Page 44 of Her Dreadful Will
“Don’t mind her,” Angelou said. “She’s jealous because you’re so powerful.”
Soleil winced. “Nothing I can do about that.”
“I know.” Angelou lowered her voice, her expression sobering. “I won’t tell them what you can do.”
Soleil’s eyes widened. “Wait, you can read affinities?”
“Sometimes. I couldn’t when you first got here, but now that you’re all juiced up with power, I can sense it. You’re a mind-flex witch. Super rare affinity—nice!” She held up her hand for a high five, which Soleil gave halfheartedly, her chest tight with concern.
“You’re not scared of me? I promise I would never interfere with your will in any way—”
Angelou held up a long-nailed hand. “Please. I can tell you’re good people. Not that I have a problem with slightly wicked people, either. They have their place too.” She cut her eyes toward the spot at the treeline where Achan was pulling on his shirt.
“What do you mean?” asked Soleil eagerly. “What can you tell me about him? He’s not just a nature witch, is he?”
Angelou’s face turned serious. “That’s something you need to ask him yourself.”
“You’re right.” Soleil tugged her purse over one shoulder. “He owes me some answers anyway. Good to meet you, Angelou—and I’ll text you soon.”
“You better.”
Her lips tight with determination, Soleil marched toward the edge of the clearing. Toward Achan.
17
When Soleil reached Achan, he gave her a knowing look. “You’ve come for your answers. I’ll warn you—you might not like everything I have to say.”
“As long as it’s the truth, I’m good with it.”
He nodded. “I’ll say a few goodbyes and then I’ll join you for the walk back.”
She waited under the eaves of the forest, staring into the cool darkness, listening to the rustling and chirping of night creatures. When he returned, she let him lead the way along the narrow track back to the main path.
“Will they be mad that we didn’t help clean up?” she asked.
“There’s not much cleanup to do, and they like to hang out for a while after a circle. It’s fine.” He cast a look at her over his shoulder. “So—was this worth your time?”
“Yes. I didn’t realize how low my radiance was until I was full again.”
“You could feel like that more often, you know.”
“How often do you have these gatherings?”
“Once or twice a month, but that’s not what I—never mind.”
Soleil didn’t prod. She had specific questions to ask, a mental list of them—but for some reason the silliest and most recent of them floated to the surface first. “It was so intense, I wondered—does anyone ever hook up after those things?”
As they climbed the rocks toward the Rabbit Hole, his shadowed back gave no hint of his expression. That was just as well, because her cheeks were flaming and she didn’t want him to see. She entered the rocky fissure behind him, one hand pressed to the damp, mossy stone to steady herself.
When he finally answered, there was a hint of humor in his voice. “Is this your way of asking if I’ve slept with any members of my coven?”
“Hey, you said you would answer my questions.”
“Fair enough. No, I haven’t slept with any of them. A couple of the others have hooked up, though. Like you said, it’s an intense experience. And there’s evidence that sexual connection between witches can feed magical power.”
She scoffed. “Are you expecting me to believe you haven’t explored that?”
He turned to face her so abruptly she nearly collided with him. The fading moonlight sifted down into the rocky crevice, highlighting the planes of his face and glinting in his hair. “I haven’t,” he said, low. “But I’d like to, someday.”
