slipping each one. His blue eyes follow the motion, greedily taking in the skin that’s revealed. I slip that off too, dropping it just outside the door to my room, revealing my lacy light pink bra.
“Fuck, love,” Hardin growls just a second before he charges at me, bending low to grab me up around my thighs. I squeal as he wraps my legs around his waist and my arms scramble around his shoulders to keep my balance. Our lips crash together, hungry, desperate. My fingers bury themselves in his hair, holding him to get a better grip. His lips slide away from mine, down my neck, across my collarbone. His tongue, teeth and lips touching every part of my skin that he can reach. My back arches as his teeth scrape over the lace of my bra, finding my hard nipple to tease it.
Gravity tugs at me as he kneels on our big mattress and carefully lays me on my back. I reach for him, intending to pull him down, but he holds himself away from me, his hands pressing into the blankets on either side of me, his blue eyes sweeping over me with an edge of reverence to them.
