Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
‘Evanora doesn’t know that.’, Liseli said.
Talia’s expression tightened. ‘But what if she does know?’ Another level of panic swelled in Talia. ‘How would that work if I made the deal? Would they take my mate away?’
Liseli growled. ‘He wouldn’t touch another woman. Not with the bond, but…’
‘But?’
‘If the breeding is for creating offspring, they could drug him or cast a spell to think it was you. Or they could collect samples without the act of coupling.’
Talia’s insides churned. Was she close to putting Dayson in another hell because she was reckless?
‘Don’t worry about things that didn’t happen.’, Liseli said. ‘Things worked out. Selena is watching over us, Talia.’
Talia cringed. If the Moon Goddess was watching, they wouldn’t end up in this mess.
“Is something wrong?”, Evanora noticed changes in Talia’s expression.
Talia scrambled her brain for a way to answer this without exposing her conversation with Liseli. “I was just thinking about Cassandra. Will she be OK during the test?”
“You are worried about her?”, Evanora asked with amusement in her voice. “That woman cursed your mate. He is in a bad condition, and you are probably wondering if that’s because you interrupted the spell before it was over. If you didn’t intervene, he would be in a much worse state. Maybe dead. Shouldn’t you be angry at Cassandra? Eager for revenge?”
Talia shook her head. “That won’t get my mate back.”
“You are letting her go unpunished?”
Talia took a moment to think about it. Cassandra did wrong, but Talia was so busy with getting Dayson back that she didn’t think about punishing the Oracle. But then, if not for Cassandra, they wouldn’t know about runes and witches, and they would definitely not be here.
The last few days felt like a painful eternity, but there was something good in it, like Axel finding his mate, and that wouldn’t happen if Cassandra didn’t cooperate.
“I believe that everyone should get a chance for redemption.”, Talia said. “What Cassandra did was wrong, but she followed orders. And after that, she was helpful. I won’t punish her for what happened. I believe that the Moon Goddess is watching, and Cassandra will get what she deserved. It’s not on me to judge her.”
Evanora laughed at Talia’s words.
“You are letting Cassandra go unpunished? If your mate ends up in Cassandra’s hands again, do you think she will hesitate to use dark magic?” Evanora leaned toward Talia, their noses only inches apart. “By letting her go, someone will get hurt, and it will be your fault.”
Talia realized that Evanora was right. Maybe.
“You can’t blame me if Cassandra harms someone after this.”
“And who is to blame? Your Moon Goddess?”
Talia didn’t miss the bitterness in Elanor’s tone. “You don’t believe in the Moon Goddess?”
Evanora’s brows furrowed. “If she is out there, aware of what’s going on, then she is a cruel person. Why would I put my hopes in her?” She turned to look at the statues in the middle of the fountain with longing. “We are called the Silver Flame Coven because there was a time when this fountain had flames that were said to be indistinguishable. On the day when the portal closed, the flames died, leaving us here to exist without a purpose, empty on the inside. Just like this fountain.”
‘Oh, oh!’, Liseli exclaimed in Talia’s head. ‘No wonder the fountain looked familiar. I know what she is talking about!’
‘You do?’
‘No time to explain. Put your hand in the water, Talia!’
Talia had no idea what this was about, but she listened to Liseli.
Talia saw her hand glowing in silvery light that traveled through the water toward the statues.
Evanora stared in disbelief as statues shimmered like someone doused them in silvery glitter, but the most fantastic was when with a ‘POOF!’ a white flame emerged from the top of the fountain.
It looked beautiful.
“How did you do that?”, Evanora asked. She knew very well how many spells they tried in order to revive the fountain, yet Talia did it like it was not a big deal.
Talia smiled a little, feeling proud that Evanora’s high and mighty expression cracked.
“Maybe the Moon Goddess didn’t forget you. What if she only tested you to ensure you are worthy?”
Talia spoke with confidence to Evanora, but she was also giving herself a much-needed pep talk.
The day in the coven started with the commotion when one witch shouted, “THE SILVER FLAME FOUNTAIN IS ALIVE!”
More than a hundred witches swarmed that area to see the fountain with white flames dancing at the top that were visible even in the broad daylight. Ripples of silvery light pulsated rhythmically in the calm water below it.
Liseli told Talia that Selena has a similar fountain in her garden, but Liseli had no idea how that replica ended up here.
Per Talia’s request, Evanora didn’t reveal that Talia was the one who made it work, but the witches whispered among themselves how the change happened due to one of the three newcomers based on the fact that it happened shortly after Talia, Axel, and Cassandra arrived.
They were all hopeful, believing that this was a sign of good days ahead.
The time dragged, and Talia felt every minute like an hour as she was itchy to leave this place and head after Dayson, but this couldn’t be rushed.
Evanora explained that the potions and spells were something they were creating with their knowledge and experience, but there was no guarantee they will work, and that was why testing was necessary.
Talia could imagine herself going to the Shadow Fang pack and facing Dayson to perform a mystical ritual only for it to fail. Dayson would probably throw her in the dungeon with other women who got on his nerves. But then… with him not remembering Talia, he won’t know why Lisa, Nora, and the other women were there and he will probably release them. Talia’s skin crawled uncomfortably at that thought.
With the goal to distract herself, Talia asked to help with preparations for the feast. Activities in the kitchen were just what she needed. The mood was lively, and it reminded Talia of her time with Dawn and Zina.
Witches would ask Talia about the life on the other side of the portal, and she told them about the Summer Solstice Festival, the amusement park, restaurants, and modern medicine, and she hoped that her voice stayed steady because each of those reminded her of Dayson. Talia realized that every part of her life, since she left the Red Moon pack, was marked by Dayson’s presence, and she was not sure if that was a good thing.
What if she can’t dispel the black magic? Will she stay broken forever, stuck in the memories of Dayson?
Talia did her best to suppress negative thoughts and to focus on the egg wash she was applying to the dough that was going to be baked into perfect bread rolls. They were cooking with herbs, and it smelled divine. Talia hoped that she can make some of those dishes for Dayson, after the dark magic is dispelled and things get back to normal.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.