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“ A ll bandaged.” Sarah smiled at me after making sure I had no more amethyst embedded in my skin. “Let’s check your scratches.”

They hadn’t been hurting, so I assumed they were doing well.

She peeled the bandages back, eyes widening. “They’re gone. Not even a scar.”

“Really?” I adjusted my arm so I could see where the damage should’ve been, Seth, Caden, Yelena, Haru, and Velda peering over Sarah’s shoulder. It felt greedy to wish one more was checking on me.

“I’m going to assume the power surge healed them,” said Sarah.

“It’s certainly plausible,” replied Yelena. “How are you feeling, precious?”

“Okay, I think.”

Kendrick stepped into the infirmary, closely followed by Shakti. I squashed down the bubble of excitement, hoping Yelena wouldn’t notice, but by her sidelong glance, I was pretty sure she did.

“What happened?” Kendrick asked.

“Shattered a crystal when I came,” I replied, cheeks hot.

“You scared the shit out of everyone,” Shakti snapped. “The whole nest felt it.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I defended.

“You’ve been updated,” Yelena announced, spreading her arms wide and pushing them both back. “Now get out.”

Kendrick looked like he was ready to fight Yelena about being kicked out, but he conceded after a quick glance at me. Are you hurt?

Only a little.

I caught his smile as the door closed behind him and Shakti. Look at you, communicating without having to yell at me. Proud of you.

The pulse of lust that rushed through me at the simple praise had both Seth and Yelena eyeballing me. My cheeks threatened to burst into flame.

“We need to figure out a way to safely contain your power,” said Yelena. “I don’t know if you’re just getting stronger or you’re getting closer to your heat, but either way we can’t have you bursting gemstones.”

Does the witch book have anything about funneling power? Haru asked.

“I think there might be a tiny bit. I’ll have to read over everything again.”

We all retired to Yelena’s suite, though I really wanted to just burrow into my nest. I sat in the sunlight, flipping through Melinda’s book. Caden sat on my lap in his smallest form, reading along with me.

What about this? He tapped the corner of a page with his paw.

“A containment sigil?” I read over the sparse instructions. “Maybe. Doesn’t hurt to try, I suppose.”

“What did you find, precious?” Yelena sat next to me, pushing a glass of water into my hands. I turned the book so she could read and chugged down the cool liquid. “Can you ask your goddess?”

“I could try. I’d like to do that from my nest, though.”

“Of course.” Yelena kissed my cheek. “I suppose we should all go back to our duties. Caden can stay with you. Let us know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you.”

I carried Caden and the book down to the basement, stopping short when I saw Kendrick emerging from the room that held the artifacts and my nest. “What are you doing down here?”

“You said you shattered a crystal. I figured you would’ve been in your nest when that happened.”

I blinked at him, still confused, waiting for him to continue.

“I shook out every blanket so there wouldn’t be shards when you lay back down. I know it’s against basic protocol to touch an omega’s nest without permission, but you were occupied.”

A bubble of emotion swelled in my chest. “That’s really thoughtful.”

“I figured the others would be too busy worrying about you to think of it.”

He wasn’t wrong about that.

“It’s all ready for you. I’ll leave you be.”

“Wait. Do you know anything about sigils?”

“Unfortunately not. Is that your next research project?”

Caden wiggled out of my arms and went to check the nest.

“Just trying to prevent another explosion. I need something to contain the excess power if the stones aren’t going to do the job.”

“Use the torque.”

“How am I supposed to use it when it’s maintaining the wards?”

“It won’t collapse if we take it out.”

“Do you know that for sure or are you just saying that?”

“Do we ever know anything for sure?”

Nest is clear.

I whacked Kendrick with the book and slid past him toward my nest. “We know lots of things for sure.”

“Charge up a few things and we can put those in to replace the torque as a temporary measure. My artifact is the only wearable one. It can take anything you can dish out.”

“And if I destroy that one like I did the crystal?”

Kendrick grimaced. “Then we’re in trouble.”

I kneeled in my nest, picking up a hunk of rose quartz. “Caden, I’ll need to borrow you to charge them.”

“I’ll wait outside,” Kendrick announced.

My stomach flipped. “Stay.”

Kendrick and Caden shared a long look, and whatever they were saying to each other they kept to themselves.

Eventually Kendrick’s shoulders dropped. “All right. If Yelena genuinely tries to eat me, I’m going to need backup, though.”

“I’ll stand between you two,” I promised.

I stretched out on the blankets, hands curled over two crystals as Caden shifted back to his human form and tucked a few more against my exposed skin.

Before he could touch me, the world melted away and I was standing in the now-familiar forest Hecate always drew me to.

Hello, my dearest.

She was so beautiful I could hardly breathe, every inch of her sparkling like starlight. “Hi.”

I see you’re struggling with your final gift.

“Kendrick?” I swallowed hard.

Hecate nodded and cupped my cheeks. You’ve been so brave. I know things are tumultuous, but you’re doing well. Why are you resisting? Truly? I know it is not because you don’t want him.

“One of my bondmates hates him and he conflicts with the others.”

I do not say this to belittle your loved ones or to influence your choices, but consider what it already cost you. How long did you have to wait for Seth because you put another’s unwillingness to grow above your own needs?

“That’s not very fair.”

She smiled, stealing my breath again. I know. I never promised your path would be easy. Look at how quickly he adapted. If you approach this correctly, there is the opportunity for the others to grow in the same way.

I shivered. “I’m scared of ruining everything.”

Love is not depleted because it is shared. It only grows. You were meant to change lives, and you have. If you do not wish to do more, no one will force you. He will help you whether or not you claim him for yourself.

“You think so?”

Her soft smile swept through me, warming me from the inside out.

There are many opportunities for growth, including for yourself.

I am aware that surrendering to the path you are on is frightening.

Submission to fate is not weakness. It takes incredible strength to surrender, to trust. You know part of that bravery with your own lovers.

It is a gift to be shared and I know you will do so wisely.

“I’m supposed to surrender to Kendrick?”

Instead of answering, she kissed my forehead. You have my love regardless of what you choose.

The forest melted away, returning me to my nest. Kendrick and Caden looked like I had spooked the shit out of them.

“What the fuck was that?” Kendrick choked out.

“Sometimes Hecate borrows me.”

“Fuck. I would say don’t do that again, but you probably don’t have a choice.”

Caden stroked my hair and I melted into his touch.

“I don’t get a lot of warning for it.”

“What did she want?” Caden asked.

Another pulse of lust crashed over me, my jasmine scent rising, the crystals glowing beneath my touch. “I have to take some time to think about the message.”

At least I knew my desire for Kendrick wasn’t misplaced, but it didn’t solve the problem of most of my pack hating him.

“Ready?” Caden asked.

“Yep.”

It took so little for Caden to warm me up.

My body knew him, craved his touch, and at the first brush of his skin on mine I had reached a boiling point.

My magic poured into the stones, the light of their glow illuminating the nest. Kendrick made strategic swap-outs while Caden kissed me, his fingertips wandering down my body.

“We’re out of crystals, witchling,” Kendrick announced.

Caden pulled away and I couldn’t stop my whimper.

“Help me move these closer so I can do the trade-out.” Kendrick gathered a few of the gems and Caden picked up the others while I got myself vertical. My pussy was throbbing, begging for attention, but the safety of the nest had to come first.

I watched curiously as Kendrick maneuvered the gems through the ward and extracted the gold torque, all of us frozen and waiting for some cataclysmic response when he plucked it past the wall of energy. The wards shivered, but seemed to attach successfully to the stones.

Kendrick rose with the torque in hand and hooked it around my neck. “Yelena is going to hate this.”

I traced the warm metal. “Why?”

“In part because we fucked with the wards without getting everyone’s permission, but mostly because you’ll be walking around with something of mine around your neck. Might as well collar you and we would get the same reaction from her.”

Warmth rippled over my skin, the torque drinking it up instantly. “We don’t have a choice.”

He bent closer, and I thought he might kiss me, but it was only to examine the gold. “There’s a script etched into the metal. We should look up what they mean. Maybe that’s the answer to your sigil question.”

Caden wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing against my back. “Should we test how much it can take?”

“What if I break it?”

“You’re not the first witch to wear it in the last thousand or so years. I’m sure it can handle you.”

“Let’s fucking hope so.”