Page 13

Lilith

W e pull into the driveway, and I jump out of the car. I am excited to get back to the library. Leli seems just as excited when she gets out. Kael grabs her bags and sets them inside before we walk to the library.

“Has anyone ever taught you how to shift?” she asks.

“Ah, yes. Someone I grew up with was supposed to teach me but never got the chance,” I say.

“Witches can shift into foxes,” she says to Kael, and he laughs.

“You shut up,” I laugh at Kael. “This started with Kael being a dick. I was trying not to out myself, so they kept telling me to shift if I was a fox shifter. I really could have all along?”

“Oh yeah. That’s how witches have blended so well. You were in an orphanage, so it makes sense why you were never taught,” she says. “If you are going to be in the public eye, you need to be able to shift.”

“You are going to be a very small fox,” Kael says.

“Is that a short joke?” I ask with a deadpan expression.

“He’s right, though. Female foxes average five foot four. You are what… Five even?”

“Four foot ten,” I laugh. “The guys are around six foot seven.”

“It’s a good thing you’re a witch,” she laughs.

“They’ve had fox shifter maidens,” I remind her.

“Yeah, but I highly doubt they’ve fucked any of them shifted,” she says.

“We haven’t,” Kael says as we walk through the dark. “But we will.”

“You think,” I laugh. It’s dark as hell out here.

“I could light the woods up with a nice red glow,” Kael says with a grin. I shake my head at him and extend my arms with my palms up.

“ Lumina ,” I say. A ball of light starts to form, and I roll it in my hands to brighten it while forming it.

“That’s so cool,” Kael remarks.

“That’s a decently high-level spell. Especially to do it flawlessly like that.”

“That rose that the little boy gave me, by the time we got to the car, it looked like it was just picked,” I say.

“It wasn’t like that when he gave it to you. It was wilted,” Kael says.

“I know. I think it was something with my magia. I’m not sure. I didn’t do anything to it,” I say.

“You are just coming into more power. You are a high witch,” she says. “What else can you do?”

“I’m really good at healing myself,” I say.

“She’s good at electrocuting people,” Kael says.

“You wouldn’t have gotten shocked if you hadn’t done that,” I remind him.

“Okay, so I’ll work with you on the basics, like shifting. We should plan to go to Voradia in two weeks. That will give me time to teach you what you need to know before they take over training you,” she says.

“Two weeks should be plenty of time for us to make sure shit doesn’t collapse while we are gone,” Kael says. “I assume we will be there for a while?”

“We need to find more information on the prophecy to know what exactly is going to happen. Maybe narrow down a time frame. We will need to be back here before anything happens,” she says.

“According to that vision, a war,” I say. “A bad one.”

“Yeah. We won’t be able to prevent it. The point of the prophecy is to win the war. For that to happen, you have to be trained.”

“So… is it normal for a witch to glow when you get off?” I ask.

“Glow?”

“Yeah. Like a subtle red glow from her abdomen. The more intense the orgasm, the brighter it is,” Kael says as we stop in front of the library.

“No. That’s not normal for a witch,” she says.

“But you don’t seem all that surprised,” I say.

“Look… like I said before… There are just some things that I am forbidden from explaining. The moment you step off of that plane, there will be people there to make things make sense for you,” she says. “If it wasn’t the fact that it is legitimately important that I keep my mouth shut, I would tell you.”

“Okay,” I sigh.

“So why weren’t we able to see the library before?” Kael asks.

“It’s protected from those who do not belong. Until you mated, you didn’t belong here. The only reason I can see it is because she is here. The spell that is protecting it will recognize her as the one who has purpose here,” she explains.

“My family Book of Shadows was here. I assume my mom put it in here before she died,” I say. “I know there is so much that I don’t know. I don’t even know where to begin since you can’t tell me anything.”

“The library is a great place to start,” she says with a smile.

“Anything else you can tell me?” I ask. When she doesn’t say anything, I just roll my eyes and go into the library. I know it’s not her fault. She seems genuine that whatever is going on is important, and I need to be in the other country for them to tell me what’s going on. Hopefully, I can find something here that can help fill in some blanks.

The three of us split up and look around. Kael looks completely lost as he looks at different books. All of this is so overwhelming to see. There are hundreds of books here, and I have no idea where to start. I doubt these random research books are why this building was hidden. I decide to focus on the outside wall. I feel like if they had something to hide, they would’ve put it there.

I can’t help but be annoyed that she won’t tell me anything. It’s grating on my nerves to know that she has the answers but cannot tell me.

“Can you at least tell me if I’m going to get murdered or something? I am expected to just hop on a plane and go to a different country with someone who can’t tell me what the fuck is going on. I have no idea where we are going or how long we will be gone. For all I know, it’s a trap,” I say.

“It’s not a trap,” she says.

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?” I ask with an attitude.

“What did your mom tell you?” she asks.

“That the guys and I were part of the prophecy, and then I needed to come here,” I say with a sigh.

“So maybe we should just start here first,” she says. “No one is saying you are not allowed to know. I’m just not the one that’s allowed to tell you. The answers to the questions you are asking are in this building. I promise everything starts here.”

“Hey, look at this,” Kael says. We follow his voice until we find him on the other side of the building. He has an old wooden chest sitting on a table. “It won’t open, but I found it behind a bunch of books.”

Leli pulls at the lid, but it doesn’t budge. She frowns at the chest with her hands on her hips. “Surely it opens somehow,” she says.

“Are you opening it from the right side?” I ask as I walk closer.

“Yeah. Try it,” she says.

I go to the box and expect to have to put force into trying to open the box. When I pull at the lid, it opens with ease. “Is this a joke?” I say as I open the box up completely.

“Woah,” she says as she pulls an athame out of the wooden box. It is a ceremonial blade made of obsidian. I take it from her to inspect it closer. It’s beautiful.

“You look entirely too happy holding a knife,” Kael jokes. I smile at him as I set the blade on the table.

Next, I pull out a circlet made of a simple silver wire. It dips in the front, right where my brow would be with two more wires twisting around the primary band. I set it next to the blade and pull a wooden goblet out. It looks to be made out of red oak and has three different claws wrapped around the stem of the glass. On the side of the goblet are three carvings: a bear, a dragon, and a panther. I smile and hand the cup to Kael.

“Woah,” Kael says as he turns the cup in his hand to look at the carvings. “This is amazing. But it also makes me think we are connected to you by more than just mates.”

“Because you are,” Leli says as she pulls a necklace out and hands it to me. It’s a witch’s knot on a silver chain. I set it down before pulling out a piece of ripped parchment paper.

“I have no idea what that says,” I say as I hand the paper to Leli.

“Yeah, this is old Voldarian,” she says. “I might be able to pick out a few words here and there, but it’s not taught or spoken anymore. I know some of the elders are still fluent. I speak regular Voldarian, but they are very different.”

“This is getting annoying,” I huff. “I am being expected to trust people I’ve never spoken with. I have no idea what their intentions are with me. I am only just realizing that I have spent the last five years being raped regularly, so excuse me for being hesitant to jump on a plane to go visit people that could be worse than Zypher and Morwen. For all I know, you are no better than the dark witches that started this bullshit and cursed their families to begin with.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask…” she starts to say.

“Do you?” I ask, raising my voice. “You may have dealt with Zypher and Morwen for a few days, but I went through that for five years. For five fucking years I had no reprieve from what he made me do every single day.”

“I know,” she says softly. “No one is saying this isn’t hard for you. I can’t understand what you have gone through. I came here with the understanding that there was a possibility that you have been traumatized for your entire life. I was warned that you may be reluctant.”

“You either give me answers right now or the world can burn for all I care,” I say seriously.

“No. I can get in contact with Mazvyn,” she says with a sigh. “Let’s go back to the house. The chest is safer here than anywhere else, so we can come back tomorrow.”

“Why is it safer here than in the house?” I ask with a frown.

“Because you are the only one who can get in. No one will be able to enter unless you are also here and willing to allow entry,” she explains.

“Who is Mazvyn?” I ask.

“He’s on the council. He is the one who set up the program to send us to find you. I was supposed to reach out to him when I found you anyway; I’ve just not had a moment to do it.”

“Fine,” I say as I start placing the items back into the box. I slam the lid shut and look back at her. “Let’s go.”

Leli sits beside me and places a bowl of water on the coffee table that she has pulled close to us. Kael has his arm around my waist as he sits on my other side. We watch as she sprinkles herbs into the water before pulling a small folding knife from her pocket.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“The communication spell requires blood to connect me to Mazvyn,” she says as she makes a small cut on her palm and lets the blood drop into the water. When the last drop hits the water, she murmurs, “ Mazvyn .”

The water begins to swirl in the bowl and emits a soft white glow until it forms a mirror. A face appears in the bowl of a man. He looks to be in his mid-forties. He has jet-black hair and pale white skin. His eyes are a piercing, icy blue. Something about him gives me a sense of familiarity, like I had with the wisp. When his eyes meet mine, they widen.

“Lilith…,” he chokes out. “T-They found you.”

“She found me, technically,” Leli says. “She was pulled from the home she was placed in. I was her replacement. Do you want to know all of it?”

“Yes,” he says simply.

“Are you sure?” she asks cautiously.

“Leli,” Mazvyn frowns.

“Alright,” she shrugs. “Lilith was pulled from Zypher Fallins’ home to report to Morwen, the mayor. He sent her to the Capitol to the Three Kings. When she saw them, they figured out they were mates. I’m not entirely sure what led to them finding out she’s a witch, but she ended up explaining to them what happened with Zypher and Morwen. When they came to the house today, Lilith was able to get me alone outside so we could talk. She told me they were her mates, so I told her we had been looking for her. She explained she had a dream where she talked with Ashara and her mother told her about the prophecy. This is the point where her mom got her to realize that she was being assaulted, which led them all to Zypher’s house today.” Leli takes in a deep breath as she waits for his response.

“Outside of being a maiden?” Mazvyn asks with anger in his tone.

“Yes,” she says softly. His eyes flash red for a moment, letting his anger slip through. “They told Zypher that she is their mate and the queen. She more or less made Zypher submit to her after removing him from the council. We left and went to Morwen’s office. In short, he was removed from his position as mayor. They publicly announced that she would be crowned as queen in a week. We will be coming there in two weeks.”

“If…” I start to say.

“If she agrees. And she hasn’t yet,” Leli finishes for me.

“Why haven’t you agreed?” He asks, his eyes turning to me. His demeanor with me is far different than with Leli.

“To be blunt, I spent the five years being owned by someone who has let almost forty people assault me regularly. Never mind Morwen and being assaulted by that guard. I have been hurt and alone my entire life. I’m not confident that this isn’t a trap. There is so much that I don’t know, but when I ask Leli, she tells me she is forbidden from saying. I need more than having to have blind faith in people I don’t know. I very well could be walking into another situation where I get repeatedly raped again. No one is telling me anything,” I say honestly. I notice his anger when I talk about the rapes.

“Lilith,” he says before pausing. “I can promise you that no one in this country will harm you.”

“I appreciate that, but words aren’t enough when I’ll have no way to escape if you’re lying to me.”

Mazvyn turns and pulls a necklace from where it’s hanging on a wall behind him. “This belonged to your mother,” he says as he holds it up so we can see it. It’s an identical witch’s knot to the one in the box. “It was a symbol of their coven. I’ve kept it where I can see it every day for the past twenty-three years, as a reminder to myself that I had to find you… For her.”

“You’ve had it since she died?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says. “When I received word that she went into labor with you and she had been captured… I made a promise that I wouldn’t stop until I got you back. I’ve had people in that country looking for you since you were a month old.”

“Wow…” I say quietly. This man has dedicated more than two decades to finding me in memory of my mother. No one would do that if they were plotting against me. He also seems genuine. There is something about him that makes me want to instantly trust him. I didn’t question following the wisp, so why would I question this? “Okay.” I say quietly.

“Okay?” he asks with a smile.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “We will fly there in two weeks. We need to give it some time for things to settle after the ceremony.”

“Did they face consequences for assaulting you?” he asks.

“Morwen definitely did,” Leli laughs, making me smile.

“Zypher lost his seat on the council and his home. Morwen was removed from his position and put into a janitorial position. The guard… I’m not sure.”

“Daemon and Callum are… Feeding him to a lake monster,” Kael says.

“That doesn’t even shock me with Daemon,” I laugh. “Yeah, so they were punished or killed.”

“Alright… I have many more questions, but they can wait until we can sit and talk face-to-face. We will know when you are close, so I will meet you when you land,” he says. “Kael, right?”

“Yes,” Kael replies simply.

“Who will be flying you all here?” he asks.

“I will. The plane belongs to us, but I am more versed in longer travel,” he says. “Do you have any shifting restrictions in place that we should be aware of?”

“No. You all are free to shift. Daemon is the Dragon shifter, yes?” Mazvyn asks.

“Yes.”

“Just be sure to tell him to stay on land and not to fly out over the water. He won’t be able to see the barrier, and it won’t be fun for him if he hits it.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him,” Kael says.

“Lilith is your mate. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

“No. I feel that the necklace and your dedication to finding her speaks for itself,” Kael says. “I can’t promise you that Daemon won’t be overprotective, but he and Callum will be respectful unless given a reason not to be.”

“Understood,” Mazvyn says.

“I’ve kept the line open for a lot longer than I should,” Leli says. “I will reach out again if something happens, but assume no news is good news.”

“Alright. Don’t let me hold you all up,” he says. “Be safe, and I will see you all soon.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“You’re welcome, Lilith,” he says with a soft smile. Leli touches the surface of the water, and the connection to Mazvyn breaks, causing his face to disappear into the swirling water. When it settles, Leli turns to me.

“Is that enough reassurance for you to trust me?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say. “I hope you understand that I’m not trying to be a bitch.”

“I know. I would be extremely hesitant too. It took me a few weeks to decide to come here.”

“Is he nice?” I ask. “Mazvyn seems… I don’t know how to word it… He just seems trustworthy.”

“He is the most loyal person I have ever met. If he says something, he means it. It killed him that he couldn’t come here to look for you himself, so he made sure we were all trained. He has been dedicated to this for basically my entire life and has the full support of the country.”

“That’s good to know that so many people were looking out for me, even if no one was able to directly help.”

“Yeah,” she smiles.

“Leli, the first door on the right is where I took your bags. There is a connecting bathroom that should have everything you need. I’ll need both of you to make us a list of the things you need or want, and we will get it,” Kael says. “No matter if it’s magic or personal, put it all on a list.”

“Okay. Thank you for letting me stay here,” she says.

“You’re welcome,” Kael smiles.

“Understand this though… Lilith is my priority. Her safety and her getting to Voradia will always come first. If you harm her or get in the way, we can complete the prophecy without you,” she says with warning in her tone.

“I understand,” Kael says. “We will prove to you that we are trustworthy.”

“Alright,” she chirps. “I’m going to go rest now.”

“I’m going to go study that Book of Shadows,” I say. “Until I pass out at least.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kael chuckles and kisses my temple.

“Have a good night,” I say to Leli when she gets up.

“You too,” she says with a smile before walking down the hallway.

I stand up and stretch while Kael grabs the bowl. “Go up and get ready for bed and read. I’ll be up in a second,” he says, kissing me.

When I get to the bedroom, I steal one of Kael’s shirts and wear it with just underwear. It is massive on me, but it’s comfortable. I prop the book against the pillow and lie on my belly, propped on my elbows, under the covers to flip through the Book of Shadows.

There is so much in here that I don’t recognize, but also plenty that I’ve at least heard of. I am confident I can learn what I need to in the next two weeks. I’m excited to find out what I will be capable of doing. I assume being a high witch would mean I will hold a lot of power, but I am sure I will find out in time.

Kael comes into the room and pulls the covers off of me. “Hi,” I say as I read.

“Hi,” he says sweetly as he runs his hand up my leg and squeezes my inner thigh, making me gasp softly. He drags my underwear down my thighs before pulling them off and tossing them to the floor. Butterflies collect in my belly when he spreads my legs. When he gets onto the bed, he settles between them and I am forced to spread more for him so that I can stay comfortable. Sitting like this completely exposes me to him.

“Kael,” I groan and lay my head down when he squeezes my ass with both of his hands.

“Read to me,” he says as he pushes two fingers into me.

“Fuck,” I moan.

“Come on,” he says as he slowly works my body. “Read to me, little witch.”

I start reading the list of herbs I am looking at. I start to stutter on every word as he begins to quicken his pace slightly. I am jumping all over the page, and I don’t think I’m even making sense as I moan my words. Kael moves to his knees and plants his hands on either side of my body.

“I can’t keep reading,” I whine.

“You’ve got this, pretty girl,” he says in a hushed tone before kissing my neck. “Be my good girl and read to me while I use your tight little holes.”

“Oh, Kael,” I groan when he slowly sinks into me.

“Read to me, Lilith,” he repeats. I resume my reading and struggle to get the words out while he slowly fucks me. My body is tingling as he brings me to the edge of an orgasm and lets me dangle over the edge without letting me fall. I am saying words, but none of them can be understood. At a certain point, I give up and put my head down. I groan when he gives me a disapproving tut.

“Fuck, Kael. I can’t keep reading,” I whine when he pulls out of me. Kael moves the book before pulling my arms behind my back and pulling me up onto my knees.

“You did good, Lilith,” he says sweetly. “Now it’s time for my sweet little witch to get rewarded.”

I groan deeply when he starts to fill my ass. I keep my body relaxed as he begins to fuck me. With each stroke, he goes harder and pushes deeper. Kael lets go of my arms, and I pull them under me right as he slaps my ass. I moan loudly, and he does it again. The pain stings through me and leaves my skin scorching in its wake. I have this pulsating pressure in my belly that suddenly bursts out of me. An orgasm rushes through my brain, and I yell my pleasure, only to be muffled by the bed as he fucks me through his own rapidly building climax. Kael moans my name as he fills me with his come.

He moves onto the bed beside me as I lie flat and fight to catch my breath. “Holy shit,” I say breathlessly. Kael chuckles and gets up.

“Stay there,” he says. Kael goes to the bathroom and returns with a towel to clean me with. I am so exhausted that I don’t complain. Once he is done, he lies in bed with me and rubs my back.

“I’m happy I’m with you guys,” I mumble.

“We are happy to be with you as well,” Kael says as he kisses my head. “Go to sleep, Lilith.”