Her Dragon (Book 2 of The Circle Series)

CHAPTER 7: ADVICE

VALENTINA

I dust the crystals on the shelf until they shine. Giada’s mom owns a bookstore specializing in the occult, and I’ve been working here for as long as I can remember. This place sparked my love of reading and started my passion for learning about religion, mythology, and the occult. Giada and I would spend hours lost in books or playing in the aisles while our grandmother and my aunt met with our coven in the back. 

My aunt Angela has been the High Priestess ever since my grandmother died, and even though it’s an elected position, she’s been preparing me little by little to take over, which is what I’ve always wanted. Things had been going as planned until Amadeo showed up. Now, the Witch Council is somehow interested in me and wants to meet in Spain of all places. 

He’s been giving me space, but I’m still unsure what to do. Would I be able to leave everyone behind and work for the Tribunal? Do I want to? 

My Circle just got back together after so long, and this would change things. I don’t want to rock the boat when we’re in somewhat of a good place. Our powers are stronger together and still so new that training together is very important.

The door chimes, and my aunt and uncle walk in along with Dottie, the only living member of our coven who was part of my grandmother’s Circle, and her best friend. She works in the store simply to keep busy, and I’m guessing she’s here to take over for me while we train in the back room. She’s an eccentric old bat with an affinity for leopard print and sequins, and we love her. With no children or husband of her own, we’ve always considered her part of our family. 

“Hiya, Ladybug,” she smiles, moving behind the counter and smoothing out her lilac hair. She’s been calling me that since I was a baby. I pretend to be indifferent to it, but deep down, I think it’s sweet. She’s the only person to have ever given me a nickname. Amadeo’s terms of endearment don’t count. I imagine he uses them with countless women. 

She pulls out her phone and turns it to me. Dottie is surprisingly tech-savvy for her age. She sends me memes all the time and she even has Twitter.

“Look at what the lovebirds sent me today. They make me sick,” she laughs loudly, showing me a picture of Giada riding a camel and Sebastian standing beside her. 

I’m surprised he let her go on the camel. The day after the wedding, I had a vision that she was pregnant. She can’t be that far along, but werewolf pregnancies are shorter than witches, and I don’t see Sebastian taking chances with her. It’s probably why he’s standing directly beside the camel. My guess is she didn’t actually ride it. Maybe she just took a posed picture. That, or she isn’t pregnant yet. My premonitions, unfortunately, don’t come with a timestamp.

“Would you ride a camel?” Dottie asks. 

“I would if I was in Egypt.” 

“Riding a dragon is probably more fun,” she replies. “But what do I know? They’re probably the only type of shifter I haven’t tried. Does your dragon have any friends?” 

I whip my head around to face her and nearly choke on my spit. “He’s not mine.” 

“Mhmm. I’m old, not blind. I saw the fireworks going off between the two of you at the wedding until Charlie interrupted.” A customer comes in, and she rings up their order and then turns back to me. “You know I love that boy, I do, but he was a temporary thing. It’s time to move on to bigger,” she winks exaggeratedly, “and better things even if they may be temporary as well.” 

If she only knew how much bigger, she would squirm. I grab my bag and make my way to the back room without answering her. I can’t. I didn’t even realize she knew about Charlie and me. 

“Giada’s going to call soon. She wants to say hi to everyone,” my aunt says as Charlie, Anessa, and Bauer walk in the room. Everyone simultaneously pulls out their phone and puts them on the desk. 

We usually train outside because sometimes we damage things, but today, we won’t need much space or make a mess. 

“I’ve been thinking of different ways we can trap Katya if she appears again. When she first attacked Giada in Montreal, she used telekinesis. And she was also able to teleport.”

“Don’t forget she had a resistance to fire,” Charlie adds.

Katya’s kind of witch is dangerous and extremely hard to kill because she attains her magic by draining other witches of their powers. 

“She might not have those powers anymore, though. She might have entirely different ones now,” Bauer says.

“You’re right, but I think we should prepare in case she still has them. If she attacks us again, I think she’s going to come with our powers, as well as others to keep us off balance.” 

“That’s what I would do if I had her ability,” Charlie agrees.

“She knows what we can do. She most likely observed us that day at Garnet Moon, or she has done her research by now,” Anessa joins in. “She loved my power. She said it caused the most pain and damage,” she admits quietly. 

Anessa has the power of electrokinesis. Using her mind, she can create and manipulate electricity. Katya kept Anessa captive for five years to siphon her magic while we thought she was dead. Every once and a while she mentions things that happened, but she doesn’t go into detail, and I don’t push her. She left a vibrant, outgoing, and carefree girl, and she came back a completely different woman. I’m under no illusion that getting rid of Katya will bring back the old Anessa, but we will all be able to sleep easier with her gone. 

“So, what are you thinking?” Charlie asks.

“I’ve found a spell that can trap a witch, but we’d have to create this on the ground.” I show them the rune. “I asked my uncle Joe to come today because I want to test out if it works. It’s supposed to prevent the witch from moving and from using their powers, but I’m not sure if that encompasses teleporting.” 

My uncle was born with the powers of telekinesis and teleportation. Giada inherited both powers from him. Bauer can conjure things and make things disappear, and Charlie can create and manipulate fire and water. 

“How will you be able to get her to stand exactly where you want her?” my aunt asks.

“We’ll move her using telekinesis if we have to. This is just one option. If it works, I want us all to know the spell. It’s stronger with all five of us reciting it, but we don’t know when she will show up.”

The five of us now share the same powers but to lesser degrees. When a witch turns 21, she is considered fully mature. At that age, some witches get new powers like Bauer and Giada. Others like myself, Charlie, and Anessa saw our powers we were born with become stronger or evolve.  

Since the ritual, there are still things we can’t do. I can’t make the things I conjure disappear or manipulate water, but I have been able to teleport very short distances. That’s how I got out of Amadeo’s hotel room. I teleported to my car. I opened and closed the door on purpose to make him think I left that way. And I know whatever notes he had from Dame Sandrine, and Dame Amira didn’t include that because I’ve only recently been able to do it. 

Charlie draws the rune with a circle around it on the ground with chalk. Uncle Joe stands in the center of it as we recount the spell holding hands. He tries to walk out, but he physically can’t. 

“I can’t teleport either,” he says. 

Once I smudge the chalk with my foot, he’s able to move. 

“None of the lines can be broken for this to work,” I explain. 

“We have to be extra careful when we place her in the middle of it then,” Bauer points out. 

“And we have to be quick with the spell,” Charlie mentions. I know it’s a long shot, but we have to be prepared for different scenarios. Charlie looks at me. “It’s a good idea, Val, and I think it’s smart to have more than one plan in place to finally neutralize this bitch.” 

I nod. 

“Let’s try moving Joe into the right spot without breaking the lines,” Anessa suggests. “Is that okay?” she asks my uncle. 

“Sure. Use me like a puppet,” he responds, and my aunt smirks. 

We each try to put him in the center, and it works. We just have to be quick and precise.

My aunt’s phone rings a few minutes later, and it’s Giada with a video call, and Sebastian is beside her. I take that time to explain to everyone what Amadeo told me. I also mention the rebellions that have become more problematic for the Tribunal and how the Witch Council thinks all five of us will eventually be called to help.

“I can totally see why they’re interested in you. Angela’s training has obviously paid off.” My aunt smiles proudly at Anessa’s comment. 

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and even if it doesn’t work out, at the very least, you can meet some of the most influential witches in the world and see Spain,” Giada chimes in, and Sebastian nods. 

“Katya is still out there, and I don’t want to leave you all to deal with her. We’re stronger together.”

She’s out to get Sebastian for killing her Alpha mate and us for our hand in the whole dismantling of her pack and discovery of the witches she was torturing. 

“No one says you have to stay in Spain. I don’t know all of the members, but I’m pretty sure Dame Sandrine mentioned they live in different parts of the world,” my aunt states. 

That’s true. Dame Sandrine is from New Orleans and oversees the witches in North America. Amadeo did say she was looking to retire. Maybe I could stay here and take her place. 

I’m getting ahead of myself. Take her place? She’s one of the most respected and influential witches in the world! I should take this one step at a time. It’s possible they’ll meet with me, and I won’t be what they’re looking for. I’m sure they’re considering multiple candidates.

“And maybe the Witch Council and the Tribunal will be able to locate Katya since we can’t,” Bauer suggests. “Aren’t they supposed to be looking for her?”

“Maybe they even know a way or have spells that can kill her that we have no idea about,” Anessa adds. 

I hadn’t considered either of those possibilities, and they’re all being so incredibly supportive at the moment, except for Charlie. He hasn’t said a word, and he looks upset. Whatever he’s thinking, he’ll have to get over it if I decide to go ahead with the meeting. 

When everyone leaves, I talk to my aunt. She’s spent so much time and effort training me to be the next leader of our coven, and it might be all for nothing. 

“All that you’ve learned is incredibly useful, and I’ve enjoyed spending the time with you.”  She gives me a small reassuring smile.

“You’re not disappointed that I might not be the next High Priestess?” I ask. 

“I’ve always been happy at how keen you are, but I want you to do what’s best for you. Don’t think about us. I made mistakes with Giada that forced her to turn away from me and caused irreparable harm, and my mother did the same with your mom,” she admits unhappily. 

We’ve never talked about the reasons my mom left. All I was told was she was sick and went to get better. I was six when it happened, and it was always a sore subject for my grandmother.

I was fortunate enough to have strong women step up and raise me when my mom stepped out. My grandmother, my aunt, and Dottie taught me everything I’ve needed to know about being a successful and independent woman and witch.  

“So tell me about this dragon. I’m guessing your doubts about this whole thing stem from him?” she asks.  

This is the problem with being born into a family of seers like ours. They’re more perceptive and intuitive than most witches, and witches are already both of those things. 

“I trust that he’s a decent person since Sebastian holds him in high esteem, but there’s something about him. I just can’t put my finger on it.” 

She nods. “I think you would be foolish to miss out on this opportunity. If you don’t trust him or how things are going to turn out, trust that you will handle whatever happens.” 

I can do that.

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A/N:

So it looks like Valentina is considering meeting with the Witch Council. What do you think of her Circle? Are you enjoying their dynamic? I've sprinkled some information from book 1 about their magic to explain a bit of their powers to readers who may not have read Her Wolf. I hope it's not repetitive for those of you who have read it, but some things are necessary to mention again.

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