Another snarl burst from Byrd’s chest, but she caught it, swallowing the sound.
“Hey, hey, hey.Estás bien. You’re okay. I’m right here,” I soothed. I rubbed her cheek to get her to close her eyes and purr again. There was something surreal about there being two different versions of Byrd that I had to interact with, but I still viewed them as one being. It was tricky to explain and for me to understand, but I felt connected to them both, and I knew how much I loved them both.
Q-Quinn, it’s blood magic!Byrd strained to say, realization dawning and making my throat constrict at the information.I can’t explain it, but I know it’s Lilah. I think sh-she knows about the enchantment.
And, she knows how to get into it.
PART FOUR
Howlite
MAGNESITE, CALMING STONE, OR THE IMITATION STONE
A rock with a porous texture and a color scheme of chalk white with dark or silver veins that can also be colorless.
A healing crystal gifted in the spiritual department, Howlite is all about compassion and sensitivity. It is a stone of patience and perspective for those who feel they need to slow it down, absorb, and clear the constant stream of chatter from the mind. Above all, it is a calming stone, always ready to slow down the heartbeat, cool calamitous tempers, and show you the way of wisdom. Its gentle vibration connects and flows, raising your awareness and granting you clear vision. For those who are quick to anger and rush in with a hot head, Howlite is like a long, cool drink on a scorching day. It shows us that taking amoment to consider all angles can lead to better outcomes. This stone is an exceptional absorber of stress and tension, making it an amazing tool for when you feel pressured. It invites you to approach the world with love and understanding and to communicate in a way that doesn’t pour fuel on a flickering flame. Howlite gives you the strength to deal with anger from a heated soul in a way that ensures your own boundaries and best interests are met. It invites you to stay tethered to your inner wisdom. This stone wants you to be gentle to your soul. When life gets hard and our emotions lead before we have the chance to pause, Howlite is the cleansing breath, the second of silence before the storm, and the place where you gather yourself to face things again.
Sunflower
QUINN
I’m a simple girl.
I loved a good road trip. I loved the kind of adventure where you can stop and explore gas stations with their silly knick-knacks and keychains that tell you exactly where you got them from. I loved trying local food and snacks. Honestly, the seedier and weirder, the better the story to tell afterward, even if the food was absolute trash. I loved seeing the sights and stupid attractions. I loved seeing the trees, greenery, and flowers change as we crossed into different states or regions. It was just as fun as it was tranquil.
Usually, though, I hated driving. Having to constantly focus on one task for a long time was kryptonite to my ADHD ass. It was exhausting and overstimulating all at once. I preferred to hire someone. At the same time, I was my father’s daughter, and I had control issues. If I were going to put my life in anyone’s hands in a metal machine going at high speeds, it wouldneverbe a man, not when I could do a better and safer job. Plus, if there were folks I cared about with me, I refused to trust anyone else with their lives. I knew if shit went left, I could make sure we all survived with minimal damage. I never joked about safety, and even Clarkson took it as seriously as I did, knowing she neededher harness and seat restraint before she could get in the car. She even went to fetch it herself. So, I normally bit the bullet and drove without complaint as long as I could smoke once we stopped.
But, there was something about Byrd on a motorcycle with me that made me change my mind and wish I could always drive us everywhere.
Her gloved hands were clasped tightly with her arms wrapped around my waist. Her chest was pressed into my back, and her thighs were against my own as we rode down the highway. Her outfit towed the line between absolutely adorable and fucking sexy. Her neon pink helmet had a matching bow on the back of it, with the ends flowing behind us just like Byrd’s locs sticking out underneath. It was in direct contrast to the hot rod flames on my black one. Her leather jacket accentuated her every curve and made her ass look even better in her leggings.
Okay, maybe she was closer to thesexy as fuckcategory than just cute.
Fucking hell, and every time we stopped, I wanted to lean her over the bike and make her scream my name over and over again. I didn’t care who saw or heard. The orange and blue motorcycle vibrated powerfully underneath us, seeming to agree with me.
I am no better than a man.
Hey,Byrd thought through the mating bond,if it helps, I didn’t know I had a masked woman fantasy until this.
Really? With how much dark romance is on your shelves?I chuckled behind my helmet.
Listen, you can’t judge a girl’s kinks by what’s on her bookshelves. Some of them I got because they were pretty, and most of them I haven’t read yet.
I laughed.
Byrd and I rode on with Cody and Maisie on a bike next to us. Everett and Cole took turns driving the massive SUV behind us with Talli, Teddy, Simone, and Nat riding within.
When the others had arrived after Everett and Teddy had called them, Byrd’s dragon immediately lost it again. I had to calm her down by having her focus on me and keeping my hands on her at all times. Even still, Talli, Teddy, and Maisie couldn’t come near her to do their work to make her shift back. Using her necklace as a conduit,the trio of witches managed to find the magical venom that Lilah had left behind in Byrd’s blood, enabling her to listen to Byrd’s conversations for intel without Byrd’s knowledge. However, once she heard what she needed, the magic detonated like a bomb, causing Byrd’s dragon to sense Lilah’s presence and to shift to protect her and Byrd. It was the trap that Everett was worried about and the reason why she had been let go. Lilah likely hoped that Byrd’s dragon would kill us as she lost control. Stupid bitch underestimated how strong my girl was and how powerful our connection was.
Hopefully, that would be a fatal mistake of hers soon enough.
Talli and the others cleansed Lilah from Byrd’s body, expelling her completely despite the Blood Bitch putting up a bit of a fight to stay. Byrd was able to shift back again, and she collapsed into my arms, exhausted and naked from the whole ordeal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t wait. Lilah knew the location of Byrd’s family enchantment and how to get into it now. We were on borrowed time already.
“Who’s to say she hasn’t already attacked the enchantment?” Nat had asked as we were devising a plan.
“She could have, but she wouldn’t have gotten far,” Talli explained. “I have been to Forrest’s enchantment in the past, and it is nothing to be fucked with. It’s one of the most fortified, largest, and oldest enchantments I have ever interacted with.Like Blackbell but on a grander scale. If someone manages to get in without being a blood relative or having permission, the spell over it incapacitates the threat and alerts the dragon-shifters within. With the spell she just used on Byrd and us counteracting it, she wouldn’t get far in her current state. She’s powerful, but she can’t take them on right now.”
“Yeah, but she has Cooper with her,” Byrd mentioned from my arms. Exhaustion weighed her eyelids down, and she leaned on me from within the blanket I had wrapped around her more than I would have liked. Yet, her voice was strong, her eyes bright with attention and interest. “He is going to help her.”
