Chapter 12

Willow was feeling restless. She had only agreed to stay behind while Feno and Vander went in search of answers from the wolf shifter. She knew from her vision that the wolf would have answers.

The moon was high, and her skin crawled with the electric nature of her powers. She walked to the patio door of Feno’s condo, pushed the door open, and walked outside. Strolling to the edge of the brick patio, she kicked her shoes off and shifted her satchel across her body. She smiled, raising her face and arms toward the sky, feeling the moon’s energy seep into her. She stepped into the grass, loving the feel of the chilled blades between her toes.

She giggled and twirled in circles. Even though this was a tense time searching for her grandmother, the moon’s rays lifted her spirits. She slowed her motions and stumbled, dizzy from her spinning, and laughed.

She sat on the grass, folded her legs beneath her, and tilted her head back to meditate beneath the moon. The moon was full of mystery, power, and energy, and a witch performing a spell beneath it would be enhanced.

She was desperate to find her grandmother. She would do what she must to find her.

She reached into her bag and brought out the few items she would need.

Salt to surround herself to ward off evil spirits. She wouldn’t want any spirits to try to interfere with the spell she was about to perform.

Feno was not there to protect her while she performed it, so she quickly drew a circle around herself for protection. She rested her wrists on her knees and relaxed, readying her mind for the spell.

It was important that she be able to focus on the task at hand. As if sensing that a powerful witch was about to cast a spell, the woods behind his home quieted.

She spoke her spell into existence, feeling the rush of power from the moon. It wasn’t as strong as when she merged her powers with Feno, but it should do.

The air around her swirled, lifting her dark locks from her neck. She closed her eyes and gave her powers to the moon. The quietness surrounded her, allowing her to concentrate on making a connection with her grandmother.

The sound of the wind died down, and she opened her eyes.

A bright light met her, her hands rising to her face to block it. She blinked a few times and looked around, finding herself in the interdimensional space that she’d met her grandmother in before.

But there was no sign of her grandmother.

“Grandmother?” Willow called out.

Silence greeted her.

Her heart sped up in fear. Last time she’d reached out, her grandmother had immediately been there. She turned in a full circle, seeing nothing but the white background.

“Willow.”

Her grandmother’s weak voice had her turning, frantic to see her.

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw a transparent version of her grandmother. Her image was waning fast.

“What’s the matter, Grandmother?” She ran to her, unable to feel her. She reached for Delia, but her hand passed through her image.

“My powers are weakening. Please hurry, my child. I’m not sure how much longer I can last.” Her grandmother’s voice was filled with pain.

“Have they harmed you?” she asked.

“They’ve figured out that I have connected with you and have placed a witch catcher around my neck to keep me from using my powers. Thankfully, you and I are both strong enough to reach each other through the contraption.”

“I’m going as fast as I can. Please, hold on,” she begged. The contraption her grandmother spoke of would not allow a witch to absorb new powers from the elements.

Not being able to draw energy would certainly cause a witch to die.

“I shall, my child. I haven’t lived this long just to have rogue shifters to take me out.” A small smile appeared on her tired, drawn face. “Feno comes to you, my dear. He brings you one of the shifters. The magic you will need will be dark, and it will come to you.”

“Dark?”

She blinked, and her grandmother was gone. Only whiteness surrounded her. She sighed and pulled back on her powers.

Dark magic? She had never used dark magic before. It had always been prohibited by her coven to even dabble in it.

She opened her eyes when a sound off in the distance grabbed her attention. She turned to find Feno dragging a figure behind him, with Vander and another large man, she assumed was a dragon shifter, walked behind the captive.

“Feno.” She stood from the ground, frozen in place.

He threw a man at her feet.

“Can you retrieve memories from him?”

Willow looked closer at the figure lying at her feet and jumped as he stirred. By the black and blue that surrounded his face, she knew Feno had not gone easy on him.

It was the shifter from the bar and from her vision.

Dark magic.

How did her grandmother know what Feno was going to ask her to do?

She swallowed hard and glanced around before her gaze landed on Feno.

“I’m not sure. I know how to project my memories onto someone, but I’m not sure if I can pull his memories from him.”

“Can you try?” he asked, his eyes softening.

“We’re not supposed to,” she began, but her mouth shut. She thought of what her grandmother had mentioned about dark magic. “But I think I know how. I’ll be right back.”

She jogged into the house and ran up to Feno’s bedroom. Grabbing her small bag that held all of her belongings, she withdrew a worn leatherbound book that she hid in a secret compartment. It belonged to her grandmother and was something else she’d been able to take from her house before she was banned by the coven.

No one knew she had taken it the night she’d run.

She was the rightful heir to her grandmother’s coven, and the book belonged to them. She had sworn to keep it safe and knew she should not leave it behind.

She stood from her perch and made her way through the house, her stomach bunched up in nerves. This was a part of her training that she had yet to receive. If she was to become a high priestess, learning dark magic was part of the training needed to master all of witchcraft.

“I might be able to do it,” she announced, returning outside where Feno and his men still surrounded the shifter.

She nervously glanced down at the book in her hands, knowing it had to be what her grandmother was speaking of.

“What is that?” Feno’s eyes were locked on the heavy book that she cradled against her chest.

“My grandmother’s spell book.”

This book housed the spells of her elderly grandmother, passed down from her mother and her mother before her. Someday, Willow hoped to add her own personal touches to the book and pass it down to her daughter. It was a book that would continue their name forever.

“And what you need is in there?” Feno asked.

“It should be. I’ll need light to see.” She knelt on the ground a few feet from the growling shifter. “He’s not going to shift, is he?”

“Vander.” Feno’s low command sent his brother over to the writhing man.

His low growls made Willow nervous. Even if she could pull off the spell, would she gain much from the vicious wolf? He would need to remain human for the spell to work.

Vander drew back his arm and slammed his fist into the wolf’s jaw, sending him sprawling through the air and landing on the ground with a heavy thud. The night air was quieted as he lay unconscious.

“Thank you,” she murmured. She opened the book and squinted, trying to see the words written on the aged pages. A light appeared over her head, casting a soft glow on the pages, allowing her to see the handwritten spells. She gazed up to find the other man standing next to her with a small flashlight.

“Here you go. By the way, I’m Jodos. Your mate’s been very rude in not introducing us. These two ugly mugs are my best friends.”

Feno cursed, which brought a smile to her face.

“I’m Willow. Nice to meet you.”

“Well, if you ever tire of that ornery old-timer over there?—”

“Jodos!” Feno cut off his friend’s offering.

She laughed, loving that Feno was actually jealous of his friend. His eyes were narrowed, and it was quite obvious he wouldn’t hesitate in defending her against him.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m more than happy with my choice of mate.”

Jodos scoffed and shook his head.

“Spell. Shifter. Find Delia,” Feno snapped.

She chuckled and glanced back down at the book. She slowly flipped the pages, searching for the perfect spell.

“I can’t read the words. What language is that?” Jodos leaned closer.

“This book is protected by a spell. Only blood relatives of its creator will be able to read the words written on the pages,” she responded, turning the page.

“That’s cool,” Vander said.

She saw the awe on his face.

“It’s a witch thing. Security. We wouldn’t want a book like this to pass into the wrong hands.” Her eyes flew across the pages, continuing to search.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized she’d finally come to a section reserved for the dark spells. She didn’t recognize the handwriting, but it could have been her grandmother or great-grandmother’s print.

It had only been a few minutes, but she would have sworn hours had gone by. She peered up, and her eyes locked on the unmoving body of the shifter.

“Have you found it?” Feno’s voice broke the silence.

She nodded and went back to the book. Her fingers tingled; the book pulsed.

It was the right one.

Time for her to have her first lesson in dark magic.