Phoenixheart: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Rogue Witch Book 7) Read online

  “See what happens when you do not send birthday cards and other trinkets? They come to distrust you. A lesson I thought you would have learnt from your own father’s neglect,” the boy said, with such casual insubordination I wasn’t sure how my father would stand for it.

  “What the fuck is happening?” Eli’s voice was low.

  “I have no clue,” I whispered back. “But we’re alive. For now.”

  “I’m not liking this,” Finn’s words were also hushed. “I don’t think we can take on so many witches at once. How long will your shields hold if they attack us?”

  “No idea,” I breathed, “not a fucking clue.”

  “Think positive,” Eli said with a humorless chuckle. When I glanced at him, his eyes were dark as he surveyed the room from behind the curtain of lightning that protected us.

  “We all felt Creston Hailward’s passing,” my father said, his voice echoing with a boom in the room, the vaulted ceiling above us only amplifying it. A shiver ran through me at the anger boiling in his words. Finn wrapped a hand around my shoulder, steadying me. “He died not seconds before these three arrived here, a death-curse if I’ve ever seen one. They have cost the council dear-”

  “The Hailward boy was a bad branch that should have been snipped years ago,” the boy-witch said, turning his back on us to address my father directly. He had neat blond hair, pulled back in a shaggy ponytail at the base of his skull. “You only have bitterness for his death because it thwarts your plans to keep Lewellyn blood in your chair when you pass.”

  My father’s wordless cry of rage made me shudder, my powers flickering, the lightning flaring bright in response.

  “Darce, can you distract them while we run for it? Blind ‘em maybe?” Finn murmured into my ear. I could hear the fear in his voice, but his voice was steady. “Please tell me this place isn’t buried into some creepy underground compound.”

  “It kinda is,” I said softly, half-listening to the boy spar with my father, as they traded insults. Who was he? My father would never ever, in a million years ever, stand for someone talking to him like that. Short in height, and slender, he didn’t look old enough to have a driver’s license, but he spoke like he owned the world.

  I glanced at Finn.

  “There’s an estate above us, ballrooms, parlors, smoking rooms, that kind of thing-”

  Finn snorted and shook his head.

  “Fuckin’ witches. We scratch and scramble for the bare essentials, and they’re living in silks and velvets,” he said, bitter as old coffee.

  “We wouldn’t want what they have, Finn, it was bought with blood,” Eli replied, keeping his voice hushed.

  “Shhh,” I stepped forward to better hear the conversation going on.

  “What would you do? Slay your own flesh and blood where she stands? I have yet to hear from the Hailward clan. Speak, brethren, or forever hold your peace,” the boy taunted.

  “That’s Creston’s daddy?” Eli asked as an older man stood, his close-cropped hair peppered all over with silver.

  “Mhmm.” I saw so much of Creston in him that my stomach turned over. He glowered down at me, his eyes burning right through the flickering, flashing shield that was the only thing keeping me from panicking entirely. The soft buzz and hum of our shield was buying us time, making me feel like we stood an iota of a chance.

  “Looks like an asshole,” Finn said, and in the silence his voice carried more than it should have. The head of the Hailward family stared at me, his eyes dark, and his mouth pursed. I’d just killed his son.

  In self defense, but still, I’d killed him.

  “The details of my son’s passing are hidden from me, shrouded in the mist,” he said. “I would have the manner of his death from the girl before we mete out judgment.”

  “Hailward has spoken,” the boy-witch said, turning to my father. “Your honor-killing will have to wait, Llewellyn.”

  “You should be grateful we even allow you space to speak, infant,” my father spat the words, rage turning his face white. “Were it not for-”

  “But you have no choice,” the boy replied, “I speak for the stars, and they have placed me above you, for all your maneuvering. So you will be silent, and we will have a trial. I think that you’ll find that I am a fair and equitable judge in these manners.”

  My father sat in his chair with a heavy thud, his hands fisting on the armrests.

  I blinked. A star-speaker? The council hadn’t had one of those since… before I was born, before my father was born, probably. A rare kind of witch, there was always a chair at the council reserved for them, since there was usually only one alive at any one time. Their powers didn’t develop until their early twenties, usually, but…

  “You’re going to translate for us later, right?” Eli asked.

  “Mmmhmm,” I said. “Stop talking, please.” My father was staring at us like he wanted to set my guys on fire. The less we spoke, the less attention we would call to ourselves. The big lightning dome was enough of statement that I was going to stand up for myself this time, and that my father wasn’t dealing with a child anymore.

  No, I thought, returning his gaze, stare for stare. I was not a child anymore, and my father had better figure that out fast.

  “Let down your sparkles, Llewellyn-daughter,” the boy said, turning to me. “You are under my protection now-”

  “Pardon us if we don’t exactly trust you,” Finn called. I wanted to kick him, but it’s not like he had any clue what kind of witch the boy was. Star-speakers spoke for the universe, were always pacifists, because if they didn’t respect all life, terrible fates befell them. Usually involving explosions or being hit by meteors. The boy couldn’t, wouldn’t, betray our trust if he offered us his protection. Or so the lore went.

  I fucking hoped I was right about my lore. But what choice did we have? The amount of firepower, no pun intended, that the collective witches on the council had would out power me in a heartbeat. A few weeks of practice with Wolfe had made me more confident in my abilities, but no way was I a match for ten plus witches.

  “You have every yright to be distrustful right now, wolf,” the star-speaker said, his expression softening. “There has been a great disservice done to our wolf brothers-”

  “Monsters,” my father snarled. The boy turned, pinning my father down in his seat with a heated stare, and my father fell silent. I watched this pass, shock spreading through my body. My father never backed down from a challenger. Had a star-speaker emerging really changed things so much?

  “We can put our faith in him,” I said softly to Finn and Eli, “he can’t betray us. The stars above will murder him where he stands if he does.”

  “It’s true,” the boy said, almost cheerfully. “A useful trait in anyone who’s suicidal, but I rather enjoy living a bit too much.”

  “This shit is too weird for me,” Finn grumbled.

  “You’re a man that turns into a wolf, lives for decades, centuries, longer than he should,” the star-speaker said, amusement coloring his tone. “And this is weird?”

  Eli snorted.

  “We accept your gracious offer of protection,” he said, nudging Finn. Finn grumbled again but sighed.

  “Fine,” Finn said, jerking his head in my father’s direction. “But that fucker stays far away from Darcy.”

  My father bristled, leaning forward in his seat his mouth opening in a snarl.

  “Petulant creature-”

  “Oh would you fucking stop,” I cried out, at the limit of my patience. I let the lightning dome fade, the power sinking into the ground gracefully as I could make it, to show them how much control I had over my powers now. There was a soft murmur of voices, the council members talking, and I hoped that all witnessed that I was a changed witch, a more powerful witch. It would make them think twice about challenging the star-speaker for the right to have access to us.

  My father went quiet, and the star-speaker reached out his hand for mine.

  “I
’m Luka,” he said, “of no particular family of note. Much to everyone’s dismay here.” His eyes danced with good humor.

  “I bet that pisses them right off,” I said, smiling back at him, and taking his hand. He shook it once before looking at each of my guys, offering his hand. Eli squeezed it, giving him a testing pump. If I hadn’t been so nervous, I would have rolled my eyes. Finn refused, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Another time,” Luka said with a brief, un-offended smile. “Shall we go to my home? I’m sure you could all use time to freshen up.”

  I glanced down at my clothes, smoke-stained and fire-eaten.

  “Alright,” I said, “but if you even think about betraying us-”

  “I’ve already seen my death,” he said, ever cheerful, “it will not be this day, or any day soon. Come, before your father decides that risking the wrath of the stars is worth murdering his own spawn.”

  Three

  Darcy

  “Can’t say I’m fucking thrilled about this,” Finn said, when he eyed the large bed in the suite of rooms we’d been given. “I want to get back to the pack, but that bed looks mighty fine right about now.”

  Eli made a noise of agreement before turning to me.

  “So explain?”

  I sighed and went to the bathroom. As I expected, there were a fat stack of face-clothes. I needed a shower badly, but washing my face off, of soot and tears, was probably a good place to start. The guys needed an explanation, and I had to figure out the best way to give it to them with my own limited knowledge.

  “He’s a special kind of witch, um, like, they’re not normal.”

  “Yeah I’ve never seen a kid face down a grown man like that, especially knowing what kind of power your dad wields,” Finn said, following me. He leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. I wetted down a cloth and scrubbed at my face. Creston was dead. It felt like a weird dream, sorta like it hadn’t really happened.

  But it was true, and it had left me feeling like I no longer had to look over my shoulder, expecting him to be right there. Except we weren’t safe yet, not by a long shot.

  “They only show up every few generations, at most. They’re never from any family in particular, and never a witch council family. I think it’s the universe’s way of bringing balance to the council. Let’s just say they’re really not fond of genocide, or death of anything. The original vegetarians, honestly, they can’t even eat meat. They’re really powerful, and um, normally they’re a bit older when their powers manifest.” I set the facecloth down and sighed. Finn walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me tight. I leaned back against his chest.

  “Give it to me straight, how much shit are we in right now? Cause I feel like I’m up to my balls in it right now.”

  I made a face at him in the mirror at his choice of imagery, but the worry in his eyes had me answering him seriously.

  “Well, we um, killed a witch, so there’s a penalty for that-”

  “Nice that there’s one rule for them, and another for us,” Eli commented as he came into the doorway.

  “Yeah well, I never said it wasn’t shitty.” I closed my eyes as Finn nuzzled the top of my head.

  “What’s stopping us from just cutting and running? Doesn’t seem like the star-boy is going to put up much of a fight if we do,” his voice was a comforting rumble against me. I licked my lips.

  “Well they’ll track us down, for starters, and it won’t look good…”

  “Are they seriously implying we stand trial for killing that piece of shit?” Eli sounded more than a little put out.

  “It’s not really you guys, since you were just there, more like me. His family will want to know how he died-”

  “By being a murderous little shit-face,” Eli said.

  “You would be correct about that much,” a familiar, accented voice said from the bedroom beyond the bathroom we were clustered in. Eli turned, and I jerked out of Finn’s grip.

  “Wolfe!” I ran into the bedroom. The vampire laughed as I barreled into him, but the overwhelming feeling that everything would be alright now flooded through my body.

  “My sweet child,” Wolfe crooned, petting the back of my head. “Oh what have you gotten yourself into this time?”

  I inhaled, trying not to cry, a fresh rush of feeling making my whole body tremble. Wolfe would fix things. Wolfe had to fix things.

  “I was wondering when you;’d turn up, ready to play hero and make everything better,” Finn growled, apparently not sharing my relief at seeing the older witch. Wolfe frowned at him and then glanced down at me.

  “What’s this? Tears?” He wiped at my cheeks with a fatherly tenderness that made my heart ache.

  “He had one last curse on her before he died,” Eli said, “I thought you said you broke all of Creston’s hold on her.”

  Wolfe looked troubled, his mouth pulling down at the corners.

  “That is not news I am pleased to hear. What happened?”

  “He commanded my powers, like I had no control at all, and I nearly killed Finn,” I said, the words almost too painful to say.

  “I’m fine, sweetheart,” Finn said, “alive to fight another day, and all that shit.”

  Wolfe pursed his lips and pulled away to look me up and down.

  “You are worse for wear, aren’t you? I have told the pack, they are less than happy about this turn of events, but I could not be happier. A star-speaker and that miserable Hailward boy dead? It’s almost feeling like it’s my birthday.”

  “They’re putting her on damn trial, Wolfe, this isn’t time for a party,” Eli growled. Wolfe snapped his fingers, almost as if remembering how serious the situation was.

  “I would spirit you away, but they would only come to find you. It would be messy, I think, given the animosity your father seems to hold for you right now, my little witchling.” Wolfe pulled away completely to pace for a moment. “But you are with the star-speaker, which I am proud to say is one of my own get-”

  “That kid is your son?” Finn asked. “Does… do your swimmers swim?!”

  Wolfe pinned him with a peevish glare.

  “About as well as yours do,” he snipped, “I had an affair with his great-great-grandmother, one that I do not regret, and he may be of a bastard line, but he is powerful. Back when I was alive, thank you kindly. I am not the only one in this room who’s nether regions do not produce, so I would not be commenting on my lack of prowess in such arenas if I were you.”

  I choked and flushed, glancing at Finn. His lips were parted and then he snapped his mouth shut.

  “Whatever,” he muttered, out of anything else to say.

  “In as few words as possible, what’s going to happen now?” Eli asked.

  “There will be a trial, it’ll be better than a sham, because the star-speaker will see to the truth being spoken. I hope he survives it. It’s an ugly thing when the universe decides to get involved in the lives of mortals. I feel as if the very stars in the sky have been orchestrating this moment in time, bringing in all the pieces that will make for a final, lasting change to the witching world.” Wolfe walked to the windows in the far wall, gazing out at the neatly manicured lawns that made up the estate we were staying at.

  “Wolfe?: I asked, “What are you thinking?”

  “There has been a tide of change in the powers,” he said, “I have felt it in my magic, a cry for justice for all the blood spilled. Magic has no morals, it just is, but it is still the foundation of life. And nothing that pure likes to be ill-used. I can’t imagine, if it were a sentient thing, it would be pleased with the way that witches have used their powers to slaughter other creatures in such an unchecked manner.”

  I held my breath, because it sounded sort of incredible, or unbelievable.

  “You think things are happening for a reason?”

  “All things happen for a reason,” he mused. “They may not be reasons we agree with, but we are all put into our places, and the univ
erse arranges things so that the best possible outcomes can occur. Is there a reason you felt the need to leave your home and family? What was different about you that you felt you did not fit, that you could not use your powers, that the mundane world held more allure than a place where magic made all things possible? I can’t help but think that the universe has had some hand in placing you in the very room where you would find yourself eye-to-eye with your enemies, but make you so weak that you would have no choice but to make friends of your foe.”

  “Thats’a good monologue, and thanks for that, but I’m not interested in Darcy being used as some sort of universe butt puppet to fix things between wolves and witches, if that’s what you’re getting at. Not if it means she gets found guilty at this trial, or whatever it is they are planning,” Finn’s voice was curt, hiding his very real fear. I glanced back at him and he gave me a tight smile. “I just want to be with her. Forever, for as long as I’ve got. We never wanted to fight a war, that’s why we did what we did, running, instead of fighting. I had my share of playing good soldier over in Europe, and what did that end up helping? Half the world is going to hell in a handbasket anyway.”

  Wolfe sighed, turning with a grimace on his face.

  “I would not blame you, and if you asked me to, I would cloak you in my powers and take you from here-”

  “Then why don’t you? Let’s go, now, get back to the pack,” Finn cut in.

  “Because Darcy has a chance to mend something that is bigger than her, that is bigger than all of us,” Wolfe said. “I have not given my life to let this chance slip through my fingers. This is our moment, can you not feel it? How many of your kin have fallen to hunter hands? Those hands were guided each and every time by the witch’s council. Finally, you could return to your pack knowing that they need never fear another night. You could make your music, perform your songs, and do it because it fulfills you, not because it has you traveling so much that a hunter would never be able to track you down since you aren’t in one place for long enough for them to notice you’re there.”