Resurrection Read Free

had reluctantly acquiesced, the Mother Coven had twice failed to protect Holly’s coven against attacks from their bitterest enemies, the Deveraux.
    Because of that, Holly had chosen to go with Alex. Amanda, Tommy, Richard, and Nicole all wanted peace. And they deserved it. They had done their bit for Coventry, as it were.
    Philippe, the French male witch aligned with the Goddess, would have been willing to continue the fight, except that he was in thrall to Nicole, and so his first loyalty lay with her…and with the child, who might or might not be his. Nicole had been with him, Eli Deveraux, and her now-dead husband, James Moore. James had betrayed his father, Sir William Moore, leader of the Supreme Coven in London.
    James had thought he’d killed his father, but at the last instant, a hideous demon had pushed out of Sir William’s corpse like a huge cobra. The memory chilled Holly’s blood, and made her wish that she, too, had stayed behind with Nicole and Amanda. Together, her twin cousins and she were the three Ladies of the Lily, said to be very powerful. Of the three, she possessed the most magical power…purchased at terrible prices. Parts of her soul were dark now, as dark as that of any Deveraux or Moore.
    Of those who had fought beside her, only Pablo and Armand accompanied her on her new journey, with Alex. Her long-lost cousin was fair-haired and blue-eyed, such a contrast to Jer Deveraux. And in more ways than one: Alex loved Holly. It was obvious in every smile, every look, in how he checked to make sure she was all right after they attacked enclaves and strongholds of warlocks dedicated to the Supreme Coven. How he conjured wine and good food for her, and made pillows and a mattress out of thin air for her, expending valuable magical energy that he might need in their next foray against the enemy.
    And speaking of energy…
    I need a vacation, Holly thought grimly as they trudged along under cover of darkness somewhere in the German countryside. Holly Cathers, you just defeated your archnemesis, the man who killed your parents and made your life a living hell. What are you going to do?
    Apparently she was going to start the whole process all over again.
    She should have chosen to go to Disneyland in stead. As the group began to move even more slowly and silently, she wondered if it was too late to change her mind.
    There were sixteen of them in total. Besides Holly,Pablo, and Armand, Alex traveled with a dozen members of his coven, which he called The Temple of the Air. It was a good name. Air was definitely Alex’s element, and he could control it in ways that were astonishing.
    I wonder what my element is, Holly thought. Her introduction to her witchblood and the legacy that came with it had been a bloodbath, literally. She had never had a chance to explore all the subtleties and niceties of the craft. She had unbelievable power but no idea what she was doing most of the time.
    It’s probably water, she thought grimly. It would be ironic and morbid. After all, those who loved Cathers witches were doomed to die by drowning. That was how her parents had died, on a rafting trip. That’s what happened to Nicole’s cat, Hecate. That’s how I killed her .
    Nicole. I wonder how she is. Fire would definitely have to be her cousin Nicole’s element. She was always the drama queen, so wild, so passionate. Nicole’s twin sister, Amanda, with her practicality and thoughtfulness, was definitely like the earth, a nurturer through and through.
    The group came to a halt so suddenly that Holly bumped into Armand hard enough to make them both stumble. The moon slid out from behind the low-hanging clouds, and for a moment she could see the others clearly. Alex was deep in conversation withone of his men, a witch named Stanislaus, who had just returned from scouting ahead.
    Rumor had it that there was an outpost of the Supreme Coven nearby, one renowned for dark magic and