A Little Green Magic (The Little Coven #1) - Isabel Wroth Page 0,102
there were in no danger of dying out—which they weren't—and explained to her the reason everything had gone to shit so fast was because Donnatar refused to spill his own blood in a ritual as old as Fairy itself.
The gods of the land were supposed to metaphorically sacrifice themselves each year in a special ritual that released a portion of their magic back into Fairy. A natural give and take that prevented such things as famine and drought.
Donnatar sacrificed others in his stead, hoarding his magic, his power, like a bloated tick, refusing to give up so much as a drop of his blood to save his own lands. Ilex said Donnatar convinced himself he wasn't responsible, therefore in his mind, it was the truth.
Ilex hadn't said it outright, but from the hollow looks of rage on the faces of the twenty Fae who'd come with Ilex to the meadow, Ivy got the idea some of the people sacrificed had been their loved ones. They all had this haunted look about them that made Ivy want to hug each one until it went away.
After sorting things in Fairy, only five of the original twenty stayed with Ilex. All of the warriors had been promised freedom once Donnatar was out of the picture, and the majority of them wanted to go home and rebuild their lives.
The five who stayed were... complicated.
Unless spoken to directly, none of them spoke out of turn. Three of them guarded the Bastard Tree at all times; the other two were never more than a stone’s throw away from Ilex, rotating in their self-appointed duties, so she'd gotten to know all of them, at least on sight.
The only time they smiled at all was when Ivy or the girls brought them sweet treats, their favorite so far having been the berry cobbler Ivy baked. She was determined to make them smile more, and if that meant she had to bake something sweet every day, she was willing.
With Rowena's permission, the warriors were building a little village in the meadow. Uriah went and helped them almost every day, sometimes bringing his own work crew out to speed things up.
So far, three small solar-powered cabins had been built at the tree line on the edge of the meadow, the huge glass windows all facing the Bastard Tree so that even in comfort, it could be guarded.
Personally, Ivy thought it was an unfortunate view. The tree a blight on the otherwise gorgeous landscape.
Life with Uriah in the last three weeks had been surprisingly the same
He said he felt like he should know her coven, but couldn't recall their names. He did know with absolute certainty that he had no desire to sleep in Ivy's room at the coven house despite not being able to say why, precisely.
He didn't remember anything about why he'd built a house or that it had been for her, but it had been beautiful to watch him go through every room of the cabin, examining his own workmanship with pride and satisfaction.
He still doted on her, got upset anytime he heard her stomach growl with hunger and was immediately in the kitchen to remedy her need. He still found intense pleasure in bathing her, he treated her with the same level of love and kindness and was for all intents and purposes, exactly the same.
The sex was actually better now because he seemed determined to memorize every inch of her body, and more often than not, his bear rose to the surface to stake his claim in gloriously rough bouts that always ended in the most spectacular orgasms and tender cuddles.
Sex also soothed the angry bear that got pissed whenever another male—brother or not—came within touching distance of her. After Uriah's scent was all over her, his territorial aggression faded, and she was able to hug Ilex without Uriah going all snarly and furry.
It felt like they were rediscovering each other all over again, and Ivy wasn't opposed, she just... she liked the way things had been and missed the Uriah from three weeks ago.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Ivy told her brother, smiling to see Uriah fumbling to catch a particularly energetic fish that most definitely did not want to be lunch, chuckling when it escaped, and the bear gave a growl of frustration. “He's still mine even if he never remembers the old us, and he loves me just the same. We'll be okay. Did you finish reading Mom's journal?”