Hannah (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #2)

Hannah

The Coven’s Grove Chronicles

Book 2

by

Virginia L. Hunter

Copyright © 2016 Grove Publishing, LLC

All Rights Reserved

AUTHOR’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or physical editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Dedicated to my loving family.

Hannah

The Coven’s Grove Chronicles

Hannah Ward had always been a driven woman. Having breezed through high school and college, she’d earned her Phd. in Biology and Botany by the time she was twenty one, but her true calling had little to do with school. Her true calling was to be a witch.

Five years later, she had finally found a balance between her duty as an environmentalist, and her passion for wielding mystical power. She’d only left out one thing—her life.

Dominic Farserre changes that with a single touch. Within only a few days of meeting the handsome man with a checkered past, Hannah finds herself swept up in a whirlwind of corporate espionage and murder. Using magic is her only hope of surviving, but in doing so, she may lose the most important thing missing in her life—love.

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H
annah looked up into the canopy of giant trees, though “giant” might not have been the correct term. Colossal seemed more appropriate. Five years ago, she would have thought the types and sizes of flora surrounding her would never exist again, but, under Miranda’s supervision and assistance, Hannah had nurtured this small patch of wood into something unlike anything on the planet. She and Miranda had been at it for a little over four years now, and the results had proved nothing less than staggering.

The giant grove had germinated within the heart of a pile of fallen trees, located at the convergence of several hillocks. The natural landscape had provided a deep, rocky bowl that helped camouflage the enormous pines, oaks, and sequoias that now grew here. If seen from the air, the trees would still be much larger than their surrounding cousins, but, to the untrained eye, the difference would appear to be caused by a large hill, not prehistoric-sized vegetation.

Hannah moseyed toward the dais that she, Miranda, and Rhea had created three years ago. Its base grew up from the mossy earth in a tangle of roots and vines. A rough, tapered block of white quartz had been pulled up from the earth by the surrounding trees. Their tangling roots had offered themselves up to become part of the living altar.

Rhea had chiseled a smooth bowl into the giant block that now served as the coven’s cauldron. She had also etched ancient runes around the lip of the bowl, and the sides of the stone, which pulsed with soft golden light.

The summoning incantation the three of them had performed last summer remained strong to its purpose. Soothing vibrations thrummed from the ground into Hannah’s bare feet as she approached the heart of their home. She placed her hands on the white stone and smiled. Warmth crept into her hands, slow and steady. The feeling was on the verge of intoxicating.

Hannah stepped back, admiring the work she had done to create such a wondrous thing.
It worked,
she thought with a pang of heady excitement.
I can’t believe it really worked.

Alix’s arrival this last winter had been proof enough for Hannah that their magic was indeed effective, but she wanted more. Hannah’s gaze went to the forest around her. She would like to see the growth that had started here expand further out into the region—into other states even. To achieve such a feat would require a great amount of power, power they had yet to possess.

They would need more sisters.

Months ago, when the three of them had enacted the spell, Hannah had hoped Miranda, their matriarch, was correct when she had said the incantation had worked. Now, there was no doubt in Hannah’s mind that more sisters would come. She would just have to be patient.

“It’s truly beautiful, Hannah,” Miranda said from behind her.

Hannah turned, in surprise, with a laugh. “You startled me.”

“My apologies, that was not my intention.” Miranda stepped from the edge of the forest into the clearing. Even dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, she maintaining the classy poise of an aristocrat. She moved with the fluid grace of a fashion model, her long legs shapely and navigating the uneven terrain with ease. Broad shoulders and hips gave her that classic hourglass figure most women would kill for. Her wavy auburn hair glistened as she walked closer to the glowing runes. She gestured to the root and stone altar. “Your work is a beautiful thing to behold.”

“You’re too kind,” Hannah beamed. “Though I couldn’t have done it without you and Rhea.”

“Even so, your power made all of this possible,” Miranda said as she opened her arms to the forest surrounding them. “But, that’s not the reason I’ve come.”

Hannah arched a brow. “Oh?”

“No,” Miranda said, shaking her head. She took a moment to search out a patch of lush, green grass, and then took a seat. “Come, sit with me.” She patted the ground next to her.

Hannah frowned, but settled on the ground next to her matriarch. She had never been good with surprises, the butterflies always taking great pleasure in filling her stomach with fluttery wings. To calm her nerves, she grabbed a small stick, and slowly twirled it between her fingers.

“I’ve sensed some...unrest in the house as of late,” Miranda said.

Ah.
Hannah knew where this was going. Ever since the “new arrivals” had moved in, Hannah and Rhea’s space had been disrupted. Hannah thought Rhea was having more trouble with the new arrangement than she herself, but there had been times when the newcomers had really gotten on her nerves as well, like this morning for instance. Hannah had a strict routine for the caretaking of her greenhouse. Every morning, she would spend several hours, pruning, feeding, and watering the various species of flora that would eventually be planted out here in the grove, and other various places on the property. Today was to be no exception, until Hannah had opened the weathered doors to her garden nursery. There they were: Alix and Troy, naked as the day they’d been born, and going at it like rabbits in the spring. The image of them grinding on each other would forever be burned into her memory. She shook her head and chuckled. “We thought you were bringing witches to the grove, not sexual deviants.”

Miranda sighed. “I know. It’s been hard for me, too.”

Hannah smirked as she held the stick out straight, and then let it slant downward as if limp. “Or not.”

Miranda blinked in puzzlement, staring at the flaccidly hanging stick. Hannah could have sworn she heard the wheels turning in the auburn beauty’s head, until suddenly Miranda began giggling as she caught on. Her laughter was infectious, causing Hannah to join her in the gut-wrenching gasps that followed.

Their amusement tapered off, and Hannah wiped the tears from her eyes. “We aren’t mad, if that’s what you think. We’re just...frustrated, or I am at least.”