Taken by the Blood God (Devil Springs #4)

Chapter 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Minerva

As much as I wanted to remain at home, tucked into my bed (or my bathtub) with Talant, I had a business to run. After a weekend dealing with Davian’s shitty attitude about his new reality, I also needed to escape to my store to prevent a homicide—specifically me killing him. For an incredibly powerful being who had lived for thousands of years, Davian complained like a bratty tweenager who had his phone taken away. About every-damn-thing.

One of the things he’d complained about was his lack of clothing, so when I texted Ally to let her know I would be at the store on Monday, I also asked her if Dax had any castoff clothing for the two divas…I mean gods living in my house. She said she would take care of it, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed that Talant would have more shirts to wear.

Then again, I doubted he would wear them even if he had a selection.

Talant wanted to come to work with me, but I flat-out refused because then his brother would insist on coming, too. So, I left my house at nine-thirty on Monday morning, kissing Talant good-bye on my way out the door and telling Davian to find something productive to do, and all but ran to my car in my eagerness to get out of my house.

Part of my enthusiasm also had to do with having some space from Talant. The dynamic between us had changed since the night I’d drawn down the moon. While he was still a master of snarky one-liners, he was affectionate, physically and verbally. It wasn’t something I was accustomed to. He watched me as though I were the only person in the world he wanted to see. He held me at night like he was afraid I would vanish if he let me go.

I wasn’t sure how to handle him. For all his arrogance and sarcasm, Talant was an attentive, passionate, and even tender companion. It was as if the floodgates had opened, and he was no longer holding back how he truly felt.

I hadn’t taken a lover since Ally came home after she graduated college. I’d had a few brief flings after she’d come to live with me, but none that evolved into serious emotional attachments. And the lovers I had, well, any heat we generated had begun and ended in the bedroom. There were never any longing looks or lingering touches on my neck or wrist.

I didn’t know how to handle any of it. Talant’s behavior or my reaction to it. I melted beneath those touches and my blood heated in my veins whenever he stared at me with that fierce longing. Or when he spoke of how beautiful I was to him. Talant was no longer hiding how he felt about me, and it was all-consuming and frightening to be the center of his focus. I was in danger of being overwhelmed by him. Completely swept away. I needed space and quiet, time away from the weight of his presence. If Talant was near me, my focus remained on him.

When I arrived at the shop, I drove around to the back of the building and parked. The store smelled dusty when I opened the back door and carried my things inside. It was difficult to believe it had been just over three weeks since the last time I was here.

So much had changed in that time. Ally was mated. Talant had wormed his way into my life. And I’d freed a god from imprisonment with magic that I had no idea I possessed.

After all of that, that short time seemed more like months.

My usual routine felt unfamiliar as I turned on the lights and set about preparing the store to open. I always arrived an hour before the listed opening time to deal with inventory, paperwork, restocking, cleaning, and other small tasks that I might not have time to do while the doors were open.

Though I usually preferred to clean the dust from the shelves and heavy wooden counter with a furniture oil that smelled of lemons, I didn’t have time, so I settled for casting a cleaning spell that swept the dust from the shelves, items, and tables. The dirt settled in a pile in the center of the floor which made it simple enough to sweep into the dustpan with my broom.

A flick of my fingers lit the scented candles set about the shop. The fragrance of lavender and mint was permeating the air moments later. The candles dispelled the last of the mustiness in the store.

Though I usually kept a running tally of my stock in my mind, I double-checked what I had available on the shelves and added more where needed. The task reminded me that I needed to boot up my computer and look at my most recent order. It had arrived while I was home, dealing with an arrogant, needy god, and Ally had been kind enough to accept the delivery for me. She said that the invoices in the boxes matched the items, but I wanted to verify that the invoices also matched my order.

It rarely happened, but there were times that my order and the invoices included with the shipment weren’t identical.

I was deep in thought, trying to stay focused on the information on the screen in front of me, when a light tapping from the front of the store caught my attention. I looked up from the counter and saw one of my coven sisters standing at the door, a relieved expression on her face. Though she and I weren’t particularly close, I forced a warm smile to spread my lips as I got up from the stool behind the counter and went to open the door.

“Lucinda,” I said as I swung the door open. “Good morning. How are you?”

“Finally!” she said, swanning past me into the store. “I was wondering if you were closing permanently.”

And that right there was why I didn’t consider Lucinda a friend. Instead of asking me how I was doing and if I was okay, she acted as though my closing the store was nothing more than an inconvenience to her.

“No, just dealing with some things at home,” I replied, keeping my tone even.

I was sure Lucinda knew exactly what was going on. The rumor mill in Devil Springs was far too efficient for her to be in the dark, but I wasn’t about to elaborate for her entertainment, which was exactly what she was angling for with her reply.

“Well, after what I heard, I wasn’t sure.”

I remained silent with my hands folded at my waist. Her words were meant to prompt me into an explanation. Most people worried what others said about them and were quick to try to clarify their actions to keep the gossip at bay.

I’d learned a long time ago that the witches and bitches of my coven would spread whatever rumors they wanted, no matter how much truth I told them. So, I no longer played the game. If membership wasn’t a requirement for access to the coven’s library, I wouldn’t bother anymore. Then again, now that Sela and Ally were going to be joining, maybe I would because they would make coven meetings and celebrations tolerable.

If she wanted to spread gossip, the karma would be on her head. I didn’t need to explain myself to anyone, much less a woman I didn’t consider a close friend even if she was technically a sister in magic. After a prolonged, awkward silence, Lucinda cleared her throat as a flush rose from her neck to her cheeks.

“Well,” she finally said. “I’m glad to see that you’re well and the store is open again.”

I smiled serenely, confident that my expression didn’t give away my urge to turn her into a toad. “Yes, I’m doing quite well. Thank you for your consideration.”

Lucinda had the good grace to look sheepish at my words, so I took pity on her. “Now, how may I help you this morning?” I asked.

I had to bite back a groan when she pulled a sheet of notebook paper out of her pocket, nearly every line filled with her large, loopy handwriting.

“I’m out of nearly everything , Minerva. I hope you have it all in stock, or I just don’t know what I’ll do.”

The rest of my morning went along the same vein. Lucinda must have set the cell phone lines on fire as soon as she left because all morning long coven sister after coven sister arrived with lists and urgent needs.

It wasn’t until noon that the rush died down. I was confident it would be slow the rest of the afternoon because nearly every witch in my coven had already come by. The few that hadn’t shown up were likely out of town or knew me well enough to understand that they wouldn’t get any details out of me.

I sighed when the store finally emptied out and went to get my lunch out of the mini fridge in the storeroom. When I opened the bag, I sighed again. Sometime between me packing my food into the bag and leaving the house, Talant had gotten into the bag and left me a little surprise.

A perfectly formed pink evening primrose lay on top of the salad I’d packed. I could sense the tiny spark of magic attached to it and realized that Talant must have cast an incantation to keep it fresh until I opened the bag.

Even as a smile pulled at the corners of my mouth, tears stung the corners of my eyes. Why did he do things like this?

Most of the time, when we spoke, I wanted to smack him. But then, he would do something sweet, like bring me a cup of tea exactly the way I liked it. Or pick a handful of wildflowers. Or sit behind me and braid my hair, running the strands through his fingers as though he couldn’t get enough of touching me.

Every single damn time, I felt myself melt. There was no guarding my heart against attacks like that because they didn’t feel dangerous. Not at the time. It wasn’t until I realized that my shields were dropping an inch at a time, day by day, that the sense of peril set in.

I had to keep my guard up. No one could trust the gods. Not humans or witches. Not even other gods and goddesses. They were only concerned with themselves and their wants and needs. I’d read enough historical texts in the coven library to know that very few of the gods and goddesses in history were truly worthy of the power they wielded. Even Talant admitted that. And his brother hadn’t improved my view of the gods when he possessed Sommerton and wreaked havoc on the niece I loved like a daughter.

As soon as the thought floated through my mind, my spine straightened, and I gasped.

The coven library!

Since the night I’d dreamt of Talant and Davian in another time and place and they talked about Cassia, I’d wondered why the name seemed so familiar. Maybe I’d read it in a text in the library.

My fingers immediately itched to lock the doors to the shop and rush right to the coven headquarters. It was only a few blocks away from the downtown square. Before I could act on the impulse, the bell over the door rang again. I carried my food out front with me, hoping the sight of me with my lunch in my hand would send the customer on their way quickly.

I bit back a curse and pasted a smile on my face as I came around the counter. It became genuine when I saw that it was Sela Harper coming over the threshold.

“Sela!” I greeted her, setting my salad to the side and opening my arms for a hug.

She laughed and came forward, wrapping me in a tight embrace. She was so much taller than I was, even in my wedge sandals, that my head barely topped her clavicle.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she murmured. “I’ve been worried about you since I heard what happened. Ally let me know that you were okay after the day she freed the blood god, but I needed to see for myself since you’ve been out of sight for so long.”

Though we hadn’t had much time to work together, I considered myself a bit of a mentor to Sela. She’d lived most of her life thinking that she was human. Though her magic manifested during puberty, as it did for most witches, her family had assumed that she was mentally ill rather than magically gifted. As humans, they hadn’t had the proper tools to guide her through that time in her life. Sela had spent most of her adulthood repressing her magic. So much so that her magic had been nearly impossible to fully manifest once she understood her abilities.

It was only the sheer strength of her will that had prevented her from harming anyone when she manifested. A weaker witch wouldn’t have been able to control herself to that degree and for so many years.

“I’m fine,” I reassured her. “How are you? And how is mated life?”

Sela released me with a huffed laugh. “I’m fine, too. Dealing with ridiculous arguments among pack members. The female wolves haven’t figured out yet that I’m even less inclined to deal with petty bullshit than Garrett, so they keep coming to me with their complaints and interpersonal issues.”

I had to laugh. “I’m afraid you’ll be dealing with those issues for a very long time. It typically falls to the alpha’s female to handle any problems among other females of the pack.”

She made a face. “Garrett said the same thing, but I’m determined to change that tradition. These women are all older than me and should be able to resolve their conflicts without a third party. Some of these disagreements shouldn’t even be happening outside of a kindergarten classroom!”

I had to suppress my smile. I knew exactly what she was talking about. Though I’d never seen how they dealt with the shifters in Devil Springs, I’d heard Garrett and his deputy, Zeke Marshall, who was the son of the cat clan’s alpha, complain about the trivial arguments they had to mediate time and again.

There were similar issues in the witch coven, but I didn’t have to handle them because I wasn’t popular enough to gain a foothold in the hierarchy of power. Only the high priestess and her selected handmaidens had to endure that kind of bullshit. That was a good thing because my attitude was very much like Sela’s. I didn’t have time to referee petty squabbles. There were much more important things to take my attention.

Sela’s smile faded as she studied my face. “How are things going with your new houseguests?” she asked.

When I opened my mouth to tell her things were just fine, she scowled at me. “No, Minerva. I want the truth, not the same bullshit you’re telling everyone else.”

I winced and shut my mouth with a snap.

Sela crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at me. It was clear that she wasn’t going to back down. I didn’t know her well yet, but only an extremely stubborn witch could have survived suppressing her power for over a decade as she had.

“Whatever I tell you has to stay between us,” I stated. “I don’t want any of this getting back to Ally. She’s newly mated, and I want her to be able to focus on Dax instead of worrying about me.”

Sela nodded.

“I’m going to lock the door and put up my ‘gone to lunch’ sign. Then, I’ll brew us some tea. We can sit and talk in the reading room.”

The reading room wasn’t meant for books. It was the space I used when a witch needed help seeing into the future. Sometimes my power was enough. Other times I might consult my tarot cards or tea leaves. It also contained a ward that prevented eavesdropping.

I cleansed the energy of the reading room every evening before I left the shop for home. Residual magic could interfere with my ability to see what the future held. I had a feeling I would need the calmness of the space when I told Sela about everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

Once the tea was brewed, Sela and I settled on each side of the round table in the reading room. With the door shut, we were safe from prying eyes, listening ears, and any other sort of magical spying.

I bit back a smile when Sela sipped her tea and tried to hide a faint wince. I knew she didn’t care for the herbal brews that I concocted, but she humored me. If she realized how much the tea would help her focus and control her magic, she would probably drink it of her own free will, but she would still have to force it down. She didn’t have the knowledge yet because she was just beginning her journey as a witch. I wanted her to understand her power fully before she began to use aids in augmenting or controlling it.

“Are you ready to talk yet?” she asked, lowering her cup and fixing her eyes on me.

“I’m not sure where to start.”

Sela scowled at me. “Start at the beginning.”

I took a fortifying sip of tea before I spoke again. Careful not to use Davian’s true name, I told her everything. From how Talant took care of me after he’d been freed from the cave, how he fed on me to restore his magic, releasing his brother and getting hurt again in the process. Everything. Including how we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.

When I was finished, Sela stared at me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked, feeling squirmy from the complete shock in her expression.

“Because you have your shit together more than anyone I’ve ever met, and I would never have expected half of the things you told me.”

I sighed, and slumped over in my chair. She was right. This wasn’t me. I was doing things I never would have done before and making questionable choices with my safety and my life in general.

Sela rose from her seat and said, “This calls for something a lot stronger than tea.”

“I don’t have any alcohol in the store. Magic and booze don’t mix.”

She shook her head. “Not booze. Caffeine and baked goods. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

It was my turn to gape as she left the reading room. I’d just gotten to my feet and made it to the doorway when I heard the bell over the shop door chime as she left the store entirely. The little bell was still shivering madly as Sela strode across the square, straight for Marjorie’s bakery. As I watched her, I contemplated locking up for the day and driving home to avoid the coming conversation.

Then, I remembered the two arrogant, annoying gods waiting for me at home and decided that staying at the shop would be for the best. At least I would have delicious coffee and pastries to sweeten whatever words Sela was going to use to tell me that I was an idiot.