Page 46 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)
“That is correct,” I said, not wanting to get into coven politics at this time. But I knew what it could mean when a member of a coven, particularly the president, didn’t participate in a ritual of this magnitude. Mandy had pulled a risky move, and the payoff might not be what she hoped for.
“Sloane, I’m Felicity’s mum.” A woman with messy hair and tired eyes gave her finger to be pricked.
“Oh my goddess, how is she?” Sloane’s eyes filled with concern.
“Much better today, thank you. A few broken bones, but nothing that won’t heal with time. Thank you for being there for her.”
“I didn’t do anything. Raven did.” Sloane gestured to her friend.
“You brought comfort when you could. It mattered.” She squeezed Sloane’s hand and stepped back as member after member of the town came forward to support Sloane.
Until the very last person stepped forward.
“Dad!” Sloane exclaimed.
I’d never met Sloane’s father in person before, and I straightened my shoulders as he came forward. We’d seen each other in passing, when I was growing up, but once the girls had moved, he’d disappeared into the hills.
I’d sent Henry to find him. Even though Sloane was of the same bloodline, I’d wanted her to see that people would show up .
And he’d come. Just as I expected he would.
Sloane’s eyes filled again, and this time the tears spilled over as he gathered her in his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m not sure my blood will add much more to the ritual than yours, but I’m putting a whole lot of love in there with it.
” His voice was low, gruff, against her hair, and even I felt like I might cry.
We all looked discreetly away as they hugged, and then Sloane pulled back, wiping at her tears as Russell stepped forward and added the final drop to the cauldron.
“Right, shall we?” Broca raised a hand, but a bark interrupted her.
Blue erupted from the other side of the room, and Sloane gasped, her hands going automatically into the air as he swooped across the room in that lovely, wobbly, funny way of his, landing clumsily in her arms. He looked up at her, his smile on his face, and raised a paw.
“He wants to add his blood.” Sloane half laughed through her tears.
“A drop of dragon’s blood. That’s a mighty gift,” Russell said.
“I agree. What a gem wee Blue is,” Dorothy said.
“I don’t want to hurt him, though,” Sloane said, turning to look at me.
“Won’t hurt him a bit. Their paws are scales. See?” Russell turned Blue’s paws to show the vibrant scales, and then quickly pricked it before Sloane could protest any more. A drop of iridescent blood splattered into the cauldron, and the contents began to move of their own accord.
“I think that means it’s ready.” Broca stirred, and then tilted the cauldron, pouring the drink into a quaich to be passed around among everyone. Broca called the circle, and placed the hematite stones.
Together, the descendants of Briarhaven recited the ritual.
“By blood that bound, by love now freed,
Let this curse be undone in word and deed.
Honey sweet, whisky strong,
Upend this heartache to right a wrong.”
Three times we recited it, our voices united, many of us reading from the text message I’d sent with the ritual earlier that day. At the end, light flashed inside the empty cauldron, the air shimmered, and then quiet descended on the pub.
“There’s something in the cauldron,” Broca said.
Sloane bent over and reached in, pulling out a stone.
“It’s a piece of pink quartz.” Sloane held it up. “But it’s broken.”
“Is it part of a heart?” Nova said, stepping forward to examine it. “See how it curves? It looks like a piece of a broken heart.”
As one, the MacGregor sisters slumped, their eyes filling.
“It didn’t work,” Lyra muttered, her huge eyes sad. “What are we supposed to do with a piece of broken quartz?”
“?‘Three fragments mended, a heart restored, let curse unwind, its chains no more.’?” Sloane turned, hugging Blue to her chest. “The line that didn’t make sense. In my book.”
“That’s your piece,” Broca said, nodding knowingly. “I told you. ‘Three sisters to right a wrong, a heart shattered, once again strong.’?”
“This is part of the heart,” Sloane murmured, turning the piece in her hand.
“The snow… It’s gone.” Lyra clapped her hands to her mouth, and we all turned to look.
That had been the silence that had fallen, I realized.
I’d grown so used to the howling of the wind outside that I hadn’t realized that the storm had not only disappeared, but it had taken the rest of the snow with it.
Not a single flake remained. Sunlight filtered through the tree branches, a few still stubbornly having held on to their amber leaves, and fluffy clouds dotted the azure sky.
The army of snow sculptures were nothing but puddles on the front lawn.
We all gaped out the window, and then cheers erupted.
“Drinks are on the house,” Liam called, and we all cheered again.
I turned and scooped up Sloane, pressing my lips to hers in the kiss of all kisses. I needed her to feel, down to her very stubborn toes, how much I loved her.
“Ahem.” A throat cleared behind me, and I lifted my head from Sloane’s to grin at her father. “I love her, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Right, that’ll do.” Russell tapped two fingers to his head in a gentle salute, and then faded away, likely slipping back to the quiet of the hills he now called home.
“I love you too,” Sloane said, and Blue bobbed his head in her arms, before barking once. “Blue says he does too.” A lightness filled me, like a thousand champagne bubbles exploding, and the remaining tension that threaded my shoulders eased. She was really mine to keep.
“How do you feel about joining our pack, Blue?” I asked, bending down to kiss his furry little forehead. He swiped his rough tongue up the side of my face, and I took that to mean he approved. Then he wriggled out of Sloane’s arms to launch himself around the room, and I pulled her close.
“You’re staying.” It wasn’t really a question, but still I needed to hear it.
“I’m staying,” Sloane agreed, and laughed when I pulled her tight.
I just needed to hold her close, to know she was mine, forever, hopefully, but for as long as she’d give me for now.
“I’m worried, though. It’s only one part of the heart.
Which means… we haven’t fully broken the curse, have we?
Something else will happen, won’t it? With Lyra? ”
“Hush, darling.” Broca stepped forward, having overheard Sloane’s words. “We’ll have a respite for now. Lyra has some time until she gets her magick. I suspect the curse will rear its head the closer we get to that. For now, just breathe. Tonight we celebrate. But tomorrow?”
“What’s tomorrow?” Sloane leaned forward, hanging on Broca’s words.
“Tomorrow, we have a wee fight on our hands.” The light of battle shone in Broca’s eyes.
“What’s happening? Tell me,” Sloane, my little control freak, demanded. Broca turned and raised an eyebrow at me.
“Right, on it.” With that, I tossed Sloane over my shoulder and took her out the door and home to my castle, where, for once, she didn’t need to be in charge of everything.
And tomorrow, we’d fight whatever Broca’s battle was. Together.