bri I set the pot aside and turned to him. “Is there a bathroom I can use?” I asked. Something in his eyes shifted. “To your right out the back, it’s nothing fancy but it serves its purpose well enough.” Following his directions I found myself faced with an outhouse in the dark, in the middle of a swamp, full of all kinds of creatures. I sighed moving forward as the last light of dusk disappeared from the world, the waning moon not yet risen to light my way. Reaching deep down I felt that glow within, my palm up, deeply ingrained instinct connecting like an ember touching gasoline. A churning sphere of moonglow slowly formed in my palm. Hmm interesting, I thought as my bare feet hit the earth. I made my way to the outhouse, guided by my little personal nightlight. I peered around in search of snakes and spiders, finding only a few eight-legged arachnids up in the far corners minding their own business so I did mine, the orb obediently floating before me. I returned to the house, wi
Bri His eyes narrowed at me “Is this frowned upon?” I asked. Holding one up. “We don’t do it, but we don’t care about it, however, we don’t want the boys around it.” He admitted stuffing his hands in his pockets. I nodded. “Fair enough, they are on the other end of the… island, and the wind is blowing away from them.” I said, tapping my head. “You can sense all that?” He asked. I just shrugged before nodding. “The big guy is deep in the swamp,” I said standing. He cleared his throat “What does that stuff do for anyone anyway?” he asked, stepping out of the way as I passed, having stuck the joints behind my ears. “Sometimes, it's for my nerves, sometimes it helps me get through a bad day, other times it helps with my headaches,” I said. “What’s it for today?” he specified. “All of that and more.” “You honestly think you know what we are?” he asked, following me. “I do,” I answered simply. “You're not afraid of us? Of him? Of his beast?” He queried and I looked over my shoulder at hi
The hum of the sounds of nature droned in my ears, in my blood. I purposefully ignored his reaction. I didn’t want his pity. Yep, I was high and yes I was going to take another joint and light it. If nothing more than to distract myself from the topic. “You sure you don't want any? You’re awfully tense.” I asked, holding the other joint up, finally gaining the courage to glance back at him. To which he shook his head no. I gripped the box in my lap for a moment. “To Zoey and Maggie,” I said, lighting the 2nd. I called the fireflies of moonlight back, with a slight suggestion of my magic’s intent. They zoomed back, hoovering around us, lighting our space. Beau sat beside me on the stoop, his domineering attitude, quelled for the moment. He glanced over at it. “What’s that,” he asked. He was trying to make himself small in the narrow space of the steps, no doubt also being the nosey protector. I found I didn’t honestly care that I shared this with him, it almost felt right. “I don’t kn
Wyatt I could feel every ounce of her strength, her power, but I could also sense the darkness and the part of her that wanted to give up on life. That had triggered The Beast to chase her not mentally but physically. “She's ours,” The Beast was adamant in his claim of her, she was ours to protect. Her mind and her body, a temple of chaos as we carried her home. When her heart attempted to die we’d looked straight at her phantom soul and held it with a predatory stare. ‘Not today, mon cher,’ We had projected out to her and her heart had sputtered back to life. Something held me to her like a tether, and The Beast had felt something slimy sulk away with its tail between its legs in a hurry, something had lost a battle but its essence was left behind at the fringe of some cloak of protection she had woven around herself. We had marked the intruder’s feel and promised it death if it ever returned. It was this and my need for space that had me scouring the swamp for anything that may be
Beau I didn’t know what to make of the girl besides she was being honest with us. What I had learned brought only more questions and I had just let her talk really. Sometimes you found out more about a person from what they were willing to divulge. She’d obviously had trauma, her thin form a telltale sign of all the family meals she’d admittedly avoided while working without pay. Who was the murderer she spoke of? Why had she gone quiet when she shook my hand? Her face had contorted as if steeling herself for an electric shock. Thinking about her situation had brought me to thoughts of Nadia, my sister who had been stolen from our pack and how our struggle to regain her had been the demise of all the adult males in our pack at the time. Which led us to be the guardians of their offspring from various affairs. Mates being rare due to our seclusion had us choosing mates among humans or simply sewing our oats and claiming the offspring which seldom was an issue with how wild we tended t
Bri At some point in the night, the nightmares of the beatings and confinement washed away. I dreamed of golden eyes and russet wolves moving through the swampland. It was so vivid, the smells of musk, sulfur, and decaying things filled my phantom head. It was like seeing the swamp with new eyes, hearing every heartbeat, feeling the primordial essence that ran through the land. The earth, water, and air came together there and fire lived within the spirit of its creatures. Sparks of magic no one else would notice linger in the depths of inky water and vast miles of uncharted clusters of cypress. But I could, each and every spirit, every tendril of magic called to me like a song in my soul. I awoke in darkness, the soft moonlight coming through the window, cocooned in the scent of, damp dog, the swamp, and a deep sort of spicy musk that made my toes curl. A large furry body was curved into the backs of my legs but I knew who he was. The Big Guy, the Rougarou, yet he looked like a ver
Bri The long sleeves of the shirt covered my hands as I gripped my warm mug. I finally looked up, fully noticing the two shirtless, tattooed, muscle-ripped males. Wyatt took a sip from his mug first, Beau following suit and they each grunted in approval. I smiled, tearing my eyes away from the hard tan plains of their chests. “Maggie's coffee is lagniappe (a little extra), I know I am an unwanted burden, but if you insist I stay, I will find a way to pull my weight.” I wanted to be as little of an inconvenience as possible. “I can vanish on a whim if you want me to. But I’m content to stay only if you insist”. I nabbed a dark chocolate biscotti as I needed more to do with my hands. I leaned against the counter, Wyatt and Beau eyeing each other. “Thanks,” Beau said, raising his hand that held his mug “It is really good,” He gave me a panty-soaking smile, making me swallow remembering I wasn’t wearing any. A mischievous smirk crossed his face, his eyes gleaming in amusement as he loo
Brri Wyatt took in my words considering. “What exactly is this soul bond,” Beau asked. The Alpha narrowed his eyes. I sighed, wishing there was a way around the explanation. “The soul bond was a natural thing in the times of our beginnings. We, as witches, were once cosmically matched by the mother goddess, over time as we spread across the world finding those matches as they can come from any type of people, whether ordinary humans or other ancient races became difficult. In times of crisis and for those looking for power, forced bonds began taking place. Whether they were attempting to create stronger witches through selective breeding or manifest great power to take down armies. Kindred bonds were one thing, those that were chosen grew into what my father would describe as the beauty of communal spirits. While forced bonds made the magic chaotic and unpredictable. Wars happened, many died and there are scriptures among old grimoires that talk of them all eventually going mad, and