Page 53 of The Unbound Witch

I shook my head, pulling my hand away as I listened to him repeat words I once said to him. “I'm not sure I should be part of this decision, Bastian. I have no training or experience with talks of war, and we both already know how I feel about taking the Grimoires from the witches again.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but the barrier popped and was recast around us. All eyes on the king once more.

“We thank you for seeking the advice we would offer.” The larger man at the end of the table stood, lifting a golden watch on a long chain from his pocket, studying it for a moment as a marking on his forearm lit a vibrant shade of purple. “Time is not on our side, it seems. Each passing moment leaves us with a bevy of unknown. We cannot assume the witches don't intend mass destruction. In fact, we have to assume the opposite. Which means they must be hunted. Immediately. However, if we send large parties, we could imply war.”

“No,” Bastian interrupted. “If the coven leaders are to be hunted, it will be only me.”

I jerked, spinning toward him. “You cannot mean that. It's dangerous.”

He only shared a look with me before instructing the man to continue.

“They could all be together, Your Grace. The girl is right.”

Torryn stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Bastian's shoulder. “Should my king go hunting, I will join him. My life for his, should it be needed.”

My heart rattled in my chest, the reality of the situation finally sinking down upon me. This was not a conversation of hypotheticals. Nor a time when others would be the heroes. It was us. And we would likely die.

“Right, then.” The elder that resembled the shifter at the king's back stood. “If there's nothing else?”

Bastian shook his head, and the rest of them rose.

“Oh, please do say hello to the wraith on the ceiling for me,” Nonet said, sharing a smile before she left the room.

22

KIRSI

“What the hell is the point of being invisible if they know I'm here, anyway?” I asked, popping into view as I watched the old witches hobble out of the library room.

No one answered.

The king shifted to Grey, and Atlas shifted to man. For a moment, the tense room held the silence as if everyone was afraid to shatter something so precious when all that would follow was chaos.

So naturally, I swooped low, laying my back dramatically on top of the table, my hand on my forehead as I sighed. “I guess I'll just have to lie here forever, contemplating the reason for my existence.”

“That's pretty dramatic. Even for you, Wraith,” Torryn said.

I bolted upright, staring at him with my jaw open. “You're supposed to be the nice one.”

He flashed a smile, content to break the tension in the room with me. “I've always been a rule follower. It might be time for a change.”

“Oh, shit. What will that make me then?” Atlas asked, moving toward the door.

“Still annoying,” I answered.

Our antics didn't matter, though. Raven and Bastian seemed to be in their own silent world. Hands held together; heads bowed as they whispered.

I cleared my throat, grabbing their attention. “What's the plan?”

Grey’s green eyes met mine. “I need to check on the castle residents that are now here and make sure they are comfortable for the time being. I also need to see Alexander Firewing about reconstructing my home. Meet back here in an hour. Then back to Crescent Cottage. We will figure it out from there.”

* * *

I wandered aimlesslybehind Grey and Raven. His broad shoulders matched Bastian, but the blond hair still threw me. He walked through the Fire Coven as confidently as anyone that had spent their whole life running the streets and hiding between the brick buildings. I could picture him now, a little dark haired, gray-eyed boy with a silly grin, racing beside a white wolf as they collided with patrons, laughing and stealing loaves of bread simply because they were in too big of a hurry to purchase it. Too distracted by the innocence of a child to care for anything beyond the thrill of one moment to the next. Before his parents were murdered, before the world had shifted into what it was now.

I wasn't ready. Picturing the childhood of the king had kept me so distracted, when the beautiful golden-brown goddess who had captured my heart the first time I'd ever laid eyes on her rounded the corner, my whole world stopped.

I vanished, but not quick enough. She'd seen me. The little black panther on her heels had not. She halted, the easy smile on her soft, gorgeous face fading away as if it had never really been there. Though I remained invisible, her eyes hadn't moved from where I hovered above the ground. She'd seen me, but the look on her face indicated she didn't believe her own eyes.