Balance (5 page)

                I
rolled my eyes. “Fine. Stalkers.”

                Kai
smiled. “If I have to stalk you to keep you safe, then so be it.”

                “For
the record, I’m only going to keep him from barging into some witch party and
getting hexed,” Max offered.

                I
laughed. “We don’t hex. We spell.”

                He
put his hands up, palms out. “Oh, right, excuse me.”

                But
I gave Kai a serious look. “You really shouldn’t. Someone might recognize you
from the news.” Not everyone was a fan of our kind. Going to a crowded human
bar in Portland, not a great idea.

                Kai
gave me a sexy lopsided grin. “I have that covered.”

                I
furrowed my brow in confusion and decided to drop it. Trailing my finger along
Kai’s chest, I purred. “I need to shower before the ball, you coming?” I raised
one eyebrow.

                Kai’s
eyes went yellow and Max started for the door, shaking his head. “Newly mated.
I remember that stage.”

                Max’s
words made my heart hurt for him but he had Tara now. They were taking it slow,
she had officially joined our pack and they were dating. He wasn’t ready to do
a mating ceremony yet. Kai dropped his pants, snapping me out of my thought. I
laughed as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a caveman.

                I
stood in my purple velvet hooded cape and black ankle-length corset dress
Sylvia had given me. “How do I look?” I asked Kai.

                He
smiled. “Like a sexy little witch.”

                Reaching
into his pocket, he pulled out some big, black-rimmed, clear glasses, and put
them on. I chuckled. This was his disguise? Nerd glasses? He crossed the room
and stood in front of the hall mirror pulling something out of his pocket and
sticking on … a little mustache? Turning to face me, he opened his arms wide.

                “How
do I look?” he asked, smiling.

                I
busted out laughing. “Honestly? Like a total creeper.” But he was pretty
unrecognizable with that mustache so I think the plan would work.

                Before
he could retort, Max knocked on the door. I had agreed to allow Kai and Max to
drive me to Sylvia’s and then home from the ball.

                Max
took one look at me and chuckled. “Where’s your pointy hat?”

                I
gave him the middle finger and he laughed. Max had become like a brother to me.

                “Really?
This mustache wielding weirdo is standing right here and you’re going to make
fun of how I look?” I queried Max.

                Max
glanced at Kai and the corners of his lips curled.

                Kai
glared at me. “Mustache wielding weirdo? For that, I might sleep with it on.”

                My
eyes widened. “Oh God, please don’t.”

                He
chuckled as we walked into the garage.

                We
all piled into Kai’s Audi and after a short trip down the mountain we pulled up
to Sylvia’s yellow house. It was modest and craftsman style, nestled on large
acreage. I recognized all of the cars; the coven was assembled. Reaching over
the seat, I kissed Kai, recoiling at the tickle of his fake mustache. “Love you.”

                His
face looked worried. “We will be across the street. Any issues and you can just
use the mate bond.”

                I
gave him a look that said he was zapping my fun and then turned to Max.
Flicking my fingers at him quickly, I shouted, “Hex!” and both Kai and Max
roared with laughter. Jumping out of the car, I approached the front door,
inhaling deeply. Sage, lavender, and frankincense. Being a witch came with the
bonus of good smells. Upon entering the house, I saw that everyone was getting
in a circle. The aura of magic was present.

                Sylvia
smiled at me and waved me over. “Quick, we were just about to start a
protection spell.”

                I
snuck into the circle and wedged myself between Sylvia and Gretchen. We all
held hands and I nodded to the others in greeting.

                Sylvia
raised up her interlocked hands high and we all followed. “Spirit! Tonight we
gather with other magic users. Protect us from energies that are not of the
light.”

                A
fine mist dropped down from the ceiling and settled over us.

                “Keep
our magic strong and encased within our bodies. Do not allow energy vampires to
take from us!”

                I
widened my eyes, reminding myself to ask about that one later.

                “So
be it!” she shouted and we chorused her.

*

                After
a forty-five-minute drive, we arrived in downtown Portland at the conference
center. Navigating our cars into the packed parking lot, we found a spot near
the back. Exiting our cars, we all walked as a group to the door. Sylvia hung
back behind the group and linked arms with me.

                “You
look deliciously witchy tonight.” She winked, her eyelids were dusted with deep
purple eye shadow and a smattering of glitter. Her long auburn hair glistened
in the soft glow of the street lamp.

                I
smiled. Sylvia had quickly become one of my favorite people. I noticed she was
letting the group get far ahead of us.

                “What’s
with the black hair?” She raised an eyebrow.

                Shit,
I forgot. I ran my fingers through it and briefly told her about healing Emma.
Her face fell as she listened and clutched a medallion on her chest before letting
out a shaky breath. We stopped walking. I didn’t want to think about this; I
was hoping everyone would forget about it. Now, I worried just how bad it was.

                “What
does it mean?” I met her green eyes. Only they weren’t just green now, they
were swirling with cloudy white. She was getting in the zone.

                “Aurora,
if your goal is to safely split from the Devi and walk away with your life, I
think you just made it ten times harder.”

                I
cringed. I had to say it out loud. “You think the Devi has black hair? That
this is her?”

                She
brushed her soft fingers over my cheek like I was a treasured daughter and
nodded. “I do. I think you have bound yourself to her even deeper now. I also
think I would have done the same to save a friend.”

                Returning
the nod, I bit my lip.

                She
perked up. “Come on, let’s have some fun. Nothing we can do about it right now.”

                We
walked the length of the parking lot and were nearing the entrance when Kai
spoke into my mind.

                ‘Have
fun.’

                I
spun around and squinted across the street. Kai and Max sat on the balcony of
the bar. I glared and Kai raised his glass, tipping his head to Sylvia.

                Sylvia
chuckled. “Alphas have some serious control issues.”

                I
nodded in agreement and followed Sylvia through the double doors of the giant
building. Two very handsome and identical twin warlocks bowed as we entered.

                “High
priestess,” they said in unison, bowing low and giving her a smoldering look.
They looked about late twenties, whereas Sylvia was at least forty.

                Sylvia
batted her eyelashes. “Hello, boys. A pleasure as always.”

                I
grinned. There had to be a story there and I was dying to know. But before I
could ask, I felt a large blanket of power saturate my body. I struggled to
breathe for a second.

                Sylvia
patted my hand gently. “Just a security measure. It will ease.”

                 Looking
around the room, I was left speechless. We were in the opening of a grand circular
conference hall. Black velvet drapes lined the windows, giving complete
privacy. Dozens of large round tables with black linen cloths dotted the open
floor. Above the tables, pink glass lanterns floated in the air. They were
magically suspended! I glanced towards the back of the room and saw an elevated
stage. Looking around the room, my gaze rested on hundreds of witches and
warlocks engrossed in conversation. Off to the right were merchant tables with
trinkets.

                “Cool!”
I told Sylvia, as she pulled me over to where the coven stood at a refreshment
line.

                Sylvia
chuckled. “That’s nothing. Wait until you see the belly dancers perform.”

                My
eyes widened. Belly dancers? This night was going to be so awesome. It’s just
what I needed after being locked up on the mountain for months.

                As
we passed a group of witches, I felt a darkness come over me. A slight change
in my mood and a subtle pressure on my skin.

                “Half-breed,”
one of them spat at me.

                My
mouth dropped open but before I could retort, Sylvia’s hand flung out and white
mist hovered around the witch’s throat. She was gaping like a fish, but no
sound came out. One of her friends glared at Sylvia.

                “That
was uncalled for!” the friend told Sylvia.

                Sylvia
shrugged. “It will wear off. Eventually.”

                I
snickered as we met up with Gretchen and everyone. Half-breed. Ouch, that was
harsh. I was tempted to go back and beat the shit out of her but thought better
of it. Now that we were farther from them, the dark mood and pressure on my
skin was gone.

                “They
are from Prudence’s coven,” Gretchen told me, indicating the group.

                My
eyes widened.

                She
put her hands out. “Don’t worry, she’s banned from attending. Anyone who openly
does dark magic is banned.”

                “Openly.”

                She
shrugged. “Others hide it but we know who they are.” She glared again at the
group of dark witches.

                “Hey,
Aurora,” a familiar male voice said behind me. I spun around and saw Adrian.
The warlock who was also a police officer and had helped me and Kai out of a
bind.

                “Hey,
Adrian. How are you?”

                He
wore a deep green cloak. “I’m great. According to the palm reading I just had,
I’m going to win the lottery next Thursday.”

                We
all laughed.

                Sylvia
rolled her eyes. “Who told you that?”

                “Mary,”
he responded.

                Sylvia
chuckled. “She isn’t even a seer witch! How can the high council allow her to
run a palm reading table?”

                Adrian
shrugged and eyed Maureen, a witch in our coven who had the affinity for
Alchemy. She could turn any metal into gold.

                “Not
everyone has an alchemist in their coven. We’ve got to make a living somehow.”
His tone was respectful but slightly clipped.

                Sylvia
raised an eyebrow. “Fair enough.”

                I
turned to Sylvia. “You read my palm and you aren’t a seer witch.”

                Adrian
laughed. “She’s a high priestess.”

                Sylvia
merely nodded as if that explained it.

                “Right.”
I was trying to keep up.

                “Good
to see you, Aurora, Sylvia.” He bowed and walked off to greet some others.

                “Are
alchemists rare?” I whispered to Sylvia.

                Sylvia
nodded. “The rarest. We’re lucky to have Maureen.”

*

                Interesting.
A tiny, old witch tapped the microphone on the stage. “Please take your seats!
We will open with a blessing ceremony and then the program will begin.”

                We
found our table.
Whiteraven Coven
was scrawled in gold lettering on a
pretty card. We were closest to the stage and I found myself wondering if
Sylvia was somewhat of an honored guest. A lot of people in the magical world
treated her like she was important. I took off my cape and draped it around the
back of my chair, taking a seat.

                ‘Are
you okay, your energy feels muted?’
Kai’s voice broke into my mind.

                ‘It’s
just a protection spell. I’m fine. There are lanterns suspended in mid-air, so
freaking cool!’

                He
chuckled.
‘Witches.’

                The
witch on the stage said a blessing over all of us, invoking the Goddess and
asking for prosperity, love, and health for all of us in the year to come. I
felt good when I was here with my coven. I felt like a witch. I didn’t feel
much like a werewolf. It was weird and nice. As much as the pack was my family,
so was Sylvia and this coven. As if reading my mind, Sylvia met my gaze and
winked.

                The
tiny, old witch on the stage smiled. “Now the moment you have all been waiting
for!”

                I
heard bells jingling behind the stage curtain and the music suddenly changed to
a Middle Eastern beat. “Back for the fourth year in a row! The Pink Ladies!” the
witch cried out, leaving the stage. The curtain suddenly pulled to the side
revealing a dozen or so young, beautiful belly dancers. They swished their hips
in unison with the beat, shaking the gold jingle bells from their pink silk
outfits. Everyone burst into applause and I joined them. Grinning, I watched two
of the girls twirl in circles holding long, pink scarves that swirled in the
air around them.

                They
rolled their abdomens, showcasing their flat, perfect bellies, and as the beat
picked up they ran down the steps off-stage and approached our table, circling
us. Then they threw their hands in the air and pink glitter dust fell onto our
heads. It smelled like roses and the second I inhaled it, I bubbled with laughter
as an elated feeling came over my body. Sylvia was grinning at me as the belly
dancers went to the next table throwing their arms high in the air and releasing
more pink glitter. I laughed again, because Gretchen was laughing and it was
hilarious to me for some reason. I felt stoned. It was so awesome!