CHAPTER 22

NOVA

T he crowd exploded with shouts and gasps of disbelief, a yell of “That can’t be Isis!” breaking above the rest, but when Isis put her hand up, they immediately went quiet.

Her magic coursed through the room, annoying the hell out of mine, but I couldn’t deny that I was impressed by the light show. Gold sparks soared toward the ceiling and exploded down on the crowd, each spark blossoming into a golden flower that filled the room with a floral scent.

“I am not used to being questioned about who I am,” Isis said, “so I would suggest not going that route.”

“And I’m Hecate!” the other goddess offered, waving at the crowd. “I can totally show you my magic, but I think I’ve interacted with most of you the past few months. Eleanor, it’s good to see that everything worked out! Congratulations.”

My eyes widened as Eleanor waved shyly, her body tucked against a man I didn’t recognize. I offered Hecate an arched brow.

“Once I knew about you, I paid a bit more attention to the coven. Kept eyes on them…visited a few times.” She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “Gods get annoyed with their own kind.”

“Or everyone ,” Isis grumbled under her breath.

“Right,” I said, clapping my hands. Clouds gathered overhead, and I sighed but didn’t bother correcting it as my magic spread a shimmery smoke around the feet of everyone present. Except this time she did it with a bedazzled wand. I wondered where she had gotten that idea from. “Hopefully Isis and Hecate’s presence will allow you to have a bit of trust in what I’m about to tell you—because it isn’t pretty.”

When no one argued or spoke up in dissent, I continued. “Most of you have lived under Earnest’s rule for probably as long as you can remember—decades, I believe. I grew up under his roof, so I understand better than anyone what that experience was like. Controlling. Limiting. And most of all—wrong. Something about it always felt wrong, didn’t it? He wasn’t saying the wrong things, but it almost always felt like something was off. That he wasn’t saying everything, and maybe he had you do something that was questionable—but he never fully explained why.”

A few head nods in the room bolstered my assumptions. “Earnest believed in creating witches—or that’s what he told everyone—but I uncovered something darker. He was draining and brutally killing magic users in an attempt to amass power. Some of you may have even heard rumors about him draining my magic.”

A few people looked away guiltily. “I won’t hold that against you. The people that were by his side as of a day ago have died, and something tells me that they were the true accomplices in this”

“They all died?” a woman asked, her eyes wide in surprise. “Really?”

“Yes.” I confirmed.

When no one broke into sobs of grief, relief slipping onto a few of their faces, I continued. “Earnest was a tiny dot on a much larger map. He was draining magic in an effort to protect himself on a much larger food chain. One where gods are planning to drain all magical creatures in order to bargain—probably to no avail—with a force so terrifying, so evil, that we are on the brink of a cosmic war. The dark ones, cosmic beings called world eaters, are coming to destroy Earth and every single realm attached to it.”

Full panic set in as voices rose in question.

“But!” I called out, drawing attention back, “a prophecy was made that two individuals will stop these dark ones . Or have the ability to. There is one other, Lorcan, and then myself. Because, if you hadn’t guessed, I’m not a witch. I’m a god. Something Earnest hid from me until this past fall.”

No one seemed all that surprised. I knew I had always stood out, but man, you know you’re really ‘different’ when no one blinks at the concept of you being a god.

“As part of the prophecy, I recently released magic from the Earth’s core, placing it back into circulation—many of you may have felt the change,” I explained, seeing the relief of understanding in so many faces. “That wasn’t your imagination. You are stronger and have more magic now. We released the magic that is rightfully yours—that has always been yours as Earth realm magic users. The power that Earnest wanted to steal—that so many have wanted to exploit over the ages.”

My voice rose in volume, and I kept my tone calm but determined. “I’m here to ask for your help. With the extra magic you’ve received, help me protect the realms. Help me keep the magic alive for future generations of witches. Help me save our world from the ones that want to devour it.”

Claudia, who stood at the front of the room, turned to face the crowd after a long moment, letting my words resonate. “What Nova says is true. We’ve all talked about it in whispers, the change we can feel coming. She’s put name to it, and at her side stand two goddesses that we pray to daily. We would be fools to not follow her…and I would like to believe that the fools left with Earnest.”

“Nova spent years with us, especially at the high school, protecting the younger generation,” Amy said. “I know many of your children talked about it, which is why when Earnest spun lies about her, it felt off. It felt wrong. I’m willing to put my trust in Nova, and I hope all of you are as well. I want to see our children live out the rest of their lives in peace, with the ability to practice magic as they wish.”

There was momentary silence before my uncle—Earnest’s brother—stepped forward. “My brother and I led covens across the country for decades—and for decades I trusted his judgement. But even I can admit that something changed over these past few years. I’d like to believe you, Nova, but how do we know this is truly the way?”

I didn’t expect the relief I would feel at their understanding and rational approach. I suppose I should have expected it, but after dealing with the gods and Titans…well, let’s just say this was a very, very welcome change.

“I would like to bind us,” I said. “I’d like to perform a ritual that binds me to you, and vice versa. It would show loyalty on both ends and prevent either party from hurting the other. I understand that with Earnest’s death there’s no formal leader now?—”

“Claudia,” Amy said. “She deserves it.”

Claudia looked shocked as other women nodded in agreement, one stepping forward. “If Claudia is on board, then I agree. She’s been the only consistent person that we could go to, even long before this.”

I had a feeling John’s mom had been a soft-spoken guardian angel for these women for years. I suddenly felt harsh about my past criticism of her. I hadn’t realized the extent of what these women had been going through behind closed doors.

“For those who don’t want to be part of this—leave,” I said. “The bond will come with more power than you can imagine, but it will also come with the understanding that you will do your part for our efforts. Not everyone needs to be on the battlefield, but I do need warriors.” I could see many of the younger adults in the room bolstering themselves. “This is a vow not only for your aid in this war, but to be the power behind the future of your coven. To lead and define what it means to be a witch. Consider if you are ready for that.”

Silence filled the space for a long moment, and I saw many consider my words before Claudia spoke again. “We will be doing the ceremony in a few moments. If you’re not interested, now is the time to leave.”

Yet no one left. As I stepped toward Claudia and Amy, both goddesses following me, I noticed how the crowd parted to make room for us. My men were spread throughout the room now, and I knew they would keep tabs on everything, ensuring that things were safe while I was distracted.

“Laurel went to get the salts,” Claudia explained as the other witches gathered around. “It’s a simple ceremony, but we’ll need Edmund.”

Rowan smirked, walking forward and pulling out an ink well that he must’ve brought from home. Dipping his ink-stained fingers inside, he drew a door—a pocket of reality. When it opened, August reached in and dragged out an unconscious Edmund, drawing shocked whispers from the room.

“As many of you know,” Claudia said, her voice sharper than normal, “Edmund and John were very close to Earnest. Not only were they monsters behind closed doors, but they were central to murdering other witches. I asked Nova to keep my husband alive so that I could use him as a sacrifice. If you aren’t comfortable with that choice, I respect your wish to leave.”

Once again, no one left.

As Claudia produced an athame from the same box that Laurel brought the salts in, I realized that she planned to kill Edmund herself. Rowan laid her husband’s unconscious form on the floor, and Laurel and Amy sprinkled salts around his body.

“Claudia, I don’t mind doing it.”

“No.” She shook her head but offered me an understanding look. “This man beat me to within an inch of my life for years. I have no qualms in doing this.”

Fuck. How was I supposed to deny her this? There was nothing I could do but nod.

After his body was surrounded, Amy and Laurel sprinkled the salts in lines throughout the crowd, black smoke coming off of the coarse, dark grain. Then Claudia knelt to place a match to it, and the salt burst into flames that ran around the room in a geometric pattern.

Magic swirled in thick motes through the air, and I did my part to allow my own magic to reach out to every single person in the room. My power was ready, but I wasn’t when Claudia, in a simple but harsh movement, cut straight across Edmund’s throat. Blood sprayed up as the flames exploded in height, nearly searing my damn arm.

Amy and Claudia began a familiar chant in Latin, and I knelt down to cup Edmund’s blood in my hands, letting it run through my fingers. I closed my eyes and let my magic dance through my veins, infusing the blood with magic as I let my power take the lead.

Every transfer of power had been very different, but this in some ways felt the most natural. There were no vines. Instead, the magic filled the air and circled around each individual, imprinting on their skin and carving itself onto their bones. I began to feel tethered to each of them, feeling the faint pulse of their heartbeats and the magic that each held as I began to feed them power.

The soft, easy transfer of magic had me feeling more grounded than I’d expected, and when I snapped my eyes open, a sigil of fire floated in the air. I reached out for it, completely unsurprised when it burned into my palm, accepting the marking as a show of the bond I’d just created. The promise I had made this coven.

No longer bound by Earnest’s darkness, the witches were infused with power and ready to fight for the world that had been so long controlled by the assholes leading them.

***

“This was your bedroom?” Volkan asked as I stepped through the double doors. They were hanging from the hinges and had been hit with what appeared to be an ax.

Now that the ceremony was over, I needed some space, so I came upstairs as Edmund’s body was disposed of and everyone moved to the parlor and other areas. No one had left yet, but I had needed a minute. Sharing the power had been easier this time, but it was still tiring.

Hecate and Isis were addressing the witches in small groups, promising to help as the coven prepared and eventually joined us in the battle against the dark ones. Something that would come all too soon .

Both goddesses had congratulated me on the success of the ceremony as well, informing me that I had unironically become the queen of witches for those present.

Which I was pretty sure was a joke. Maker, I really hoped that was a joke; I had absolutely no business being queen of anything. Besides the Queen of Donuts. I would gladly take that title, thank you very much.

“It was ,” I told Volkan, glad that he and Nour had followed me up here.

Night air filled the room through the broken window, and everywhere I looked was pure destruction. It was clear that Earnest had taken his anger out here, but I didn’t feel anything about it besides being a bit bummed that some of my shit was strewn across the floor. Walking over to my desk, I opened the drawer—specifically the one that had been locked. I was very happy it opened to reveal a series of journals I’d written while growing up.

They hadn’t seemed important at the time, but now I wanted them—and I sure as hell didn’t want them left here. John’s mom mentioned this place would likely become the coven meeting spot, which I fully supported. It wasn’t like I was going to live here.

As I pulled out the journals one by one, Nour grabbed them and tucked them under his arm. “I would resurrect the motherfucker and kill him again for destroying your shit if I could,” he offered.

“Thanks, babe.” I heaved a sigh. “Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me—he was a petty, passive-aggressive asshole.” A ton of other vile shit as well.

“Want this? Or any of the others here? There are a few pieces of clothing left.” Volkan asked. I turned to see him standing in front of my open closet, and I smiled because I knew exactly which dress he was holding.

“The cream-colored dress of dread.” I laughed. “That’s the one I’ve been talking about—the exact one.”

“I’ll toss it out,” Volkan assured me.

“Actually…bring it,” I mused. “I want to tie-dye it.”

Both men laughed, but the sound was cut off when a knock sounded on the doorframe to the suite’s attached living room. I smiled at the familiar face that belonged to my cousin—or used-to-be cousin.

“Michael!” I trotted across the room to give him a hug.

“Nova.” He offered me a smile in greeting. “I saw you and your bonded came up here and figured I would take a moment to say hi.”

“Not the right timing earlier?” I teased. “It’s great to see you. How’s everything been?”

“Good, sort of.” His brow dipped before looking at Nour and Volkan. “Nice to meet both of you. I’m Nova’s cousin, Michael.” I couldn’t find it in me to correct the ‘cousin’ thing. After all, he really did still feel like family.

“Good to meet you,” Nour offered as Volkan nodded.

“What do you mean, ‘sort of’?” I asked.

“The killings I sent you a letter about—they make a lot more sense now.” He frowned. “Our coven was losing people until a month or two ago, so I have a feeling that there are people back home who may have been involved. I wanted to assure you that you have our commitment and support…and that we will do our best to target anyone who’s contributing to the larger problem.”

“Thank you for saying that. I know this can’t be easy for your dad.”

“Eh.” He chuckled as I motioned for the four of us to leave the room. “Not really. He sort of hated Earnest. They had a falling out around the time the ‘making witches’ concept was floated.”

Ah, that made sense. We’d stopped seeing them nearly as often.

“Honey?” A feminine voice broke our conversation.

A woman around our age with stunning, curly dark hair and large brown eyes stood at the top of the stairs. She wore a pale yellow dress, and the gold tattoos on her skin were barely hidden by her overcoat.

“Sweetheart, I want you to officially meet Nova. I know we’ve talked about her before.” He brought the woman close, his hand on her waist. “Nova, this is my fiancé, Pepper. We’re getting married this summer.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you.” I extended a hand, but she stepped past it and enveloped me in a hug instead. As she pulled back, I realized that she wasn’t just a witch.

“Shifter?” I asked, giving her a smile.

“Most people can’t recognize it because I’ve spelled it to be hidden, but yes, I’m a wolf shifter and witch,” she explained. “Michael said you wouldn’t mind.”

“Mind? I like you better because of it! Witches can be so stuffy—although I’m hoping to change that.”

Michael chuckled. “I have no doubt you will.”

I mean, apparently I was the queen of the witches. Seemed like my job, right?