Read covencraft 02.5 - carnival moon for Free Online Page B

indicated they could. Jade was looking around for some parental types - responsible looking adults that could maybe sort the whole thing out when Lucia pushed back from the table and roared. There was no other word for it. The sound rang in Jade’s ears, sending her ear drums thumping and making the hair on the back of her neck rise. The children dropped the pieces of the toy, the sobbing child stopped abruptly - all three of them turning to Lucia with blinking, nervous eyes. Truth be told, Jade felt a little cowed herself. Lucia’s roar had cut through Jade’s skin and run along her nerve endings settling firmly in the animal part of Jade’s brain. That part now sat straight like a soldier at attention and told Jade, ‘PREDATOR AFOOT!’
    The other wolves, the adults, seemed not to think anything strange about this and kept on with their meal. The crying kid sniffled once or twice and then quieted down. The other two children looked like they made some kind of peace between them, though the toy was still in tatters. Jade looked up at Lucia to see her shaking her head, as though she hadn’t just roared like a wild animal in a crowded room.
    Lucia’s brother Galen spoke up as Lucia took her seat again. “There you have it, Jade. Werewolf diplomacy at its best. Alpha always wins.” Lucia turned and looked at her brother, giving him a feral smile.
    Suddenly, Lucia’s benevolent offer didn’t seem quite as harmless as it had been only moments ago. Jade swallowed. Maybe being favored by the weres wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    The rest of dinner passed with no further incidences although Jade’s reaction to Lucia’s roar was on her mind for the remainder of the meal. Jade had been so relaxed, so comfortable that she’d forgotten she was in a room with beings capable of shifting into sharp-toothed carnivores. To the weres, this must be a normal occurrence - no one else was disturbed or bothered by it. Jade wondered if any of the weres at all were even remotely concerned about her and Paris’ power as Jade was about their ability to shift.
    She let Paris say their goodbyes, trusting in his political training and skills to convey all the necessary words and sentiments. She froze for a moment when Lucia stepped forward, reaching around her to pull at the ribbon at the back of Jade’s head, freeing the mask and catching it as it fell. Lucia took off her own mask, settling Jade’s much smaller one inside the shell of her own.
    Jade stood still once more and let Lucia scent her again, this time only a brief brush of Lucia’s cheek against Jades, while Galen clasped one of Paris’ hands in both of his and pressed them together, both of them without their masks as well.
    “I hope we will see you again soon, Jade. Kipling said, ‘The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.’ You are a friend to the pack now.”
    Jade managed a nod and what she hoped was a suitable smile. It looked like on her growing list of ‘Things I’ve done since becoming a witch,’ she could now add, ‘Friend to the Local Wolf Pack.’
    She just wasn't exactly sure if she’d put it next to, ‘Caught attention of Demon,’ or ‘Learned hella cool magic,’ yet.
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About the Author
     
    "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
    ~ Albert Einstein
     
    Margarita loves the art, creativity and romanticism of storytelling. Sometimes, however, the act of putting pen to paper proves challenging, elusive. She develops genuine, relatable characters which grow in the hearts of her readers. From that foundation, the stories flourish into a warm friend.
     
    She enjoys pursuits which blur the lines between the analytical and creative sides of her brain. This includes her day job in electronic data management, where she uses her creativity to solve logical problems, and also her lessons learning to play the cello, where she finds beauty