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10 YEARS LATER.
“No, Ava!”
It was a hot summer day. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck, rolling along my spine. I could wave my hand and make the weather disappear. I could turn the skies grey and make it rain, but I didn’t. I tried to keep the weather consistent with that of the human realm, just to give the girls something natural in a place that was created entirely from magic.
“Your technique is all wrong.” I told her again.
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I held back. My eldest daughter, now nine, was as stubborn as her father. It was difficult teaching her anything and every time I tried, she fought back. She wanted to do it her way or no way, and there was nothing I could do to make her behave differently.
“Mom,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. She rolled her eyes, a skill she’d picked up by the time she was two. I had no idea where she even learned it from, but it grated on my nerves. “Why do you always say that?”
“Because it’s always wrong,” I said. I waved my hand to my eight-year-old, Bella. She was the spitting image of her father and it was painful to look at her. I always tried to make sure she couldn’t see the emotion in my eyes when I interacted with her. “Bella, come over here and show your sister how to do it.”
Ava rolled her eyes again. It was like it was her default mode. “Mom,” she said in that same emphatic tone. “I don’t need my little sister showing me how to do basic magic. I’m not a baby.”
A burst of giggles pierced the otherwise silent outdoors. I pressed my lips together to keep myself from smiling. My youngest, Courtney, had this contagious way of laughing that made it hard for me not to react. The problem was, if I smiled, Ava would take it to mean I was laughing at her and she would get even more emotional and frustrated than she already was.
“Shut up, Court,” Ava snarled.
Courtney only laughed harder.
“Don’t speak to your sister that way,” I snapped, flaring my nostrils.
I lifted my fingers and began to tinker with the locket that hung around my neck. It always soothed me in times of great stress, like now, when I was teaching my three daughters magic. I refused to raise them as humans. They knew exactly what they were—powerful witches—by the time they could talk. My goal was to teach them everything I knew before our world faded away.
And it was only a matter of time.
Ava narrowed her eyes at my fingers. “Why do you keep touching that?” she asked.
I wanted to throw my hands up and stomp away. The girl was annoyingly stubborn, but there was a strength in her I’d never possessed. A confidence I couldn’t quite attain. She was bold in a way that made me respect her.
“Try again,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
She muttered the spell with attitude, causing the cup of water to spill out and hit her face. This time, I did laugh.
“Mom!” she exclaimed, her voice shrill.
Courtney burst into giggles again. Even Bella smiled as she tucked hair behind her ear.
“Again,” I said to all three of them. “You should be able to control the water and bend it to your will. Keep practicing. I’m going to go and get lemonade.”
“Why don’t you just magic it here?” Ava asked with a sneer, water dripping down her face.
Courtney’s laughter only deepened. That girl was cheeky. One day, that would get her in trouble, but I wasn’t going to worry about it now. I could only appreciate the time I had—the present—because it was slipping away so quickly, I was having difficulty holding onto it.
I turned and headed for the house. When I reached the door, I looked back, watching my daughters. All were Matlock’s children. All were created out of love, out of desire. Even today, I couldn’t say why I went back, not once but twice to see him, each time resulting in a child.
There had been a fourth, a little boy. My throat tightened just thinking about him. He hadn’t survived the birth, and if it hadn’t been for Alison’s quick thinking and healing magic, I wouldn’t have survived either.
After that, I’d decided I was never going back.
I didn’t tell Matlock about them, about his children, my heart and soul. Not because I wanted to hide them away from him, but to protect them. I didn’t trust the Council. I never would.
My breath left me. I reached out to clutch the doorframe. Weakness hit me unexpectedly and I struggled to stay standing. I locked my knees and concentrated on my magic, the thread of connection to the realm.
I had to keep everything strong. Everything in place. Nothing was more important than my daughters.
When the feeling finally left, I shook myself and exhaled slowly. It was happening at least once or twice a month now. Not enough for me to worry, but enough for me to realize my time here was not finite.
I must prepare my girls for what would happen, to give them all the information I could and show them how to protect themselves should they need it. I wasn’t going to be around forever. And I’d be damned if I left my girls helpless.
I leaned against the doorframe, finally free to touch the locket again. If only Matlock were here. If only he could see what his offspring could accomplish.
Bella was incredibly smart. More intelligent than I could ever be. But she was also quiet, observant. She was so unlike Ava, but she had her own subtle strength she didn’t get enough credit for.
And Courtney... my baby. She’d kill me if I called her that. Besides being cheeky, she was persistent. If I thought Ava was stubborn, she was nothing compared to my flame-haired Courtney. And her temper matched her hair.
I loved all three of them.
I even loved their father still. I didn’t think that would ever change.
This wasn’t the life I’d expected, but loving the warlock gave me three beautiful daughters who would grow up and change the world. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
THE END.
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IF YOU ENJOYED ‘LOVING the High Warlocks’ you will LOVE ‘Sisters of the Coven’ – the beginning of Ava’s story! Available HERE now.
Otherwise. Read on for a sneak peek.
Sisters of the Coven
Daughters of the Warlock book 1
By Amelia Shaw