The Opal Witch: Prophecy (Book Two)

Chapter Thirty-Three: Noise

Declan

Forty-eight hours. That's how long it had been since they took Lux from him. Declan felt as if every second of those hours had carved away pieces of what was left of his soul, and considering Lux comprised half of it, there wasn't much left for the pain to take. He prayed that the man she returned to was more than a bitter shell, but right now, he only cared that she returned.

Of course, his friends were doing their very best to do what loss had yet accomplished. Drive him mad. It had been so long since he attended a full gathering of the First Circle, and his memories had clearly glossed over a few things to protect his sanity. Like how loud and fussy they all were.

Audra sat in the window seat, her elbows propped on her crossed legs while she sharpened a stick with a whip of air. Any other time Declan might have paused to admire her control over the element her magic was aligned with, but tonight he wanted to tell her to stop showing off.

Though perhaps she was whittling to keep her temper under control, he wondered as he followed her laser focused gaze across the room where Hanish and Travis sat, their lanky forms tangled together as they spoke in whispers to one another. He suspected she wasn't jealous of the romance between the two; instead, she would be irritated that Hanish was at his boyfriend's side rather than at hers.

Declan pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away. That was their drama, and he didn't care what happened as long as they handled their business some other time. There were bigger issues at hand, like rescuing Lux, and hopefully, stopping the Fae Queen from summoning demons from the Underworld.

In another corner, Brooke, Ruby, and Kitty chatted quietly. Out of the girls in the Circle, those two had been the quickest to welcome the earth witch back into the fold. Brooke's kindness hadn't been surprising. As her grief over the death of Corinne softened, the prickly girl disappeared and was replaced with a logical and even-tempered young woman. Water had chosen her well.

Betting on Ruby's reaction was riskier than playing the lottery. A lot of things changed as she grew up, but she still bucked expectations whenever she could. In the end, empathy over being a misunderstood outcast won over any ill feelings. Her fire essence rippled off her in waves as Kitty filled them in, and Declan knew any lingering anger she had would be channeled into a more effective outlet than ragging on the ex Circle member.

The same couldn't be said for Sara Elizabeth. With Travis preoccupied, she sat in an armchair alone, tapping her manicured fingers on the armrest while glaring at her high school nemesis with enough heat he almost questioned whether the right channeling stone had chosen her. So much of her personality was far more in alignment with Fire witches than the typically calm and serene Water witches.

The initial reunion clamor had died down long ago, but their voices vibrated through the room, rising and falling as someone grew animated. If they weren't all watching him with varying degrees of concern, he might shout at them to be silent for one damn minute, but with their Priestess Most High missing, he was the leader. It was time to behave like one.

His phone buzzed. Bella and Phoebe were checking in. Despite their protests, they were staying behind at the Godelieve Estate to protect the Gateway. Phoebe's health had never really recovered after the fight against Daphne and Bella, while powerful, still only dabbled in magic. Proficiency would be required to save Lux.

The phone nearly bent in his grip. Witches and sorcerers around the world would hardly call this group proficient with only a couple of years of training under their belts, but Declan trusted every person in this room. He paused on Kitty.

Especially Kitty.

She caught him watching her and whispered something to Ruby and Brooke before coming over to him. "Everything okay? Well, as okay as it's going to be right now."