Unblessed Witch (Phases of the Moon #4)

13. Deva

13

DEVA

Following our meeting and the subsequent tactical one that included a group of important combat leaders from the Society of Shadows, the camp came alive .

It had already been busy with people moving about their day, but the second it was announced that we would be attacking at dusk, the tone noticeably shifted. It occurred to me that our escape—and the Society’s aid in it—had probably extinguished our element of surprise. Then again, I wasn’t sure we could’ve counted on that to begin with.

Astaroth had eyes everywhere. Even now, it felt like a phantom touch of his magic was reaching out toward the camp. Our wards blocked him, but I wasn’t unaffected. I wasn’t nervous about taking on Astaroth’s compound or his people. No, my point of trepidation came with the monster himself. Already he’d shown that he had the upper hand when it came to the two of us.

That was before the awakening of my true magic. The thought gave me some solace, and I was able to evict the nerves that tried to infiltrate, slipping under my skin. He didn’t deserve that level of control over me.

“That is not how you pack that,” a feminine voice said, and I turned so that I could watch the interaction out of the corner of my eye as I pretended to organize explosive spell jars. Artemia, Grim’s cousin, was watching Kazimir pack a bundle of spelled daggers he’d prepared for battle.

When he looked up and saw who’d spoken, his annoyed scowl completely disappeared and his face blanked of expression, his normal asshole commentary absent. Interesting.

“Seriously, they’re going to hit one another,” she said in a softer tone, rounding the table to sit across from him. When she motioned for the bag, he handed it to her, watching carefully as she took out each dagger and wrapped it with cloth before returning it to the bag.

“You don’t say much, do you?” she teased, finally returning the bag. I nearly snorted, and Kazimir’s only response was a grunt. Artemia tilted her head with one last curious look before standing and turning?—

“Name.”

Wow. I guess that was better than a grunt—but not by much, especially since it was barely audible.

Artemia actually laughed and smiled at him. “Artemia.” Then she was gone, slipping into one of the nearby tents.

Kazimir deflated, and I wondered if I should throw him a metaphorical bone. Kazimir was sort of an asshole and I far preferred Artemia despite not knowing her well…at the same time, the man looked downright bummed at her disappearance.

Sighing, I spoke up. “She’s Grim’s cousin and Edna’s—the one you worked with to create those maps—daughter. She’s a grade level younger than us, planning to attend DIA next year.”

Kazimir snapped his head my way and I could see it was on the tip of his tongue to say he didn’t care, but he held it back, giving me a terse nod in thanks before returning his attention to his pack. I was smiling to myself as Briar sat across from me, offering a bright smile.

“How was the meeting?” she asked curiously. Behind her was Odessa, Lavinia, and their respective men. As well as another curious face, whose gaze kept darting to Briar. I was happy to see that she’d caught someone’s eye—she was obviously stunning, but also super genuine and sweet. I wasn’t sure how I felt about whose eye she’d caught, though.

It seemed Lycidas, Artemia’s brother and Edna’s son, had not only met Briar but had decided he wasn’t fond of the distance between them. The man was by no means a kitten—rather the opposite. He was extremely dangerous, probably near the same level as Grim. I could feel the magic that radiated off of him, and it made me worry for my friend.

“It went well. I mean, everyone was very understanding. What have you been up to?”

“Preparing for tonight, mostly.”

Not the answer I’d wanted to hear. I didn’t want my friends in harm’s way, but who was I to talk?

Lycidas, who’d been walking this way, suddenly loomed behind Briar. Her cheeks turned pink, somehow knowing who it was. His hands slid over her shoulders as he said something I knew she wouldn’t like.

“You aren’t going out there tonight. You’re staying at the camp.”

Briar’s eyes narrowed, and the sweetness inherent to my friend turned into something sharp as she moved out of his grasp and turned to face him. “I am not staying at camp. And you don’t have a say in it, Lycidas.”

Grimshaw came to see what the upset was about, and I squeezed his hand in a silent request to let them handle it themselves. Otherwise he’d try to intervene on behalf of my friend, especially because he didn’t particularly like his cousin. I didn’t think he had a serious reason, though.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Lycidas tugged her chin up. “I have the ability to keep everyone right here if I want to. Including your sweet ass, so don’t bother fighting it.” He released her and strode into the same tent his sister had gone into, Briar running after him and catching the tent flap before it could shut.

“Fascinating,” I murmured, finding Grim watching me with a softness that had my heart melting.

“It’s odd having so many different aspects of our life come together and meet like this,” Grim noted.

“The problem is that I’m with him—I wish all three of them would stay back. But they deserve a chance to fight for Carmina and the unblessed as much as everyone else. I can’t take that away from them.”

“But I can.” My gaze snapped up to find one of Lavinia’s men, Louis I believe, standing there, his gaze on Grimshaw. Amusement sparked through my bond with him.

“You can what?” Grim asked, keeping his tone indifferent.

“Stop Lavinia from going,” Louis said. “My brother and the other four are in complete agreement that Lavinia and Odessa need to sit this one out. They have the magic, that’s not in question, but neither of them have combat experience. We aren’t letting them out there.”

He wouldn’t be hearing any objections from me.

“It’s your relationship, don’t know why you’re telling me,” Grimshaw said, running a hand over my leg and squeezing.

“Because I need you to figure out something they can do from here,” he answered sharply. “I will owe you a favor, Nyx.”

Grim straightened at that and shrugged. “Sure, let me find something.”

Louis nodded before walking back to the group, and I turned to Grim with an arched brow. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against it—but what are you going to have them do?”

“The Society usually has a group of people stay back as a second line of defense and to coordinate with medical healing teams for anyone returning. I have a feeling your friends may be interested in that element.”

They probably would—although I wasn’t sure that would sway them. “Offer it up, but it should be their choice at the end of the day.”

Grimshaw nodded, squeezing my leg again before standing up, both of watching as Alek walked over. “I’m going to go talk to them about it—what’s your plan?”

“I was thinking about how I’m going to defeat Astaroth,” I said to both of them. “I think I’m going to try my hand at creating a shadowscape with a full moon to see if I can draw power from it. I know Lazaro said the technique is usually done in dreamscapes…but I figured I would give it a try anyway.”

“I’ll come with you,” Alek offered. “I’d love to be in a shadowscape you’ve made.” Somehow that was extremely flattering.

“I’ll bring the others and find you guys once I’m done.” Grimshaw kissed the top of my head and disappeared into the wave of people moving around the camp. When Alek offered me a hand, I took it and stepped into his warm embrace.

In comfortable silence, the two of us walked to the edge of the camp that was bordered by the beginnings of a forest. The ward that surrounded the camp was an almost visible barrier, a wavering light pattern in the air signaling to me where it ended a few feet away. Luckily, we were mostly alone at this point, the trees above shielding us from the gray skies that were looking more and more stormy as the day progressed.

“How do you usually go about this?” I asked, turning toward Alek. “The only time I’ve done one was when I felt particularly emotional after finding out about my mom—” And then Lazaro and I had fucked in it, but that totally wasn’t the point.

“Come here.” Alek motioned me forward, wrapping an arm around me as I pressed a hand against his large chest. “Just wanted you close,” he said when I offered him a curious look. My cheeks flushed at his words.

“I usually imagine building it from the ground up, like with bricks or stone. But Grim mentioned that he imagines it like a bubble growing around him before separating itself into an orb. Similar to the one he placed Lazaro in when he lost his shit.”

That made a lot of sense, so I didn’t hesitate to try my hand at it. Having Alek there made me feel grounded and a bit more confident in giving it a try.

Closing my eyes, I tried to feel out my shadows and found that they responded immediately to my attention, swirling around my legs before brushing up my body. They expanded to wrap around Alek as well, and a deep rumble came from his chest, causing me to press further into him. My shadows had felt so incredibly icy before, but now they had a different feel. More like silk against my skin , wrapping around me in a comforting and familiar way.

Deciding to go with the imagery, I imagined my shadows wrapping completely around the two of us like a mummy. The sounds of the real world ceased, only our heartbeats left. With a deep breath, I expanded the shadowscape, letting it reach as far as it could, the silk bindings keeping the space completely secure. Once I felt comfortable in its stability, I opened my eyes.

“Well this is a lot bigger than last time,” I said, pleased with myself. The two of us stood in the center of a grassy field, mountains dotted with trees standing high in the distance. Outside of that it was empty, and the lavender skies were sparkling with stars…but not only stars.

“Beautiful, zaya ,” Alek murmured. Both of us gazed at the massive full moon that was shining down on the two of us. My lunar magic instantly jumped to attention and began to feed off the moon, despite it not being real. I knew it probably wouldn’t be the same level of power as a real moon like Lazaro had mentioned, but it didn’t stop me from sitting down in the grass and laying back, soaking it in.

Alek laid down next to me, propped on an elbow and staring down at me.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked, lifting my fingers to brush his cheek.

“How to kill Astaroth without awakening his magic since he’s gone through the same ritual we have.”

Shit. My brain came to a full stop, not having considered that. The last thing we needed was him having more power.

“I suppose the same applies to my father, but he’s already on his way back to the Nyx estate to be imprisoned, so he won’t be going anywhere any time soon.” Alek noted my expression, his brows furrowing. “ Zaya ?”

“How the hell are we going to kill him?” I whispered, dread building in my chest. “Alek, I’m starting to wonder if it isn’t possible.” In the past I’d relied on my instinct, but that wasn’t going to cut it this time.

“No,” he said, shaking his head and stopping my train of thought. “Absolutely not. We are going to do this.” His gaze went distant for a long moment. “We need to figure out a way to trap his magic inside of him before killing him. That way even in death it can’t escape.”

“Do you have any idea how to do that?”

Alek’s jaw tightened. “I can’t say I do.”