Despite how hard I tried to not let him see how it affected me, it had, and tears were quickly brimming.
I blinked them away as guests began to approach to congratulate us—giving him handshakes while keeping a safe distance from me.
I nodded politely and said my thanks as Nicodemus slowly made his way toward the house.
I didn’t follow, instead I was looking around at the beauty that had been created for us to celebrate our newfound love. Love…
A word I hadn’t thought of in a long time. It was true, in my heart of hearts I did love him, and I was pretty sure he loved me, but it was too soon to say such things out loud.
All the guests went inside, leaving only a handful of Fae still in the trees—save for two. Iona, the High Priestess of the coven that cared for me, and her little sea hag, Odira.
She wasn’t actually a hag; she had ebony skin that seemed to glow of its own accord and blue eyes that most humans were convinced were contacts.
Her homeland was backward in tradition, giving up their weakest member every ten years to the seas to appease the sea gods.
However they must have done something right since their members were slowly rising in power, thus why she had become Iona’s second.
Iona was very old, choosing to find her fated one only to prolong her life five years ago. No one knew who it was, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if she had killed him.
To be honest, it was a smart move; showing your weakness was like showing your hand.
If she had him tucked away, she extended her life for at least another three to four hundred years if he was human.
Longer if he was a supernatural, though unless the Fae shared their immortal flame and took you back to their lands, you still died a normal witch death.
Her silver hair was swept back in a grand hairstyle adorned with daisies.
As High Priestess of the east and southern borders she radiated not just confidence but power that even I could feel—even if it still wasn’t any match for me; especially given her age.
The wrinkles on her face I had once seen the few times we had met had practically vanished, giving her the appearance of a young adult who had simply grayed early, her brown eyes flecked with gold.
“Iona,” I said stiffly, clasping my hands in front of me. I didn’t bow, or curtsy or show any sign of respect, only acknowledgment.
This had consistently infuriated her since she had taken power, but she along with the rest of the covens knew not to challenge me.
“Poison Princess,” she said with a sickly smile, mimicking my stance within a respectable distance. Everything about the way she presented herself spoke volumes about how little she thought of me.
Maybe she was simply used to looking at everyone like ants since she had been in power so long. I know I had for a time in my life.
My eyes narrowed at the name—she had been the clever one to think of it but I didn’t feel the need to retaliate.
I had purposefully ignored most of the witch community, not sharing any of my secrets. I also had kind of gotten into being a pacifist ever since the last plague I had spread.
“You lied to me.”
“I told you the information you needed to know, but it seems as if your husband doesn’t look the slightest bit…ill?” she said curiously, looking at me.
“Did you happen to find a way around the curse?”
I crossed my arms. “You knew he was bonded to a ley line, that’s obviously why he isn’t ill—what do you want with it?”
Iona pretended to look surprised, covering her mouth in exaggerated shock. I wanted to sock her. “I had no idea that—”
My truth spells were messy though, common practices of the old ways. Each lie would be a cut in her skin; enough lies and one would bleed to death.
There was nothing that could fix those wounds; they would continue to bleed and bleed and bleed until I ended the spell.
We had used it on slaves as well as some members of nobility. As long as they told truths, they walked away clean. When slashed by nothing? The gods had been called down to punish the wicked.
Iona didn’t seem fazed; it was as if she was so removed from being in power she forgot who she was speaking to.
That did it—I began the spell in my mind, muttering the ancient words keeping the rest of my body passive and completely silent.
“Princess, don’t—she will get her dues,” came a soft voice from behind me—Linda?
The pale woman with pooling black hair and a black dress came up beside me as I let go of the magic of my spell.
She looked a few years older than I had seen her last, but that was impossible. She had been a teenager not even days before.
I knew time travel was something some witches tried to dabble in, but it typically never went well, and I didn’t even think she was strong enough to accomplish that.
“Linda?” I questioned, looking her over.
She turned her head to look at me, her milky eyes unfathomable. Iona’s eyebrows rose and Odira looked like they had just won the lottery. “Raven,” she said in a monotone.
I tilted my head for a moment. “Yes, I suppose it is now, isn’t it?” She had found her fated one. Whatever had happened, her curse was gone and the spell had worked.
The thought was…terrifying, but I was glad to see she hadn’t died. She said she—Iona—would get her due.
She had seen Iona’s fate, so I simply nodded. Iona was still looking over Raven. “Well, it would seem that the spell worked. You’ll have to come home immediately to begin training as—”
Raven looked at her. Ah, if looks could kill.
“I will not be returning; I see my future there and it holds nothing but despair.”
“You’re a part of our coven,” Iona scolded as if speaking to a child, or more likely…a dog.
“She is under my protection as my second, I will not allow you to remove her,” I said, suddenly thinking of an idea.
Typically you had to be a High Priestess these days to play that card in their new laws.
However, I was their only living royalty left, and in their structure of laws, technically I was above them. Raven nodded in agreement.
Iona’s face turned red at this point, the anger finally bubbling over.
“You were supposed to kill this traitorous witch, and now that she’s useful, you think it’s okay to take her from the coven without rightful punishment?”
“You sent me to my death,” Raven said in the same flat monotone—all the emotions seemed to have fled. It was concerning; I hoped she wouldn’t become lost due to her gift.
“Lies!” Iona hissed, holding out a finger.
“Enough!” I thundered.
My anger had returned in full force.
I could feel the power trickling out of me of its own accord, the fury that always sat beneath the surface of the untapped lay line I never used as my hair began to stand on end.
“You and your lies will return to where you came from. This lay line will be protected and never fall into your hands or any others, except my husband’s blood. Now be gone!”
Iona’s face twisted into a dark, evil grimace.
“You think you can defy me? You think you can just get away with not taking orders from me!? I plan on being the new Grand Witch of this continent, and you may think your powers are limitless, but every witch has a weakness,” she hissed.
Odira looked way too pleased, her arms folded.
“You will leave this instant. You are upsetting my bride and my guests. You are no longer welcome,” Nicodemus’s voice thundered.
I wasn’t sure how long he had been standing at the doorway. Despite still being at the tree, with his hearing, he had likely heard enough.
Iona sniffed—already feeling my barrier spell start to prickle at her, I’m sure, since she was no longer welcome here.
“You will regret this day. You’ll be lucky if I even let you see another sunrise,” she snarled before she snapped her fingers at Odira to follow her out.
I had a feeling they might know something I didn’t… I didn’t like that her second had such close ties to the sea, but only time would tell.
Poseidon had never retaliated against me—the only punishment was the curse itself. But the reason for that was because he was physically stuck within Atlantis.
As far as I knew, there was no way to release him, and there was no way they could know about him. Besides Nicodemus, I had never breathed a word to anyone else about what had happened.
Even though I had been hurt, I understood his reaction, and I was more than happy to forgive him.
This really was it, being in his arms, feeling safe. Even without his heart beating, I felt a sense of calm fall over me and comfort just from having him near. I didn’t care to hide it.
