Free Broken Wings: Genesis by A. J. Rand Page B

energy to a coven group. I couldn’t afford to spread myself that thin.
Besides, I worked alone and I wanted to keep it that way.
    “Nonsense.” Pietra gave me a warm
hug. “You are a perfect fit. I think the rest of the coven, now that they have
had the chance to meet you for themselves, would agree with me. It’s the only
reason they all could make it tonight, even those who had others plans.”
    In other words Chaz had known
about this and hadn’t given me a heads up. I was going to be having a talk with
that boy when I got back to the apartment. Father David certainly wouldn’t be
pleased that an employee of the church, even an unacknowledged contracted one,
was a member of a coven. The church had some pretty strict rules on that stuff.
I guess that I’d have to leave that part out of my report. I could break the
link when this was all done and he’d never be the wiser for it.
    The High Priestess pulled back and
looked at the women who were drawing close, all with approving nods and smiles.
Judith didn’t seem so approving, but that’s okay. At least she and I agreed on
one point. I was angry enough to pinch the underside of Pietra’s arm before I
stepped fully out of her embrace.
    My features moved into a look of
overwhelmed humility. Inside, I was pissed off down to my toenails. She had
left me with no options. If I backed out now, I would never be able to help this
group to form a cohesive, united front against the smug man sitting on his
canvas throne. And since he had linked to the energies of the coven, I would
have to do the same.
    I would’ve much preferred to have
reached that conclusion on my own, and certainly wasn’t looking forward to
having myself linked in my current drained and weakened state. Pietra must have
figured it out and made certain I would take up the challenge to protect her
girls whether I wanted to or not. When this was all over, the High Priestess
and me were going to be having a little chat, too. For now, I played the part.
What choice did I have?
    “I am honored.” My guess was that
only Pietra knew my response was choked by my anger and not by humility.
    The women came around me with warm
hugs. Even Jamie got up from her seat next to Mack to welcome me. Mack and
Judith remained seated. I was hustled into the house to prepare myself for the
initiation, while several women stayed outside with Pietra to light the central
fire and finish the preliminary set up of the circle and the altar.
    When I stepped back outside, I was
clad in nothing but the white robe of an initiate. The two sisters, Jane and
Joan took up positions, one in front of me and one behind. Judith stepped into
place behind them. Mack and Pietra stood to either side of the altar, within
the circle.
    The remaining women filed in ahead
of me, taking up positions around the inside edge. Judith closed the circle
behind us, after we were all in. The ritual started with Mack and Pietra calling
for the blessings of the Lord and the Lady upon the circle, and then stepped to
the quarters of each direction to invoke the protection of the watchtowers. I
never could understand why people took such time and painstaking effort to make
a perfect circle, only to turn it into a square by invoking the watchers at the
four directions. But hey, this was their thing, not mine.
    After some initial time spent on
invocations and prayers, Pietra called for the petitioner to come forward. I
was lost in thought, and it didn’t even register that it was me she was
referring to until Jane and Joan nudged me from both sides at the same time. I
was up.
    I took my time with small prayers
to the four directions as I worked my way around the circle to the altar. It
was expected of me. Just because it wasn’t my thing, that didn’t mean I was
ignorant of what to do.
    At the last, I stepped up to the
altar, taking up a position between Mack and Pietra, the altar at my front, the
fire at my back. Words were exchanged in ritual greeting and I