The Second Covenant

We returned to the secret chamber and I moved to stand beside Riley, Tristan was looking around at the books with his great grandfather, speaking softly. “Sorry about that.” I said and the men all looked at me with gentle expressions. “No apology is necessary, grandchild. I would like to know of how you have come to be here, what kind of spell did you use?” I looked around the room that hadn’t changed very much from this time to mine and thought about the right way to answer that. “I would love to tell you,” Then in turn I looked each of them in the eyes. “But I came here to change one event. If I explain the workings of my spell, I could change more things that shouldn’t be changed.”

Soon John Putnam would be dead, and the fifth bloodline would be lost, until Chase Collins returned to Ipswich. I was temped to tell John about his death, and to tell him to stay away from Goodwin Pope, but then Chase would never have been born, and eighteen years later my father wouldn’t have been willed his father’s powers and the timeline would be all messed up. But the witches in the room seemed to understand. “Yes, things must not be changed over much.” Since John was still alive, it meant that the Covenant had not been made yet. I couldn’t say to much about anything about our combined destinies. “It is late, I would be glad to welcome you into my home for tonight.” Lucas said and we graciously accepted.

I tried to sleep, I really did, but Druex wasn’t with me and I couldn’t close my eyes without seeing that last moment of pain on his face, in his lightning blue eyes. So I got up and went outside to sit and watch the night give way to the dawn. “Can you not sleep?” I flinched at Drustan’s soft question but shook my head. “No. You?”
“Nay. My I sit with you?” I nodded and hugged my knees to my chest as he joined me on the wide stone bench. We sat quietly for a while and again, it was Drustan who broke the silence. “How long had you been mated?” I seemed more calm in his presence and was able to speak without crying. For the moment. “Not long, a little over a month. It seems so much longer, a lot happened in a few weeks.”
“Would it pain you to tell me of those weeks?” I turned my cheek to my knees and looked at him. Feeling that confusing burn in my belly. “No.” And I told him. I told him about the pharmacy, about my Halloween prank at the Dells, about the club, about the cousins and anything else I could think of.

The sun was rising when I got to the part about his death. “Why did you bring him to the room in the coven chambers?” I shook my head. “It was the safest place I could think of.” I could hear the others starting to stir in the house. “I should get back before I’m missed.” I said and gave Drustan a smile. “Thank you for listening. I’m sorry if I got all emotional on you.” He handed me his handkerchief and smiled back. It was breathtaking to see it, and heartbreaking. “I enjoyed your stories Cherish.” I took the cloth from his hand and wiped at my eyes. “I’ll get this back to you later.” He inclined his head and rose, towering over me, sending the scent of my mate swirling around me. Even my wolf was confused. “Keep it, I have others. Good Morrow.” He murmured and I nodded. “Good morrow.”

I spent the day wandering around the colony house, speaking with Lucas and Alasdair, always aware that Drustan watched me from somewhere. It was making me edgy and uncomfortable, because I was responding to the power of his wolf. It got to the point where I drew closer to Peyton and Tristan, so that their energy was the pulse that surrounded me, instead of the wolves. Drustan finally excused himself to go and see if the Phoenix Coven would receive me. We ate a very rustic dinner while we waited, prepared by Alasdair’s wife Sara. So far, he was the only one married. All of the ancestors were still young, in their late twenties, separated only by a few years.