She looked up at me as I spoke, and she smiled softly. “I know there are logistics and discussions about what will happen next and who we will be. But this is our home. It’s closest to the den, and I was only renting that cottage. It’ll be good to be with you, in the den, for when they need you. They’re broken. I can feel it through the bonds. I hope I can help.”
I kissed her. My mate was so strong, and my bear approved. “I know we need to speak with the others, but can I have you? Are you healed enough? My bear needs you. And so do I.”
In answer, she tugged off my shirt. I kissed her again. We slowly stripped each other, and I led her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed. I kissed her, and she kissed me back, her lips soft, her touch gentle. She would have a scar on her side, just like I would. We’d both nearly died of perverted magic not our own. It would take time to heal, but these scars would never fade. I kissed the ridges on one and then moved back to the mating mark before I hovered over her and slowly slid deep inside.
She wrapped her arms around me, and we moved as one, riding each other, needing one another.
I wasn’t sure where I ended, and she began, but my bear groaned. When I rolled over onto my back, she rode me. My hands moved to her breasts, her nipples hard against my palms. She looked down at me, her hair flowing around her in honey-brown waves. She was gorgeous, and she was mine.
The water in the vase beside the bed started to spiral out, and I smiled, knowing it was her magic, her magic of warmth and home, and when she came, the water sprinkled down like rain, back into the vase with a mist sliding over our faces.
She grinned, and I followed her into bliss, holding her close.
The pack would need time to heal, our friends would need even longer, and I didn’t know what our future might bring.
No matter what, though, I had my mate.
We had defeated Faith but had lost something in the process. However, I had found Sage, the one person I hadn’t known I was searching for.
And, in the end, I had to count that. Maybe as everything.
My witch, my Sage, my future.
My mate.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Oriel
Oriel looked around at the large home he’d built for himself in the mountains, long before the others thought they knew who he was. No one knew precisely who Oriel was or where he had come from. And that was the point. They had forgotten him. Ignored him.
Others called dear Rowen the perfect witch, the last of her kind. They didn’t know anything. He was here. And that was all that mattered.
He would finally take what he was owed, what should have been his to begin with by all rights. The others would understand what they had taken from him and what he deserved.
He looked down at the photo in his hands and growled before tossing it into the flames, the glass shattering against the hearth. He lowered his head, letting out a breath. He would mourn Faith. He would regret losing what they had and what they had built. He knew her death was needed, however. She might not have seen what her purpose was, but he had known.
He had needed somebody to scout Ravenwood and let them know that somebody was watching, ready to take their place. Oriel’s journey was only beginning, while Faith’s had come to an end.
Yes, he would mourn her. He had loved her in his way. After all, someone like Oriel couldn’t love like that earth witch, who called himself a founder and a power. He was a side of a coin that others didn’t realize yet. Soon, they would know his true purpose.
It was time to fight for what came next.
And what was his.
Because Ravenwood would finally be his. Rowen Ravenwood was not the last of her kind, and soon, the town with all its secrets would understand that. Soon, it would all be his, and the power that Rowen neglected and ignored would come to him, as well.
If only she knew what lay beneath her feet. If only she understood what she was about to lose.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sage
Rowen, Laurel, and I stood in the clearing behind Rowen’s home, the three of us holding hands around a small fire, our heads tipped back.
“Guardians, Watchtowers, ancestors, friends, we gather in the presence of our Lord and Lady to ask for peace. Bring this town and its residents into the light and hold them in your embrace. Shelter them from the evil that lurks and let us find our way. From this day to the next, let us manifest plenty and more of everything we need, and bring happiness even in our darkest hours. With thanks and blessings to the great divine three, this is our will, so mote it be.”
Magic flowed through me, wrapping its arms around me, and I could feel the water in the air, in the pond, the earth, the stream, everywhere.
Rowen let out a breath as air slid through her hair and around mine, as well. Laurel’s hand heated up, and I squeezed it before daring to look at her. She gave me a tight smile and nodded, and I knew she was trying.
She was trying so hard. All of us were.
“That’s enough for now,” Rowen said as she took a step back and wiped her hands. “Now, we must close the circle. And, Laurel, let’s work on those burns.”
“I’m fine,” Laurel said, pulling her sleeves down. “This was nothing, just settling in.”
“Let me help,” I said, picking up the pouch from beside my bag. “I’ve been looking through my aunt’s things, and there was a whole book on healing.”
“The Princes always were good with healing,” Rowen said, a small smile playing on her lips.
My heart hurt thinking about it, but I swallowed hard to clear the lump in my throat. “Really, let me help,” I whispered.
Laurel pressed her lips into a thin line. “Maybe. But I need a minute.”
Rowen shook her head at our friend’s words. “The guys are watching. I guess we should let them join us.”
I could feel Rome through our bond, and I looked over my shoulder and smiled at him. He came through the trees, the darkness sliding away from him. Jaxton was by his side, and then Ash brought up the rear.
Ash nodded at all of us, his gaze lingering on Rowen. “You know that blessing spell works better with all four.”
Rowen’s eyes narrowed. “We’re of the three, and we’re the ones that needed to do this one. Another time, we might need earth, but for now, you know why you cannot be part of that spell.”
Ash nodded. “You’re looking for the darkness, and darkness can’t be part of it.”
I knew now why Ash had left. Rome had told me one night in the dark when it had been the two of us. There would be no hiding the past and no changing it. Not yet. However, there would have to be soon. A lot of changes needed to happen. As Rome slid his arm around my waist and spoke of our search for Oriel, I had to wonder what the next chink in our armor would become; what the next piece on the board would be and how it would move. We had already lost so much. But not all.
We were the Ravenwood coven, and while I was still learning my craft, I could feel the magic pouring through me. I no longer had the veil of secrecy put on me by Oriel or whoever he worked with or for. Nothing pulled me back anymore. Yes, I missed Rupert and the life we had, but that hadn’t been my truth. That hadn’t been the life I was meant to have. And while I would be forever grateful for the moments I’d shared with him, I knew I was where I was supposed to be now. Where I was always meant to be.