MAKING MAGICKAL ALLIANCES: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel Leigh Raventhorne (read the beginning after the end novel TXT) 📖

have,” Tess said, fluttering her lashes at me. She held hers up, examining the pendant. Each had a clear crystal, set in a simple silver circle. “What’s it do?”

“Well, if they do what they’re supposed to, they should act as a shield against both physical and magickal attacks.” I’d formed the idea after seeing how the pixies had been able to form a shield of sorts during the fight with the blood magick witches. I pulled another necklace out and handed it to Sam. She gave me a quizzical look.

“I thought these things wouldn’t work for me.” Despite her words, she took the necklace, running her thumb over the pale aquamarine stone in the center.

“I think it might work so long as one of us is close enough to touch you. If we get into any trouble, just stay close.” I bit my lip short of telling her that I thought even one of the pixies in their spelled armour would be able to activate the protection spell held in Sam’s pendant. Or that it had a little something extra in its Making. “These haven’t been tested yet, so don’t take any chances until you know for sure they work.”

Tess was quiet, looking a bit confused. She looked around the room, then bit her lip. She wanted to say something, but not in front of everyone. I knew what it was.

“I didn’t need it. Mostly,” I added softly, my eyes cutting to Sam’s pendant. Tess’s gaze dropped to my wrist and I shrugged.

Sam was able to follow what was being said—and more importantly what wasn’t being said. Tess had helped me with the pixie’s armour before, using a potion that required both blood and magick. This time, I hadn’t needed the potion for pushing protection magick into the regular crystals. I’d just been able to direct the magick the way I’d wanted. With Sam’s, I’d duplicated the potion Tess had concocted, adding a few drops of my own blood, though Zara had frowned on the idea. When I was finished, I could both see and feel the magick contained in the pendants. It had been a little disconcerting at first, since I normally struggled to Make even the most simple Items. By the time I was done, I had questioned whether it was my magick or that of the bracelet that had made the difference.

It was both, that soft voice whispered in my mind. Together we are stronger.

One of these days, my head wasn’t going to have enough room for all the voices that weren’t mine. Again, I felt amusement emanating from my bracelet.

They are here, Sebastian announced.

“Ahoy,” Cappy called down a second later. “We have company.”

I pushed off the counter I’d been standing against. “Tess, do you want to go over the basics of meeting the water fae with the coven?”

“No problem.”

We left her to it and headed back to the main deck, the pixies racing past us up the stairs. Gods, I hoped nobody saw them. The marina was well lit, so anyone watching would probably notice a bunch of pixies flying around. Maybe they’d think they were really big flying insects. The mosquitoes down here were pretty large. The tiny fae didn’t seem concerned, though, so I tried not to worry about it, either.

Cappy and Jeremy were on the foredeck—or was it aft deck?—both keeping a careful lookout of the boats docked around us. I leaned over the railing, searching the water for the water fae. To my surprise, I recognized Arella’s red hair just inside the light cast from the marina’s dock lights. Instead of the loose tresses she’d worn this morning, she had dozens of tiny braids wound into a tight crown around her head, with only a few beaded strands hanging loose. Olen was only a few feet away from her, his hair divided into three thick braids. I nodded to acknowledge them.

“Are those tridents?” Rand asked in a low voice.

“Yes, I’d say that’s exactly what they are.” There were at least ten people, either water fae or possibly shifters, in the water that I could see, all carrying what looked like large three-pronged spears. “Cappy, should we move out, away from the docks?”

“We’ll have ta move out a good ways, lass. Sound really carries over the water.”

Sebastian? Will you let them know?

It is done.

Thanks.

The water fae disappeared. Arella was the last to go, her gaze catching mine before she dove beneath the surface. A few yards away, I saw the shadow of something large and dark change course and follow them, the water barely rippling above its huge form. What the heck was that?

Cappy moved with surprising speed into the cockpit and the engine came to life with a smooth, powerful roar. Jeremy loosed the ties and we slowly maneuvered away from the docks. Rand joined Jeremy and Cappy in the cockpit, but I couldn’t make out what they were discussing over the engine. Hopefully, it was the location for Harris and the children. Sam leaned on the rail next to me, looking relaxed, the wind blowing her hair in a long, blonde stream behind her. Mine kept blowing over my face and I had to pull it out of my mouth every few seconds. Annoyed, I ran my hand through it, holding it out of the way so I could see out over the water. Despite the fact that it was now well past dusk, the rising moon cast enough of a glow off the water to see by. Several hundred feet in front of us, a sleek body arced out of the water, sliding back into it with barely a splash. Several more followed suit.

“Thank you,” she said, her eyes trained on the bodies ahead of us.

“For what?”

She pulled the pendant out from where it was tucked into her hoodie. She’d gone for all