Page 68 of Blood and Hexes

Outside, there was a girl standing, looking lost. She had a piece of paper in her hand.

“This is Cee,” Diana said. “Belial brought her with him.”

The witch held her free hand up in a wave. “Hi. Are you always bloody around here?” she asked with a grimace.

Diana laughed. “Not even close. We’re boring. We have afternoon tea every Sunday.”

Cee pondered her words. “I like tea.” She handed Diana her piece of paper. “That’s my application. Belial says you normally ask for two references, but I only have one because everyone else wants to kill me.” She sounded blasé about it all.

“Welcome to the club,” Chloe said. “I’ll sign as the second recommendation. If the guy who saved us wants you in, you’re in.”

“Great, because you need me.” The witch beamed. “I have a thing with fire.”

A red dawn was rising in the distance, and in the burning light, it was easy to see that most of the flames had been put out…but they’d left Oldcrest destroyed. Like all the houses on the hill.

Cee turned away from them, palms stretched out in front of her. She kicked her shoes off and dug her toes into the ground. Eyes closed, she concentrated.

At first, there was nothing, though Diana could feel a potent wave of magic wash over them, gathering from deep under the hill.

Then she started to see the burned trees, the scorched moss, and the blackened ground come to life, leaves bursting out despite the season. The Skyhall lawn flowered like it did in spring, with primroses and daisies.

As if it had all been a bad dream, Oldcrest was restored to all its glory, except for the ruins of the four houses, and the multitude of bodies stacked at the borders.

Everyone walked down the hill, and gathered within the bounds of the Institute’s courtyard, even though it was also littered with corpses. The huntsmen and witches had been proficient at dispatching those who’d made it past the first line of defense. All the same, they’d lost a kid, Ward. Mikar remembered the somewhat sullen guy from his guard duty around Chloe. He didn’t know him well, but the loss was felt.

After gathering almost two hundred allies for them, Luke had died in the few minutes it had taken for them to run up the hill. That loss wasn’t only felt. It was a festering wound on his soul. Mikar mourned a friend, a companion of centuries.

Sylvan’s left arm was crushed in several places, but the smug bastard would live.

Unlike Ruby.

She’d died protecting Greer and Oldcrest.

Their losses weren’t numerous, but each was a wound that wouldn’t ever heal.

“The wolves fought on their front.” Avani was back to her human form. “But they figured out that if we lost, they were screwed. The alpha got them to torch their borders and join us.” She shook her head. “I can hardly believe it. It would never have happened with Draiden, the old alpha.”

“The new alpha is better, then?” Chloe asked, hopeful. “Maybe we could talk about having an alliance with them.”

Avani sat on the sandy ground next to them, wincing. “I mean, Draiden was a psycho, so sure, Ludvic is better. Knox killed most of those who’d followed Draiden. He knows he can’t step out of line like Ludvic did.” She paused.

“But?” Alexius prompted.

“But, he’s still a wolf of the Elder Pack. I don’t know him well, he was always quiet, stayed out of the mass, you know. That doesn’t change the fact that they’re a few centuries behind on most notions.”

Mikar had known the pack long enough to agree.

“It might still be worth speaking to them.” Chloe, ever the optimist, eyed the members of the pack who’d consented to follow them.

They had wounded wolves who needed tending to, and they hadn’t refused magical assistance.

It was daytime now, and everyone was settling, letting the weight of the night sink in. Diana was leaning on him, eyes half closed. When her head fell to his shoulder, he chuckled.

“All right. Time to get you home.” She needed sleep, and blood. They all did.

“You can stay in Skyhall,” Chloe offered. “There’s plenty of room.”

Mikar shrugged. “I doubt they torched my house.”

Chloe’s eyes bulged. “You have a house?”

He laughed. “Where did you think I slept, all this time?”

“In Levi’s place, like Sylvan.” Chloe shook her head. “I can’t believe you never invited us around for dinner.”

Mikar rolled his eyes. “You can come for dinner any time. Bring Levi’s wine.”

“I don’t have wine anymore,” Levi reminded him. “They burned it all, remember?”

Mikar growled. Now that was just nasty.

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