Blood & Wine

4 | Eden

I wiped my eyes, the sun streaming in through my window.

Shit.

I had slept through the night, and while I was grateful, I hadn't given my spiel to Dasher to offer him a place to stay temporarily or permanently. I could barely remember what I planned to tell him, actually.

Sitting up, I yawned, checking the clock. Seven in the morning. Twelve hours until the High Council meeting. Six until I had to go meet Lillie and Marigold to get our nails done. Three until I had a meeting with some members from another Coven, who were merely coming as a curtesy because I knew they had no intentions on joining a cursed Coven.

I had been left with nothing.

I heard laughter—Calla's trilling, bird-like laughter and a softer, quieter rumble that wasn't quite a full laugh but close to it. Good. Both of them were up, and by the sounds coming from the kitchen, one of them had to be cooking. I hoped it was Dasher because Calla could burn ice.

Swinging my legs off the bed, I headed into my bathroom and took a look at myself.

Bags under my eyes. What else was new?

Gray eyes, wide and distant looking. Those were actually new—my usual eye color was brown, but the power had turned me. Eventually, when two became ten and ten two hundred again, my usual looks would return.

Silver hair, spun like straw, and somehow straight with never a strand out of place. Also new. My usual hair was a kinky and coily red-brown color I inherited from my dad's Coven—the Coven I belonged to before this one was forced upon me.

Full lips that rarely smiled anymore, stress lines in the corner of my eyes, and a serious, slender face that was both rounded and sharp. An expression of pure exhausted.

Not new.

I went through my morning routine like I usually did: with each step, I thought of affirmations and mantras, asking my ancestors for guidance on the day to make it successful.

I used the bathroom. I have everything I need to rebuild the Coven.

I washed my hands and brushed my teeth. My charming personality and power is enough to sway witches to join the Coven.

I washed my face, shaking off the last of the sleep. I am strong enough and well-tempered enough to get through the High Council Meeting without blowing Fynley's head off of his shoulders in a fit of rage. Or a fit of anything.

Lastly, I took that final look to mask my expression into one of 'I can and will do this' instead of the weary one I wanted to relax into. Patience is my virtue.

I shuffled out of my room, thinking of all the things I needed to do today. I had lost precious time by sleeping, which meant telling Dasher about my offer was at the top of my list.

After that, I had to host those three witches and play nice for an hour or two until they inevitably told me they would not be joining this Coven.

I'd get dressed into something cute and casual and meet the Fae to get my nails done, get some lunch, and convince regular men into buying it for us. It didn't take much convincing—the supernatural part of us made them more than willing.

I'd come back home and start searching through the books for a spell to help Dasher. Hopefully Calla would be back with the book from Ezekiel. Or not. Half-vampires had the sex drive of full vampires, and they could go for some time. She'd be back in time for the High Council meeting.