Page 35 of Witch's Rebirth
"Anchors are how we transport somewhere instantly," Ash explained. "We can't just do it at will, we have to spell something and keep it in the location we want to transport to. Most demons set up anchors in Hell to go there and back easier, but we never thought about it with Deja. She's usually with one of us and just tags along when someone goes."
"And they never have an expiration date, apparently," Raum smirked while tapping my knee.
"So is it fair to assume Diana thinks Deja's dead as well?" Seth asked. He sat on the arm of the love seat, giving Raum and I plenty of space. That wouldn’t do, so I nudged him with my toes until he slid down in the seat next to Raum. Then I extended my legs out over his lap and watched the smile and giddiness grow on his face as he massaged my calves.
"I think so." Ash stood leaning against one of his bookshelves, stroking his beard thoughtfully. He didn't even seem to notice the affection between Seth and me. "There's no reason she wouldn't. Once an angel's kiss is released, it doesn't stop until it hits and destroys something. And with this one being bonded to Deidre's blood, she made it essentially foolproof to hit Deja."
"So if I were to confront her myself," I smiled. "I would catch her completely unaware."
"That would be the most likely outcome." Ash's eyes glowed with excitement. "But we should still proceed with caution and come up with a backup plan if things do go awry again."
"She won't come out here again," Seth said as he pressed his thumb deliciously into the arch of my foot. "We'll likely have to go back to San Francisco. I can anchor us to my old apartment back there."
"That's good to know," Sal said lightheartedly. "There's no reason for us to fail this time."
None of them seemed the least bit uncomfortable with Seth sitting among us and that warmed my heart to an unspeakable degree.
"While we're making plans," I said, linking my fingers with Raum's at my side. "After all this is over... there's something I want to do that's never been done before. I talked about it to Lucifer and he gave me his full support."
"Name it, my love," Ash said sweetly.
"I want to make a sanctuary, a safe place for all supernaturals. Demons, shifters, witches, whatever. If there's someone out there who needs protection from humans or anyone, I want them to know they can come to this place."
Silence fell for a moment all around the room before smiles broke out like sunshine on everyone's faces.
"You mean like Astrid's campground?" Nona piped up.
"Yes, exactly," I answered. "If it's okay with her, I'd like to include her campground within the new sanctuary. Then her shifter refugees will be protected by magic, too. Then she won't have to shoot first and ask questions later."
My demons burst out laughing; only Seth and Nona looked confused.
"Don't worry, we'll bring you up to speed." Raum clapped a hand down on Seth's shoulder.
"So will you guys help me with this? I want this place to last for generations and it'll take a lot of magic to hold." I looked around to all the faces in the room, these people who I adored and stuck by me through unimaginable things.
"Without a doubt, baby," Raum purred and planted a kiss on my cheek.
"I'll ask Astrid tonight, but I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Nona grinned. "With magic to protect our refugees, it will really make our job of relocating them so much easier."
"Anything you need, beautiful." Sal shifted from side to side on his feet, adorable and sexy as he was excited.
"You know I'm yours for anything," Seth murmured with a gentle squeeze of my foot.
That only left Ash. He seemed distracted, stroking his beard and looking off somewhere far away.
"Angel?" I pressed gently. "What do you think?"
"What should we call it?" he asked no one in particular. "It'll be the first of its kind and needs a fitting name."
My heart swelled. Not only was he on board, he was already making plans for it.
We all started thinking and throwing out various names and words. Ash turned to the bookshelf and quickly began scanning the spines.
"How about this?" He pulled out a slim volume and tossed it to me. "Turn to the first poem in there."
I glanced at the cover before opening the book.The Poetic Edda. A collection of poems from early Norse culture. The first poem was calledVoluspa. It had been so long since I spoke or read the ancient language, I looked up to Ash with a blank expression on my face.
"Voluspa? What does it mean?"
