Page 62 of November Reign
Rather than go home to the mansion, we stayed in one of Mori’s hotels. None of us were really sober enough to go home where we would have to check our security before we said anything. We were safer in the demon realm, really. There, we were free to live and love as we pleased.
The party went on late, with all of us drinking a lot. Despite us being witches, the demonkin were incredibly welcoming. Some, the non royals, were understandably wary to begin with, though they quickly warmed to us. Helped when Oak made adrunken vow I hoped he would keep: to find a spell to break the curse of ownership over demons.
Seeing Damon surrounded by his new family, with demon friends, it made me wonder if I had it all wrong. Maybe he was right to rebel against being the High Witch of the coven. There, in the demon realm, was where Damon fit. Maybe I needed to find a way to free him from the coven before it destroyed him instead of him destroying it.
Drunk me was a melancholy me. I was grateful to get into the room Mori had arranged for us.
“Here. Drink some water.” Oak passed me a glass while he sipped on his own. The water was refreshing and tasted so pure and clean compared to back home.
We were silent as we sat in the little seating area near the balcony, watching demonkin go by. I wanted to talk about Damon, but I also wanted to enjoy the peace. To not think about the future or anything to come.
“Come to bed.” Oak stood, peeled off his suit, let down his hair and climbed into bed.
It felt like one of those key moments in our relationship. We were going to bed just to sleep. Neither of us were in the mood for sex, both distracted with other thoughts. It was a time for finding solace by being there for the other.
I took off my clothes, then joined him in bed, snuggling close.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” I shook my head for emphasis. “Just want to be here, with you.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
When we returned to the mansion the next day, there was a crowd of our witches waiting outside. All our security and spells had done their job of keeping them out. Some looked irritated, the others amused at our rumpled appearance.
“My apologies!” Mori called. “There was a family wedding,” he went on without mentioning Barr. The Hellhound and his elemental mate would join us later in the day.
“I’m surprised you were invited,” Aster remarked to Oak. “I thought you were still on the shit list with Damon.”
“Well, I did help Thyme the other day.”
“Right, when he fainted.”
“Yeah. Damon’s been cool with me since then. It was Mori’s mom who invited me.” Oak took a step away from the other witch automatically when she got too close.
As cover stories went, it was a good one. It added to the change in attitude Damon was showing to the others when it came to Oak. Yet it wouldn’t makeBasil demand Oak make a move just yet. Trying to buy time while also not dragging our feet, making Basil impatient, was incredibly difficult to balance. Everything felt like it was on a knife’s edge.
“Today, half the group will work on protection charms,” Damon said above the noise of the gathered witches. “The rest on defense.”
“Why charms?” Aster sneered. “It’s such basic magic most witches can do.”
My turn to think of a cover story. “It’s also so fundamental that people pick up bad habits and get lazy with it. Then when they need them, the charms fail because they are badly made. Consistently making potent charms requires patience, a fairly deep magical well, and passion for the craft.”
Oak, demonstrating a thaw in our public relationship, backed me up. “I’ve seen charms fail in the field.”
“Hmm, well, I suppose a refresher will be useful. Can I start with training, though?”
I would not harm the witch flirting with my man. The mantra repeated in my mind while Oak sauntered off with the flirting Aster.
Damon came to my side, squeezing my elbow. “Want to teach me about charm making?”
“Sure. I think you’ll be really good at it.”
Proven right about Damon’s charm making skills, I put the finished ones, mostly Damon’s work, away, until the demons would arrive to collect them. The coven witches thought I was going to be evaluating them, and I had, as they were made. The ones that didn’t make the grade, I corrected myself. I was not sending demons out there to fight without adequate protection.
Parker was off to check the mansion, along with Cody and Oak. My boyfriend was teaching Cody what to look out for. Apparently, there was a surveillance spell left behind. Rather than remove it and tip the listener off, they put a wide barrier around it. The people listening would hear stuff, but only what we chose for them to hear. Luckily, it was in a room we didn’t use much.
The demons arrived in small groups along with Barr and Jorgoth, both beaming and looking very in love.
