Hannah (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #2) (2 page)

“I get that,” Miranda managed, still chuckling. “I wish there was something I could do about it.”

Unfortunately, not even magic could remedy the lack of companionship Hannah felt. When it had been just the three of them, the longing for a man’s touch had been pushed into the background, but now, with a male actually in the house, that distant yearning had come charging to the fore. The yearning had set a blazing fire in her heart... among other places.

Hannah was pretty sure that Rhea had been experiencing similar feelings. The garage was cleaner than usual, which was Rhea’s hangout/project area. She’d also been going out to the reservation more often; a sure sign of trying to make herself scarce. Miranda’s visit, however, was the first indication that she had been affected as well.

Hannah was just glad that she was going to be leaving to give a seminar on eco-friendly concepts for the urban environment next week. “Well, it’s just going to be you and Rhea’s problem next week, thank goodness,” she said. “Maybe we should sit down and talk about some boundaries when I get back.”

“Sounds good to me.” Miranda sobered. “I’m glad you’re going to take some time for yourself, and I’m glad that you and Rhea aren’t mad.” She gently patted Hannah’s shoulder. “As difficult as this situation is right now, we need Alix. And she needs us.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Miranda got to her feet, and offered a hand to Hannah. “Be careful on your trip. You girls mean the world to me.”

Hannah gave Miranda a hug. “I will.”

They made their way back up to the main house in silence. Miranda gave a final nod as she went into the mansion. Hannah continued walking around to the south side of the house, toward the greenhouse.

The mansion itself, dubbed Coven’s Grove, was the pinnacle of the estate. Miranda had assured her that the home had started as a plantation house, but, over the years, the white plaster had been replaced with layered rock and dark wood. The once round pillars surrounding the structure were now giant squared posts with towering stone bases. The central part of home had kept its wraparound porches and basic rectangular shape, but the many alterations and additions had made the mansion a wondrous affair of sprawling sunrooms, pavilions, and pool areas. Hannah wasn’t sure of the number of carpenters that had worked on the house over the years, only that the current one Miranda had hired was truly gifted. Brody, the new carpenter, had more than proven his worth with the detail work he’d done on the mansion, and Miranda had lined up many months of projects for him.

Hannah approached the place she had claimed as her daytime sanctuary with a smile. The base of the greenhouse was constructed of the same river rock and dark wood as Coven’s Grove. The massive A-framed roof was made of recycled slider glass and salvaged timber. Solar panels covered a small area on the southern side, away from the mansion, so energy was never an issue.

Miranda peeked in through the front door to see if there were any naked bodies humping on her worktable. She sighed in relief, finding the large, wooden structure vacant of any oversexed lovebirds.

Time to get to work,
she thought. Though, in truth, tending to the greenhouse had never been work for her. Plants were her life, they always had been. Ever since her mother had pulled that first carrot out of the dark soil from their home garden, Hannah had been hooked. She had gone to every farmers market she could as a child, attended every seminar on growing techniques when she was old enough to drive, and ultimately got her PhD in Botany and Plant Biology at Cornell University. But it had been the discovery of her mystical power that had driven her to seek out Miranda and the hidden paradise located here in Nowhere, Oklahoma.

Hannah donned her apron, and filled buckets with water that was piped in from the stream outside. She’d never pictured herself living in Oklahoma, but, after discovering Coven’s Grove, there wasn’t anywhere else she’d rather be.

The door opened with a bit of a squeak, then closed on its own by the power of an air shock.

“I’m just getting started, so grab a bucket,” Hannah said over her shoulder.

“Um...okay,” Alix replied.

Hannah turned to face the purple-haired girl in surprise. She’d thought Rhea had come back from her run in the forest, and hadn’t expected Alix to come back after this morning’s debacle. “Sorry, thought you were somebody else. You don’t have to help,” Hannah said, a little more sharply than she intended. She closed her eyes.
Don’t be a bitch. She’s got a man, and she has every right to use him
. Hannah opened her eyes again, this time much more calm. “I mean, unless you want to,” she corrected.

Alix stood at the door with a sheepish look on her face. “Look, I just wanted to apologize for this morning. That was really uncool of us.”

Hannah chuckled in spite of her irritation. “It’s all right. You guys just need to learn everyone’s schedule, so you’re not in the middle of everything—at the wrong time.”

“Yeah. That would be smart, huh?” Alix smiled. “We just haven’t really had a chance to get to know you and Rhea.”

“I know,” Hannah said. “Miranda wanted you guys to have some space to figure things out, so Rhea and I have kept our distance.”

“Oh,” Alix replied, sliding her hands into her pockets. “That was cool of you guys.”

Hannah nodded. “Our coolness knows no bounds.”

Alix snorted, and took a half-step toward one the buckets Hannah had filled, but stopped, as if unsure of herself.

“C’mon.” Hannah gestured to the bucket. “We can talk while you help me.”

Alix grinned, and snatched up the bucket.

“So, you’ve been here almost two months now,” Hannah began as she grabbed her bucket and headed into the rows of developing flowers, vines, and saplings. “What do you think?”

“I’ve always lived in the city, but this place is nothing short of...freakin’ fabulous!”

Hannah smiled. “Thank you. It’s taken us a long time to get it started.”

“Started?!” Alix stopped on the gravel path between the yellow Balsam Roots and crimson Blanket Flowers. “What does that mean? This place is a full blown
Land of the Lost
.”

Hannah laughed. “We’re not done yet, not by far.”

Alix shook her head in wonder.

“I want to change the world,” Hannah said, as she stopped at a low partition that separated a series of tables from the rest of the greenhouse. “A lot of people, the doomsayers, think the world is dying. It’s not. It’s just changing. Changing in a way that’s not good for us humans. I intend to change it back.”

“You’re talking about global warming,” Alix replied.

“A terrible name for it, but yes,” Hannah agreed. “Global change would probably be a better description.”

“That’s a pretty big goal you’ve set for yourself.” Alix followed Hannah into a segregated area of the greenhouse.

“I plan to take it a step at a time. And, I won’t be doing it alone,” Hannah gave Alix a penetrating stare. “What I meant to ask was, what do you think about staying—becoming part of the coven?” Hannah broke eye contact, afraid she might scare the purple-haired woman, and began watering the handful of plants not tied into the aquaponics ecosystem she’d built. These segregated plants were special—hybrids she had created. The stream that ran into the “megaflora” forest was tailored to feed the new species, and was the one landscape feature that had taken them the longest to bring into being.

Hannah went down the line, grooming each plant, after pouring in a bit of water.

Alix followed. “I like it here, and Miranda is really cool. I’m just not sure yet. There’s still so much I feel I need to know.”

“Maybe I can help with that,” Hannah offered. “Where would you like to start?”

“I...” Alix gave her a blank look. “I don’t even know.”

Hannah nodded. “It’s a lot to take in. How about we start with your power?”

“Okay, yeah, that’s good,” Alix said, bobbing on her toes. “How does that all work?”

“I can’t say for certain.” Hannah chuckled. “But I do know that, the more you use it, the more powerful it becomes. Also, someone in your ancestry was a witch at one time or another.” She looked Alix up and down. The young woman was short, cute and full of energy. She had tattoos of purple flowers running down both of her exposed arms, and a single purple gerbera daisy surrounding her belly button. Hannah’s gazed lingered on the gaudy, skull belt buckle at Alix’s waist. It radiated with power. “You have a focus, that’s good. We won’t have to create one for you.”

Alix arched a brow, and scrunched up her nose. “A what?”

“A focus.” Hannah pointed to the jewel-encrusted buckle. “You’ll need that.”

The purple fringe in Alix’s otherwise jet black hair dangled close to her eyes, as she looked down at the buckle. “This old thing? It’s nothing but a piece of costume jewelry my grandmother had.”

Hannah stepped closer for a better look. “It definitely has power, and I don’t think that’s costume jewelry.” She wasn’t an expert, but the stones embedded into the golden skull looked like real diamonds to her. “You might want to take extra care with that.”

Alix’s eyes bulged. “You mean, all this time, I’ve had a fortune hanging above my crotch and didn’t even know it?!”

Hannah shrugged. “You can get it appraised by a professional to make sure, but it looks genuine to me.”

Alix continued to stare at the sparkling jewels in disbelief. “Holy shit, I’m rich.”

“I would advise against selling it,” Hannah said hastily. “You’ll need it to help you expand your power.”

“What do you mean?” Alix asked, tearing her gaze from the buckle.

“When first starting out, most of us can only use our power by touching the thing we want to effect. Over time, a focus can help you work your power from a distance.”

“No touch?”

Hannah shook her head. “No touch.”

“That’s awesome!”

“A focus can also increase the effectiveness of your power, your natural affinity
and
incantations,” Hannah added.

“We can cast spells, too?” Alix set her bucket down, and stared at Hannah, flabbergasted.

“That look is priceless.” Hannah laughed. “Yes, we can cast spells too.”

Alix’s mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Hannah thought that she might be having a nervous breakdown, until the little sprite of a woman leapt into the air, pumping her fists. “Fucking kick ass!” After a few moments of hopping up and down, Alix came to a gasping halt. “Miranda had hinted a few times, but hasn’t come out and said it.”

“She’s not only trying to protect you, but us as well,” Hannah said. “Most people don’t react kindly to witches. We have to be careful.”

“I totally get that.” Alix sobered. “Hank...a guy I knew. He’s gone now, but he saw me use my power once. I don’t think he understood what I’d done, but it freaked him out.”

Hannah nodded. “You understand, then. No one must know about what we can do. Even those closest to us are a risk, and pose a potential threat.”

“I don’t have anyone close anymore, except Troy. And even he was freaked out when he first found out. So yeah, we’re on the same page.”

Relief washed over Hannah. “Good. It’s important you understand.”

Alix frowned. “What about Troy? I mean, is he okay? Miranda said he could stay, too. Is that alright?”

Hannah smiled knowingly. “Yes, it’s okay if he stays. Just keep some clothes on him...”

Alix snorted. “Okay.”

“You’ve bonded with him. I can sense it.”

“Miranda mentioned that a few times. She also said something about him being a guardian. Still don’t know what all that’s about, but it sounds like it doesn’t have anything to do with the tattoo I imprinted on his chest.”

“Yeah,” Hannah replied. “That’s something different.” She hadn’t been able to get a close look at Troy’s tattoo, but she knew it was magical, and it was something neither she, Rhea nor Miranda had ever seen before. “Guardianship is a spiritual connection. A powerful bond between a witch and her chosen companion.”

Alix nodded. “Miranda had said that, too.” She put her hand over her mouth and mumbled, “Sorry, continue please.”

“Well, from what I’ve read, a guardian is like a soulmate, but amplified.” Hannah picked up another bucket of water. “Once you’ve bonded one, they get stronger and tougher. A super bodyguard of sorts.”

“You’ve read about it?” Alix scratched her head. “You mean, you don’t have one?”

Hannah shook her head. “Miranda has a lot of information on our kind, but none of us have found the right match yet. There’s supposed to be a signal, a yearning pull or an electric charge, when the pair first touch—”

“I’ll say,” Alix interrupted. “I wanted to rip my clothes off the first time Troy and I touched. And the aftershock is a doozy, so be careful with that part.”

“What aftershock?” Hannah furrowed her brow. “There isn’t suppose to be an aftershock.”

“There was for us. It blew Troy across the room. I thought I’d killed him.”

Hannah frowned. “We’ll have to look into that further, if you stay, of course.”

Alix gave her a wry smile. “Always the sales pitch, huh?”