I grinned. He’d gotten rather cheeky since his quest for Michael’s sword ended. I liked it.
Royce pointed to my soulmate. “Yeah, what he bloody said.”
“Goddess almighty.” Henley sighed and rolled her eyes. “Would you rather she have accepted it without hesitation of any kind? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way, we all saw how well you handled her scheming back in October.”
“Oh burn,” Easton cheered.
Henley winked at Tegan. “She’s just a curious kitten.”
“Yeah, and curiosity killed the cat,” Warner grumbled.
Lennox scoffed. “If something kills her we’ll all probably be dead already.”
Savannah snorted, spitting her drink across the table. She wiped her mouth. “Ma’am. I was not ready for that.”
Tegan chuckled and ran her thumb over her lip. “Twin?”
“You’re the reason we’ve succeeded in almost everything, twin.” Em twirled her long hair around her finger. “You’ve never feared your power before.”
“I know you want this, T,” Deacon said softly.
“Do I? Really?”
“Tegan…” I waited until her eyes met mine. “No one is expecting you to change. We just need you to keep leading us as you already are.”
She nodded.
“Besides…” I shrugged. “You’ve already claimed the entire penthouse sooooo I think we both know you knew this was coming.”
Everyone laughed.
Tegan grinned. And then she turned to Haven. Her soulmate mark poking out the top of her V-neck shirt was emerald green, so her nervousness wasn’t just for show. She licked her lips and wrung her fingers. “Babe?”
My brother stared at her for a long, long moment and I knew he was sensing all of her doubts as much as I was. He knew his soulmate as much as I did…but he also knew what it was like to be Coven Leader.
Finally, Haven put his hands on his hips and sighed. “A couple months ago I stood in your shoes…do you remember what you told me?”
She shook her head and we all knew she was lying. “Remind me?”
He stepped forward and took her hands in his. “Babe. Just breathe. You got this. You’re going to be amazing. We all know it. You were made for this role. I’m right here with you every step of the way. You won’t be doing this alone. We’re here.”
She smiled and her eyes glistened.
He leaned forward. “Besides, I’d love to not be the one required to have all the answers…this would really work in my favor.”
She snorted and shoved him back. “Butthead.”
“So, Tegan,” Deacon stood and rubbed his palms together. “Are you saying yes to the dress?”
Tegan shoved her hands into her hair. “Yes. I’m saying yes to the dress.”
Everyone laughed and tackled her in a hug. She hated it…but she loved it, too.
“All right,” Constance called out as she stepped back. “For my last order as Coven Leader…everyone get in their whites and get out back. We have a leader to crown.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Saffie
The room was quiet but for the low rumbles of Olli’s snoring at my feet and the beats of Riah’s heart against my ear. I wasn’t sure how long I’d slept for but I felt more rested than I could remember feeling in a long, long time. My whole body was warm, though that probably had more to do with the heat radiating out of Riah’s body, which I was using as a pillow…and Olli’s by my feet.
Riah took a deep breath and his chest rose beneath me. I smiled and snuggled in closer. He was doing so much better. Now that I was healed, I felt his spirit going strong beside me and I also felt his magic in the air around us. The color had come back to his skin. It wasn’t sickly pale gray and there wasn’t even a hint of that damned blue light.
Every instinct inside of me told me he was going to be okay, that the danger was gone.
But until he got himself out of this bed and looked me in the eye, I wasn’t going to be too relaxed. At this point, my trust in fate was shaken. I was too scared. I had too much to lose.
Especially now that Tegan had delivered on her promise. She’d actually done it. I knew the rest of The Coven had been a huge part of my return, but I also knew Tegan had figured it out. And without her special force of magic I wouldn’t have survived that damn wheatfield.
The door to the room opened and then closed softly. I didn’t hear any voices or anything, so I didn’t know who it — the smell of