Alix (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #1) (17 page)

Jones continued straight as an arrow through the length of the house, finally coming to a stop at one of the doorways. “Here we are,” he said, raising an arm toward the room, and bowing slightly. “Miss Baris awaits inside.”

Troy walked up to Jones, and peeked into the room. “Wow, this is really nice.” He stepped in without further hesitation.

Alix stopped, giving Jones a nod. “Thanks.”

He gave her a pleasant smile in return, and then sped off down the hallway.

Alix shook her head, as she watched the elderly man disappear through one of the doorways.
Weird,
she thought, ignoring her own hypocrisy.
Bigger fish to fry. Let’s get this over with
. She took a deep breath and went in.

The “nice” room turned out to be a freakin’ two story library. Books lined shelving that went from floor to ceiling, and a catwalk with iron railing ran along the second story of the entire room. Miranda sat at the far end of the library in a recliner that must have come straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. She looked even more stunning here, than when Alix had first seen her at the service station.

When the auburn beauty saw them, she stood and smiled. “It’s good to see you two, and in such good health. Please, come sit.” Miranda gestured to two more chairs, just as plush looking as hers.

Alix and Troy took their seats. Alix felt a little under dressed in her blue jeans. Actually a bit rough around the edges in comparison to Miranda’s fine, cowl-necked sweater and form-fitting slacks. Not to mention the woman’s flawless complexion, and silky auburn locks.

“I hope the cottage was sufficient for your needs,” Miranda said, taking her seat again.

Alix felt her cheeks burn, and forced herself to not look at Troy. “Yeah, it was really nice,” she answered. “Thanks.” She could see Troy nod in her peripheral vision, and was glad he didn’t say anything obnoxious. She wasn’t sure if she’d start laughing from embarrassment, or just crawl under the chair and hide.

Miranda smiled, not skipping a beat. “I can only assume you have questions?”

Do I ever,
she thought and almost blurted. All of the unexplainable things that had happened to her since she had turned sixteen came rushing to the forefront of her mind. And effectively clogged the pipeline. She opened her mouth to ask something, anything actually, but nothing came out. She had completely locked up.

Troy filled the gap of her tongue-tied bungle. “Are we safe here? I mean, are those guys and that thing going to keep following us?”

“Eventually others will come looking for you, but they won’t find you here,” Miranda answered. She gestured to the room and beyond. “This place is a sanctuary. Protected from those who would harm people like us.” Her gaze shifted to Alix.

“How’s that?” she asked, finally able to speak.

“The house is shielded against the prying eyes of those who might hunt us.”

“And how is it ‘shielded’ exactly?”

“With magic of course.” Miranda smiled. “Things you will learn if you choose to join us.”

“More bribery?” Alix asked.

“Not just that,” Miranda said. “I must protect the coven. Even from potential allies.”

“That’s fair,” Troy interjected. “Protecting your own isn’t a bad thing.”

Miranda gave him an appreciative nod.

“You said I was a witch,” Alix continued. “What does that mean?”

“It means that you’re special.” Miranda leaned forward with excitement in her eyes. “It means that you can do things no one else can do.”

“Yeah, I got that part,” Alix said. Thinking of all the times she had gotten strange looks from people. How she’d ended up hiding her gift as much as possible, afraid of what those people might think, or more importantly, what they might do to her. “But how does what I do make me a witch? I mean, shouldn’t I be green or something?”

Miranda shook her head and laughed. “No of course not.” She leaned back in her chair. “But, the power you possess is only one facet of your potential. You are capable of much more, and when we are together as a group—As a coven—There are no limits to what could be accomplished.”

That hadn’t occurred to Alix. The possibility of doing more. She’d spent most of her time hiding what she could under the guise of tattoos and street art, living in fear of her gift, and not trying to expand to her full potential. Not until recently anyway.

Troy shifted in his seat. His demeanor was calm, though Alix knew better. The way he was flexing different muscles, told her that underneath, he was ready for a fight. “How many...witches are here?” he asked.

“There are three of us currently,” Miranda answered. “You’ll meet the others before you join.”

“Whoa, hang on. We haven’t said anything about joining yet,” Alix said. This place was pretty awesome so far, but they still hardly knew anything about it.

“
If
you join, is what I meant to say,” Miranda corrected. “I’m not going to force this on you,” she continued. “You both are free to leave whenever you like. I only hope that you’ll hear what I have to offer before you make a decision.”

Alix relaxed a bit, as did Troy. Miranda seemed to be on the level. But so many bad things had happened lately, that she couldn’t bring herself to fully trust the woman at the moment.

“What about this?” Troy said, spreading his shirt so that Miranda could see the tattoo on his chest. “Can you tell us anything about it...I mean, why it’s made me pretty much indestructible?”

Miranda glanced at the tat. “Unfortunately no. I’ve never run across a power like the one Alix possesses. I can tell you however, that a guardian inherits special powers to help defend and protect his witch, but those powers are limited.”

“The bonding you were talking about at the gas station,” Alix said. “That’s what you’re talking about, right?”

Miranda nodded. “Yes. It’s a special bond between a witch and her chosen companion.”

“How did that happen?” Alix asked. “I don’t remember choosing to do anything like that.”

“The bond usually passes during an extremely emotional situation, or activity,” Miranda hinted.

She blushed.
Wonderful. I might as well have said we’d been screwing our brains out
.

Troy laughed, catching on. “Fair enough.” He closed his shirt, and looked at Alix. “What do you think?”

“I’m game,” Alix said. There weren’t any better options on the table...actually, there weren’t any
other
options on the table. So she didn’t see the harm in hearing the woman out. “What are you offering?”

Miranda smiled and continued, “Well first of all, I would be offering you a place to stay. There are a few cottages on the grounds to choose from. You may have your pick of the ones available.”

Alix couldn’t help but smile. The place they were at currently, was like living on their own small cloud of heaven. It was perfect.

“You would also have full access to all of the facilities on the property. There are several company vehicles you would be welcome to use, until you acquired one of your own of course. But, more importantly, I will teach you about your potential, and help you to harness your power.”

“Wow, that sounds a little too good to be true,” Alix said. After her mother died, no one had given her anything that didn’t cost something. She’d had her share of scams and scary situations. This offer seemed to fall into the same category.

Troy had the courtesy of voicing Alix’s next thoughts. “So what’s the catch? What do you want out of this?”

Miranda sat for a moment, looking at them. Her fiery brown eyes seemed alight, as she spoke, “Loyalty. I want your loyalty to this place. If you join this sisterhood you must protect it, with your life if necessary. This sanctuary is strong only because we work together to make it that way. Nothing less than your full commitment will do.”

Whoa, she broke out the “C” word
. Alix had been longing for a place to call home ever since her mother had died, even before then really. But this was all too good to be true, and too weird. She still hadn’t wrapped her head around the whole witch thing. Part of her just kept screaming
“Bullshit!”
But Miranda appeared sincere, and the place had already sunk a few hooks into her. She had no idea what to do.

“You said sisterhood...how many witches are you planning on having in your coven?” Troy asked.

“Thirteen,” Miranda said. “There will need to be thirteen of us.”

“That’s a lot of witches,” Alix said.

“Yes, it is,” Miranda answered. “So you can see how important it is to me that you stay. The offer is extended to both of you of course.”

Troy looked over at Alix. “What do you think?”

Honestly, she still didn’t know. She nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

“I know this is a lot to take in, but if you give me some time, I can make things more clear for you,” Miranda said. “The last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable. Please, give us chance.”

Alix raised a brow. “So no ‘commitment’ right now?”

“No commitment right now,” Miranda agreed. “Stay for a while and figure it out.”

Alix couldn’t argue with that, and the fact that she didn’t really have any other options, kept coming into the equation. Also, and most importantly, Miranda had saved their lives. Alix owed her. The least she could do was take advantage of her hospitality. She glanced at Troy. “Okay, we’ll stay.”

M
iranda sat in her study, staring at the dancing flames in the stone hearth. Red wine swirled in her glass, as she did lazy circles with her wrist. It had been a long couple of days.

“Is she going to stay?” Hannah asked from the doorway.

“Yes,” Miranda said, looking away from the fire. “For now.”

“Well, that’s better than nothing I suppose.” Hannah walked into the room. Her gait was more sure-footed than elegant. She had an earthy way about her, which was only appropriate given her power. Her hair was just over shoulder length, and black as coal, with long bangs that swooped to the side. She was tall and shapely, but not heavy. Her rough hand patted Miranda’s shoulder in comfort, as she passed by to take a seat in the matching recliner.

“It’s not her I’m worried about,” Miranda said absently. “She is a good-natured girl, despite her hardships. She will join us.”

Hannah’s full lips turned downward. “The man then. The one she’s bonded?”

Miranda shook her head. “He will follow her.” She sipped her wine, savoring its woody flavor. “The men who were chasing them, the hunters. They summoned a Seeker.”

The crackling of the fire filled the silence for some time, until Hannah finally said, “More will come. We must prepare.”

Miranda nodded. She smiled, thinking of Alix. Deep down Miranda could sense that the purple-haired girl’s arrival was just the beginning, that the hunters wouldn’t be the only ones to come looking for them. “Not to worry,” she answered. “We already have.”

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Book Two: Hannah

Chapter 1

H
annah looked up into the canopy of giant trees, though “giant” might not have been the correct term. Colossal seemed more appropriate. Five years ago, she would have thought the types and sizes of flora surrounding her would never exist again, but, under Miranda’s supervision and assistance, Hannah had nurtured this small patch of wood into something unlike anything on the planet. She and Miranda had been at it for a little over four years now, and the results had proved nothing less than staggering.