Chapter 7
“Good morning, Dad,” Avery said as she poured herself a cup of steaming hot coffee.
“Where’s Darrell?”
“Just getting out of the shower. He’ll be down in a minute.” That’s two sentences she never thought she’d say.
To her father.
In her parents’ home.
“And how are things going?”
She burned her throat as she swallowed the scalding liquid, trying to cover a cough. “Oh, they’re going.”
“What does that mean?” her father asked.
Sometimes coming from a close-knit family sucked. She remembered when her sister Amanda had moved in with Jackson so they could protect each other from black magic. Her father had the nerve to bet how long it would take before they were sleeping together.
He won that bet, but no one would ever tell him that.
“It means we’re getting to know one another, but there is this big, dark cloud hovering over us like a nasty pimple that won’t go away.”
“He seems like a good man.”
“You’ve spent one meal with him. What do you know?” She set her mug on the counter and sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’m sorry, Dad. It’s just that this is overwhelming, and as soon as I think I’ve processed it, my mind goes bonkers and my emotions run wild.”
“Come here.” Her father held out his strong arms, and she succumbed to the need to be daddy’s little girl, even if for only a few precious minutes. He kissed the top of her head as he held her close. “I don’t mean to push you so hard when it comes to Darrell, but I suspect he’s been waiting years to be with you and he’s scared. He won’t admit it, but he’s afraid he’s going to fail as Alpha.” Her father tipped her chin. “And fail you. That’s a lot for a young man to take on, and he needs you.”
“I know. And I need him too, but it’s happening so fast, it’s making my head spin. It’s like we’re packing years of dating into a few days.”
“We break the spell, you can put the brakes on and take all the time you need. But until then, you’re the thread that is holding him together.”
She bit back the sob that threatened to roar from deep in her throat. Last night had changed her life forever. She’d given herself completely to Darrell. Nothing could change that, and she didn’t want to. “I don’t want to let him down.”
“You won’t.” Her father squeezed her biceps.
Footsteps echoed from down the hallway.
“I’ll put some coffee in to-go cups, and Mom baked banana chocolate chip muffins for the trip,” her father said, stepping around her.
He greeted Darrell with a nod. “Good morning, son.”
“Sir,” Darrell said.
Her father laughed. “Keep calling me that, and I’ll turn you into a toad.”
“Then Avery can kiss me, and I’ll turn into a prince,” Darrell said as he puffed out his chest and smiled with pride.
“That’s only if I turn you into a frog,” her father said, handing Darrell a covered mug. “I’m guessing that you’re a cream and sugar kind of guy.”
“What gave me away?” Darrell sipped his coffee, looping his free arm around her waist. Their hips bumped. Being around him sent her heart racing. As comfortable as she was in his arms, there was this raw energy that rattled her nerves, making her a bit self-conscious.
Or maybe it was the smirk on her father’s face.
“I just know these things.”
“I see.” Darrell smiled as if he and her father had some running private joke between them. “When do we leave?”
“Now.” Her father waved his hand. “I’ve got some news we’ll talk about in the car. Gabe is coming with us.”
She followed her father to the front of the house, her fingers locked with Darrell’s, her aura coating his skin like an old sweater. It looked good on him, but he needed to get his own back, and the longer it faded, the harder it would be to reverse the effects of the spell.
Her father opened the back door of the family limo. “Gabe, this is Darrell.”
Darrell settled into the seat, and she made sure she sat next to him, forcing her father to sit next to his cousin, Gabe.
“Nice to meet you.” Darrell extended his hand. “Thanks for helping me and my pack.”
“It’s unorthodox for you to be coming with us, but I understand that Avery here is also affected.” Gabe was a few years younger than her father, but his position in the coven and on the council, put him on equal footing. No one outranked either of them, and they worked together like a well-oiled machine. They almost always agreed on how to deal with anything coven-related, and there hadn’t been a time where Gabe hadn’t been by her father’s side. They were more like brothers in every way.
Not to mention, Gabe was her Warlock Guardian, which was like a Godfather. His wife, Jasmine, had been named her Witch Guardian. They were more like family than some of her blood relatives.
Like her Aunt Alley who currently rotted in a prison cell, her powers stripped for cursing Jackson and nearly killing Avery’s sister.
“Unfortunately, that is true,” Darrell said as he tried to pull his hand away from her grip, which she’d be damned if she’d allow to happen.
“Well, the good news is that Merlin, the head warlock of the Witches of the Willows, seems to be willing to cooperate.” Gabe handed everyone a piece of paper. “But the bad news is that the Wilcox family has disappeared as well as their family’s Book of Shadows.”
“And they didn’t report the book missing?” Avery asked. There was a lot she didn’t know about the inner dealings of witch covens and the laws regarding any kind of magic. However, she did know that all black magic was required by law to be registered with the council and if a book, even a locked book, went missing, and the coven didn’t report it, everyone in their clan could be stripped of all their powers. Most warlocks wouldn’t risk that.
“Merlin is only thirty and took over a few months ago,” Gabe said, tapping the paper. “The coven has been in disarray for years without proper leadership.”
“Holy shit,” Darrell said. “This says that Regan’s father, Viner, was the head warlock when we think the spell was cast.”
Gabe nodded. “He went missing two weeks later. Since then, they have been through four leaders.”
“I’ve spoken with Merlin, and he’s a distant relative of Viner’s, and the reason they have had such a large turnover is partly due to three deaths,” her father said.
“What did they die of?” Darrell asked, leaning forward.
Avery held her breath, waiting for the blow that she knew deep in the pit of her stomach was coming.
“They don’t know, but the symptoms present like your father’s did,” her father admitted. “But the deaths have only been leaders. Two others resigned and one refused.”
“So they know something is hinky,” Avery said under her breath, staring out the window as the limo turned off the highway and onto a busy road not far from Orange County where the majority of the Witches of the Willows’ coven was located.
Being a royal meant her life decisions had to be above reproach. Everything she did was under the microscope of her coven council, but also the governing council, the one that Gabe and her father headed. She couldn’t get a tattoo, even an approved one, without everyone needing to know. “But they never reported anything.”
“Actually, that’s not true. Ten days ago, when Merlin took over, he contacted the council,” Gabe said. “And requested a formal inquisition. It’s the only reason why we know so much now.”
“So, why are we going to meet with him if he doesn’t know where the book is, or where the Wilcox family disappeared to?” Darrell asked what she had been thinking.
“Because he’s been working on a spell that will snap their Book of Shadows back to the place it was locked. If he can do that, we can trace where it came from and hopefully, unlock the spells and find a reversal,” her father said.
Darrell tried to yank his hand away again, but she clutched it tightly. No way would she ever let him pull away from her again.
“We can work with this,” she whispered, knowing it was a long shot, but it was better than no shot.
“We’re searching for a needle in a haystack,” Darrell muttered. “We need to find the source. The exact spell. I don’t need to be a witch to know without that, my pack, you, and me are toast.”
“I know you’re frustrated, son,” her father said, leaning forward. “But we bought ourselves three days. Before we toss in the towel, or think the worst, we need to start with what we know and what we can use. The Witches of the Willows are willing to work with us without Gabe and me forcing them. This is good because we can trust their magic.”
“Are you sure about that?” Darrell asked behind tight lips. “Because they seem pretty damn unstable to me.”
“No,” her father said, reaching out, resting his hand on her knee, knowing she needed a douse of his strength. “Merlin is leading them in a positive direction. I had the pleasure of teaching him a few years ago, and he’s a good warlock with good intentions.”
“Trust my dad,” she whispered with her chin on Darrell’s shoulder.
Darrell turned his head and met her gaze. His hard, cold glare softened just a tad. “I trust him absolutely. But anyone related to the witch that did this to us, not only do I distrust, but I want the curse to stick with them when we’re wiped clean of it.”