Chapter 8

Feno flew higher, heading toward a mountainous region to try to figure out which mountain or hill Delia could be hidden in.

Sunny had discovered there was a pack of rogues that had moved into Westwend recently. It wasn’t known if they would be staying to join the local packs. Feno would have to make contact with the local packs to see if they’d spoken with the rogues. Wolves could be territorial when it came to rogues moving in on their land.

The clouds parted as his dragon pushed on.

“Where the hell have you been?” Vander scoffed at him through their telepathic link.

He hadn’t spoken to his brother over the past few days since he’d met Willow. He would have to introduce her to the family.

Yesterday at the lake had been earth-shattering for him. Now he understood why his brother was so protective over Faye. Vander had come close to losing Faye when an evil dragon named Gamair had gone after her. He had kidnapped Faye from Vander’s castle. Feno and Jodos had immediately helped hunt Gamair down and destroyed the black dragon.

“I’ve got a lot going on. I’ll have to explain later.” He didn’t even know how to tell his brother that he had found his mate.

“Does it have something to do with the woman who was with you when Winston picked you up the other night?”

What the hell? Why would Winston go blabbing to Vander about him picking up a woman? Well, he guessed this was his way to share with his brother that he had found his mate.

“Winston needs to mind his own damn business,” he muttered.

“Don’t go blaming him. You never take a woman back to your condo. She has to be special , ” Vander said.

Feno’s keen shifter eyes took in the mountains but didn’t see anything. He decided to get a little closer so he could ensure that the mountain was empty.

“ Willow’s my mate, ” he admitted and coasted near the land.

“Mate? You’ve found your mate and you didn’t think to tell anyone? ” Vander’s voice held a hint of hurt to it.

“Don’t be such a pansy.” Feno snorted. “She’s the granddaughter of Delia.”

“ The high priestess?” Vander whistled. “ Isn’t her coven trying to banish the granddaughter?”

Feno growled at the mention of her banishment. He dipped down farther, taking in the land, but only wild animals ran to hide at the presence of his beast cutting through the sky. He pulled back up, determining that the region was free of rogues.

“ Willow’s innocent. Someone’s framing her.”

“You’re trying to help her find Delia?” Vander asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

“What do you need me to do?” Vander asked without hesitation.

“Contact the alpha of the Red Fang Pack. See if they got word of rogues moving in. From what we can find out, Delia was taken by rogues who are here in Westwend.”

“Got it,” Vander replied. “And Feno? Congratulations, brother. I can’t wait to meet Willow.”

His dragon was anxious to get back to Willow. She’d been sleeping this morning when he had left the house. She’d been drained of her energy and needed to rest. He had left her a note that he would return soon. He picked up speed and turned toward his condo in town. It was time to take her to his castle, his real home. The one that he had spent most of his life preparing for the day he would meet his mate.

* * *

Willow opened her eyes and sensed the bed beside her was empty. She rolled onto her side to look where Feno had slept. She ran her hand across the sheets and found them cold.

“Feno?” she called out.

Nothing.

The house was quiet except for the gentle hum of the electricity brimming throughout. She slid to the edge of the bed and paused when a white piece of paper on the nightstand captured her attention. She reached for it, mesmerized by the bold strokes of Feno’s writing.

Willow,

You were asleep, and I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I will go and search the highest mountains near us. It’s quicker in my shifted form. I shall return soon.

Yours forever,

Feno

She traced the boldness of his name, feeling his essence permeate from the small piece of paper. She smiled at the words Yours forever . Feno Kelmyar was her life mate. She thought of the rush of power she’d felt when they’d merged, and knew that together, they would be able to defeat any enemy.

Willow rose from the bed with a wide grin on her face. The euphoric feeling she was experiencing couldn’t be shattered by anything. She grabbed a button-down shirt from Feno’s closet to cover her nakedness. His shirt was extremely large on her. It easily made its way to her knees, and the sleeves engulfed her hands. She folded the arms up and walked down the stairs.

She was curious about Feno and wandered through the house for the first time, noting his condo was plain and clean. Not too many mementos around it.

This would have to change.

She floated into the kitchen as her stomach growled. The refrigerator revealed that Feno was not a cook. She stood and stared into the empty contraption.

“What are we supposed to eat?” she muttered with a laugh.

She opened the cabinets and found coffee grounds and grew excited to make herself a good cup of coffee.

A slight movement from the corner of her eye had her turning and looking out the glass patio doors that led outside.

Nothing.

“Must have been an animal,” she murmured, turning back to the single-serving coffee maker that sat on the counter. She went back to the fridge and found creamer in the door and closed it, just as movement again had her turning. This time, she saw a yard filled with witches.

Her heart slammed against her chest. Were they here to send her away from Westwend? She knew she wasn’t welcome, but this was a little bit much if it took this many people to make her leave. She sat the creamer on the counter by the coffee maker before walking over to the patio door.

Willow stared out and found Sunny standing in the front of the group. Witches of all ages and levels stood united in Feno’s backyard.

“Here goes nothing,” she said and pushed the door open. She wished she would have put on clothes. Nothing like being the victim of a witch hunt and being naked, aside from a long men’s shirt.

“Willow, we come in peace,” Sunny announced and stepped forward.

Willow’s eyes widened. She stood frozen in place. She took a nervous breath and looked around at the witches. They returned her gaze with curiosity brimming in their eyes.

“Sunny, what’s going on?” she asked, closing the patio door. She made her way into the center of the brick patio.

“I’ve told my coven of your power and what you shared with me. They wanted to see the granddaughter of Delia. She’s an ally to our coven, and if she’s in trouble, then we’re here to help,” Sunny said.

“I would never harm my grandmother. She’s my blood, my life. Whatever you heard about me was all lies,” Willow proclaimed to the group. She refused to act as a helpless victim. She would save her grandmother and find out who had betrayed her and her grandmother.

“Willow, allow me to introduce you to our high priestess, Daire Soulton.”

Willow said a greeting to the elder woman who stepped forward. Her long graying hair hung in waves over her shoulders. Her face remained youthful, but Willow sensed the age and wisdom in her irises.

“Sunny has told us of the memory that you shared with her. It takes a strong witch to wield that kind of power. She also shared with us that you were able to reach Delia. The Bright Moon Coven is at your disposal,” Daire conveyed.

“Yes, I was able to use my third eye to open an interdimensional space and communicate with her,” Willow informed the group.

Murmurs echoed through the air, the witches staring at her with wide eyes.

“She’s met her other half. I witnessed them merge their powers together. It was beautiful.” Sunny turned to the group.

“Delia is a strong witch, and it would seem that you are following in her footsteps.” Daire nodded to Willow. “We will help in any way we can. Just say the word.”

Willow nodded, too choked up with emotion, and she stared out at the group. Tears flooded her eyes, but she hastily wiped them away and smiled.

She turned at the sound of the patio door opening behind. Feno stepped through the door, a fierce scowl on his face.

“What’s going on out here?” he growled.

His power hit her, and he came to stand behind her. He wrapped his strong arm around her and pulled her to him.

“This is Sunny and her coven,” she advised him. She turned in his arms so she could face him. “Her coven is here in support of me.”

“But why are you crying? I felt the ache in my chest that could only be you.” He tore his intense gaze from the people in the yard, but it softened when he looked down at her.

“They’re tears of joy. They believe me,” she whispered, leaning her head against his broad chest. Relief filled her at the thought that the local witch coven believed her.

“I knew they would.” He rested his chin on top of her head.

“Feno Kelmyar, we are at her disposal. Please, let us know how we can help.”

“Spread the word of her power and that she spoke the truth. There’s a traitor in her coven. Someone who wants to tear them apart and destroy Delia. We need everyone’s eyes open. My brother is reaching out to the wolf shifters as we speak to notify them that rogues are present in Westwend. That’s who we believe took Delia.”

“Acting on whose orders?” Daire questioned.

Willow turned back around to face the group. “That’s what I plan to find out.”