Divination (Spells and Sins)

Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

"Magic flows in circles, returning to the heart that conjured it."

Elysia

A s her lips met mine, I lost all self-control. My hands shook as they tangled in her silvery hair, tugging her face harder against mine. More. I needed more. I walked us backwards, taking this further into the bedroom where it could be more private.

She managed to close the door behind us, and for that I was grateful. Sleeping next to her all night had been pure and utter torture. I’d like to say I slept soundly, but nope. Even when I did manage to get a few winks, the only thing I saw behind my eyelids were visions of her tangled up in the sheets with me.

Her tongue slipped into my mouth, tasting, exploring, and driving me wild as it slid across mine. Was this how it always was with another woman? Soft, sweet, and sinfully sexy? We weren’t even skin to skin and I was already way in over my head.

“Wait,” I mumbled, trying to break away. We were in Morgana’s house, and I didn’t think she’d take kindly to us having sex in one of her guest rooms. “People—” I managed to squeeze out between breaths “—downstairs.”

“Shh.” Her breath feathered against my lips and sent goosebumps along my arms. She spun us around and pressed me against the dresser, one of her thighs finding a home between my legs.

The moan that slipped from my lips echoed between our joined mouths as she put pressure against my clit. Sweet, delicious pleasure pooled in my gut purely from the contact. My hips, with a mind of their own, ground against her leg. I could feel the wetness already building in my panties and we hadn’t even taken off any clothes.

House . This wasn’t our house, but oh goddess, she felt so good against me and I was powerless to stop her.

Lunara ran her hands beneath my shirt, gripped my waist, and jerked my body closer, holding onto me tight as I rode her thigh. “That’s it,” she encouraged as I broke the kiss and muffled a moan in the crook of her neck.

The magic between us seemed to mingle, only adding fuel to the fire burning deep within me. With each thrust against her leg bringing me closer to climax, I was too far gone to put a stop to this. I released her hair and gripped her hips tightly as she pressed me harder into the dresser.

While one hand splayed open on my back, her other reached up to cup my breast, squeezing and rolling my nipple with the perfect amount of pressure through my bra. It was like she could read my mind.

I closed my eyes and ground harder against her, my breathing heavy and uneven as my core wound tighter. In the midst of our immense desire, I could barely fathom the things this woman was doing to me.

Lunara’s soft lips brushed against my neck, followed by slow, lazy circles that she drew with her tongue along my collarbone. She nipped playfully at the skin as her hand still cupped and massaged my breast. Her long hair tickled my arm as it moved with her.

So many sensations ran through me, my mind and body were on overload. When was the last time someone else had fueled my gratification, when it wasn’t just my hand helping me out, and I was able to lose myself without thinking too hard?

It had been far, far too long.

“Your skin tastes divine.” Her breath blew across my collarbone before her mouth moved closer to the shell of my ear. “I wonder…What else might?” She pulled her leg away and I almost cried out from the loss of friction, but it was soon replaced as she glided her hand between my skirt and stomach, palming my body.

Her fingers dipped down lower to run through my wetness before slipping back up to rub circles over my clit. I gasped for breath, feeling what that contact did deep in my belly and nearly crumpled to the ground when my knees gave out, but the dresser behind me held me upright.

“Gods, yes,” I cried out. Her fingers were magic as she worked me over and I couldn’t hold back any longer. In no time, waves of pleasure washed through me. I jerked and shuddered against her hold as my pussy spasmed against her hand. My underwear was toast. I couldn’t believe what had just transpired. Knowing I’d just reached climax in the High Priestess’ home, I searched within me for some form of guilt, but found none. I was too happily sated to care.

If Morgana discovered our rendezvous, she would likely kill me.

My head fell back as I tried to catch my breath. “Fuck.”

“Feel better?” Lunara whispered as she withdrew her hand.

“Much.”

She brought her fingers up to her mouth and licked and sucked them clean. “You definitely taste magnificent everywhere.”

Turning in her grasp, I let my hands begin to wander as I locked eyes with her. “What about you?”

“There’ll be time for that later.” She grabbed a lock of my hair and twirled the brown lock around her finger, smiling widely as she asked, “Do you know how beautiful it was watching you come undone?”

As my cheeks flushed, I lowered my head. “I just feel bad that you didn’t, you know…”

“What, cum?” She laughed and stepped back, eyeing me up and down. “Are all humans, er witches, this bashful about sex?”

I shook my head. “Not all, but it’s been a while for me.”

“Not anymore.” She gave me a kiss, my essence still lingering on her tongue. Once she turned for her shoes, she asked, “Are you ready to get to the library?”

I pulled my lower lip into my mouth and instantly tasted my pleasure, remaining on my lips even as I watched her slip on her shoes. Turning away from her, I reveled in the taste, realizing what I’d been missing. I definitely didn’t hate it.

Gods, she was definitely good at recruiting me for the same team.

The sound of Lunara’s footsteps drew my attention and I turned to find a confident smile tugging the corners of her lips.

I was just about to lean in for another kiss when someone knocked on the door.

“Hey,” Nova called from the hall. “We’re all heading over to Thalia’s. You sure you don’t want to come?”

“I’m pretty sure you already did,” Lunara whispered, covering her mouth to muffle a giggle.

“No, we’re good,” I said, taking a deep breath. I hoped my face wasn’t red, and my expression didn’t give away what had just happened as I strode over to the door and opened it. “We need to get to the library and start doing some research.”

Nova eyed me suspiciously, but said nothing about my appearance. “Oh…okay. Good luck.” I didn’t miss her smirk and eye roll as she turned to leave.

The library was nestled in one of the oldest buildings on Main Street, its weathered stone structure standing as a testament to the town's long-forgotten history. Ivy crept up the corners of the building, wandering up to the arched windows framed in dark, worn wood. Inside, the smell of aged paper and polished oak filled the air.

As we entered, we were greeted by tall shelves, carved from rich mahogany. They lined every wall, reaching up to the ceiling. Sunlight poured in from the few windows, giving little pockets of places to relax with a good book.

“Where do you think we should look first?” Lunara asked.

My eyes roamed over each area, wondering where the oldest bits of history would be housed. Worn out armchairs were tucked here and there among the books, but when my gaze landed on a spiral staircase tucked in the far corner, my gut told me that was where all the forgotten tomes of history and lore would be stored.

“Look.” I pointed to the corner.

Lunara grabbed my arm and leaned in. “You think?”

I nodded and headed toward the stairs. Each step creaked and groaned under our weight as if these stairs hadn’t been utilized for quite some time. Just beyond the second floor landing, we discovered shelves lining the wall, each covered in a thick layer of dust and the occasional cob web here and there. From the looks of it, this floor hadn’t been visited in years.

“Shouldn’t the library maintain all of the building?” Lunara asked as she swiped a finger over the spine of a book, her finger coming away with a dark gray smudge across the pad. “Eww.”

“Right?” I chuckled as she blew the dust from her finger. “I don’t think anyone has visited this floor in ages.” I hastily wiped some of the dust off one particular shelf as I tried to get a better look at the titles, but all I managed to do was create a cloud that suddenly had me choking on its plume. I coughed and sputtered, waving a hand to try to clear the air in front of me. “I don’t know how we’re going to find anything in all this mess.”

“We need to lean into our intuition.” Lunara laid a hand on my forearm. “You’ve done it in the past. Hell, you did it just now with this staircase. I could feel it.”

She could feel it?

Shaking off that thought, I stared farther into the dingy space. “This floor appears to wrap around the whole building. There must be thousands of books.” How were we expected to find the proverbial needle in a haystack in all of this?

Lunara drew something in the air and a shape shimmered into existence then quickly broke apart, sending a glitter-like substance fluttering to the hardwood floor before it disappeared. When she touched my arm again, I could feel her power surging into me.

“What did you do to me?” I asked. I’d never felt more powerful. My magic was one of the strongest in the coven, but it had its quirks. Sometimes it missed the mark, and I had to regroup, but this…this felt like raw power.

Lunara grinned and gave a half shrug. “Just giving you a push in the right direction.” Playfully bumping into me, she added, “Maybe together, we can find what we’re looking for.”

I stared at my hands as they tingled. Whispering a small location incantation, I pulled at my well of power deep within, asking the goddess for guidance in finding what we needed. A tug inside my gut urged me forward.

On shaky steps, I began walking down the aisle. Whispers echoed from the books I passed, but I couldn’t discern what was being said.

Lunara followed closely behind.

When I reached a particular bookshelf, my knees gave out.

“Oh shit!” Lunara grabbed me around the waist to prevent me from falling. “Are you okay?”

“I think it’s here.” I waved at the bookcase in front of me, trying to discern a precise location. “I just can’t tell which book.” The shelf was cast in shadows and covered in more dust than any of the others. Of course it would be the one we needed to look through.

“Let’s get to it.” Lunara reached for a book in front of her, instantly diving in.

Book after book, we examined the contents of each before sliding it back into place.

Dust clogged the air, slowing our progress, and sending us into the occasional coughing fit, but we had to keep moving. We needed to find something. Anything.

Reaching up high on tiptoes, I withdrew a book from the uppermost shelf. Unable to manage a solid grip, it slipped from my fingers and hit me in the head before plummeting to the ground. Its pages fluttered open and a yellowed piece of paper, folded in quarters, fell out.

“What’s that?” Lunara asked.

I reached down and picked up the book, grabbing the paper with my opposite hand. After I dusted off the cover, I read the title on the spine: The Legends of Hallow Ridge Grove .

“That’s interesting”. I flipped open the book to a section entitled Morrigan’s Curse . As I skimmed the first page, it felt like things were vaguely starting to make sense. I called to Lunara, wanting her to see what I’d just found. “Listen to this.”

“Peace was shattered by Morrigan, a powerful witch whose ambition eclipsed the wisdom of the old ways.

Morrigan had long sought the fabled Starfire Orb, a jewel of unimaginable power hidden deep within the realm of the Fae. It was said to glow with the light of forgotten stars, its radiance capable of altering the very fabric of magic. The Fae, protectors of the natural world, guarded it jealously, for its power was too great for mortal hands. But Morrigan, driven by greed, managed to slip past their watchful eyes and steal the Orb from its sacred resting place.”

“What else does it say?” Lunara leaned over my shoulder, scanning the text as I continued.

“The Fae spoke their judgment, their voices as sharp as the winter winds:

"For by your hands deception bloomed and by our hands will come your doom.

A night of anguish comes each year until the orb is welcomed here.

Two centuries’ time will be your sentence. Hence forward you will serve your penance.

In that final year ten months amassed, whence in that time the curse can pass.

If the light of Samhain appears, an awakening will come of all your fears.”

“As if the shadow figures weren’t ominous enough, this definitely makes my blood run cold.” I rubbed my arms, trying to ward off the chill while Lunara stepped away, seeming to look out at some far-off place. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She returned to my side, instantly flipping the page. “Is there anything in there about where the orb might be hidden?”

I turned to the next page, but the story ended almost as quickly as it began. “That’s odd.” I began turning the pages again until I found a section referring to information about the clock tower at the town’s center. It’d been standing vacant for years and I was fairly certain the clock hands no longer moved. It was more of a statement piece for the town than a functional timekeeper.

Lunara pulled the folded up note from my hands. Carefully, she opened up the page revealing elegant handwriting scrawled across the page. The neatness wasn’t what stood out, however. It was the quote emblazoned in the middle.

Where time stands still,

the truth awaits those who can see beyond the ticking hands.

“That’s odd.” Lunara stared at the paper as if she was waiting for answers to be revealed.

“Just another legend to uncover.” I closed the book and tucked it under my arm. “I say we take this gem with us while we continue our search.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to check it. “Shit.”

Lunara moved closer, her energy giving me a hint of peace as she asked, “Is everything alright?”

“No.” I held up my phone so she could read the message.

Morgana:

Thalia is missing.