Under the Blood Moon

The Coven - part 1

Stefan

Anne’s gift took me by surprise for two reasons, the first being that I didn’t know such a thing existed, and the second I didn’t understand why we would ever need it. Wolf couples rarely are apart until the bond settles fully into place and the couple is less anxious when they are separate, forcing this early on seems more than odd to me.

She goes onto explain about her and scarlet’s place in the coven, the fact that she is still part of the council of elders, or the 13 as she calls it, seems as much a surprise to her at this point as it does to me. She explains that her place has been held open as the 13 have been able to draw from her energy at a distance, keeping their covenants and spells active despite her absence. I wonder what type of impact this has had on both her and the coven over the years. Intrigued I urge her to continue.

She goes on to explain about the council testing that Scarlet will need to go through and the position that is waiting for her once she has gone through her initiate training. She seems a little worried as she describes the blossoming of power, and her eyes fixate on her daughter as she discusses it with us all. The air grows a little stifling as her concern grows, as we all start to suffer from the oppressive aura, Scarlet reaches out and squeezes her mother’s hand. Anne shifts in her chair and smiles at the concern, with her smile the mood shifts in the room and the pressure begins to lift.

“Scarlet” she begins “is from a line of very strong witches, my family has sat on the 13 for longer than we have paper records, each generation is a little stronger than the next. My own initiate training was difficult enough, there were days were I had to lock myself away to meditate or the magic would overwhelm me and cause a lot of damage to those around me.” Anne’s fear flashes through her eyes again. “Since we came back the full weight of the magic is flowing though me again, being away from the coven had dulled it for such a long time that I have to admit that I am struggling to control it again.” She shrugs “out of practice I guess.”

Turning to face us both fully she very seriously tells us “There are certain things you must avoid until Scarlet has completed her training.” I have to admit I am more than a little worried right now. “Scarlet, you are going to be the strongest witch in a generation, in many generations, we can see the magic around you now. It is crackling and popping around you while it waits for you to wake up and absorb it.” OK so I’m staring intently at my mate now trying to see the energy that Anne is describing. She laughs “you can’t see it Stefan, it’s a witch thing.” I huff a little not happy that I can’t see and Scarlet squeezes my thigh smiling softly at me, the pleasant mate tingles jump in intensity for a moment and I fight the urge to jump away from the electric shock, she glows red as I look at her in shock, tiny sparkles are bouncing in the red glow hitting her skin and flying off as though they are trying to find a way in. I gasp “I see it.”

“What?” exclaims Anne, “No, what? Describe what you see.” She demands. Scarlet is frozen watching me as Anne’s voice peaks, her hand tightens around my thigh and the colours pop into focus around her. I describe the red aura with the tiny gold sparks bouncing off her skin. Scarlet lifts her hand and starts rubbing at her shoulder and face as though feeling them. The moment she lifts her hand the colours fade and then they’re gone. “They’re gone.” I say sadly.

“Scarlet, put your hand back” Anne commands.

The moment her skin touches mine again the colours bloom around us, flowing down her arm and wrapping themselves around my leg, tingling slightly as they run across my skin. I look at Anne silently asking if she sees this. She nods, her mouth hanging slightly agape as she does.

“Hmm” she mutters. “This makes tomorrow all the more important, Put the pendants on now kids, you’re going to need them tomorrow.”

“Why?” I ask dumbly.

“Tomorrow Scarlet and I are meeting the 13” Anne replies bluntly, inviting no questions or argument. I take in her seriousness and offer no objection despite wanting to scream that no she can’t go. As much as I never want to stifle or prevent Scarlet from living her own life, my inner wolf screams that ‘No she’s ours, they can’t have her!’ I push the feral instincts down, cursing the inner animal and nod in agreement, my hand resting on my mates, her sparkling red aura spreading quickly up my arm, welcoming our touch.

Scarlet

The fear in my mother’s eyes as we discuss the coven, and my potential power has my nerves sat on edge. I have sat in relative silence as she has explained the situation with the 13 to Stefan and his family. When she started to discuss the aura of energy, I felt the need to see it myself, and then the need to show Stefan when he looked so sad that it wasn’t something he could see. As I squeezed his thigh I thought ‘you should be able to see this too’ and then he could. My eyes fixated on my hand touching him, the red sheen spreading down from my fingers and slowly swallowing his leg, tiny sparkles of electric gold are attacking my skin, trying to push their way in. Watching them they start to tingle and burn as they throw themselves at me. The gold doesn’t spread onto Stefan, focusing itself on it’s attack on my bare flesh, but the red cloud? Spreads over him, pulling him into my space, accepting him as part of me.

“Mum.” I look up breathing a little too quickly. “You said there is stuff we shouldn’t do. What is it?”

She shakes her head watching the aura flow over the two of us, breaking her gaze forcibly she looks up “Yes, definitely not yet.” Her voice is distracted. “Mum” I whine demanding her focus here before the fear overwhelms me.

“Sorry sweetie, the thing not to do right now is not to get pregnant, please take precautions” OK now I’m blushing again, not really wanting to discuss s*x with the entire family. “I know I’m being embarrassing” mum says softly “but adding any new power or hormonal fluctuations to this” she waves her hands over me “could be very dangerous.”

I can feel my mind swirling with all of the information I have taken in today, it’s too much. I need to breath; I need some space. The walls feel like they are closing in on me and the room is dimming around me. I stand up shakily murmuring that I need a moment before staggering out of the door onto the porch. Landing clumsily on the lawn chair I dip my head to my knees and breathe deeply dispelling the dots of light dancing in my vision.

A few moments pass before I hear Stefan’s footsteps on the wooden porch. I want to scream at him to go away, for it all to go away. But I stay still and quiet. He hovers around me. I continue to take deep breaths for a few more minutes before looking up “Stefan, we haven’t exactly been careful, have we?”

“No” he breathes softly, “I didn’t think.”

“I know, I didn’t either, it was all just so fast and exciting” I’m ticking over in my head just how long it’s been since I took the tiny white pill that has sat on my bedside table since I was 16. “I have missed a couple of pills this week, with all the drama it just slipped my mind.” I want to cry.

He walks quickly over to me, taking me in his arms. “It’s OK” he croons “It’ll all be OK, I promise.” His fingers lift my chin to his face “I’ll be better from now, it’s not all down to you.” He whispers into my ear before planting a soft kiss on my lips.

We sit for a few moments wrapped in our warm embrace before we stand together, our arms wrapped around each other’s backs we step out into the garden without words, walking slowly and silently around the rose bushes, my hand slips over my stomach as we walk, I wonder if there is already a little life growing there, I wonder what exactly dangerous looks like.

For the first time since we met our time is tinged with a little sadness and reality, what should be nothing put happiness was tainted by our mixed biologies, by the burgeoning appearance of my magic and the unpredictability that it carried.

“What ever happens Scarlet, I’m here, I would love nothing more than to have a tiny me or you running around and we’ll manage whatever that brings with it.” Stefan speaks softly and steadily as we meander around the flower beds. “I know” I sigh “I love you Stefan”

He turns to me, catching me in a deep breath-taking kiss “I love you too Red.” He breathes as our lips break.