Magic Rising (3 page)

Beau plucked my glass from my hand. “If you’re going to talk weddings, I’ll get you ladies another drink.”

“Orange juice for me, sweetie.” Annalise called as he retreated to the kitchen. She turned to me and huffed. “He just wants to escape to check the scores,” she told me. “I’ll be surprised if he even remembers to bring us fresh drinks.” She hooked her arm through mine and we stepped outside. The air was cool and the patio empty. I could see someone had been busy tilling the earth and planting new shrubs in the beds surrounding the small lawn. The air smelled of wet grass and mulch and Annalise inhaled deeply. The sounds of voices and the soft undertones of music drifted out the French doors towards us. We dropped into matching chairs and Annalise tipped her face towards the sky, catching the scents of the air.

“There’s something else I want to tell you,” she said, biting her lip as she turned to me. Her eyes blazed with excitement.

“What is it?”

“There’s a reason the wedding is so soon,” she said. This time she glanced over her shoulder and edged her chair closer to mine. Evidently, whatever she had to tell me, she didn’t want overheard. When she was only an inch away, she settled in her chair again, and rested her hand over her stomach. “I’m pregnant!”

“Really?” I gasped.

“Really! Can you imagine? Me? A mother?” Annalise sank back into the chair, her head turned up to the starlit sky. “I’m not far along, only a few weeks; but I don’t want to tell anyone so soon, just you. Beau knows, obviously, and he’s so excited. I told Gage a couple of days ago. He’s going to let me take the crib our dad made for us when we were little.”

“This is the best news,” I told her. “The very best. I’m so happy for you.”

“It’s a little daunting, you know… Bringing a baby into a world with so much danger around.” She stared up at the inky blue sky, her tone even, but I had a good idea what she was remembering. Probably the clammy cellar prison she was kept in while the Brotherhood held her captive at their Yorkshire estate.

“You know Beau will never let anything happen to you again, and he would do whatever is necessary to protect your baby.”

She nodded. Her nose flared slightly and she took a deep breath. “He’s going to be a great dad,” she said, in a tight voice.

“Definitely,” I agreed. “He’s going to dote all over this baby.” I reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

“There’s only one thing that really worries me,” she confided.

“What’s that?”

“You’ve seen how big Beau is. Can I really give birth to his baby? It’s going to be the biggest baby
ever
.”

I looked back at the house as Beau reappeared, clearly having forgotten our drinks. Every so often, he darted a glance towards Annalise, like he couldn’t bear to let her out of his sight. “Well,” I said. “Even he had to have started off small.”

“His mom called. He was an eleven-pound baby.” She winced.

We looked at each other in alarm. “Good luck,” I said.

“I’ll need it.” She grinned happily. “I’m going to be a mom! And I’m getting married. Life does
not
get better than this.”

She got that one right and I was thrilled to see her so happy. We sat looking at the stars for a little while, relaxed in our individual thoughts. I tried to imagine this conversation reversed one day. I had a pregnancy scare a while ago, because I still couldn’t quite imagine being a mother. I wasn’t even sure I was ready to be a wife. I thought Evan might be hinting towards marriage, especially as we’d been living together now for some time. Formerly, all my concentration was focused on preparing myself as a witch, managing my powers, and finding a meaningful life for myself. Evan was my teacher and mentor. Though he was my first boyfriend, and my only lover, I could easily imagine a long and very happy future with him. And I envisioned the same for Annalise and Beau.

“So, the Summit is next week, huh?” said Annalise, interrupting my thoughts. “You looking forward to hanging out with the scary bitches?”

“Witches,” I autocorrected.

“Potato,
potah-to
,” she said, “So…?”

“Maybe, sort of. I don’t know. The last time I was in the city, someone tried to bomb me.”

“Dead and gone,” Annalise reminded me.

“I know, but all the same…”

“You think some of the witches hold grudges?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Everyone knows I killed Eleanor Bartholomew in self-defence. I didn’t have a choice. Etoile doesn’t think it will be a problem.”

“And Georgia Thomas?”

“She’ll be there.” I shuddered, but it wasn’t the cold that sent a chill through me. I looked over at Annalise. “I really embarrassed her.”

“
We
embarrassed her; and she had no right to charge into our town and make such a mess. If it weren’t for that Chyler girl, she would never have come here anyway. She made the mess and we all had to pick up the pieces.”

“I know. But I,
we
, made her look like a fool in front of dozens of other witches.”

“Nosy bastards,” said Annalise, with feeling. “They also had no right coming to Wilding.”

“All the same…”

“I know, but the question stands. Do you think she holds a grudge?”

“I don’t think so, I know it,” I said with certainty. Of all the scary people I’d met over the last couple of years, Georgia topped the list. “I just don’t know what she’s going to do about it, if anything. I think she’s running for Leader. She’s probably threatened enough witches to vote for her.” Though I tried to say it lightly, it was a regular topic of conversation in my house during the last couple of weeks. “If she wins…” I trailed off. I couldn’t bear thinking about that prospect.

“Maybe they’ll all rebel at the last minute. You know, maybe she’s not as powerful as you think she is. The crazy bitch was trying to resurrect an army of support from the dead. If she really felt so certain she would win, she wouldn’t do that.”

“Etoile said the same thing.”

Annalise nodded, like she expected that. “Stick to that witch like glue, babe.”

“It’s only a week, though I’ll be spending a few extra days there,” I said, trying to lighten the tone of our conversation. This was a housewarming party, not a war council. “It’ll be dull. I’ll speak to a bunch of people, cast my vote and come home. Daniel’s coming with Anders.” That was one thing I was looking forward to. My cousin, Daniel and I had only recently become acquainted and I hoped to put in some bonding time with him.

“That’s great. Who are you voting for? Anyone we know?”

“Etoile told me the candidates don’t get announced until after some big ball they’re throwing, so I don’t know yet.”

“Well… vote carefully.”

“You don’t say.”

“We have a vested interest in the outcome,” Annalise added unexpectedly. I frowned and edged around in my seat to look at her properly. “We have to liaise with whomever you elect,” she continued. “It’s part of the agreement between the wolves and witches. The witches probably have similar arrangements with the other supernaturals, the demons, the vampires… Anyway, we can’t cast a vote, but we can, and do, run interference depending on whom we prefer to see heading the Council. Well, that’s what Gage says anyway. He knows more about this stuff than I do.”

I glanced inside the house. Gage was standing by the door. He and Michelle looked like they were having a discussion, which neither was enjoying. I quickly looked away as Michelle turned her head and saw me. “He’s getting really involved in all the werewolf stuff, huh?”

“Yeah. He’s even one of our representatives at the Summit. Every race sends some.”

I straightened in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Um… I’m not sure I’m supposed to be telling you now.” Annalise glanced back at the house and waved. We watched Evan as he made his way towards the patio. “Maybe I shouldn’t… Listen, Gage will look out for you, okay? Any problems… he’ll be in the city.”

I was fairly certain I wouldn’t call on Gage for help. Things stayed friendly between us on the occasions our paths crossed, but I sensed an underlying awkwardness in our interactions. I wasn’t sure if he were still mad at the witches for engaging Annalise in our Brotherhood problems. They kidnapped her previously in order to get to me, and it still made me sick to my stomach. Or if it were because his feelings toward me had grown more than friendly. He promised Evan he wouldn’t do anything to interfere with our relationship. Seeing how his relationship with Michelle continue, I only hoped those feelings toward me had dissipated. It would make everything easier. Any chance of a relationship with Gage vanished when Evan returned to my life, and I had no future plans to change it. Gage was very attractive, but Evan was the man I loved and chose to be with. “Thanks,” I said, simply. “I appreciate that.”

“Listen, I need to ask you something. It’s another thing I’m probably not supposed to tell you, but… I think I should.”

“Okay.” I waited, puzzled.

“So, I was at the Loup two weeks ago. Gage was talking with Jay — who, by the way, was not too thrilled that Etoile apparently isn’t into dating anymore — and an edict came out from the West Coast Grand Packmaster… By the way, douchey title or what? He sounds like a Mason. Anyway, this message was for all the regional packmasters to keep their eyes and ears open for a talisman. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m pretty certain my parents told us stories about it. It’s kind of a legend. Anyway, the story says that the talisman was stolen by a witch two centuries ago, and according to this guy, it’s recently resurfaced. I don’t know who has it, just that it’s a witch; but they are willing to sell it back to us and the deal is set to coincide with the Summit.”

“That’s a good thing?” I raised my eyebrows to show I wasn’t sure where Annalise was headed with the story.

“Yeah. It’s great. The talisman is a big deal. Each of its four sides has the moon’s progression detailed on it. The crescent, the half moon, three-quarter moon and the full moon; then other carvings below that tell the story of our ancestors. I know it’s just part of an old fairytale, but it would mean a lot to the packmaster to get it back. So I wondered if you would just keep a lookout for it?”

“Do you mean actually look for it?”

“No. I just thought, well, if you hear anything, maybe you could just mention it to Gage? They’re afraid the witch will get cold feet or ask for more money, and then the talisman will be lost again. I thought with you being a witch and all, someone might say something to you.”

“I guess I could do that.” It didn’t sound hard. I didn’t think it was likely that anyone would be discussing an apparently stolen artefact out in the open, but if it meant helping a friend, I didn’t see any problem. It wasn’t like she was asking me to do anything I was really uncomfortable doing.

“Thanks. I told Gage we should ask you, but he didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s no problem, really,” I assured her. “If I hear anything at all, I’ll let you know.”

We turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Evan was walking towards us. “Are you ready to go home?” he asked, crouching next to me. He flashed a smile at Annalise. “How’s the wolf momma?” he asked.

“Beau told you!”

“I think Beau told everyone.” Evan laughed. “He’s so damn proud. He can’t stop talking about you and the many, many babies he’s going to give you.”

“Not if the baby is as big as his mama said he was,” said Annalise, her eyes wide with trepidation. “I might just stick with one.”

“Good to know,” I told her as I took Evan’s hand, allowing him to pull me up with him as he got to his feet. “I’ve never been to a baby shower. You will have one?”

“Yes. Hey, you’re not going right now?” Annalise’s voice rose in disappointment as Evan handed me my jacket. “We didn’t even get to talk bridesmaid dresses!”

“I’ll wear anything you put me in,” I told her. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Even lime green?”

I thought of Etoile‘s slime trap from earlier. “Don’t push it. Hey, Annalise…” I narrowed my eyes and pointed to the tree line bordering the back of their property. “Someone’s getting furry over there.” Two men were disrobing, not to be obscene, but because it was more convenient than busting out of their clothes and having to replace them, or bringing more to change into after an evening sprint as wolves.

When I first arrived in Wilding, I had no idea werewolves existed. Now, I didn’t know how I could have missed all the signs. Knowledge of their existence, and vice versa, was reassuring. Sometimes the wolves broke through the trees and streaked across my garden to Gage’s place, which was where they often ended up. I didn’t mind one bit. Their presence was comforting and made me feel safer; plus, I didn’t want them to think I was encroaching on their territory.

“This always happens,” said Annalise. “This is why we don’t take you to the clubhouse. Too many naked wolves.” She cupped her hands to her mouth as she addressed the offending guests. “Hey! Get your naked butts out of my garden!”

Evan laughed as the wolves growled playfully in return. The air fizzled and crackled around them as they dropped into crouches, their bodies distorting and reforming as wolves. I thought I heard bones cracking, but it could have been the sound of wine bottles being uncorked inside. The wolves sprang forth into the woods and disappeared from view seconds later. “And on that note… Ready to call it a night? I have to leave in the morning and I’d like some time alone with my girlfriend.”

“Ready when you are.”

Annalise looked up at us. “If I don’t see you before, come by after the Summit. I want all the gossip.”

“It’s going to be boring,” I assured her. “I’ll cast my vote, say hello to a few people. Nothing is going to happen. It will be a big waste of time.”

“Yeah,” agreed Annalise, with a snort. “As if anything works out like that for you.”

THREE

“I’ll see you when I get back.” Evan kissed me quickly. Thinking better of it, he returned for another longer kiss.

“I knew it,” I said, leaning into him. I could feel his energy, vital and brilliant, just like him. “You’re not sad to be going at all. You’re excited.”