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“I heard a rumor there was still a Handmaiden witch,” the blue-eyed witch continued. “I’m so happy to see that rumor istrue!”
Before I could say anything, Morgan’s father noticed us and strode over in long steps. The dark-haired man put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I have heard a lot about you, Celeste,” he said, looking intrigued. “Especially about your fight with the infamous Sabine.” His lips curled like he’d just gotten a foul taste in his mouth. “I never thought that witch would meet her match, but I stand corrected.”
“It’s true, then?” Another witch I didn’t recognize asked as she approached us.
All four Thalassa members tensed, even James, and Morgan gave me a near-frantic look.This must be a Vitalis witch. I braced myself for some insult, but instead, she simply asked, “If you’re a Handmaiden witch, do you get premonitions? Visions?”
“Everything you’ve heard? Completely true,” Abi said, stepping in with a smug look. “Celeste was able to sense Sabine coming before she even arrived and got us all to safety.”
As the Vitalis witch murmured in wonderment, Morgan gave me a nudge, glancing in the direction of two more approaching witches. As they neared, my pulse skyrocketed. I didn’t recognize either of the women, but somethinginsistedI’d run into them before. I took a breath, trying to keep my astonishment to myself, but the pair of witches suddenly noticed me.
They exchanged looks before quickly doing a U-turn, walking in the other direction.What the hell was that about?
They’d made my sixth sense go bananas, and I couldn’t just ignore that. I nudged Abi and nodded after the department witches before turning back to the group. “I am so sorry,” I said, “but I just remembered the Lunar Lord needed me to grab something for him.” I offered a sheepish smile before trotting after the pair of women quickly walking away.
As Abi hurried after me, the witches turned left, disappearing behind a tent. I exchanged a look with her before we walked as quickly as we could without lookingtooweird, but when I made the same left turn, I realized the women had disappeared.
“Where’d they go?” Abi whispered, looking around.
I shrugged, aware we’d attracted the attention of a few shifters in nearby tents. I gave a subtle nod, and Abi seemed to catch my drift. That sixth sense was still yelling at me, insisting on a premonition.
Deciding to trust my gut, I took a breath and called upon my magic, summoning up a wall of air around Abi and myself. Only seconds later, a burst of flame shattered against it, and I heard a woman swear to herself. I whirled about as one of the women Morgan had pointed out to me tried to dodge behind a tree.
“Bitch!” Abi snapped, throwing herself to the ground as the woman hurled another bolt of fire at us.
The nearby shifters yelled in surprise, overturning a folding table as they scrambled to get away. I didn’t have time to feelbad about scaring them, swatting the flaming attacks away as I racked my mind for a way to stop this witch without killing her. I needed to act fast, lest she be able to use teleportation magic herself. I neededanswers.
Damn Aurora witches. Can’t we all just get along?
An image of my Aunt Esme sprang to mind alongside an idea. Sprinting toward the witch, I focused on a sleeping spell I’d used to help ease my aunt into sleep shortly after we’d rescued her from Sabine’s torture. Startled that I was rushing her, the witch backpedaled, briefly panicking before flinging another flame at me. Just like Grant had taught me, I dodged while staying on my feet, lunging to grab the woman in the next motion.
In one breath, I was able to cast the relaxation spell and forced the witch into slumber. As she slumped over, I saw the sunburst mark on her neck.
Abi caught up to me a moment later, a knife in her hand. “Where’s the other one?” No sooner had the words left her mouth than a bolt of witchfire shoved her face first into the ground. She screamed in pain while rolling to smother the fire.
I gasped, barely able to process the attack as I doused the fire. I knew I was leaving myself open in those seconds, but it was all happening so fast. I braced myself for another magical attack when a terrifying snarl cut through the air.
A massive black wolf streaked by me moments later, and I knew without a doubt it was Fenris. I looked away, ensuring Abi was no longer in danger as I heard the second witch screaming before she hit the ground. It only took seconds before I heard the wet sounds of flesh, and the tang of copper filled my nose.
I sighed.She really shouldn’t have tested the Lunar Lord’s protective side.
Chapter 22
Celeste
Snowmass Pack Lands
Snowmass, Colorado
Time Until the Eclipse: 5 Days
Though Fenris killed the second Aurora witch within seconds, he still stood over her body, snarling and snapping his jaws as if he expected her to rise from the dead and strike again. Several of the shifters, witches, and warlocks from nearby tents had heard the commotion and come over to see what was going on. Some of them had even run to help, but stopped dead in their tracks when they saw it was the Lunar Lord himself, snarling and growling like a rabid beast.
Even Abi had pushed herself back on her feet and hurried away to give me some space, eyeing Fenris uneasily. I took a deep breath, settling my magic back down before I approached him, making sure I never left his line of sight. “I’m alright, Fenris,” I said calmly, holding my hands out to him. I tried to share that reassurance through our bond, too. Though I’d beenstartled by the assault, but I wasn’t hurt at all. At worst, I was just out of breath.
The dark wolf still stared at me like he expected me to spontaneously burst into flame, so I motioned for him to approach me. At last, he stepped away from the fallen witch and leaned forward to sniff my hands. I smiled warmly, giving him a moment before smoothing my palms over his muzzle and across his face. I stroked his ears and pushed his fur back into place, waiting patiently for him to catch his breath. I would have waited until tomorrow, if that’s what it took, but Fenris managed to settle down enough to return to human form.
He growled softly, pulling me close. “What the hell was that?” he hissed, giving the witch’s body a dark look. Moments later, he barked, “Someone dispose of this body at once. Burn it if you must.”
