The Witching Hour

Chapter 36 - Stargazing

"Did we break her?" Ella asked from behind, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

Shaking her head, Ivy cracked a smile and wiped away the tears.

"Phew, she laughed," Aura said, playing along. "Definitely not broken."

Ivy froze at the feeling of Aura's hand on her shoulder. Ivy gripped the hand and squeezed, her eyes still locked the wolf.

"Go," Marina prompted, waving her hand toward him. "We'll be here. Go. We'll start looking for the fairy."

Queen Tatiana had slipped from her mind while Ivy had basked in the company of her sisters. They couldn't leave the rubble without finding her. No way did this collapsed cell kill the fairy queen.

Mustering up all her resolve, Ivy crossed the broken earth to come face to face with Griffin, who was still in werewolf form. Her footsteps caused him to pause his digging.

Her body sizzled. The heat spreaded from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. It only intensified when she met his amber eyes. The light color contrasted with the charcoal fur. She remembered seeing the amber before, but it was even more striking while he was in his werewolf form.

"Hi there." She ducked her head, tucking her curls behind her ears. Ivy trembled, the nerves coursing through her veins. She had never been this close to a werewolf.

Griffin lowered his muzzle into her reach. When Ivy didn't do anything, he nuzzled against her shoulder, almost knocking her sideways. Her arms flailed around her as she fought to maintain her balance.

"Don't forget how strong you are," she laughed, straightening up. She put a hand out and ran it through the fur between his eyes, which closed at the motion. "Feels good, huh?" Griffin rubbed up against her, more gently this time. "This still seems weird. I'm petting you like a dog."

He pulled his head back and cocked it to the side. The amber pools sucked her in, but she didn't stay in them too long. She couldn't risk drowning in their warmth. Ivy moved to his side, her hand running through the soft fur. She had dreamt of feeling this since the first encounter when he saved them and did it exceed her expectations.

"We'll have to talk properly once you're back in human form." Ivy took a fistful of fur and let it go. If he was tall when he was a human, his werewolf form made that look tiny. Even on four paws, he towered over her. She barely reached his torso. No wonder the wolf and human sides reflected one another. Griffin was a sizeable man, and his wolf embodied that.

"Any luck locating Tatiana?" Ivy turned her sights on the pile of ruble. The Queen had to be there. No one had seen her emerge from it. Either she was still buried by the debris or she had disappeared from underneath by way of tunnels. Ivy would have justice, or at least her revenge, no matter how long it took.

Ivy centered her mind on the dirt. The door to her powers remained locked. She struggled to link with something, anything, but even her vines were out of reach. The mental door wanted to burst off the hinges. Hell, she wanted to kick it down, but every attempt to tap into her powers came up empty. Griffin kept digging at her side, stopping when she groaned. He barked to alert the other witches. They appeared within seconds.

"What's wrong?" Marina said. Dirt blotches covered her knees and the edge of her shirt.

"I'm still blocked," Ivy moaned, falling to her knees. She began digging with her bare hands."

"Ivy, you don't have to – " Aura started but Ivy cut her off.

"No, I do need to do this." Ivy pressed on, the ground flying around her. Once it proved to be uneventful, she moved to the next spot. "Tatiana did this. I won't rest until we have her."