Hiding from the Coven (Daughters of the Warlock Book 2) Read online

“Today, I would like to work on several protection spells,” Horlow said, his rich voice vibrating in the air around me.

  “Several?” I repeated, surprised he wanted to spend so much time with me.

  Usually we got in a single lesson, physical, magical, or spiritual, then Horlow was off doing whatever it was he did for the rest of the day. He was always busy.

  He nodded very matter of factly. “Yes. I believe you will be leaving us soon, so you need to be as prepared as possible for the onslaught of magic coming your way.”

  My eyebrows shot up my forehead. Leaving soon?

  “How do you know this?” I asked. I hoped I wasn’t disrespectful with my tone, but this was news to me.

  Had he heard from Tavlor as well?

  Horlow shook his head.

  “Call it intuition,” he murmured, and I knew that would be my only explanation.

  I swallowed down my angry response. I loosened the fists at my sides. This powerful man was teaching me things that no witch or warlock could or would, so I needed to stay respectful of those gifts. I needed to try and remind myself that he was doing this for my own good. He wasn’t like my mother, who purposefully hid things for me in order to keep me from asking questions and discover who I really was. There was a reason for his avoidance.

  “All right.”

  Horlow actually laughed, which surprised me. The Fae were not the ‘laughing’ kind of people, especially not Horlow.

  “I know you want to know everything, Ava, but you are young, and powerful and need to learn patience,” he said.

  I snorted through my nose.

  “Yeah, I agree with you there,” I said, although I thought waiting twenty-three years to escape my mother’s realm showed I was plenty patient. And respectful.

  “What you need to know for yourself is that you’re capable of anything,” he said. “Your emotions, your reactions, also dictate how you handle your magic. It’s why I like practicing outside. It’s peaceful out here. It’s hard to get angry about anything when you’re here.”

  I nodded.

  “When you get distracted, when you get emotional, that’s where you make the most mistakes,” he said. “It’s okay. You are like most. But you need to get a handle on it, or it will be a detriment to your education.”

  I chose to wait, and not ask more questions. He would tell me when he thought I was ready. What he was already telling me was more than he usually did.

  “What sort of mental barriers do you have up at the moment?” he asked as he walked around the area slowly.

  My mouth dropped open.

  “Ahh... I’m not sure what you mean,” I replied. The breeze tickled the back of my neck. The leaves of the trees whispered around us, singing a soothing song. If my guard was up, I didn’t realize it.

  I’d been told by Tavlor that I had decent mental shields in place, but I wouldn’t know how to describe them to Horlow. They were natural, not particularly curated. I tried to call them up on my own, but I wasn’t sure if the magic listened to me or not. I couldn’t actually feel anything either way.

  “Perhaps it is better than I show you.” Horlow spoke casting words and tilted his head forward, keeping eye contact with me.

  My mind filled with the image of people dying from mortal wounds, all around me. The clang of metal blades meeting rang in the air.

  I twirled around, pressing the palms of my hands to my temples, aghast to watch the horror before me.

  And then it was all gone, and I was back in the forest, the coolness of the air wrapping around my heated skin.

  I gasped loudly, needing to catch my balance. My head spun. I put a hand to my chest, feeling the pounding of my heart beneath my breast. I swallowed; my mouth was dry. I took a breath, then another, trying to steady myself.

  “Oh, my God,” I said. “What did you do?”

  I struggled to breathe. Was this some kind of vision? Or was this all Horlow?

  I conjured a bench seat. My knees gave way and I dropped down, staring up at Horlow in dismay.

  He tsked and shook his head as though disappointed. “How could your mother not teach you any mental barrier techniques?”

  Even though he was referring to me, it sounded as though he was muttering to himself.

  “She didn’t teach it, so to speak. We had natural barriers she said,” I said, feeling compelled to answer, “but I don’t seem to have any defenses against your particular skills.”

  The locket around my neck began to vibrate with heat but I ignored my mother’s call. More than likely she would be shouting back some defense.

  “What was that in my head, Horlow?” I asked him.

  He shrugged. “Some of my memories,” he said. “Nothing too personal or offensive to you.”

  I gaped at him. “Seriously?”

  He clearly must not have realized what he had just shown me.

  He’d lived through wars like that? Poor man.

  He seemed to dismiss my concerns and instead, looked at me with pity in his eyes. “We Fae are taught this technique from very young, Ava. You must guard your mind at all times from spells that would seek to harm you in the worst ways. I could have projected any image into your mind and taken away your ability to think, to see. You wouldn’t have known if those images were real, or not.”

  I nodded, swallowing hard. Obviously, this was an area of my training that my mother had neglected, or it wasn’t a tool our kind used so she hadn’t known to teach us.

  Either way, I needed to learn.

  “Will you teach me how?” I asked as I stood up and waved my hand, making my park bench disappear into the ether from whence it came.

  “Yes, of course. And I will also do a physical training session with you, guarding against offensive spells that I know Witches like to use.”

  These words brought a smile to my face. I liked the physicality lessons. They made me feel like I was making a real difference in my arsenal.

  “Thank you. I would love that.”

  Horlow began to talk, explaining everything I needed to know about this new technique and how to apply it.

  We spent hours together and by the end of the afternoon, my head pounded with new knowledge and my muscles ached from the spell casting work-out he’d given me. I wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot bath.

  When I staggered towards my accommodations, I was strangely happy, yet a low whisper of unease worked its way through me.

  Horlow had ramped up his lessons for a reason, and that meant that only too soon, he expected me to have to use them.

  Chapter 2.

  When I got back to my cottage, my entire body brimmed with energy.

  I paced back and forth, arms gesturing wildly, as I recounted the protection spells I’d learned from Horlow. I needed to know them, inside and out. I had to become as proficient with them as if I had performed them my whole life I thought I might consider taking that bath I wanted, but I couldn’t force myself to relax even though I tried.

  Someone knocked on my door. Relief rushed through me at being disturbed from my own thoughts.

  “Come in!” I exclaimed, stepping back from the door.

  Abigail stepped through the door, the smile on her face nothing short of spectacular, her green eyes sparking like the star-lit sky.

  “What’s going on?” I asked her, closing the door behind us. I wasn’t sure if this was a good visit or a bad one. She had always been difficult to read.

  “I... have a visitor for you.” She gestured to the door. “We might want to let him in, considering he’s not someone you want roaming about.”

  I quickly opened the door. A tall figure in a hooded robe stood in the area outside my cabin, a few feet away. My breath caught in my throat.

  “Tavlor...” His name felt like a prayer to me, and because of that feeling, I loved saying it. I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt like a fool, but I was too happy to care one way or the other. “What are you doing here?” I glanced behind him and managed to kick my li
ps up into a smile. “Are you alone? Or are the guards here to arrest me again?”

  I grinned at him to show I was joking, as I was sure his Warlock side would know. I knew Abigail wouldn’t have let me get arrested by any of the Guard. If she brought Tavlor here, she did it because she knew he was alone.

  “May I come in?” he asked, ignoring my joke. His voice was cold and clipped, as though we were nothing more than strangers.

  My heart panged but I ignored the feeling.

  I gestured to the small room. “Of course.”

  “I’ll leave you to it,” Abigail said, and before I could stop her, she shut the door after stepping out.

  My face heated with fire and I cleared my throat. I made sure to lock the door—I didn’t want anyone stumbling on Tavlor in my cottage. I wasn’t sure how the other Fae would feel about him being here. I didn’t want to lose their trust after I tried so hard to earn it. But I wasn’t going to lie and say I didn’t want Tavlor here.

  The room, which contained my bed and a small couch, suddenly seemed tiny. Tavlor was huge by human proportions, and his aura filled any space around him.

  “Please, have a seat,” I said, gesturing to the couch while I plonked down on my bed cross legged, anxious to put some space between us. It was strange. I wanted to be close, but being close felt as though he was smothering me. Distance allowed me to breathe a little easier.

  If I didn’t take the proper precautions, I was liable to kiss him, or strangle him for leaving me hanging for so long. I hadn’t decided which desire was stronger yet. Hell, I might do both.

  Tavlor glanced around and then lowered onto the couch.

  I almost laughed watching him perch on the edge, his back ramrod straight as he tried to appear proper and business like. It reminded me of pictures Mother had once showed us of a human school, when the adult teacher would balance precariously on a chair designed for one of the child-aged students.

  When he didn’t speak, I pushed on. “So, what’s going?”

  I rubbed my hands on my thighs, trying to prevent the perspiration that started to accumulate on my palms from getting out of control.

  He lifted his gaze and met mine with an intensity that almost took my breath away.

  “The Council have charged me with the job of finding you, arresting you, and bringing you in,” he said, his voice firm and unwavering.

  I nodded, swallowing the large lump that gathered in my throat. “Yes, you already told me that.” I released a breath, treading carefully. “Is that why you’re here? To collect me?”

  I tried to inject levity into my tones, but it came out strained. I wasn’t sure I was ready for his answer. I didn’t want to hear that he was willing to listen blindly to a group that thought he was some sort of abomination. But Tavlor had always been the sort to keep his head down and follow orders. We hadn’t known each other for very long, but that was something I immediately picked up, right off the bat.

  He shook his head harshly. “No, of course not.”

  His fingers curled into fists, as though he was offended I would even suggest something like that.

  But what did he want me to think?

  I stopped rubbing my thighs, relief flooding through my body. “Then, not that I’m not happy to see you... but why are you here?” I said. As much as I liked Tavlor, he wasn’t the type to drop by and say hello. He always had a reason for everything he did. “Isn’t this dangerous? You coming to see me?”

  Could he have led people to my whereabouts? Maybe he, himself, wasn’t going to claim me, but maybe others would?

  He shook his head. “No.” He flared his nostrils, looking at the wall behind me. “I have family in this kingdom, and simply requested a day to visit them as I have been busy searching other realms recently, pretending to look for you.”

  “Oh.” How could I have forgotten he was half-Fae? It was a critical reason why he was so hated. I shrugged. “That’s nice. I suppose.”

  The room filled with an awkward silence. It was unfair that the only man I’d ever met, ever kissed, was sworn to be my enemy.

  I didn’t completely trust his intentions, but I was filled with contradicting emotions. Part of me wanted to tell him to leave, that it was too dangerous, while the other part wanted to invite him on my bed and finish what we had started.

  God, I wanted him to kiss me again.

  “So, did you get to see your family then?” I asked, forcing myself to find the words somewhere. Considering he had never mentioned his family before, I wondered who they were and if I had met them while out and about in this realm. I hadn’t noticed anyone who looked like Tavlor, but then again, had I been looking properly? Probably not.

  “No.” He shook his head once. “I came straight to see you.”

  My stomach leapt and twisted, though I was unsure whether I should be excited or worried. I started to rub my thighs again. I felt magic tickle my fingertips, pushing against my skin, begging to be released. I was afraid if I did that, my feelings towards him would be obvious. I would give myself away.

  Not that he didn’t know how I felt. That kiss pretty much revealed everything. But I didn’t need to accidentally send the feathers in my pillows flying everywhere because I couldn’t control my magic, either.

  “Because you wanted to check on me?” I asked. I couldn’t believe the words actually came out of my mouth. “Or because...” I let my voice trail off and held my breath.

  Tavlor sighed, heavily. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, rubbing his palms together casually. His hands probably weren’t sweating. He probably wasn’t even nervous.

  “Because I need to tell you something that I felt better done face to face,” he said.

  I inhaled quickly, my breath quivering. I didn’t like the tone of his voice. I wasn’t sure what he had to say, but obviously it was important. He wouldn’t risk coming to see me so openly if it wasn’t, especially if it wasn’t part of the rules.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  Was there something wrong? Had the Council found my sisters?

  “The Council have changed their approach,” he said, flashing his eyes up at me.

  “Okay...” I needed more information than that. I still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  “I have been doing my best to lead them in another direction, to distract them while the High Warlock secures their trust and investigates the law for loopholes regarding illegitimacy...” He sighed, sitting up, rolling his shoulders back. His big, hulking frame made the couch look tiny. I couldn’t believe he fit into the cottage door.

  “Hang on,” I said, putting up my hand. I cocked my head to the side. “My father’s trying to find a way around the sentencing?”

  Really? Why hadn’t anyone told me? Why would he do that? Why would he risk that?

  “Of course.” He said it so matter-of-factly like it should have been obvious.

  I rolled my eyes. “How would I know that?” I asked, annoyance prickling my skin. “I’m being told nothing, and I can tell you, letting my father lie to the Council about my parentage was not fun.”

  I took a steadying breath, my chest burning. I hadn’t realized how angry I still was about how things went down at the trial. To watch my own father basically throw me under the bus was hurtful. I shouldn’t have expected that he would be there for me, not when so much was at stake, but to completely betray me? That hurt.

  Tavlor blinked a few times, absorbing my words. “I’m sorry that we have not kept you in the loop as much as we should have,” he said. I was surprised to find he actually did sound sorry. “Your father is doing everything he can to help you, and I’ve done everything I can do so far to protect you, but things have become more complicated. And that is why I’ve come.”

  “What happened?”

  “The Council have taken my lack of success... badly.” His words sounded strained. Even though he was helping me, even though he was doing me a favor by not turning me in, he still didn’t like failure. Ev
en if it was failure that was warranted. “I have been put on restricted duties, and I’m now relegated to little more than a doorman at the Council steps. They have instead put a bounty on your head.”

  I blinked, then blinked again, trying to understand everything he was saying all at one. I didn’t want to make any assumptions, but I also didn’t understand what he was saying.

  First things first.

  “They punished you for failing to find me?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

  He shrugged. “Of course.”

  His eyes narrowed, staring at his hands.

  His response surprised me. Not that the Council punished him, but that he didn’t turn me in, despite that punishment. What was worse, it tarnished his reputation as some infallible soldier, as someone they could rely on to carry out orders. Even though the Council treated him as though he was nothing but a monster, he still listened to them. He still obeyed.

  Until now.

  I leaned forward slightly, my words soft and careful. “And you still went through with it?”

  A smile crept onto his lips.

  “I have endured a lot worse, for much less before Ava,” he said. “Your safety, and your life is, well, worth fighting for.”

  The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The way he said that made it sound like I was worth dying for, but he couldn’t possibly mean that.

  Could he?

  I was getting ahead of myself. The last thing I wanted was for him to die for me. But the fact that he was willing to fight for me, even if it meant betraying those he was most loyal to, was a big deal. And if it was a big deal for him, it was a bigger deal for me.

  My heart fluttered.

  The only problem was, I didn’t want him to get in trouble for me. If the Council wanted to kill me for being born, what would they want to do to do to him for outright betrayal?

  “Thank you.” The words were not enough to express my gratitude, but for now, they would have to do.

  He inclined his head and I ached to run across the room and kiss him. I wanted to hold him, to remind myself that this wasn’t a dream, that he was really here and he had come to see me because he wanted to.