Sacrifice (#1 Twin's Service series) UNEDITED

Chapter 9

"Fire is the lowest ranked Coven meaning their criteria for accepting Mage's is lower than ours. It's easier for a Mage to practice channeling Fire than it is to channel the other four elements used in all of our rituals. Last I checked, they were up to a little over fifty."

To most this number may have looked miniscule but to Mage's that was a gross amount of Mage's solely for one Coven. In our Coven there was maybe a little over 15 members- not including the Ancients or as some called them 'Wise Ones'.

"Well there's about twenty ghosts in my room and that's not counting the ones I see shuffling about in the hallway," I commented before glancing over to my wall where an arm was slightly poking through. A headache was pounding inside of my head and I wasn't all together sure it was frustration or the amount of death energy swirling in my room.

Jared was about to speak but I held up my hand. "Look here, you freaky nudist colony! Go wait in the living room if you want to talk. Don't crowd me in my damn personal space!"

At first I thought they'd continue pulling the zombie act but finally some kind of life filtered back into them. They began floating in the direction of the living room as I fell back onto the bed with the cover thrown half assed over my face.

"I'll take that as they finally left?"

When I looked up at him this time there was no ghostly figure blocking my view. A shudder wracked through me when I noticed he was only in his undies.

"Gross. Put some clothes on. I don't think I can handle seeing any more nudity right now. Worst wake up call ever."

He rolled his eyes and laughed before going back to his room to throw something on. Cece stumbled into the room almost immediately after he left. Mouthing 'oh my god' with wide eyes as she tried unsuccessfully to pick her jaw off the floor after seeing my brother.

"Yes yes, my brother is your Adonis, your Romeo, the peanut to your jelly."

"You mean peanut butter."

"Whatever it is. Don't care," I grumbled as I scooted over to give her room on the bed. "You try waking up to an assortment of naked people creepily standing over your bed."

"You've been getting into some pretty kinky shit lately, Slo. First you whipped that naked guy and now you invite over twenty naked people into your room. I'm starting to worry over my virtue."

"You're seriously going to blame me for the mass of nude ghosts in this house? Don't make me strangle you, woman."

"It's kind of freaky though," when I looked at her questioningly she elaborated, "Slo, there's over fifty naked people dead in the house. People who had been living and breathing not twenty four hours ago. You don't find that disturbing?"

"Huh. Well now that you mention it, it's super damn unsettling. I wouldn't say creepy though. More like 'Oh my fucking Anu, what could've killed them so quickly'."

Goosebumps spread across the tanned arm resting closest to me. Which made Cece begin to rub furiously at. "Now that I think about it, wouldn't it be pointless for me to stay here behind your wards? Whatever killed them was capable of getting behind their wards."

"I'd have agreed with you but the Fire Coven is the weakest of Coven's even if they had that many Mage's. Plus, Jared and I are kind of special. Most spells used in warding a Mage's home is done by that Mage. If you think about it that means their essence is put into that spell. Now think about what kind of essence Jared and I would incorporate into our spells."

It took her a couple of minutes before she understood. "Since you both are hybrids then you have dual essence put into your wards. How does that help though?"