Chapter 6

Kayla did her best to keep the smile on her face as she shook the others’ hands. Kalinda and Hannah were all warmth and smiles, while the others appeared cold and unwelcoming, not at all like the group at the Cauldron Coven. Kayla gave an inward sigh. She would never find a group like those ladies at The Murky Cauldron.

“Okay,” Cherise broke in over the din of voices. “Let’s fix our plates and take our food out to the back porch. It’s a beautiful day, cool even for Florida weather at this time of year. Besides, you know what I always say, when you can sit…”

“Out among nature, you’d be silly not to do so,” the others chimed, finishing for the older woman, most chuckling as they said it.

Kayla laughed softly as she glanced around at the others, their teasing changing her mind about them, if only slightly.

Cherise rolled her eyes. “All right, all right, I get it. I use that line a little too much. Just get your food and join me on the back porch.” Cherise picked up her plate and headed for the back door, the others still laughing behind her.

“She took that pretty well,” Kayla said as Selina handed her a plate. “The one time I met her, she seemed pretty uptight.”

Hannah chuckled some more. “Don’t let her fool you. She’ll get her revenge during our next ritual if not before.”

“The High Priestess only has us do what is necessary to help us grow as witches,” Clara said, her back stiff. “Don’t speak ill of her, especially in front of someone who doesn’t even know her.”

Selina scooped some potato salad onto her plate, giving a slight shrug. “I know her better than anyone, and I’d say Hannah has hit it right on the head.”

“How disrespectful,” Nicole snapped. Gripping her plate with both hands, she turned toward the back door. “Come on, Clara, let the youngsters have their petty conversation.”

Kayla watched, her brows raised, as the other girl walked out the back door, Clara right behind her.

Hannah stood there, laughing, as she filled her plate. “Listen to her. Youngsters. She’s five years younger than me. She just acts older than Clara.”

Kalinda stood, staring at the back door, her plate in one hand, a spoonful of baked beans in the other. “I bet her spirit animal is a rattlesnake. She sure does spit a lot of venom.”

“That she does,” Hannah agreed. Selina just nodded her head.

Kayla wanted to ask more questions about the others; she couldn’t imagine a coven having such dissension within and still functioning properly. Instead, though, she turned to Kalinda. “Selina mentioned the other day that you were heavily into animal spirits and guides. Is that true?”

Kalinda’s dark brown eyes widened, her face lighting up. “Do you study animal spirits, as well?”

Kayla caught Selina glancing at her, her eyes holding the laughter she kept from slipping past her lips. It was as if she said, “Told you so,” in that glance. Kayla smiled, but turned her attention back to Kalinda. “Actually, I’ve never really studied it. Sounds intriguing though.”

“Well then,” Kalinda said, her plate now full of food, even though it seemed she forgot it. “Sit with me, and we can talk about it. I’m telling you, once you find your spirit animal, things are never the same.”

Kayla still hadn’t finished filling her plate, but she felt as if she needed to follow the other girl out the door. Kayla glanced at Selina, but the other girl just smiled and shrugged, mouthing the words, “I told you,” as she watched Kayla follow Kalinda out the door. Kayla just shook her head, turning back around. “I take it you have a spirit animal?” she asked Kalinda as the two of them passed out the back door.

The back patio was a screened-in porch with patio furniture—a wicker couch and two chairs, heavily cushioned—on one end and a long table made out of wood with a beige tile top on the other. By Kayla’s count, the table could hold ten people comfortably and was already set with condiments and silverware for their late lunch. Taking a moment to examine the backyard, she could see why Selina said Cherise preferred it for doing rituals rather than anywhere else. On one side rested a small in-ground pool, while the other side led off into a large expanse of lawn expertly mowed. An eight-foot privacy fence lined the front and sides of the property, but not the back, the back opened up to the woods which rested right along Cherise’s property line, a mixture of pines and oaks, as well as small shrubs lining the front, growing close to the trees. The oddest thing Kayla saw was a large ring of torches in front of the woods, probably where they performed their rituals. Kayla could see the benefit of practicing their magic in such an open environment as opposed to inside a shop downtown.

“I actually have four, one for each of the directions,” Kalinda said as she led Kayla over to one end of the table away from Clara and Nicole.

Kayla glanced around the others. Hannah and Selina joined her and Kalinda, but Clara and Nicole remained close to Cherise, bent over their plates, whispering so the others couldn’t hear them. Kayla suddenly felt very self-conscious and wondered, not for the first time, if joining this new coven was a bad idea. “How does something like that even work?” she asked, doing her best to quell her insecurities. She knew she leaned on Alex quite a bit to get her acclimated to the Cauldron Coven, but she hadn’t realized just how much until right then. “Are they like a witch’s familiar?”

“No, two totally different things,” Kalinda said, holding her hamburger in one hand. “A familiar is an actual animal, whereas the spirits are just that. I learned about it from my studies in Celtic traditions. The idea is to allow your animal to choose you, and then you become that animal, transforming so you feel and experience everything they do. At first, it’s just a merging of spirits, but once you’re proficient enough, you can shape-shift into your animals.” She shifted in her seat, the excitement she felt over the topic obvious in her posture. “I’d be more than happy to help you perform the ritual. Or, at least, show you what to do, so you can perform it on your own. It really is better that way.”

Kayla nodded as she scooped up some of her food. “That would be great. Thanks.”

“I want everyone to make sure they get a chance to talk to Kayla,” Cherise said, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Before we perform the Coven Initiation, we need to make sure she’s the perfect fit for us, and she needs to make sure, as well. The initiation binds us to one another in a deep, lasting way, and no one wants to be bound to someone or a group who does not fit with their purpose in life.”

Kayla shifted uncomfortably in her chair, glancing around at the others.

Selina must have noticed her unease, as she leaned over and whispered, “Relax. She just needs to say that as a precaution. She’s already told me she wants you in the coven. The others always go with her thoughts on things. You would be the one desiring not to bond with us.” She tilted her head as she eyed Kayla. “I hope you want it, because I’m enjoying getting to know you better.” Then her grin grew. “Besides, it gives us someone else for Kalinda to hound about her animal spirits.”

The others joined in the laughter as Kayla glanced around the small group once more. She admitted she enjoyed talking with Selina, as well as Kalinda and Hannah, but the others, the others scared her a little. There was just something off about the way they stared at her, more like she was fresh meat rather than a new member. Staring at the two older witches and Nicole, Kayla could see why they chose the name Daughters of Darkness.

“I want everyone to make time this week to get to know Kayla,” Cherise continued. “Then, if all goes well and everyone is accepting, next Saturday, we’ll perform the Coven Initiation right here.” She smiled over at Kayla. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a few months since we’ve added a new witch to our small coven. The newness will bring a fresh vitality to our small group, I’m sure.”

Kayla did her best to smile, but it was hard under the frosty glares of Clara and Nicole. They obviously didn’t share the same sentiments as their High Priestess.

Everyone returned to their food and conversation, but Kayla allowed her gaze to drift back out to the woods. An uneasiness crept up her spine, but she shook it off to just nerves at venturing out into something new. She continued to stare, savoring the way the giant oaks branched out over the ground, their thick limbs overshadowing the ground beneath, the giant pines acting like powerful sentinels guarding the property. The trees were majestic in appearance, she thought as she sat there, lost in the way the light bounced off the leaves, radiating outward. She stared a little longer, her brows furrowing as she studied the small woods. It took her a moment to realize what was throwing her off, but when she finally pieced it together, it sent another shiver throughout her body. The sunlight hit the trees, but never penetrated them. There were no bright spots on the ground, no spots where the sun broke through to nourish the ground below those thick limbs. There was only darkness.