Page 17 of The Witching Hour
“It’s the winter solstice,” he muttered so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.
“I know, Dad.” She sighed. “If you’re calling to try to convince me to return and marry Arthur then?—”
“Look,” he interrupted. “I…I’m not going to pretend that I’m happy with your decisions. But that doesn’t mean I want you to get hurt or be forced into something that will make you miserable.”
“Thanks…I think.”
“Despite what you might believe, I love you.”
Celeste’s eyes became misty, and she swallowed hard. “Me too,” she whispered.
“And…your mother loves you, too.”
I barely refrained from snorting with derision but must not have been as quiet as I thought because, with a hint of defensiveness in his tone, he added, “In her own way.”
“Mm-hmm,” Celeste hummed.
“The coven is strong today,” he said, changing the topic. “They…they know where you are.”
It was my turn to go stiff as I listened intently to what he said next.
“Since you’re normally asleep at this hour, they are coming to take you. Counting on you being unprepared and not alert.”
“When?” I growled. “When will they be here?”
Her dad was silent, and my hands itched to wrap around his neck so I could squeeze the answer out of him.
“When, Dad?” Celeste pressed.
“An hour, two at the most.”
I immediately reached out to my family, but most of them were asleep, so I knew I’d have to go wake up Cian or the twins and send them out to gather everyone.
A knock on my bedroom door made me frown until Aura telepathed me.
Is everything okay? I feel your distress.
Like witches, many vampires possessed unique gifts. Aura had what could almost be described as an overdeveloped sense of empathy. She picked up on emotions and had a sixth sense about when someone needed her.
Celeste’s coven is coming for her. Will you wake Cian and Abel? I need you three to teleport to the rest of the family and let them know.
Of course.
“I have to go,” Celeste’s dad mumbled, his voice lowering even more. “Don’t let them corner you in the house.”
Then he was gone.
“Son of a bitch,” I swore as I shifted so I was fully sitting up. “They’ll have to do more than catch us off guard during our day sleep if they want to have an edge over us.”
Celeste cocked her head and looked up at me quizzically. “What do you think he meant about not letting them find us at the house?”
I scowled as I chewed on his advice. “Does anyone in your coven have the ability to make a force field?”
She rubbed her neck, her expression thoughtful. “No. But several incantations would have a similar effect. You think they would try to trap us in while keeping your family out?”
I nodded and moved her off my lap so I could swing my feet to the floor and stand. “That’s exactly what I think. Then anyone who can get through this spell would only have to face you and me. My guess is they’ll send in the High Priestess.”
Celeste gasped and scrambled off the bed. “I have more power than her, but she’s older and has much more experience. Honestly, I don’t think anyone in our coven actually knows how old she is. But that makes her magic more dangerous because she knows how to wield it to her best advantage. Things I’m still learning.”