Within the Sapphire Forest

Chapter 16

It was another week before we were able to move into the house fully. We took bits and pieces of our stuff over as we could, careful not to get in the way of the renovations. They painted the living room a pale blue color, which made the grey furniture pop. The only renovation I wanted in the kitchen was the addition of an island to add more counter space. In the dining room, I requested anything that would make it feel less… formal and cold. They complied by painting the walls a warm off white color, replacing the white dining set with a rustic dining set and adding a shelf with plants and pictures of me and Caden. I’m sure Melissa had a hand in supplying the pictures.

There were no changes to the study, or the half bath, but I did ask for more decorations in the hall. No one touched the second floor either, since we didn’t have any plans for it at that moment, and the only room we touched on the second floor was our bedroom, which they painted a beautiful dark green. There was no mural, but at least the pop of color made it feel more welcoming.

The bathroom, on the other hand, was painted to look like one of those island lake scenes from the movies, the ones where the lake is surrounded by a thick forest with a waterfall pouring into it. The waterfall landed between the shower and the bath, making it seem like it was supplying both with their water.

I was head over heels for the house, and we moved in the rest of our belongings the same day. We had everything to our liking before the sun set, so we decided to host dinner.

I was getting around much easier, using the crutches a lot less, so I decided to make my famous two timing pasta for the masses. Caden helped when I needed to take a break, and finished just in time for Justin, Melissa, Elise, Carrie, Anthony, and Thomas to arrive. We wanted to invite Danielle and Jacob, but they left on a vacation to Ireland, so they weren’t able to join us anyway. 

We also invited Trey. I hadn’t gotten a chance to properly get to know him the previous months because he wasn’t a part of the top members of the pack, but we still wanted him to know we cared, so we made sure he came to dinner. We also let him keep Bev. He’d become extremely attached to the kitty, and Caden especially didn’t have the heart to separate them.

We had a comfortable dinner, with pleasant conversation, until my phone rang suddenly. I checked and saw that it was Rose.

I quickly excused myself and hurried to the study shutting the door behind me.

“Hey,” I answered, trying to be courteous toward her.

“Where the hell are you?” she sneered viciously. “I went by your cabin and when I noticed your shields were down I checked it, and you have absolutely nothing there. Evianna Fallon Woods, what have you done now?”

Admittedly, that was not a conversation I was prepared for at all. Logically, I knew I would have to explain the situation to my grandmother, I was just hoping I would have more time.

“I moved out of the cabin. I was offered a place with some interesting people and I decided to take it,” I replied, hoping that not giving details would make it easier.

“Without telling the coven? I raised you better than that! You are a member of this coven, and therefore, you will be held accountable for your actions. Tell me where you are right now so I can come get you,” she demanded, screeching into the phone.

“No,” I said, my heart pounding.

“Excuse you?” she seethed.

“I said no. I’m not a part of your coven, and I don’t want to be. I won’t answer to you anymore.”

The line was silent for a moment, then she spat out, “If I have to come find you, I will make your life a living hell, little girl. This is your last chance to tell me where you are, before I lose my temper, do you understand me?”

“Let me say this to you one more time; I am not coming back. I will not tell you where I am. If you come looking for me, I will not hesitate to protect my home, do you understand me?”

She hung up without another word, and my stomach dropped. I had a horrible feeling.

I slowly made my way back to the dining room, deep in thought about what she would do.

Melissa and Elise caught on quickly. Everyone else seemed to be too deep in their conversations to notice. They each gave me a worried look, but I didn’t feel like answering at that moment.

“Why don’t you guys head out to the back yard and enjoy your beers, and Elise, Evianna, and I can clean up dinner?” Melissa suggested.

Caden turned to me and asked, “Are you okay with that, or do you want us to help out?”

“Go, enjoy your beers. I like cleaning up after dinner anyway,” I assured him.

He kissed the top of my head and he, Justin, Trey, Anthony, and Thomas hurried outside, continuing whatever conversation they had.

As I stood with the other women to clean up, Melissa asked, “So, what was the call about?”

Carrie and Elise perked up, listening intently for my answer.

“It was Rose. She found out I moved and she’s furious. She said if I don’t come back to the coven, then she’ll come looking for me, and do goddess only know what to me and anyone else in her way.”

Melissa sucked in a breath as she registered the gravity of the situation.

“I don’t understand, who’s Rose and why is she so angry?” Carrie questioned.

“Rose is my grandmother on my mom’s side, and an extremely powerful influence in the Red Water Coven. She’s been trying to force me back ever since I left,” I explained, taking the dishes in my hands to the kitchen to fill the dishwasher.

“Why’s that a big deal now? You’ve been holding out for, what, four years now, can’t you just stand your ground?” Elise wondered.

“Yeah, but this feels different, like she’s going to try something extreme, and I’m worried the pack will get hurt in the crossfire.”

“So, what do we do?” Elise inquired, fear filling her eyes.

“We’ll cast protective spells, plant charms, do what we have to to keep this place safe,” Melissa answered.

“Wait, does that mean you’re going to move here, too?” I questioned her.

She sighed, then nodded.

“Yeah, can’t let my girl be the ruler of a badass pack without me.”

I giggled and hugged her tight.

“Okay, then we need to pool together to protect this pack, the witch way. It’s the only way to stand against a powerful coven,” I declared. “The best way to do that is to gather the strongest women of the pack. Women, typically, have stronger magic in them, but if you know of any men who may have as much if not more magic than the woman, then we should recruit them as well.”

The ladies nodded, and as soon as we cleaned up our dinner, I hurried out to the spacious backyard where the men were laughing and joking.

The backyard was massive compared to the house, with enough space for a pool, a patio, and extra space for what I eventually wanted to turn into another garden.

“Hey, Wolfie, I need to talk to you,” I said.

He rolled his eyes and excused himself from the conversation.

“What is it?” he asked softly as soon as he saw my face.

“My phone call earlier was from my grandmother. She’s furious I moved without telling her, and she’s promising retribution.”

His brows furrowed in confusion.

“I want to set up some protection charms, spells, and a circle around the community. That way, if she and her coven cast any spells of their own, we’ll be safe.”

“What do you need from me?” he asked without hesitation.

“For the most part, nothing. I’m going to gather up some people and cast most of the spells tonight under the moon. Sadly, being a super powerful alpha male, your magic is not helpful in casting spells.”

“I don’t understand. Wouldn’t being a ‘super powerful alpha male’ make my magic strong, good enough for casting spells?”

The amused look in his eyes when he repeated my words made my heart flutter.

“Except, your wolf is super powerful, and your magic is what keeps you connected to that primal, animal side of you,” I teased.

His eyes darkened, and he leaned in close, whispering, “If you’re interested, I could show you just how primal and animalistic I can get.”

My heart skipped beats, and I started to feel light headed. Damn, he knew how to lay it on thick.

Suddenly, he was holding me upright, his face contorted with fear.

“Breathe Evianna,” he instructed, and I sucked in air to my burning lungs. “Goddess, you really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you?”

I giggled and stood up slowly.

“That’s the goal isn’t it.”

Caden rolled his eyes and steadied me.

“You know, if you’re going to keep reacting like this, then maybe I should just avoid touching you altogether,” he suggested.

My heart dropped, and I pouted deeply, which only earned me a laugh.

“Go do your magic stuff, before it gets too late.”

I nodded, but continued to pout as I turned to head back down the hall. A swift smack to my ass caused me to yelp. I spun around to glare, and saw Caden walking back to the yard, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled.

I met the girls in the kitchen and led them through the house, to the second floor. I stored most of my spell casting ingredients, equipment, and my book of shadows in one of the rooms.

“Who would be the best options for helping us?” I asked as we headed down the stairs. 

Elise and Carrie thought carefully and started listing off names of people in the community. I read through my protection charms and spells, trying to figure out which ones to use. I settled on combining three spells for extra protection. 

We focused on gathering help, starting with the one woman Carrie and Elise agreed on as being the most magical of the pack. Sophia was a very active mom most days, caring for her fifteen year old son, Tyler, who I remembered from when I visited the school, and an eleven year old daughter named Chelsea. Despite chasing after her children, she devoted an hour of her day to the god and goddess through prayer, meditation, and general practices. I could sense the magic in her and when we asked if she wanted to help. She agreed without hesitation.

The majority of the rest of the list wasn’t as helpful. Most of them declined, saying they weren’t comfortable casting spells, or they were too busy. I couldn’t blame them. I hadn’t actively helped in protecting the pack beyond the first day I was there, so they couldn’t see the good I could do to help them.

We did manage to convince six others; two men and four women. The men were in their twenties, and not high in the pack power hierarchy, so they weren’t as committed to their animalistic side as alpha males were, thus their magic could be directed elsewhere.

With our count at a solid eleven, two shy of what I wished for, I instructed everyone on what we needed to gather.

“For the first spell, I need four jars, and they absolutely need lids. I also need four handfuls of lavender, basil, sea salt, and white rice. For the second spell, I need a lot of basil, bay leaves, oregano, peppermint, sage, black pepper, and cornstarch. Once we get these two spells cast, we can focus on the third one,” I announced, reading the ingredients out of my book.

Everyone dispersed to collect what I asked for, and I did the same. By the time I made it back to my house, the dinner party had dispersed, leaving only Caden who sat in the living room with a book in his hand. He looked up when he heard the door, and smiled at me.

“How’s the spellcasting going?” he asked.

“We haven’t started yet. I just needed to grab some stuff, and then I’m heading back out,” I answered, heading into the kitchen.

“I know I can’t help you, but I’d like to see how this works. It’ll be the first spell I’ve seen you cast.”

“Sure,” I grinned, handing off the spices I pulled out of the cupboard. “You can carry the supplies.”

He laughed, but took on the load eagerly. I also ran up the stairs to grab my candles, big taper candles of seven different colors. Once I’d gathered everything I had in my stock, I gestured for Wolfie to follow me to the community garden, where my lavender, sage, and peppermint grew. I also noted that the many plants of rosemary were tall and full, which was very good for future spells.

Then, I took him to where we agreed to meet, at the center of town. Sophia had a massive supply of everything I asked for, including extra jars of various shapes and sizes. Others supplied their own stock, and Melissa and I quickly rounded everyone up.

“I think you should lead the circle,” Melissa suggested.

I nodded, and began my instructions.

“I need everyone to make a circle around me.” They did so quickly. I grabbed Melissa, Elise, and Sophia to stand at the center of the circle, asking the others to fill in the gaps while maintaining a large enough space to work in. “I’m going to hand several of you candles, and put you in specific places, don’t move from those places, okay?” They nodded.

I pulled out my seven candles, giving the yellow to Carrie, placing her in the east, the red to Sophia, and moving her to stand to the south, the blue to Veronica, nudging her to the west, and the green candle to Neil, who took his place in the north. Then I handed a purple to Melissa, who took her place directly in the center, the silver to Elise, who stood just off center between Melissa and Carrie, then I gave Peter a gold candle, and he stood on the other off center side between Melissa and Carrie.

I took a deep breath, grabbed a lighter, and stood in front of Carrie.

I lit the candle and chanted, “Guardians of the East, I call upon you to watch over the rites of your servants. Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by air, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in  perfect love and perfect trust.”

With the candle lit, and the element called for, I stepped back. Doing so caused a yellow ring to appear around Carrie, and a gust of wind blew through the group, causing several to jump.

“Do not leave the circle. I promise you are all safe, there’s no reason to be afraid.”

They nodded and I moved to stand in front of Sophia. She looked nervous so I gave her an encouraging smile, and brought the lighter to the candle while I chanted, “Guardians of the South, I call upon you to watch over the rites of your servants. Powers of energy and will, guided by fire, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust.”

I stepped back and a red ring surrounded her, and her candle’s flame climbed higher than she stood. She almost dropped the candle in shock, but I reached into the circle and held her hands steady.

“Remember, you are safe.”

She nodded, and I moved to stand in front of Veronica. I followed early actions and chanted, “Guardians of the West, I call upon you to watch over the rites of your servants. Powers of passion and emotion, guided by water, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust.”

Stepping back caused a blue ring to appear around her, and the sky started sprinkling water. It was a clear night with no visible clouds, which caused a whisper to run through the group.

I walked over to Neil, who looked incredibly excited, holding the candle steady. I lit it, chanting, “Guardians of the North, I call upon you watch over the rites of your servants. Powers of endurance and strength, guided by earth, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight with this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust.”

I stepped back to witness a green circle appear around Neil, and the ground vibrated gently beneath us. 

I walked to the center, where Melissa stood, and lit her candle. I chanted, “Guardians of all within, I call upon you to watch over the rites of your servants. Powers of life and magic, guided by spirit, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust.”

A purple circle appeared around Melissa, and I felt light hearted, like all my troubles were washing away.

I walked to Peter, lit his candle, and chanted, “We ask that Great Sol, the god of the sun, who grants us life and food of the land, who warms our hearths and our hearts, watches over the rites of our circle.”

A gold circle surrounded Peter, and he glowed softly in the dark.

I finished by standing in front of Elise. She held the candle confidently while I lit it.

“We ask that Great Luna, the goddess of the moon, who grants us magic, and controls the tides of the world, and of our souls, watches over the rites of our circle.”

A silver circle surrounded Elise, and a silver line connected everyone's circles, making an interesting symbol on the ground. Everyone oohed and awed at the sight. I gathered the three remaining people, and together we filled four jars with a handful of lavender, basil, sea salt, and white rice. We sealed them tightly, and I quickly picked up large containers. I showed them what proportions to add the basil, bay leaves, oregano, peppermint, black pepper, sage and cornstarch. We filled the jars to the brim, and I gave them instructions to carry both the sealed and unsealed jars to the edge of the property at their direct cardinal points.

“Once you get there, bury your sealed jar, and start sprinkling the other mix around the property, moving clockwise. If you run out, just come back here and make more and pick up where you left off.”

They nodded, and quickly moved in opposite directions. I headed North with the jars in my arms, loving the quiet of everyone already in bed. I heard a rustling and turned to see my white wolf following a few steps behind me. I shook my head, and continued to walk. Eventually, I made it to the end of the property, according to Wolfie’s soft bark. Wolfie dug into the ground for me, and I stuck the sealed jar in the dirt for him to cover back up.

Then I started sprinkling my protective dirt on the ground, heading in a loop for the eastern point of the property. I knew I didn’t need to sprinkle a lot, a teaspoon every other step, but I also knew it was hard to control how much everyone sprinkled, so I was prepared for the others to have to refill.

It took about an hour to complete my journey, and I hurried back to the circle. Wolfie went back to his clothes to phase and dress. I was the first one to arrive, and we waited quietly for the others. Jennifer arrived next from the north, the Aspen from the south, and finally Hannah from the West.

I directed them to stand back in their places and said, “The spell is cast and our will is strong. Let this protection live on long. As I will it, so mote it be.”

Mellisa repeated my last sentence quietly, and a glow descended on the village, looking like a heat mirage in how it waved back and forth. It stopped some way above us and spread out slowly, creating a dome of gold and silver light.

I turned to Elise and said, “Thank you Great Luna for watching over us, I release you from this circle.”

I blew out the candle, causing the silver circle and lines to disappear. I turned to Peter and mimicked my thanks watching as his gold circle also vanished. I worked my way backwards, thanking and releasing the elements as well, and after I blew out Carrie’s candle, silence descended around us.

No one moved for a while, and I turned to see them all staring at me, awestruck.

“You guys are good to move now, and you can take your supplies with you. The strength of all our powers combined, along with casting two spells should protect us from any magical influences for a while. You’re all going to feel kinda tired for the next day. Just eat hearty meals, sleep a lot if possible, and drink black tea with lemon and honey.”

They nodded, and slowly dispersed. I gathered up what was mine, and walked to my house, followed by Carrie, Elise, and Melissa. Caden appeared next to me, a wide smile on his face.

“That was incredible,” he cheered.

“You think?” I blushed.

“Most definitely, girly,” Elise agreed. “That was absolutely the most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of.” 

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you, honestly,” I responded, feeling awkward.

I heard a thump from behind me, and turned to see Elise face first on the pavement.

“s**t,” Caden growled, as he picked her up. “What happened to her?”

“She’s okay,” Melissa answered, “she just needs to rest. Spells take a lot of energy.”

He nodded and took her to the mansion to sleep. I went to the house, and Melissa took off to her home, I assumed to pack since she decided to move.

I crawled up to the bedroom, stripped out of my dinner party clothes and into my pajama shirt. I got under the blanket just as Cadne entered the room. 

My eyes drooped, and it took all of my concentration just to stay awake long enough for Caden to join me in bed. I must have lost the battle, because I didn’t remember feeling him next to me before I drifted it off.