Fourth Rite_A Reverse Harem Tale by Jacquelyn Faye

Author:Jacquelyn Faye [Faye, Jacquelyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Untold Press, LLC
Published: 2019-03-22T05:00:00+00:00

∞ ∞ ∞

"You sure about this, Dot?" Chief glared at me over the makeshift altar I'd pieced together in my back yard. He, Jason, and Dwight were the only other members of the Coven I'd been able to round up on such short notice.

"About what?"

"First, performing the ritual without the entire coven."

"No choice. You tell the Lady no."

"Good point."

"Second point?"

"You. Blood. Bindings. You trying to make another familiar out of a witch?"

"Pshah!"

"I'm serious."

"Can't be done."

"You said that about vampires and demons, too."

"I'm serious. Witches are the binders, not the bindees. Is that a word? We'll just go with bound."

"Okay. I've said my piece. Now when something goes horribly wrong, you can't blame me."

"Probably will, anyway."

"I don't doubt it. But at least I can throw an I told you so out there. Everybody heard my objections, right?" He looked around my back yard. Every head was shaking. "Traitors!" At least he chuckled in the face of mutiny.

"Shea? You ready?"

"What did he mean?" He was staring at me, worriedly.

"Don't worry. He thinks I'm going to turn you into my familiar."

"Oh. That might not be so bad…"

Chief blinked and stared at him, openmouthed. "You quite sure about that, Shea?"

"Positively certain." He looked back up at me. "Would I be allowed to curl up in your lap?"

That image sent happy little thoughts to all the wrong places. Well, technically they were the right places, just at the wrong time.

With a thought and a word, I ignited the circle around us, a shield flaring over my property and hiding us from the prying eyes and ears of my neighbors. The neighbors who had yet to introduce themselves. Not that I blamed them. I full on realized I was the creepy crazy neighbor to be avoided. For now. But come Halloween… I'd have all the kids lined up for my planned haunted house. That and the king sized candy bars I gave out every year. I guess I couldn’t complain about the neighbors too much. I hadn't introduced myself yet, either. I'd have to bake them some fruitcakes for Christmas. That would earn me some brownie points. I'd make them brownies, but I didn't need to score anymore fruitcake points with them. I'd already blown up the neighborhood once.

Jimmy ignited the fire in the hastily erected firepit in the middle of my frost encrusted lawn. The air around us began to warm and another spell took the last bite of chill from the air. It was the best we could do without a bonfire.

I took off my cloak and set it next to the altar. Everyone else shuffled out of pants and shirts. One of Jason's first jobs had been to order cloaks for the entire coven as a gift from me for Yule. They still hadn't showed up and I was starting to panic.

"Greetings, Coven of the First Moon."

"Greetings, Lady."

"We are gathered today to bring new blood into our fold. What say thee?"

"Aye," they all said in unison, voicing no objections.

"Shea Donovan, step forth."

He stepped from the circle and stood before me.

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