Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,24
her skin. Before she could recover, Zia continued, “From the south, we summon you, Fire.”
An earsplitting sizzle sounded, and a ring of fire formed around the witches, blasting warmth in a breeze that lifted Nexi’s hair. She gasped and scrambled back, but Haven grabbed her arm.
“It won’t hurt them.” Calmness seeped from Haven and her calm traveled through their bond. “The Elements protect witches.”
When Nexi turned to Zia, she called, “To the west, we summon you, Water.”
Swirling water surrounded the witches just above the fire, and Nexi shivered from the dampness spreading across her skin. She rubbed her arms warming them, as Zia said, “Connecting it all, we summon you, Spirit.”
A brilliant explosion of light blasted through the meadow, and a glittering blue ribbon moved around the witches, dancing in and out between their bodies. Nexi stared in silent awe, since she hadn’t had the time to mull over her being part witch much considering she was preoccupied with hunting her parents’ killers. Being here, experiencing the ceremonial awesomeness, she couldn’t deny this power intrigued her.
Haven’s smile warmed, no doubt sensing Nexi’s curiosity and the odd sensation rising within her. Her blood tingled as if everything had fallen asleep, yet she also burned with power. Unreachable, but present. As if the Elements were somehow speaking to her, reminding her that she did have a place here within this circle of witches.
“See, your magic is there.” Haven’s eyes twinkled and she poked Nexi’s arm with her elbow. “It’s just hiding.”
Nexi might’ve responded with the glaringly obvious question, Why is it hiding? But Zia cut her off as she said, “Return Elements, we thank you for your presence and the gifts you’ve bestowed upon us.”
A deafening bang echoed through the air and as the magic vanished, and the dark night descended again. The witches hugged each other before they started to leave the meadow. As they walked by her and Haven some gave her odd looks, as if measuring her up, and some completely ignored her as if she weren’t sitting there.
Confused by the circle, she turned to Haven. “Really, you call on the Elements, and then send them away. What in the hell was the point of that?”
Haven smirked. “By calling on the Elements, we unite our sisterhood of witches. Together, with the Elements all around us, we give thanks.” She hesitated, nibbling her lip. “It’s kinda hard to explain with words…it’s just something you have to feel, but it keeps us joined together.”
Wasn’t everything Otherworldly hard to explain with words?
Before Nexi could state as much, Zia approached, her blue eyes twinkling with her gentle smile. “I thought we could chat a little bit.”
Haven jumped up, planted a kiss on Nexi’s cheek, and as she skipped away after the other witches, she called, “Come find me later.”
Taking Haven’s place in front of Nexi, Zia smoothed out her black, long skirt over her legs, and said, “You must have questions.”
Thousands, Nexi thought, but where to start?
After pondering to figure out which questions mattered most, she decided to start with what she’d seen tonight and work backward. “Am I part of the sisterhood now?”
Zia shook her head, settling her beautiful strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. “Once you come into your witch powers, we’ll have a ceremony welcoming you into the sisterhood.” She patted Nexi’s leg. “Even though you’re without your magic now, you’ll eventually gain it and take your place with us.”
Didn’t that bring up a great next question? “Yes, about that. When exactly will this magic come into me?” Nexi nearly laughed at the thought. The idea of her having magic seemed not only ridiculous, but also dangerous.
“To be honest, I’m unsure.” Zia regarded her with a tilt of her head. “Do you feel any different than before you came into the Otherworld?”
Nexi considered that, then realized a truth stared her dead in the face. “After the block was removed it was all kinda confusing. At first, all I sensed was the guardian power and the increased strength. How invincible it made me feel.”
She waited for Zia to give her a yes-that-was-stupid-of-you look, but the witch’s soft expression remained unchanged, so Nexi added, “But being here tonight I did feel something I haven’t before.”
Zia’s eyebrows rose. “Which was?”
Nexi shook her head, trying to find the correct word to explain. “Rightness.” She rolled her eyes, thinking she’d gotten it all wrong. Yeah, Haven had it right—something’s, like weird magical feelings, were hard to put into words. “Does that make any sense?”