"Witches, a lot of them... Eight, maybe nine if the guy is a member of the coven too... How did I miss that? I wonder what Savannah would answer if I ask her what her grandma does for a living in New Orleans when she's not painting watercolours..."
Unfortunately, I'll never know because I can't get closer my new friend, it wouldn't be wise despite I know she'd love to talk to me: she almost managed to corner me at the lobby last Monday but I moved faster and ran into an elevator whose doors were almost closed. From that day on, I decided to change my routines and wake up earlier in the morning to be able to arrive to my office when it's still empty, I bring lunch to eat on my desk or go out later to avoid running into her... and I always go to other coffee shops avoiding our favourite. The trick has worked for three days but I'm not sure I can go on like this, Ruby will want to talk to me again sooner or later, the problem is that I have nothing new to tell her... There's nothing I can do: I am who I am and it means danger for all of them.
The truth is that I should've suspected something and I have to blame my stress for my selective blindness: new job, new country, new apartment... it was too much. It's weird to find such a big group of women, bound by particularly strong ties of friendship, so successful in their jobs, with strong charisma and confidence, so talented... Well, and Lester, I mustn't forget him... The point is that now it looks obvious to me that this coven is favoured by Mother Nature, of course it's true that some people out there achieve their goals without magical help and Ruby and her mates have worked pretty hard to get to the good place where they're right now, the goddess doesn't offer her gifts in exchange for anything, but good luck has always been a crucial factor in all their projects, they haven't go through bad times like other people do since they've meld their energies.
I miss my grandmother, I bet she'd know what I should do in this complicated situation, but I've been spending so much time trying to forget everything she taught me, avoiding magic around me and restraining it inside me, that I don't think I'd be able to contact her spirit to ask for advice right now. Not to mention how sick I'd feel later, my hunter nature makes me vomit and bend over in pain when I try to turn to Mother Nature in the way a druid would do, my body attacks itself like I'm suffering an autoimmune disease... It sucks.
"This sandwich sucks too," I grumble throwing the last piece of bread to a trash can along with my empty soda can, Actually, this food court has a good reputation in the city but I'm not in the mood to enjoy spicy chicken and it's getting late, I should go back home, have a shower and go to bed. I jump from the stool I was sat on and start heading to the escalator slowly, lost in my thought, well, thinking of Ruby...I avert my eyes to the tattoo on my wrist constantly, I'm washing it and applying the ointment the way she told me and it's healing well. Suddenly, my heart skips a beat... I rub my chest absentmindedly thinking that maybe a wild spicy chicken sandwich with truffle fries wasn't the best option for dinner, I should've ordered a simple salad. My heart races and I feel a little dizzy...
"I'm sorry." A middle-aged man, short and stocky, walks past me shoving me slightly: he seems to be in a big hurry to reach the floor below and runs downstairs hastily elbowing other people to clear the path.
"How rude..." I mumble while rubbing my chest, I think I got heartburn because of that chicken although I don't understand it given that I've had lunch here frequently and never got sick before. I walk slowly towards the entrance door when I saw the same man who pushed me leaned calmly on a column, hiding behind a pot with a massive fern. That's weird... why was he running over people heading downstairs only to stay still like a statue looking at...? "Louisa..." My heart races again, I think I'm going to pass out for a second or maybe the organ is about pounding right out of my chest.
The pretty woman with light brown hair and sweet smile is unmistakable, above all because of her big belly, while she goes to the Korean restaurant: I think it was Ivy who told me that Louisa was craving noodles all the time, but she's alone... She shouldn't be alone, the baby is supposed to be here soon, I can't believe that the girls aren't here with her. I take a look around frantically expecting to see Aletta or Elvira... or Ruby, but there's no one, only that strange man staring at her with the eyes of a hunting falcon and frowning. I don't know what's happening but I don't like it and start rummaging in my bag anxiously, I need my phone to call Savannah, even if I'm not sure of what I'm going to tell her: a guy who looks like a muscled Jack Nicholson is stalking Louisa and he gives me the creeps. Suddenly, the horrible man moves and I realize my friend is about walking into the restaurant to order her food.
"He's armed," I whisper in my own head. I don't know how I know it, but it's pretty obvious to me that the asshole is carrying a weapon so I throw my phone back to my bag and run towards the Korean restaurant, this time I'm the one elbowing people again while an alarm goes off in my head. My first instinct was to warn Louisa, protect her, help her to escape... My inner druid has recognized a sister and will do whatever necessary to eliminate the threat. But a strong force makes my muscles shake, my legs feel heavy and my heart races while I break a sweat... The hunter inside me wants me to leave her to fend for herself but that's not going to happen, I've been fighting against my nature for years and it's not going to win now. "I won't let that motherfucker hurt a pregnant woman, witch or not... Damn it, I know what's happening here: he's a hunter too..."
I'm absolutely sure that my assumption is right despite I have no way to prove it, that's why I feel sick, it's not because of the chicken... It's my inner druid warning me about the danger. My friend had stopped in front of the restaurant focusing on reading the menu on a board and seemed oblivious to her surroundings, but suddenly her protection charms, or her instincts or whatever, have kicked in and she's looking back over her shoulder frowning, puzzled but cautious.
"Iselen?"
"Louisa..." I let out breathing heavily and trying to catch my breath at the same time. "You have to go to the restroom... you're pregnant and need to go to pee every two minutes... I'll go with you." I grab my friend's arm and drag her unceremoniously towards a door that only women have permission to cross, supposedly, this place is crowded and there're lot of girls coming and going through this corridor, I don't think he'll dare to follow us.
"What are you doing?"
"Hunter..." I explain out of breath. "Behind us... he was following you... he's carrying a gun." I push the door and we both walk in followed by a group of teenagers that get closer to the sinks to be able to fix their lipstick in front of the mirrors. I drag my friend inside a stall and lean my back on the faux wood surface, I feel my head is about to explode but I can't waste my time now.
"Are you sure?"
"Louisa, I may not be a witch as powerful as you all are but my instincts work perfectly, believe me." I take a deep breath struggling to contain my nausea, I shouldn't have eaten that damned chicken...
"Do you really think that he'd try to hurt me in such a public place? This is a food court..." My friend stares at me in disbelief, leaning her hands on her belly protectively.
"I don't know, sweetheart, I have no idea about what hunters think or how they react, even if you think it's impossible... I'd say he's crazy and has seen the opportunity to kill two witches with one stab."
"Fuck!"
"I know, he's an asshole and a jerk and I hope he'll rot in hell one day... But now you have to phone the girls so they can pick you up..."
"Iselen," Louisa gets as close as her protuberant belly allows her and leans her hand on my cheek. "If Ruby walks through the main door and runs into a hunter who's trying to hurt her pregnant friend who happens to be a sister of her coven too... Well, the people of New York will enjoy an amazing show: Mother Nature's fury devastating this place till reducing it to a pile of rubble... and firefighters would find that bastard under it, crushed. I don't think it's a good idea..."
"I understand, it'd be difficult to explain rationally to the police officers that would arrest her..." I rub my face with my hand while thinking of a plan. "Can you go home from here? Or to a safe place..."
"Aletta's office is close..."
"Okay, that's a good idea, I'm going to... I need..." I focus trying to remember a simple spell, an invocation, a ritual, something, whatever it is... My grandma taught me a lot of things but I've spent years forgetting them deliberately and I feel so sick right now that I'd be unable to gather enough energy to make some magic. "Shit..."
"What's wrong? Iselen?" Louisa looks worried and slides her hand from my cheek to my forehead. "You have a fever, do feel sick?"
"Yes, I know, it's the hunter inside me fighting against my druidic nature to be able to abandon you here and let that asshole hurt you... Don't worry, it won't happen..." I whisper when she gasps scared. "I need to cast a spell, something to draw magical energy around me, powerful enough for him to notice it so he chooses to follow me while you run away from here... but I can't, I don't remember the things my grandma taught me, I'm sorry."
"Iselen, calm down, don't cry... It's not your fault. I can do it, I can cast a healing spell for you to feel better, it'll get attached to your skin and he'll be able to feel it, I'm sure..."
"All right, good idea. Which is your door to leave?" Louisa points to one side before putting her hands on my shoulders and whisper a few words: my stomach stops aching immediately and my head feels lighter. "Okay, I'll leave through the main door then, strutting in front of that jerk... Give me five minutes and it'll be your turn to sneak out through the other door..."
"Thank you..." I don't let her finish the sentence and leave the stall in a hurry, I fear that the hunter could get impatient and decide to come to the restroom looking for her, but no... This man seems to know that pregnant women take their time and is waiting leaning his shoulder against a wall. I stop two steps away from him pretending that I'm scrolling down my phone but I'm using the black screen as a mirror to check his movements... The hunter looks up and watches me, almost sniffing the air, before looking at the restroom door baffled. I walk a few steps towards the escalator, luring him, and he follows me after hesitating for a few seconds; Louisa's spell must be really powerful if it's managed to make him forget about the pregnant witch.
I really feel better and the evening fresh air clears my mind definitely when we reach the street I start walking away from the building where I work determined, raising my hand that's still holding the phone to check if the hunter is behind me from time to time, but then I change direction when I realize that I was heading to my apartment involuntarily. Fuck, I can't take him to one of my familiar places, I have to avoid the tattoo parlour and Ivy's flower shop too, but I don't know the city well, minutes tick by and it's getting dark. I don't know what to do... maybe I should find a crowded coffee shop and sit down inside till this guy gets tired... A car horn near me scares the death out of me.
"Get in!" The command is clear and I obey without a second thought, jumping on the passenger's seat and fastening the belt while the vehicle zigzags between the busy traffic , driving away from the hunter down the avenue till stopping at a red light.
"How did you find me?" I ask out of breath while Ruby looks anxiously at the rearview mirror before stepping on the gas again, I don't know where we are and can't see any famous building through the windows to guide me; I get the impression that the tattoo artist is driving around aimlessly to make sure our enemy isn't following us.
"Lester is good at finding things, he has a gift, and my mark is on your skin... the tattoo. We gathered at Aletta's office and, when Louisa arrived and told us what was happening, I came looking for you immediately. You've been so brave..."
"I was very scared, to be honest." I admit while Ruby stops the car in front of a very modern building made of steel and crystal and turns off the engine. "Wow, that's beautiful..."
"Yes, Ivy and Aletta work together often and this place was their master piece: a garden on a wall, it's made of live moss and the green colour contrasts with the dark grey walls and ceilings, it's almost black in fact, but the hardwood floor is cream coloured, there's a lot of light thanks to those chandeliers and glass walls, furniture is classic and made of natural wood, couches and armchairs are upholstered with caramel coloured leather and Persian rugs are made of wool... It's a mix of modern and old but it works pretty well."
"Iselen!" Louisa yells at me lying on one of those gorgeous leather couches. "I'm so happy you're okay, give me a hug... You arrived just in time because I'm going into labour... I think my baby girl didn't like today's excitement..."
"But... wouldn't you need to be in a hospital? And where's the baby's dad?" I ask looking around scared, the girls and Lester are here but they remain calmed, drinking and chatting lively.
"Don't worry, honey, this is just starting... It'll take a while but my doctor has everything ready and is waiting for us in a nearby clinic, we'll leave in a few minutes." Louisa smiles amused when she notices my concerned face. "The father left me before I knew I was pregnant but it's better this way, I don't need him, my family is perfect as it is. Welcome to the coven, by the way..."
"I have to go," I whisper turning around abruptly to look at Ruby who raises an eyebrow and grabs my arm.
"If you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Iselen in your office, Aletta." The interior designer nods while handing Louisa a pillow for her back and the tattoo artist drags me down a long corridor till shoving me inside a room decorated with furniture in a 50s style. "No fucking way..."
"But..." Ruby raises her arm and puts her index on my lips.
"Lets get things straight, babe, you're a member of this coven even if you don't like it: you've protected a sister and saved that baby's life, you're connected to them both now, you're the godmother of this new life and can't abandon her..."
"I don't..." My head starts pounding again and I feel like vomiting, I don't understand it, I never felt sick when the witches were around before but there's a side of me that refuses to agree with this deal and fights back the only way it can. I flop down on a chair because my legs feel weak and Ruby kneels down in front of me, cradling my face and whispering some words that make me feel better immediately. Her thumb rubs my cheek wiping away the tear that was running down my skin.
"The girls have voted and think you're the 10th member of this coven, they won't let you go, our rituals would never feel completed if you leave... I can't let you go, I feel like I have to keep you by my side and I never argue with my instinct... Do you understand it?"
"But the hunter in my mind..." I whisper scared and her lips graze mines in a soft kiss before smiling.
"It's not as powerful as it believes, you only need to train your druid to get stronger and will prevail finally... You have to stop avoiding magic, my love... This is healing very well..." Ruby frowns, holding my wrist gently to check the tattoo.
"Girls, we need to go to the clinic now." Elvira gestures at us from the door and we both get up, following her down the corridor fast. Louisa is on her feet but leaning on Vinnia while Lester and Thyra are taking her bag and jacket. "Savannah is waiting downstairs with her car ready."
"Some hunters choose to ignore their instinct and devote themselves to other profession, I don't know why you couldn't do the same..." Aletta smiles warmly while we all get in the elevator and I don't understand how I could think she was an arrogant brat when I met her for the first time.
"And some others really enjoy killing witches and go completely nuts..." I reply harshly.
"Well, there're psychos among normal humans too... but you don't look like one of them, luckily for us."
"Ruby, have you talked to Iselen about the job offering?" Louisa asks before grimacing and rubbing her belly with her hands. "We're on our way, impatient baby..."
"Oh, yes, about that..." The tattoo artist smirks mischievously. "I need a receptionist while my employee is on maternity leave, I'll pay you twice the salary you're earning now and I guess that I don't need to explain you about the advantages of working in a friendly atmosphere, meeting new people, in a wonderful parlour with a full-equipped kitchen to eat and take a break, surrounded my plants and friends..."
"Ruby... you're really generous but..."
"Your boss will never publish your books and you know it." The tattoo artist cuts me off abruptly while the girls help Louisa to sit down in Savannah's car and Lester keeps the door open for them. "He's an asshole unable to recognize talent and only publishes well-known authors to make sure he's successful." Ruby points at her vehicle and I follow her, sitting on the passenger's seat again grumbling that she's right quietly at the same time. "However, you can publish your books online and will get the coven's support. This is the way we work, helping and supporting each other, promoting our sisters' work and looking for new customers, we're reaching our goals together and will do the same for you. We have gathered thousands of Instagram followers that will read your books if we promote them on our accounts... I'm pretty sure that, when Louisa is ready to get her job at the parlour back in a few months, you'll be the breakout author of the year."