to know we were not concentrating or being serious. I was rather proud of Bettina’s achievements in telepathy. Sure, I knew she could only do it because of me – and with me – but all best friends secretly wished they were telepathic.
Cooper cleared his throat. I ignored Bettina’s laughing in my head and looked to him. He just arched one eyebrow. I smiled. Cooper was more like my father than my own father was sometimes. My dad was used to my shit. And right now he stood beside Cooper grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Mom winked at me. Deacon made a goofy face.
“Don’t encourage her, Deacon,” Cooper hissed.
The entire circle chuckled.
I turned and found Tenn’s eyes locked on me. Oops?
He smiled and shook his head. “On your knees.”
Easton snorted from behind me.
“Easton,” Lily chided.
“What? He said it!”
Royce threw his head back and laughed. Deacon threw his hand over his mouth but his laughter was not missed.
“Bloody hell,” Jackson said with a chuckle from his spot beside Bettina.
And then to my surprise, Saffie laughed. When we all looked to her. “Hey, I got that joke.”
“I don’t like that joke,” Cooper grumbled.
And then the whole Coven fell apart.
After a few seconds they all stopped and looked to me.
I grimaced. “Not too late to change your minds…I haven’t stepped inside the circle yet.”
“Shut up and get in there,” Uncle Kessler laughed from right beside me. He gestured ahead of him. “Go on, git.”
Okayyyyy, I gave y’all a chance to back out.
And then I stepped inside the circle and the runes turned bright rainbow colors. The ground rumbled under my feet, and it sounded like a cat purring. Strong gusts of wind wrapped around the circle. The crowd gasped. I felt their eyes on my back like little needle pricks.
As I walked, I looked at the woman I was replacing.
Constance stood in the front between Tennessee and Emersyn, with a crystal crown on her head and an ornate scepter in her hand. She wore a sleeveless white sheath that fell to her knees, and a silver arm band. Tucked between her skin and the metal was a dagger slightly longer than my hand.
Are you sure, Connie? I whispered into her mind.
She pressed her hand to her belly and grinned. “I’ve never been more sure.”
It’s go time.
In the direct center of the circle was the rune symbol for the Goddess. It looked like embers from a fire. That was my target. I walked over, then dropped to my knees right in front of it. An eerie, calm quiet fell over the crowd.
Here we go.
I took a deep breath, then said, “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard, with mine High Priestess’s power, I give my word.”
Tenn winked then raised his left hand out in front of him, the Mark of the Emperor peeking up at me from his tan forearm. He twirled his hand and wiggled his fingers. Bright, shimmering silver magic shot out from his palm and then swirled in the air until it formed a single silver glowing orb the size of a softball.
Light flashed in my peripheral vision as the rest of my Coven-mates summoned magic to their hands. Orbs of silver and gold surrounded me. I kept my eyes on Tennessee. If I looked around at them now, I might fall apart. Their faith in me was too much sometimes.
Tenn flicked his wrist, and his silver orb floated toward me then stopped above the Goddess’s rune and hovered. I felt his magic right in front of me. It was incredibly powerful, but it soothed the panic threatening to surge to the surface.
There was a blast of heat, and then a glowing golden orb floated over. I didn’t need to look to see whose it was. There was no mistaking the fire in Emersyn’s magic. Her orb floated right into Tenn’s, then merged together. There was a moment of pause, then one by one my Coven-mates sent their orbs to join theirs. Gold and silver joined together, morphing into one basketball-sized ball of magic.
My pulse skipped a beat. The weight of this moment crashed into me. This was my Coven-mates choosing me as their leader. I’d watched this exact same ceremony from their angle when we crowned Tenn yet it felt entirely different now. This was them pledging to the Goddess that they wanted me to guide them. This was them vowing on their magic that they trusted me.
My heart swelled as my emotions tried to overpower me.