Page 37 of Just a Little Wicked (Wicked Sisters #2)

She sat in an upholstered chair, and Erikson took the one beside her, openly studying the new person in the room.

The female Witch was seated at the wood dining room table at the opposite end of the space, a mug of tea cupped in her hands and her brows pinched with discomfort.

She had brown skin, curly hair, and dark eyes that weren’t any less arresting than Atlantes’ unnatural green.

Like Atlantes, magic seemed to seep from her pores—enough so that even Erikson, an average human, could feel it.

Atlantes grabbed his own mug of tea and leaned against the wall behind the Witch, forgoing a seat.

“Alina, this is the Wicked I told you about, Winter Celeste. And this is the co-host of Grimm Reality , Erikson Grimm.”

It seemed Atlantes had done his research since that morning.

Alina smiled pleasantly and lifted her mug in acknowledgment.

“Thank you for coming,” Winter said, then glanced at him. Erikson shrugged. He had no idea what to expect right now.

“I found out who your little Witch snitch is,” Atlantes said, glowering at them. “Stacy and her twin brothers.”

Winter tensed. “She barely told me anything.”

“She told you more than she should have.”

The hairs on Erikson’s arms lifted as tension crackled through the house.

“If you dare—” Winter started.

“Don’t worry, Wicked. Stacy and her brothers are incredibly powerful.

They would have to be, if they were born to balance out you and your sisters, wouldn’t they?

They are out of my reach.” At her unsatisfied expression, he added grudgingly, “And from what I’ve heard, Stacy is smart, and people I trust also trust her judgment.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve allowed you back into my house after the debacle this morning. ”

“Would you like some tea?” Alina asked, breaking the awkward silence following Atlantes’ declaration. She probably knew he would rather eat his own fist than offer refreshment to a Wicked.

“No, thank you,” Winter answered for them.

Atlantes was nearly pressed into the opposite wall, his mug clutched tightly in his hand. “I felt a pulse of Wicked power today. Then there was news of a beached dolphin.”

Winter blushed, but quickly recovered as she launched a flurry of questions at him. “How can you feel the power of another species? Stacy and her brothers have said something similar before. And how do you know so much about Wickeds? What do you know about us?”

Atlantes’ jaw muscles flexed. “The existence of Witches depends on your species’ existence, and vice versa, so our government has kept track of Wicked history as closely as it can. Your kind doesn’t make it easy.”

“In that case you probably know more about Wickeds than we do.”

“I’m certain the Shadow Council also keeps a thorough history, but it’s to their advantage that the rest of you are disenfranchised. United, you’d create a democratic government, and their reign of terror would end.”

Winter worried her lip, and Erikson knew she was thinking of her aunts, who had already begun attempting to unite the Wickeds. Would the Shadow Council go after them next, or would they use a leashed Winter to control them?

“As for me being able to sense your power, it’s simple.

If you pay attention, you can feel all types of magic and power around us; raw and otherworldly, human, and organic.

They’re wavelengths, woven into a never-ending tapestry.

” He closed his eyes. “Right now, a shimmering violet strand is vibrating, meaning a local Witch is performing small magic. Usually the strands vibrate, like the concentric ripples from a rock being tossed into a body of water, but occasionally there is a wave across the entire fabric. That’s much rarer, and reserved for great usages of magic or power.

In your case, one is nearly knocked over by the disturbance your power causes.

You wield it like a hammer rather than a precision scalpel, and it echoes like a gong.

Even the numbest Witch would be able to sense you. ”

“You’re judging me,” she said softly, “but you’ve been given beautiful magic to do good things, Atlantes.

You’ve learned to wield your magic because you’ve had the freedom to practice and fail.

I’ve been given a curse, and if I lose control of it, for even a few moments, animals beach themselves.

Fires start. People die. Do you understand how it might be a little bit easier to experiment and become familiar with your magic when, if you mess up, it doesn’t have dire consequences for others?

I wield my power like a hammer because I’ve spent my entire life suppressing it for the safety of myself and others.

You saw what happened here when I let loose a little. ”

Atlantes’ mug fell from his lips. “That was a little ? Fucking A. No wonder the Shadow Council wants you.” He met Alina’s eyes. “She cannot fall into their hands.”

A chill skated down Erikson’s back. He didn’t like the way Atlantes had said that. The man was ruthless, and his loyalties rested with the Witches, not Winter.

“It’s not going to be a choice,” Winter said tersely.

Atlantes and Alina exchanged another look, and the male Witch sighed in resignation and set his mug on the table.

“I’ll cast a protection spell around the residence and hold it while Alina teaches you to shield.

You’re lucky I’m as strong as I am. I should be able to contain the effects of your power for a short while. ”

“So lucky,” she deadpanned.

A moment later the little hairs on Erikson’s arms lifted again, and energy crackled in the air, making him feel like he was standing under a live wire. “Shit,” he muttered. He could feel the ozone of Atlantes’ magic. He wished Connor was here to witness this.

“Okay,” Atlantes said, shifting his sea-glass green eyes to Alina.

“The Wicked is all yours.” He leaned against the wall, even as cords stood out in his neck from the effort of wielding such an overwhelming amount of magic.

To Winter he said, “A Witch’s magic is tested when he or she reaches maturity.

Both the potency of magic and the witch’s specialty are rated on a ten-point scale.

Alina has level ten magic and a strong specialty in shielding.

You’re fortunate to have access to her expertise right now. ”

“Thank you for coming,” Winter said sincerely to the woman.

The woman smiled as prismatic magic coated her knuckles, undulating like rainbow water. “Oh, it’s a pleasure. I’ve never worked with a Wicked before. I can feel you dulling my magic, even from here.”

Maybe that was why Atlantes’ temple was throbbing in contrast to his casual stance against the wall.

“Wickeds and Witches are sisters,” Alina said, setting her mug on the table as well and standing.

She wore a simple white blouse tucked into a sapphire pair of loose pants.

She dressed like a professor or teacher of some sort.

“We’re two sides of the same coin, which, as far as we’ve been able to discern, means our power and magic have similar properties.

Like Witches, Wickeds have specialties, am I right?

For example, I can cast a shielding spell far easier than I can transfigure something. Atlantes tells me you’re a seer?”

Winter nodded, her eyes glued to the other woman.

“I know Wickeds suppress their powers more than they use them, which is understandable,” she said quickly when Winter began to open her mouth.

“You are entirely correct in all you’ve said.

But that does mean that you may not have a fine control over your power, or even fully understand the extent of your abilities.

It’s possible you can perform lesser magic—or use your power in lesser ways—just as Witches do. ”

That was exactly how Winter’s overflow of magic had begun to manifest, but it wasn’t Erikson’s place to point that out.

“Witches have seers too,” Alina continued. “There are many ways a Witch seer can wield her magic. She can shield her future from other seers, and in rare cases, she can even manipulate visions other seers have.”

Winter frowned. “I wonder if Wickeds can do that same?”

Alina shrugged. “Let’s find out. Loosen your power, Winter Celeste. Let me see what I have to work with.”

Winter stood, shook out her arms, and took a deep breath.

Erikson watched in fascination as she began to physically shift: her features hardening, her pupils expanding, a visible coldness skating across her skin.

His hairs, which were already on end from Atlantes’ magic, stiffened further.

She was a sight to behold. Even though Erikson knew she was capable of incredible destruction, there was something icily beautiful about her, too.

She was created by Mother Mage herself to bring balance to the world, and there was nothing frightening about that.

Atlantes swallowed and his muscles tensed further, while Alina gasped and shrank back.

“Okay,” she said softly. “Okay. I see what you mean, Atlantes. You weren’t exaggerating. I don’t know how long I can do this, so let’s be quick, Winter.”

Winter nodded, and Erikson was impressed that she was still holding onto her humanity and keeping the Wickedness from consuming her.

She’d used her powers more in the past few days then he imagined she ever had before, and it was clear she was already learning how to control them somewhat.

If she’d been raised as the Witches, free to experiment, he suspected she’d be an incredible weapon.

Magic rippled up Alina’s arms, like sparks off a rainbow.

“As a seer, you have a multi-planed mind. When it comes to time, there are three planes: past, present, and future. Witches can shield all three, and now that I’ve sensed your strength, I have no doubt you can learn to do the same.

First, we’re going to focus on the future.

In the beginning it will be difficult to keep the shield in place, and you’ll have to be mindful of it at all times.

Eventually it will become second nature, like being toilet trained, and your muscle memory will take over.

You should have no difficulty completely blocking out the Shadow Council with your level of power.

After today, they should never again be able to see you in future visions. ”

“Can I block my family from their visions, too?”

She thought about that. “I don’t know. I don’t know any Witches that could, but with the potency of your power . . . maybe.”

Erikson felt immobilized by the two incredible forces of nature in the room with him, and every one of his instincts was screaming that he get the hell out of there.

His entire body was reacting to the pulsing power, his cells spinning on edge and his heart pumping fiercely.

These people were only supposed to live in legends, and yet here they were, displaying a level of magic and power most people would never even know existed in their lifetimes.

He studied them in fascination, the eerie-eyed male Witch, the kind woman with magic shimmering up her arms like Mermaid scales, and his tiny, cold Wicked with her fierce mind and even fiercer heart.

Alina pressed her palm to the side of her head, indicating that the physical effects of being so close to Winter were worsening.

“You’re going to give the timeline in your mind physical form, however that may look.

You might choose to make the past, present, and future doorways, or windows, or even make them black lines, like in math class. ”

Winter closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Now that your planes have physical form, you’re going to give your power physical form as well. I like to imagine my magic as liquid rainbows. Maybe yours is ink, or a cloud, or smoke—whatever you want it to be. Give it substance.”

A muscle twitched in Winter’s cheek as she closed her eyes and focused. When she reopened them, black smoke hovered in her palms just as it had when she’d destroyed Atlantes’ network. She stared at her hands in shock, while excitement sparked in Erikson’s brain. Now this is interesting.