AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s not your fault, Kit.” I reached over the island to grab her knifeless hand. “Despite what you tell yourself, that woman is your mother. No one blames you for wanting to believe in her again.”
Shaking her head, my best friend took her hand back and started on two extra sandwiches. She was a sandwich-making machine. “I never should’ve faced her without my full powers.”
“Now who’s got hindsight issues?”
Her cheek twitched again as she finished the last sandwich. Instead of making one more for herself, she tore off pieces of turkey and took small bites. Sandwiches weren’t really her thing. Bread wasn’t her thing.
Since I didn’t suffer from the same affliction, I shoved mine into my mouth, nearly groaning at the simple flavors. Magical and physical fighting had left me ravenous.
“What was Octavia preparing for?” Thane asked after he’d finished half his sandwich.
Kit rolled her eyes. “It’s so stupid. There’s a rift among some witches, and she planned to seize control of the Elder Flame coven, the oldest still practicing. She’s pissed off at the High Priestess for something. I don’t even know what, but I’m sure it’s petty as fuck.”
“Octavia’s not a High Priestess?” I asked between bites.
I’d assumed she was since she could control the five elements, an extraordinary ability she’d obviously passed down to her daughter. As far as I knew, they were the only two witches alive with that much power.
Come to think of it, I had no idea who else knew about their abilities.
“No one in their right mind would let her govern anything.” Kit snorted. “She might be rich, but that bitch ain’t popular.”
“Yeah, but she’s gotta have enough magic to just, like, take over, right? Do they know about you two controlling all the elements?” I asked around a mouthful of turkey and cheese.
She shot me a disgusted look, but I didn’t know if she directed it at my see-food or my question. “No, and alone, neither of us could take on an entire coven. Most coven members support their High Priestess and want nothing to do with Octavia. No surprise there.”
I had no doubt that the two of them together could decimate whole cities. I chewed and swallowed. “So now that she’s gone and no one cares, we need your help.”
Kit folded her arms across her chest. “First, tell me what the hell happened to you.”
Between Thane and me, the story of our experience with the dragons went a lot faster than it’d taken our group to tell Adam. Having fewer people adding in their perspectives or corrections saved a fair amount of time.
At some point, Lena and Ivan waltzed in, bickering about something inconsequential until Kit snapped at them to shut up and eat. Amazingly, they listened without complaint, digging into their sandwiches like savages.
By the time we finished our story, ending with the agreement to dissolve the Mirfeniksan monarchy and form a council rather than promise the dragons a daughter, Angela’s eyes were as wide as saucers. Even Kit looked impressed.
“Never thought I’d get to meet a dragon,” Angela said with a slow, disbelieving head shake.
I grinned. “Did you think they were real before now?”
Angela’s cheeks turned pink, which was a good sign because it meant she was regaining some energy. “Well, no.”
“Me either.” I winked at her.
“I’m glad you didn’t have to promise them a kid,” Kit said as she stood upright. She opened the fridge and put away the food supplies. “Especially if you had to do it with a dragon. That would’ve made for some awkward family reunions.”
Thane nearly choked on his fresh glass of water. Laughing, I patted him on the back as he cleared his throat. Awkward was the understatement of the century.
After cleaning up the crumbs left behind, Kit rapped her fingers on the counter. “I have something else I need to do before we leave.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Burn the place down?”
She smirked, but a wishful glint shone in her eyes. “No, I need to unbind my magic.”
9
SUNDAY MIDDAY
My eyebrows shot toward my hairline. As much as I’d wanted Kit to unbind her magic ages ago—or, you know, not bind it at all—I also didn’t like the devilish look she had going on right now.
