He gamboled away after a final sniff. Did Asher smell like a wolf even in human form? She had to get out of here.
She dashed into the library and tried to remember the mechanism.
Seconds before she grabbed the silver wolf, she hesitated, worrying that this was some sort of spell keyed to the Griffins, but no, the whole point of their existence was to bring new people into their coven. They wouldn’t lock the door, right? But then again, they didn’t exactly have harmless shit in this room.
There was only one way to find out. She grasped the statue, and nothing happened. She dropped her hand, cursing, before trying to jiggle it again. It tilted toward her, and the door unlatched. She rolled her eyes at her fear. They hadn’t used any magic at all. She stepped inside.
Knowing what she knew now, this collection looked even more grotesque. The rack of weapons looked like something out of a medieval torture chamber, and the books were horrifying:The Lupine Scourge, Monsters of the Moon,andHow to Take the Pack.
Why had she thought this was going to be any help at all, that she’d magically find buried amongst the violence a book called: Yes, there is a magical connection between witches and wolves, and here’s how to find your fated mate and live happily ever after.
“Can I help you find anything?” a voice asked from behind her. Penn spun with a jolt.
Cat, one of the twins’ former foster children, stood with an elbow tipped casually against the door.
Penn examined the smaller woman. Today, she wore a long paisley skirt with silver balls all over it and a top made of homespun hemp that looked scratchy. Her hair was wild and loose around her head, blacker than Penn’s, which made her blue eyes seem to glow in her pale face.
“Do you believe in fate? Like fated, um, partners?” Penn asked.
Cat burst out laughing. Penn liked her laugh. They hadn’t really had a serious conversation, and she regretted that now.
“Do you know what my talent is?” Cat asked.
Penn closed her eyes, trying to remember. She’d been introduced to all the various witches in the coven once they agreed she could live here, but she didn’t remember.
Penn shook her head. “Something receptive?”
There were two kinds of magic: one that let you receive information and one that let you act. That’s why a coven was only effective when it was complete with a full complement of active and receptive talents. A receptive talent was pretty much useless for anything except informing the decisions of the witches with more active defense spells at their fingertips.
Her animal magic was mostly receptive, but it was a gray area, since she could also make animals do things if she was convincing enough. It meant she could technically act on the world through magic, giving her a mixed talent.
“Yeah, divination.”
An icy shiver ran through Penn. Divination witches told the future.Did she know?
It was also too good an opportunity to pass up.Could she find out?
“So youdobelieve in fate. Here, let’s get out of here,” Penn said, loath to stay amongst the extreme violence any longer than she had to.
They retreated to one of the forward sitting rooms stuffed with upholstered furniture of various makes and models. Somehow, the eclectic collection went well together.
“If you mean, are things destined to happen no matter what we do? No, I don’t believe that.”
Penn frowned as she chose a spinning upholstered chair in a cheery yellow, and Cat sat near her at the end of a chaise longue in cream fabric with little embroidered flowers.
“I don’t think there’s any force overseeing any of this,” Cat continued. “Like if this happens, that isalwaysgoing to happen? No way.”
“Then how does your talent even work? This is all just random?”
“Cause and effect is still a thing. So once a cause happens, do I believe the effect is coming? Oh boy, hell yeah.”
It was a bizarre philosophy coming from a woman who could literally see the future, but Penn didn’t want to get distracted. “So you don’t believe that there are two people destined for each other?”
“Maybe.” Cat shrugged.
“But you just said?—”
“No, I know. Cause and effect could be: I bought a load of groceries, and now that’s the only food available. I also mean: who our parents were and the choices they made, and how we’re living out those choices now. There can be a generational cause-and-effect or even multigenerational. What looks like destiny might just be a whole lot of causes all tied up together.”
