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As my lips curved into a smile, the bond with the ice broke. The blizzard of snow stopped falling. “You’re safe.”
He maneuvered his big head underneath my hand. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck as sobs wracked my shoulders. My tears wet his fur as I realized how close I’d come to allowing the ice to consume me.
Wait. I released his neck and spun around to check my coven. Had I frozen them too?
Amelia met my eyes. “Everyone’s okay. Are you?”
They were gathered around the flames of a tree. Cold, but alive. My breath came out in a puff of fog as I wiped my face. “Yes. I am now.”
But that wasn’t exactly true. My hands trembled and it had nothing to do with the cold. I looked down at the wolf. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but thank you for pulling me back.” I ran my hand over the soft fur on top of his head. “I thought he hurt you.”
The wolf nuzzled into me and then trotted back into the shadows. I stared at the frozen man in the pond as Ruby came to my side. She caught my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You saved us and probably the pack too.”
I looked over at my friend and shook my head. “If Amelia hadn’t been here to keep you warm, you all could’ve been as frozen as that guy.”
“But she was here. You’re not alone, remember?” She bumped me with her hip. “We’re a coven. Sisters no matter what.”
She was right. I spent all my formative years on my own, and even though I had my coven sisters now, sometimes I still forgot. I sighed. “We should go check his pockets for identification before he defrosts.”
“Good idea.” Ruby looked back at the others. “Can you be sure the broach is cleared of any magic?”
Lillian called back. “We will. Be careful.”
We hurried down the rest of the way to the pond and carefully stepped onto the icy surface. It was firm. Seeing it with my own eyes made the power of the elemental magic even more terrifying. The pond had solidified around his knees, trapping him, and now he was frozen too.
Dead.
I’d never taken a life.
I bent over and picked up his gun from the ice. The weight of it in my hand reminded me that I’d done what I had to. He could’ve shot the pack and the coven.
Ruby held up a wallet and phone. “I’ve got them.”
“What about him?”
Ruby shook her head. “I’ll talk to Zeke when the pack gets back. I’m pretty sure we don’t want to involve the police in this so…”
She didn’t have to finish. The farm was over a hundred acres. They could bury this guy, and no one would ever find him.
I followed her up the hill back to the circle, wondering if this guy had a family that would be missing him tomorrow on Christmas morning. My stomach roiled. I spun around and threw up. A soothing voice came up behind me.
“Winter?”
I quickly wiped my mouth and turned to find Lillian approaching. She was in her seventies, but she moved with a languid stride of a woman decades younger. Until recently, she’d been the leader of the Coven of Light. She was also the closest thing I’d ever had to a grandmother.
Her long silver hair was in a French braid that fell over the front of her shoulder. She put her arm around my waist, kindness sparkling in her eyes. “This is the first time…?”
“I’ve ever killed someone?” I blurted out the bitter words. “Yeah.”
She gave me a little squeeze. “I believe the magic chooses us because we’re strong enough to bear the burden and responsibility.” She pointed at the man in the pond. “He came here to hurt us. You did what had to be done.”
I blinked back tears. “I almost killed all of you too.”
“You did no such thing.” She chided as she swiped her hand. “We’re tough. We can protect ourselves.”
I looked over at her. “Good thing.”
She patted my back. “You’re not the first elemental witch to lose control, and you won’t be the last. Come back to the circle.”
