Page 60 of Wicked Warlock
Chapter 30
Astrid
“Astrid, I’m so sorry.” Penny grabbed my hands, giving them a squeeze. “I’m not supposed to exist. It’s your time now. Not mine.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I looked around at everyone else, and they had the same look of confusion on their faces that I felt inside. “What does you being here have to do with my magic?”
She stepped back from me and removed her coat, tossing it to the ground. Then she hooked her thumb into the collar of her shirt and pulled it to the side, giving us a glimpse of her shoulder. Zinnia, Tabi, Serrina, and Ophelia all gasped. Ophelia moved to her side and poked the half-moon mark on her shoulder. “How is that possible?”
“What? What am I missing?” I looked as one by one they all pulled their shirts to the side, showing me the exact same mark on their shoulders.
Penny nodded. “We’re all queens of our casts. There were never witches and warlocks, Astrid. We all used to be one world. And us warlocks, we were the occult cast of witches. The darker arts are our cast.”
“I don’t understand.”
She moved in close to me and jerked the shoulder of my shirt to the side, showing everyone that dark, scarred half-moon on my shoulder that seemed to match all of theirs. “When you ascended, when you were sorted, and all your power finally came out. You were blessed with this by Hacate. She made you the queen of our cast. It is you, Astrid. You are the sixth queen and the one who will fix what Alataris and I broke.”
Ophelia glanced from Penny to Astrid and back again. “A sixth cast? How is that even possible.”
Penny sighed. “When Alataris came to power and the prophecy came out, he took action to prevent that. I was close with the other queens, you see. We were best friends. I loved them.” Tears swam in her eyes. “But he killed my best friend, the queen of enchantments.” She sucked in a deep breath. “And then he told me if I didn’t divide away from the other witches, he would kill the rest of them. You have to understand, they were all I had. They were my family.”
I looked to Beckett and Tilly, knowing they too were my family, and I would do anything to protect them. “I get that.”
“I tried to stop him on my own… and that’s how I wound up in the board.” She looked at the circle of us standing together. “I wasn’t as strong as the rest of you together.”
I knew she was right. Together, the queens and heirs could do anything. “We have each other. You had no one.”
“And now we all have you. The best of both worlds. The queen of the warlocks, which is the occult cast, and the last living Lockwood heir.” She smiled at me. “But you and I, we’re not supposed to exist at the same time. There is only supposed to one queen, and that queen is entitled to her full powers.”
It was all starting to make sense. “Is that why I felt so weak sometimes? Why my magic didn’t work?”
“Yes. And when you died… all the power came to me. Because we had been tugging it back and forth between us. But your death forced it one way.” She shook her head. “The wrong way. Right toward me. The first occult queen.”
“So is my magic gone for good?” I held my breath. I didn’t realize how much I wanted it, how much a part of me it was. I felt lost without it and needed it at least some of it back.
Professor Charles cleared her throat, getting my attention. “No, but two of you can’t exist at the same time. A queen can’t survive without her power.”
Ice ran through my veins and Beckett took a step closer to me. I felt his panic. The rapid beating of his heart matched my own. “What do you mean survive?”
“The longest one has lasted is four days.” Professor Charles met my eye. “It’s already been almost a day. How do you feel?”
Did I lie? Or tell them the truth? “Worn, I feel worn out. Drained, even. But I thought it was because I haven’t really slept yet. There’s been a lot going on.”
“Could be or it could be the lack of power taking its toll.” Professor turned toward Penny. “I don’t think we can wait that long.”
“I don’t either.” Penny nodded.
I wasn’t ready to die or lose my powers. And I certainly didn’t want anything to happen to Penny. My breaths rushed out, and I fought to steady them to a slower, controlled pace. Do not panic. “So, one of us has to die?”
Beckett wound his fingers with mine and tightened his grip. “Where you go, I will follow.”
“Yes, one of you has to die.” A light smile played on Professor Charles lips. “Or one of you has to become immortal.”
Immortal, no way. I glanced around and my eyes landed on Grayson. “Are you telling me to become a vampire?”
A lazy smile spread over Grayson’s face. “It’s not so bad. I could turn you with just a little nip.”
Beckett’s hand tightened further around mine, and he looked like he was going to throw something at Gray. “And I could kill you with just a little stab.”
