The Willow Read Free Page A

mother swirled in my mind. How did they meet? What was she like? But seeing the utter torment running through him at the mention of her, as if I’d ask more, a change in conversation was in order. “Let me get this straight, I’m a…” I couldn’t even think the words let alone say it.
     
    “Witch and Guardian,” he said concisely.
     
    “And you’re telling me I’m going to have magical abilities?” This was just all types of ridiculous.
     
    “Indeed you will. We will not know the level of witch magic you hold until it comes in, and I am afraid I cannot tell you when that will be. However, your Guardian powers are not so difficult to discover.”
     
    Before I could ask what the hell any of that meant, Zia said, “The Council welcomes you to the Otherworld, Nexi.”
     
    Startled, I chuckled at the absurdity that I had totally forgotten we weren’t alone. Then, I repeated. “The Council?”
     
    She nodded toward the others. “We are the governing body of the Otherworld.”
     
    As if to prove that thought, the wolf began to vibrate. Then, he wasn’t a wolf anymore. He was a man.
     
    My hand flew to my mouth. “Holy shit!” I said beneath it.
     
    Zia adamantly ignored my shock and continued, “Brax, Master of Weres.”
     
    I’d consider him a softy with his sweet soft features and long dark hair. That is if the two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle on his body didn’t put him into the category of scary as hell.
     
    “Talon, Master of Guardians,” she said next.
     
    He stepped forward and bowed his head. When his gaze rose to mine, it’s a surprise I wasn’t blushing. His short brown hair, bright green eyes, and hard jaw only added to the rest of his handsome features. He wore gear similar to Drake’s—just a little more extravagant, which sat deliciously against one rock hard bod. Pretty obvious, Guardians were warriors of some sort, but warriors against what was the question?
     
    “Zade, Master of Vampires,” she finished.
     
    He was the tall guy from the vision, and he indeed towered over me, but that was the least of my concerns. His black sinful eyes couldn’t pull a fast one on me. He was a vampire.
     
    I began to tremble. My breath coming out in short gasps as fear instantly consumed me.
     
    “You have nothing to fear from me, child,” Zade said, reassuringly.
     
    Yeah right, trust a vampire—sounds like a brilliant idea. One had killed my mother, for flippin’ sakes.
     
    “Not to worry, sweetie,” Zia interjected as she took my hand. “Here, this will help.”
     
    The moment her hand closed around mine, a surge similar to an electric current tore through me. “Bah,” I gasped, snapping my hand away. “What the hell was that?”
     
    “I used my magic to release the block I had put on you to hide your Guardian power. You will feel more settled now.”
     
    “Right, you used your magic.” I rolled my eyes. “What, is the Leaky Cauldron around here somewhere?” When scared shitless make jokes—Frank’s number one rule.
     
    “Wish it was.” Zia laughed. “Those Harry Potter movies are fabulous.”
     
    But as my mind cleared of thought, it was apparent that something had changed within me. I took a few deeps breaths trying to understand it. Then, the realization hit. My reason for living, my purpose, had suddenly been answered. For the first time in my life, I felt at home.
     
    And that wasn’t all it fixed. Zade wasn’t so scary. In fact, why had he been so scary? After a moment of contemplation, I came up blank. “This is—wow—I.” Yup, that was me stumbling all over the place.
     
    “This has been a long day for you,” Zia said. “I think it’s best for you to get some rest. Everything will be easier to process after that.”
     
    Yeah right!
     
    “Zia is right. Come Nexi,” Drake said, raising his hand toward the door.
     
    The moment we exited, I gasped a deep surprised breath at the room before me. Essentially a long rectangular room