Page 68 of April's Fool
She smiled, something almost bittersweet. “I guess that’s why the book chose you.”
“Chose me?” I asked, frowning at the still lightly glowing book in my hands.
“That glow? It only does that when it’s picked someone new to lead us.”
“Lead?” I repeated, a kernel of worry settling in my gut.
“Yes. The Northarbor grimoire has chosen you, Damon, to be the new High Witch of the coven.”
Well, fuck. How had I gone from hating witches to leading them?
Safety
Amorandes
If Damon thought thatleading the coven was the only shocker of the day, well, he was going to be horrified at what else Poppy and Zinna had to confess.
Leaving Damon to take Basil on himself almost tore me in two. My protective side wanted to be with Damon, to ensure his safety. Yet I knew someone had to stay behind with the vulnerable witches and baby.
When he vanished out the door, chasing after Basil, I stayed behind to guard the others. It was the least I could do. This whole mess felt like my fault. I had made Cody and Basil hated Cody.
No, thinking like that was wrong. Basil hated shifters, demons, and half his own coven. He only hated Cody because he was a challenge to Basil’s power. Basil feared the unknown and lashed out at it. If Basil had been rational, he would have known my sweet boy would never have been the coven leader. Even if the book had chosen him, the witches wouldn’t. Basil wasn’t the only one to see demons as lesser, as tools.
So I took up guarding the witches who had treated me with respect and dignity. They didn’t give me pause.
Besides, as a demon, I was prevented from causing harm to humans. Witches were a gray area. My magic wasn’t particularly effective on them and with five beings to protect, a physical altercation was out of the question. Unlike Damon, I wasn’t armed.
The baby cried in her crib. I went to her, let her see me, before I attempted to pick her up. She quieted a fraction. As a witch baby, she would have been sensitive to the magic in the air.
Sage looked at me with huge dark eyes, reminding me of her mama Zinna. She held traces of both witches thanks to the magic they performed to conceive her. The same or similar magic Cody and Toth could use to have their own child.
I rocked her while Damon chased after Basil and tried to get the book back. My fears grew the longer the witches were unconscious and Damon was gone. Anything could happen to him and I was stuck holding a baby. It was the right thing to do, but I wanted to be by his side.
Poppy was the first to stir, then, as if Poppy had summoned her into waking, Zinna opened her eyes. Oak and Thyme were a little worse for wear, though they soon woke too.
The women approached me unsteadily. When they could stand properly, I handed Sage to Poppy. She shared a look with Zinna I didn’t understand then. There was grief behind it.
It was only moments later when Damon returned, his clothes torn and a couple of bruises blooming on his body.
Our reunion was too short, there was so much to discuss, when Poppy dropped her bomb about the coven.
Damon’s expression spoke all the words he couldn’t say; his horror over the responsibility, how uncomfortable he felt over the magic, the hidden pride at being chosen.
Finally, something had picked him.
He just didn’t realize I’d picked him as my chosen mate as soon as I’d met him, since he proved what a pure heart he had.
Unfortunately, Poppy had more bombs in her arsenal. “We need to seal this room. What I’m about to say cannot go anywhere else.” Her stress was obvious. She leaned on her wife as Zinna comforted the baby.
Thyme and Oak exchanged a loaded glance, then set to work on soundproofing the room as Damon stood stock still, holding the grimoire. He was alternating between looking at it with scorn and awe. At anymoment, he might just decide to say “fuck it,” and throw the book out the window.
“Are you okay?” I asked, breaking him from his staring match with the book.
“Huh?” He met my eyes. “No. This is fucked up. I’m barely a witch and now this!” He shook the book. “This bullshit! I don’t want to be a coven leader. I can’t be!”
Damon walked up to Poppy, crossing the room in a handful of steps. “Here, take it back. Be the High Witch.”
Poppy waited for the signal from Thyme and Oak that the room was sealed. “I can’t take it because I don’t have any magic.”
