AllFreeNovel
Share Us
From what little his neighbor had said, Nolan knew most witches were female. They didn’t look too kindly on those few male witches who existed. It also didn’t seem like the female witches got along with each other all that well.
So, any meeting with female witches couldn’t be a good thing.
It didn’t help that Sky was without his usual supply kit of spell ingredients. Did that mean Sky was unarmed? Could he protect them if the other witches got nasty?
Nolan reached out, threaded his fingers through Sky’s left hand, and squeezed. That earned him a small smile, at least. He got why Sky didn’t want him there. If the witches were aggressive, Nolan was a target. A weak spot for Sky.
But there was no fucking way he was allowing Sky to face them alone. He would always have Sky’s back. Sky might be the only necromancer in the area—that didn’t mean he was utterly alone in the world. Nope. Nolan would be right there. He just wished there was some way he could be more helpful. The preference would be for a kind of magical helpfulness, though.
Audrey drove them forty-five minutes out of the Hartford suburbs to a tiny state forest crowded with dark-green leaves gilded in warm golden sunlight. She pulled off into a gravel parking lot filled with cars. It should be noted that several had bumper stickers such as “My other ride is a broomstick,” and “Why yes, I can drive a stick,” and “Hocus my Pocus.”
“Oh, look, Audrey! Everyone came!” the other witch said, clapping her hands together.
“What did you expect, Carol? The necromancer’s made a mess,” Audrey snapped as she whipped the minivan into the only available parking spot.
“This isn’t my mess,” Sky grumbled, speaking for the first time since they’d climbed into the vehicle.
Audrey slammed the car into Park and twisted in her seat to glare at Sky. “Yeah? And who else could have made this mess?”
She didn’t wait for an answer but hit a button to make both of the side cargo doors automatically slide open. Carol didn’t seem perturbed by Audrey’s bitchy mood in the least. She climbed out of the passenger seat with a happy titter. She hurried over to the gathering of at least twenty other women by a scattering of picnic tables under some trees.
Nolan relaxed his fingers to release Sky’s hand and climb out the opening on his side, but Sky tightened his grip, holding Nolan in place.
The necromancer stared at him with wide eyes, his face pale and sweaty despite the chill hanging in the air. “Nolan, this is dangerous. Please…please, don’t say anything if you can avoid it. They’re already pissed, and I don’t want them to use anything you might say as a reason to attack you. Just…just let me handle this.”
He got it. Don’t lose his temper and snap at the witches. He had no desire to spend his remaining time on the earth as a frog. And he didn’t want to get Sky in even more trouble.
“Understood. I’m here to support you in any way I can.”
Some of the tension eased from Sky’s shoulders, allowing them to slump, while a smile returned to his lips. “Thank you. I am glad you’re here. It would suck to face this alone.”
“Enough stalling! Get your asses out here,” Audrey snapped, breaking up their moment.
Nolan rolled his eyes, and Sky’s expression brightened as he’d hoped. They were going to survive this.
They separated long enough to climb out of the minivan, and Nolan was at Sky’s side again when they both reached the front of the vehicle. Audrey remained close to Sky’s other side, that stick clenched in her fist.
“Is that a wand?” Nolan whispered.
“Yes,” Sky answered tightly.
Interesting. He’d never seen Sky use a wand. He’d begun to think they were Hollywood nonsense. “Do you have a wand?”
Sky opened his mouth to answer, but Audrey was already talking over him.
“Males lack the ability to focus enough to use wands.”
Sky sighed. “Yes,” he hissed, throwing a glare at Audrey before he continued. “Earth witches use wood. Both Mad and Red have that type of wand. I have one—bone. Made from a femur, to be exact. But it’s not for everyday use.”
“Moon…?”
“A knife,” Sky answered.
“Fascinating,” Nolan murmured.
Sky smiled up at him. “You’re so adorable.”
“You’re both making me sick,” Audrey grumbled from the other side of Sky. Nolan ignored her. Sky’s world took some getting used to, but once he learned that not everything was trying to kill him or possess him, it became an astounding, unexplored territory. It didn’t hurt that he also had the best guide.
