A Little Green Magic (The Little Coven #1) - Isabel Wroth Page 0,81

is no mere witch and noticed she doesn't quite fit in with the rest of you.”

Rowena gave an elegant shrug, waving her fingers at where the girls lounged in the sunshine. “There's a daughter of the last earthbound oracle over there, a summoner of the dead, a crazed alchemist, and another witch who might very well be the offspring of Chaos itself. We formed this coven because we didn't fit in anywhere else.”

“But wouldn't you like to be among your own people, Ivy?” Donnatar pressed with a smooth purr, a devil taunting Ivy with the illusion of paradise. “Among the Fae, your powers are incredibly rare and necessary to the continued prosperity of our race. The Fae would treat you as a queen and revere you for your abilities. You wouldn't have to live this... this half-life.”

Ivy gave an easy laugh, resting her cheek on Uriah's shoulder. “I'm hardly living a half-life.”

Frustration seethed out of her father's very pores, his shoulders tightening, hands fisting with the effort it took not to explode in a fit of temper. She even noticed a tick in his left eyebrow. Ilex gave a long, suffering sigh, acting as though he was bored and ready to go home.

“Our father is attempting to entice you with grand promises, sister. We thought you would be dissatisfied with your life here, but I see now that your adopted family means a great deal to you, and no offers of status or great wealth will sway you to come home. The truth is, our lands are fading. Dying.”

Ilex was staring at her intently, his face a mask of boredom, but those damn eyes of his were so expressive, and she had no idea what he was trying to convey to her through the power of his stare.

“Crops are withering, springs are drying up, children are few and far between, and wars are cropping up between territories that have some fertile land left. Father and I have been doing everything we can to correct the imbalance happening, but it's quickly becoming clear the two of us aren't enough.”

Donnatar grunted as though he disagreed that he, a god, was incapable of anything, but to her surprise, he kept his mouth shut.

“There are only a handful of others with similar abilities, those who can replenish the land and make it fertile, but theirs is a spark compared to the awesome flame of your power. Binding your magic when you could do so much for your people is shameful.”

Ivy was almost hurt by her brother's admonition, but she had to remind herself this was all a twisted illusion. A game.

“I'm truly sorry to hear about the troubles in Fairy, but the only thing that's shameful is you attempting to make me feel guilty for something that's clearly not my fault.

“I realize neither of you is here because you want to know me as a sister or a daughter. You want my help. My magic. The problem is, I have everything I need right here.”

Donnatar settled back in his seat, stroking his beard slowly as his gaze moved across the meadow to pointedly touch on each of her sisters and their furry companions.

“That's hardly a problem.”

Those four words were simple enough, and yet so terrifying Ivy had to clench her thighs and butt cheeks to keep the blood from leeching out of her face.

The threat was there, velvety soft. If her father didn't get his way, he was prepared to take everything from her.

“What our father means, Ivy,” Ilex interjected soothingly, “is we do need you. It was wrong of me to try and manipulate you. Of course, you do not know us and have no loyalties to Fairy. Your presence is required only for a little while in the Summerlands. I would like to know you, to be your brother. Surely, there is something we could offer you.”

*****

The forest god reeked of rage, and considering he was more animal than man, Uriah was surprised the old goat managed to keep his temper in check. Ilex... there was a twisted map of scents.

The redheaded male kept his face perfectly passive, his tone even and nearly as blank as his face, but he was a mess of emotions. Uriah could barely keep up from one sniff to the next.

When Ivy spoke about their mother, Ilex smelled of grief, longing, and hatred so intense it felt like Uriah had inhaled black pepper straight from the jar.

When Ivy managed to calmly deflect their sire's manipulations, Ilex smelled