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magical-mistakes-vm · 21 days

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"No worries, Elmar, I have made challenge regarding Mahala. As such, she will come home with me." Balor gave no one time to react before he strode quickly from the room, leaving the others to try and catch up. He was grinning as he made his way down the hall. It was game time.

"The fuck you will," Vollrath replied, and almost jogged after Balor. He grabbed his brother, and brought him to a stop in the hallway. Elmar and Baldur weren't sure if they should step in or just go grab Mahala and run. "She is going nowhere with you."

"So, she does mean something to you?" He'd known it. Baldur had been covering for his brother. Balor broke out laughing, then calmed and leaned towards Vollrath. "She needs away from emotional stress and raw power unrestrained in the air. You're a live wire of both right now, little brother. " Balor tipped his head and raised his brows, waiting for Vollrath to try and argue. “And I still give challenge, so…she is coming home with me.” His grin grew wide.

"She doesn't even know you. After all she's gone through she should either go home alone, or with one of us. Do you really want to inflict Coven politics on her after what you know she’s gone through today? Just to be a complete asshole to me?" Vollrath could not even say why he did not want her alone with Balor other than jealousy. Unlike his two friends, it would not be beneath his brother to sabotage things with Mahala. He was ready to resort to violence to stop his brother.

Balor led a faction of the Coven that leaned towards darker magic. They butted heads regarding this frequently via email, but was one of the reasons it had been so long since a face to face meeting had taken place. Not only could Balor cause a rift between him and Mahala, he could lead her down that path. The thought of either of those made Vollrath’s heart hurt in his chest.

"Let her decide." Balor knew he was playing with fire there, but he also wanted to make sure this was not Stockholm Syndrome or some undue influence. He'd never known Vollrath to do that, but something was definitely off with the whole situation. If nothing was being done to cause her to choose his brother, he would abide by the female’s decision.

Vollrath didn't like it, but he also didn't want to keep fighting with him. "Fine. But what she decides is final." The men shook in agreement.

When the four men made it back to Vollrath’s office, it was clear Mahala was tired and really did need rest. On the walk there, Elmar shared his suspicion that she was still suffering a concussion. While he could force total healing, without knowing exactly what you WERE healing, you could do more harm than good. So he had been mitigating symptoms more than anything and trying to boost her natural healing magic.

"Sweetheart," Vollrath started, and from the beginning she could tell something was wrong, "there is a possibility that you may have a concussion. You shouldn't be alone tonight, and someone needs to keep you awake. So, you have an interesting assortment of warlocks to choose from. Baldur, Elmar, myself, or my brother, Balor. I believe you met earlier."

Mahala looked at all four of them in turn. Was this a joke? Maybe a test? How was she supposed to decide on one of them? After at least a full minute, she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. What had she done to deserve such a day? Maybe this was a hallucination and she had yet to wake up in Vollrath’s arms on his couch. Unfortunately, she wasn’t that lucky.

"I have not totally forgiven Elmar and Baldur for their behavior earlier, " she started as she slowly opened her eyes. Mahala wanted to fall into Vollrath’s arms, to feel his lips on hers again, to talk more as they had the night before. However, he was irritated, and she could feel the same pressure in her head as earlier but not as strong. As the day had worn on, she had learned to differentiate the vibration of each man, and it was Vollrath affecting her currently.

Paying no mind to the others in the room, Mahala walked over till she was right in front of Vollrath. Her hands slightly clasped the lapels of his suit coat. "I need you to trust me. You get jealous and mad after one night spent talking, and I get the migraine from hell from it. You're doing it again." A soft sigh escaped her slightly parted lips as her gaze fell to the middle of his chest.

"Löwin, he's still getting used to you having gotten under his skin." Balor interjected, garnering looks from the other four assembled. "He trusts you, he doesn't trust me." His brows rose as he tipped his head towards his brother with an annoyed smirk that narrowed his eyes slightly.

Mahala looked back and forth confused. She felt like she was being set up by being asked to choose who she was leaving with, and she wasn't liking it. "Then why even offer you as an option? What is going on here?" Vollrath tried to put his hands on her lower back as a sign of affection, but now she pushed him off. "No, I feel pushed and pulled like this is some kind of game, and I don't like it. You're all four fucked up."

Pushing away from Vollrath, Mahala strode quickly from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. Vollrath quickly followed, not sure what he was going to say to make anything better, but knowing that he couldn’t leave her alone. Her tears were already shredding his heart. Fuck, what did he do now?

Balor was right behind his brother with Baldur on his heels, Elmar bringing up the rear. None of them wanted Mahala alone or upset. It was clear that the day's events, plus the familial issues between the brothers, had brought about a situation that needed handled, and needed handled NOW.

"Mahala, wait." Vollrath lightly touched her arm as he caught up with her in the hall. He didn't want to grab her. She'd been jerked around enough by Jonathan earlier, but he wanted her attention. "I think you misunderstood."

She stopped and spun to face him, upset etched on every part of her face and laced through her voice. "Then explain. Do you trust me? Him? What is going on, Vollrath?" Her eyes searched his face, imploring him to give her an answer that made sense, to ease the ache in her heart and eradicate the feeling she'd been a fool.

He sighed, running his hands lightly over her upper arms. "Yes, I trust you. After all we discussed last night, I would hope you would know that. I also have no reason to demand or expect anything from you." Vollrath stepped closer, still wondering where the foreign feelings of protectiveness and possessiveness came from. "Do I trust Balor to keep you safe and take care of you? Yes. Do I think he'd also tell you one sided truths and try to put me in a bad light? Also yes." One hand rose to cup the side of her face while the other found the small of her back to pull her closer to him. "We already know there is something pulling us together, little witch. I'm sorry if my fumbling of handling it is causing you pain. I don't want that, and I don't want you pushed away."

The other three men had stopped a few feet away. Balor wanted to step in, not to cause his brother problems, but because he had a clearer picture of what was transpiring; and also the complications of who she was. There were things he doubted Vollrath knew, things he needed to if he was to be with Mahala and protect her. Unfortunately, he also knew if he even tried to utter a sentence at the moment, he would most likely end up with a broken jaw courtesy of the brother he’d be trying to help.

"I…I just feel so confused with all that has gone on. Last night with us. Then today here, not only with Baldur and Elmar, but with Jonathan too." As she had earlier, Mahala’s hands gently held the lapels to his suit coat. "I don't understand what is going on. Not with us. Not with your friends. Not with any of this." Her eyes slowly closed as she choked back a half sob. Her heart hurt almost as much as her head.

“My brother is not easy to figure out, Löwin.” Balor said from a distance, he might have decided to interject, but not to get in his brother’s reach. “He’s still trying to figure it out himself, and he’s not the best with patience.” The death glare that Balor was getting would make most men wither, but he was not afraid of Vollrath lashing out at him from a distance. For one thing, his brother knew he was right, also, Vollrath had to be wondering what Balor knew that he didn’t.

“You aren’t helping.” Vollrath’s jaw locked and he closed his eyes, focusing on breathing and not hitting Balor. He would keep following Mahala if she kept trying to run away, but he would prefer not to have to.

“I’m not trying to. I’m trying to let her know what she’s in for. After all, you haven’t been paying attention.” Now Balor was just smug and all four of the others were looking at him quite annoyed. He wasn’t going to share anything any sooner than he had to. Watching his brother trying to figure it out was much more entertaining for him, and currently Vollrath couldn’t be much more frustrated.

Mahala took a breath, pulled away from Vollrath, turned and strode over to Balor quickly. The sound of her hand impacting the side of his face seemed to echo off of the walls of the hallway, as the other three men stood there with eyes widening, Baldur’s jaw actually going slack as well. For his part, Balor looked no less stunned than the others that she had not only challenged him, but physically assaulted him. He might be at least six inches taller than her, but Mahala went toe to toe with Balor and stared directly into his eyes, her face only inches from his. Her chest rose and fell with her breath for a full minute before she spoke as she fought to get control of her own anger, fuck everyone else in the room.

“I honestly don’t give one single fuck what your problem is with your own brother, but if it concerns me then I do. So either spit it out in plain fucking English or get the fuck out of here. I’m losing patience with you and for some reason it seems like the other three in this hallway won’t confront you, so I damn well will.” Her back was straight, her head erect, and she didn’t flinch from the icy blue eyes that seemed to be trying to bore a hole in her. She wasn’t sure why Vollrath, Baldur, and Elmar were intimidated by him, but she wasn’t. That could be a mistake, given she had no clue how powerful of a warlock he was, but it was her mistake to make. She’d certainly made enough mistakes in the last twenty-four hours, what was one more?

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magical-mistakes-vm · 30 days

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The meeting is over, but the conflict is just beginning...

"Who is she, really?" Balor asked when only he, Baldur, and Vollrath remained in the conference room. His eyes studied the two other powerful warlocks closely. There was no missing she was more than just a novice witch that had been innocently in Vollrath’s office. Something more was going on and Balor aimed to get to the bottom of it. "Don't bullshit me, little brother. I touched her, she is no average witch, and your two best friends are twitchy as fuck. You're barely containing yourself, and that isn't like you, Vol." A smirk formed as he waited for one of the two in front of him to answer.

"Mahala Codona. Last night I caught her in the forest near my mansion preparing to summon her mother's spirit, but the spell she was going to use was not one she was prepared for. Not to mention you can sense her strength of power, and she could see through double enchantment cloaking. I thought it best to bring her under my protection. She has had absolutely no training, and had no idea of her abilities." Vollrath left a ton out when speaking to his brother, and Baldur wasn't about to add anything. Neither of them had any idea how Balor had learned of the meeting, and for the moment that meant they trusted him just barely more than an outsider.

"So she's nothing to you? Interesting and positive." Balor’s brow rose and his smirk grew. He knew Vollrath better than that, and he was pressing buttons to see which would get his little brother to react first. It had been decades since a Coven Council of Elders had been called to hand out such a punishment as the one they had tonight. For it to have been called now meant there was a reason for Vollrath not to have made the decision alone. That reason meant one of the two in front of him had a vested interest in Ms. Codona.

"Should she be?" Vollrath’s head tipped and his eyes narrowed as he regarded his brother. What was Balor getting at? What did he know? Vollrath wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to give too much away till he did.

"What if it is not Vol she means something to?" Baldur was not about to watch the two Nachtnebel brothers spar, and have Mahala hurt again by neither of them considering the fallout. Easier to just use a little subterfuge and get this conversation over quickly. Balor was less likely to take him on than Vollrath, so there wasn’t much risk. When Balor turned his attention to him, he met Balor’s gaze evenly, their blue eyes boring into one another. There was no doubt the elder warlock was trying to ascertain if he was being honest. Baldur had no intention of flinching.

"Interesting." It was all Balor said but his mind was turning that video over and over in his head, scrutinizing every small detail. There was still something wrong with the situation unfolding now in front of him. Why hadn't she had on Baldur’s jacket when attacked? It had been his brother’s, not something that Vollrath would have given out lightly. Any stray hair or attachment to him could be used against him. Why had Vol cut him off in the healing, and Baldur let him? Yes, Vollrath was the Master Warlock, but they were not so different in strength and ability for it to have made much of a difference. Why had they been trying to hide how badly she was hurt from Vollrath? If it had been Baldur or Elmar that she meant something to, then they would have been more upset, although it was clear she did mean something to Baldur. So, Baldur was covering for little brother, time to press a little harder and a slightly different button.

"Then Baldur, you will not mind if I see fully to her current healing, and personally do the initial set of enchantments and shielding? Consider it a blessing from the other half of the Coven." Inclining his head with what could be best described as a sarcastic smile, Balor completely ignored his brother, but did not have to see him to know the nerve had been hit. The very air of the room crackled with Vollrath’s reaction. It was all Balor could do not to gloat over having found the exact button to press to get right under his brother’s skin perfectly. That had been a little too easy.

"So a new witch brings peace?" Baldur didn't trust him. However, that is exactly what Balor had just implied with his statement.

"She is a Codona. She is THE Codona. The lost witch. Of course it is going to." Balor smirked and raised his eyebrows, letting the statement hang in the air with no further clarification.

Baldur glanced at Vollrath. What was he missing? "Which means?" Something told him that he was going to absolutely hate the answer that was coming, but he had to know.

"Her father is Bazyli." Balor now grinned like a fool, and watched all color drain from Baldur’s face. The other warlock had no clue, nor did Vollrath from the looks of it. "So if you have intentions with her, you'll be joining the two Covens, and mending one gigantic ass rift. I have to say Baldur, I never quite pegged you as one with brass ones quite that big. So, of course I want to assist with that.” Sarcasm dripped like honey, pooling around their feet. “Or…." he looked directly at Vollrath, "has the Lion met his Lionessa, which is more of what I suspect. Her power is impressive, as is her ability to survive such an attack. If she is not, then I challenge you Baldur…" He felt the hard snap of Vollrath’s power, as his brother’s jealousy and anger started to get the best of him. There was the sign that had been exactly what Balor was going for to know that he wasn’t just under his brother’s skin, he’d struck a death blow to Vollrath’s ability to hide any semblance of the truth.

"Balor…." Just one word. Just his name. Vollrath didn't need to say more. His voice was full of warning in its tone, his hazel eyes narrowed and went jade green, his jaw tensed as he stood straighter, and his shoulders went back. No, this was not happening. Elmar and Baldur had been goading him teasingly, both were in serious relationship with witches within the Coven. Balor was serious and looking to challenge Baldur in a way that would take Mahala from him.

"She is a powerful, single, untrained, uninitiated, witch. I am within my rights as a Coven Elder and my level as a warlock. There is no ring upon her finger. The customs of the Coven are very clear. Unless there is a betrothal or other engagement to an Elder of the Coven, it is my right, as an Elder, to give challenge for rights to train, bring under apprenticeship, and more. She is exceptionally beautiful, so I will look forward to seeing what more there might be. I do have the right and you know it. I aim to exercise it RIGHT. NOW." Now it was Balor who looked aggressive, as he smirked at his younger brother, his eyes going from blue to an icy grey. There was little that Vollrath could say to argue with him, unless he were to reveal that she was in the beginnings of a relationship with Vollrath himself.

A knock at the door had both men stepping back and relaxing some. There was no doubt who it was. Neither wanted to cause a scene or bring Elmar and Mahala into the disagreement that they were so far not a part of. There was about to be a war in the room between the two Nachtnebel brothers, Elmar entering the frey was not needed.

"Guys, it's late. If you’re still having some kind of meeting, I'm going to take Mahala home with me and Savina. She's still having effects from what happened earlier, and really should be resting somewhere other than an office couch." Elmar was annoyed, and he let his gaze rest briefly on all three in the room to show it. Someone in the room was pissed off and trying to hide it, he guessed more than one someone.

"How is she?" Vollrath didn’t hide his concern from his face or his voice. His brother had already figured it out, and was looking for a fight. There was no reason to put Elmar further on edge by acting indifferent. This night had already gone straight to hell without adding more to it.

"Let’s see…you tried to give her a stroke over being jealous," Elmar noticed Balor’s rather surprised reaction to that news, but failed to care and continued, "then she's slammed twice into a wall, choked, almost killed, gets intimidated by your brother, and has several hours of the Council being here and none of them ratcheting down their magic. The fact she's still sane and her brain hasn't oozed out her ears might be a blessed miracle. Someone in this room is also about to go atomic, so please ratchet that down before she does decide to have a brain bleed, and I have to fix that too." His arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the other three in turn, lips thinning in irritation.

Baldur’s brows had been raised as Elmar unloaded on Vollrath. He was normally the calmer and reserved one, but it was clear he'd reached his limit. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen that happen with his friend. Looking between the Nachtnebel brothers, Baldur also noticed that Balor was studying Vollrath who once more looked frustrated with the whole situation. It was going to become a pissing contest and the whole building, if not area, would be the battleground. Hopefully Elmar could get Mahala out of the blast zone before that happened.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 2 months

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It is time for the Council of Elders meeting and to decide Jonathan's fate...

Mahala was still asleep when the time for the council meeting arrived. If it hadn’t been for all three of the warlocks checking on her, and being sure that she was fine and just resting as she healed, Vollrath would have stayed and told the council to fuck off and he’d deal with Jonathan as he saw fit.

Instead, Vollrath replaced his suit jacket, that had been wrapped around Mahala, with a throw blanket and prepared to walk down to the conference room with Baldur. The lingering scent of her perfume on the collar of his coat made him doubt his decision to head the meeting, and simultaneously evoked an overwhelming sense of protectiveness. “Anyone comes through that door but Bal or I, kill them, El. I don’t give a single damn who it is or what the fuck they want. I will not allow anyone to come for her from the meeting, but that does not mean that someone won’t sneak into the building to try to get some kind of weird revenge or some shit, if it’s gotten out to the Coven at large.” ��

If he managed to keep his temper till the end of the meeting, it would be some small miracle. Already he wanted to go down to the holding cell that Jonathan was in and end the man’s life; then spirit Mahala away to his mansion like some prince locking up his princess to keep her safe from dragons. He’d been worried about witch hunters the night before, yet it had been a member of his own Coven who had almost killed her.

“Don’t worry, Vol, I’ve got this. I get it, she’s special to you. Fuck, she’d damn special period. We don’t have a witch that powerful in the whole damn Coven. I’m not sure I’ve ever met one in my whole life. If you think I’m letting anyone near her, you are insane.” Elmar reassured him. He kept his voice calm and level. Of the three of them, he always was the one with the longest fuse, and at the moment that was a good thing.

Vollrath nodded, then went over and placed a soft kiss in the middle of Mahala’s forehead. His breath stuttered slightly, the expression on his face tight and pained. “I will make up for this, meine kleine Hexe. Just don’t hate me when you wake up again.” His fingers almost trembled as they ghosted over her forehead and down the side of her face, the softest feather light touch. It was as if he was afraid one false mood could literally cause her to shatter.

Clearing his throat, Vollrath stepped back, straightened his suit, and then he and Baldur left the room. All the way down to the conference room they discussed in hushed tones their ideas on what punishments to put before the Council. Banishment from the Coven seemed the least that could be accepted, binding of magic next, and then there was full death for the attack. Normally Vollrath would make decisions on his own, but everything about the situation demanded the Council of Elders take action. It had been a long time since the Council had been invoked, and he knew that none of them would take it lightly that it had been now.

****

The video had been watched repeatedly, slowed down, and even parts enlarged so the Council of Elders members could see more detail. The Council had been deadlocked for over two hours, at times almost shouting at one another in disagreement of what the appropriate next steps and punishment should be. If no one changed their vote, another option would have to be devised and voted on. Vollrath informed the room of this once more, and prepared for debate again, something he was dreading. He had not anticipated this. He really had thought that the vote would not be very contentious.

Then the door to the meeting room opened. “It’s not a tie, dear brother, there is one vote left that has not been cast. So, you will not have to come up with another option. And, looky here, I’m it.” Every head in the room whipped around to the door of the conference room. Eyes went wide, a few scooted back from the table, gasps were heard, both Vollrath and Baldur were on their feet, but it was a toss up which of them was more shocked. “What? I mean, I do still get a vote, right Vol? You haven’t taken me off the Coven Council of Elders ranks have you?”

“No.” Vollrath felt his mouth go dry as he stood staring at his brother Balor. The last time he’d seen him had been four years before, and it had not ended well. If it wasn’t for his voice, Vollrath might not have even recognized him. Balor’s dark blonde hair was darker and longer, pulled back now, his beard longer than it had been before, but his startlingly blue eyes were as piercing as ever. He cut an imposing picture, his shoulders taking up the breadth of the doorway, arms crossed over his obviously muscled chest, and standing straight to his full six and a half feet height.

“You still have your seat, Balor. It was you who walked away from it, if you remember.” Vollrath fought to control his tone and expression as his brother entered the room with what could best be described as a strut. It caused Vollrath to straighten, but even then his brother had just over four inches on him. They had always looked similar, but at the moment, they were opposites. Where his brother looked like he could be a performer at a metal concert, Vollrath was in his finely tailored suit, perfectly trimmed facial hair, his auburn hair shorter and neater, and his eyes the ever changing hazel that had led his grandmother to bequeath him with the title of the Lion of the Nachtnebel.

“Good, I didn’t think so. I do apologize for my tardiness, it seems my invitation got lost in the ethos. Thankfully, a kind soul did ensure it got delivered in time for me to attend.” Balor smirked as he strode further into the room, expression smug and stride cocky. Only his brother and Baldur could match him in abilities and magic in the room, and he knew it. He did have to wonder where Elmar was, although glancing around, the little witch he’d heard so much about was absent too. “Play the video again, dear brother, I’d like to see for myself what transpired. I’ve heard the allegations, but I don’t like to vote on rumors and second hand information.”

Baldur slid his phone into his inner suit coat pocket with the mic facing up. Elmar was now on speakerphone so he could hear who just arrived, and not be surprised if anything went down. There was no doubt that Balor would press things, he always did, so better to be prepared. The fights between Vollrath and his brother had been legendary since they were children, and had not lessened as they got older. Since Mahala was affected by unshielded magic, it might be best for Elmar to be ready should the Nachtnebel boys go head to head once more.

“Of course.” Vollrath didn’t sit, but hit the button to play the video again. No one other than Balor was watching it as it once more ran though, projected on the screen. The rest of the occupants of the room were watching him, uneasy at his sudden appearance. How had he learned of this meeting? While he technically had a seat on the Council, most in the Coven feared him if not outright disliking him as well.

“I see. Interesting.” Balor commented once it had finished. One hand stroked his beard as his head tilted to the side, a silence stretched for a few minutes as he considered things. “And half of you are ready to allow Jonathan to escape with just banishment for his attack on the witch?” Balor’s gaze swept the room, landing on every one who had voted for just the banishment. “You really think that should be the only punishment for that attack?” His eyes narrowed, and Vollrath could swear his brother’s eyes seemed colder than he’d seen them before.

No one said anything. No one even moved. The room was so silent that even the smallest brush of fabric or deep breath sounded loud. Balor regarded them all with a bit of condescending amusement. This is why he kept to himself and his small group; hypocrites, the whole lot of them. Was his brother proud of this Council? Of these Elders who were afraid to voice condemnation for the violence they all saw?

“I want to see her.” He spoke to his brother, but noticed Baldur tense next to him. That was interesting. Vollrath, he expected to react, but that Baldur did and Elmar was missing meant this woman was important. He wanted to know how important, and to whom exactly. It seemed there was much more going on than he had been informed of, than maybe anyone had.

“Why do you want to further traumatize her, Balor?” Vollrath’s voice was eerily calm. Even Baldur was concerned how calm he sounded. With all that had gone on during the day, he’d expected more of a reaction. Balor was the last one that Vollrath had expected to see show up. He rarely cared about general Coven business and now something regarding Mahala hung in the balance. The universe had to be hating him for some reason. How had he been notified of this meeting?

“I don’t and I won’t. I was called to be here, I want to meet the one who has someone around you VERY concerned. Then I will vote.” Balor’s smile took on a sarcastic edge as he dared his brother to deny him. If he’d been paying attention, Vollrath already knew what he was going to say, there was no reason to keep him from meeting the woman. Or was there? Was there more than the video showed?

“Baldur, please escort Balor to my office.” Vollrath was once more almost too calm. He knew that Balor was looking for a reason to strike out, to make a scene before all of the Elders. At least that was how it felt to Vollrath, who had more than once faced his brother’s anger for being passed over for Master Warlock. If this was a test, he did not intend to fail, and he knew that Mahala would not.

Baldur nodded and led Balor from the room. “You will not upset her, you will not intimidate her, and you will not hurt her in any way. Elmar is with her, and if you do anything…”

“Save it, Baldur. I’m not going to. Something is up with my brother and I want to know what. You don’t think I can read him?” Balor interrupted him, and made it clear what his intentions were as they walked down the ball. “I am not going to challenge him in that room, but this I can do. That you and Elmar are standing by him means he has not lost the faith of the general Coven, and that he's on the right side of this….whatever the fuck it is.” His brows rose as he tipped his head and looked over to Baldur.

“Your brother hasn’t even slipped a bit, Balor. I’m not sure why you would think he had.” Baldur’s brows drew together. How had Balor known about the meeting? The vote? And Mahala? Someone in the Coven was talking out of turn. That it was to Balor was not that big of a concern, but if they talked farther it could be. Maybe it had been a bad idea to leave Balor out of the Council of Elders' call, but that still meant someone else had decided to involve him. Who else had someone decided to involve?

“I did not even flex my magic in the slightest, I pulled it back to be honest. She is very weak physically and drained, I felt the pull on my power, and wasn’t sure it was safe to let her feed off a strong tap not knowing her abilities. I can heal her if one of you two is not going to, however. I can feel residuals of Vollrath’s magic on her, so I know he tried and she is quite powerful in her own right when not drained, but she could use some help, Baldur. I did no harm. Ask Elmar if you doubt me.” Balor was now extremely concerned. He also understood why his brother seemed off. This witch needed protection, and instead had been attacked, in Vollrath’s own office no less. He was quite sure that at one point, she had been on the brink of death, even with her supernatural powers. This was what was causing her delay in healing, Jonathan had caused that extreme of damage. He pulled his powers back even further as he read the situation unfolding around him, and guarded his thoughts and emotions. There would be a time for expressing them later.

When they reached the door to the office, Baldur knocked, then entered first. “Mahala, this is Balor, Vollrath’s older brother. He wanted to come meet you before the final vote is cast in the meeting of the Coven Council of Elders.” His eyes then met Elmar, who looked none too happy about the other warlock being there as he helped Mahala to her feet. Baldur watched her with concern, she still looked unsteady. Regret over the antics from the morning weighed heavy on him after all that had happened afterwards.

Mahala stood, still looking shaken and drawn hours after the incident had happened. Shaking Balor’s hand, “it’s a pleasure, Balor? I’m sorry, my head is still…” She raised her hand to her temple then reached over to grab Elmar’s arm for balance quickly. Her breathing deepened, and Elmar took her hand off of his arm so that he could wrap it around her back, and get her back to the couch to sit down. She was getting pale and clammy. “Sorry...Sorry…” Her voice was slightly slurred.

“What did you do?” Baldur leaned forward and all but growled in Balor’s ear. Magic crackled in the air from both Baldur and Elmar. “If you hurt her…”

Elmar got Mahala some water, and ran his fingers gently over her forehead as she relaxed back over on the couch. He remembered that not only had she been choked, but slammed into the wall a couple of times by Jonathan. Maybe she had been more injured than they had originally thought. He’d just been relieving her headaches and nausea, but it seemed that more than symptom relief might be needed for the future.

“I now cast my vote for death. Immediate would be most prudent.” Balor watched Vollrath’s surprise. “It has been hours since the attack, I can feel the residual magic of not only the Master Warlock of this Coven, but also of his two Seconds upon her still, and she is not fully healed. When she rose to greet me, she could not stand more than maybe ten seconds without getting dizzy and almost passing out. Jonathan did not merely physically attack her. If she had been a normal human she would be dead; if she were not such a strong witch, I also believe she would be dead, so the punishment should fit.” He saw the glances around the room. He was quite sure they expected him to diverge from Vollrath’s desire, but he could find no argument to do that. That didn’t mean he was without more questions about Mahala, however.

“El, is what Balor says true? Do you need help, or have you got this?” Baldur asked when he saw the concern that was etched on Elmar’s face. If anything happened to her, Balor would learn even more how much Mahala meant to his brother. Vollrath might be the one to carry out a death sentence personally and instantly, something that hadn’t been done since his father had been Master Warlock.

“I’ve got it, I think. He’s right about it, she’s still got a lot of healing to do. Oh, and he also didn’t do anything, he wasn’t lying.” Elmar looked back and nodded. As much as he didn’t like Balor, he wouldn’t lie about that. “I’m wondering if she has a more serious concussion than we thought. Jonathan slammed her up against the wall more than once, the walls in this place are concrete block, it could have done some damage. When the meeting’s over, talk to Vol. Probably don’t want to let her sleep tonight or be alone.” Elmar wasn’t looking at them, he was focusing on the healing he was doing, and helping Mahala relax. If he had looked, he would have seen neither man was happy with what he’d just said.

“I’m ready to vote, let’s go back.” Balor didn’t even wait for Baldur before heading to the door, his voice was clipped and short. He had been able to read all he needed to know. His brother’s residual magic, Baldur’s residual magic, Elmar’s magic, and the strength of her own, coupled with the fact that she was still healing meant Jonathan tried to kill her and almost succeeded. There was nothing else he needed to know. He hadn’t expected that. He’d seen the tape, he only had wanted to meet the woman, and he knew that Vollrath would not deny him. Instead, he’d gotten a lot more insight into things than he’d counted on.

Baldur had barely caught up with him when Balor entered the boardroom once more. He looked around at all assembled with condescension before meeting his brother’s inquisitive gaze once more. “Interesting witch you have in your office, Vol. Also, still seriously injured.” Balor didn’t even try to hide his irritation as he looked around at the faces of the others again, noting their confusion and shock at this. “Elmar is taking good care of her, at least there is a strong warlock to do the healing. I give you credit for that, Vol.” He inclined his head to his brother, who seemed to be confused where he was going with everything.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 2 months

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TW - physical violence description, violence against women, choking, abuse, physical harm, injury

Vollrath, Elmar, & Baldur discover what happened to Mahala when she was alone in the office with Jonathan...

Before he sat down at his desk, Vollrath took a bottle of water over to Mahala, who told him she was now just feeling tired. Baldur and Elmar watched as he said something softly to her and kissed her forehead, then closed his suit jacket over her again. During it all, she hadn’t moved. Jonathan was lucky she was alive, they were both sure. Vollrath was never gentle with anything, yet he was handling her like she was made of the most fragile mercury glass. There was a look on his face, when he looked at her, that they had never seen before. Since both had known him since they were all children, that told them a lot about what was going on with him. Neither had a doubt now that she WAS the Lioness. “Okay, let’s see what really happened in here.” Vollrath said as he took a seat in his office chair, and letting out a heavy sigh. Baldur and Elmar grabbed chairs from the still overturned conference table and rolled them over, sitting so they could see too. None of them were particularly looking forward to having to watch her be attacked, but they all had to know what happened before the Council meeting. So, Vollrath hit play on the downloaded video, and they all waited.

They watched as the recording showed the three of them leaving, then Mahala unsteadily making her way to the bathroom. The heavy exhale from Vollrath had his two friends looking over at him, a bit nervously. He was obviously still upset at the way she had staggered as if drunk, leftover side effects of his anger. The guilt on his face was an unusual sight, and was one more clue that there was definitely something going on between Vollrath and Mahala that they had never witnessed before between him and another woman. He was now holding his chin in his hand, obviously tense already and nothing had happened; they hoped that when it did, he would be able to contain it.

It was shortly after that point in the video when Jonathan entered the frame. He sat down what looked like some reports on Vollrath’s desk, as he said he had. Then he seemed to be looking for something on the desk, moving some files and looking through others. There was some more shuffling of papers that were randomly on the desk until he froze, that was when the door to the private office bathroom opened and Mahala exited, still a little shaky and with a hand to her temple. The audio hadn't been downloaded but from the gestures, there had been some kind of conversation about who she was. The fact she had on Vollrath’s suit jacket apparently did not make it obvious she was somehow connected to him. Jonathan’s head started shaking and he grabbed both of Mahala’s upper arms and slammed her into the wall. There was a slight crack as Vollrath had a death grip on the arms of his office chair, and something plastic had broken. “Easy big guy, look over there. She’s fallen asleep, nice and easy. She’s fine.” Elmar tried to reassure his friend, keeping his voice calm. Or maybe he was reassuring himself, he was no less enraged. The devastation in the room, and the way he’d just seen Jonathan handle the woman, concerned him, a lot.

The video continued on to her trying to get away, obviously saying something. Mahala was once again slammed into the wall, then Jonathan had let go of one of her arms to choke her. There was about 5 seconds of that, with all three of them growing increasingly tense and enraged, and they watched as she put her hands on Jonathan’s chest and shoved once, and the second time it was like the room exploded in a white light. When the camera focused once more, the room was how they had found it when they rushed in.

“How did she do that?” Baldur asked incredulously. If she was untrained as Vollrath had said, how could she have commanded that much power into someone else? He was still staring at the screen where Vollrath had frozen it, trying to wrap his head around what he’d just seen. Nothing was making sense.

“She is untrained, she was terrified, and she probably didn’t mean to. Think about it. Her mind would have been focused on getting him away from her. She’s been in the company of the three of us this morning for a while. Three powerful warlocks, one being the Master of a whole Coven. It is going to call to her dormant powers, which are damn strong, Bal. Depending how much time she spent with Vol last night, could be a damn strong pull by now. Not to mention whatever residual magic was floating around from Vol losing his temper over jealousy, and then having to help her feel better.” Elmar laid out everything he was thinking. He waited for Vollrath or Baldur to correct him if he got something wrong.

“She slept in my arms on my couch last night.” Vollrath caught both of them raising their brows as they looked at him. “You can judge for yourselves our level of affection and how close we were. So, with the two of you both around her this morning, I’m sure that Elmar is correct. Which is why her training has to start immediately. It saved her life, but she could hurt someone on accident as well.” He looked at the two of them in turn before scrubbing a hand over his face and up into his hair.

Baldur considered it all. “She definitely shouldn’t be alone. Elmar or I should stay with her during the Council meeting tonight. You have to talk to them. The video will speak for itself, I’ll call down to security to have them get us a copy with audio. We need to protect her till you leave for your cabin with her. She doesn’t seem the kind to attack someone else, but Jonathan has friends that might not listen to the truth. Another incident like this one, even with provocation and you know that someone will be out for blood.”

Elmar nodded in agreement. She also needed to be protected from anyone that Jonathan might know that would seek retribution. She had not acted wrong, but others might not see that. “I’ll stay with her. Bal, you figured out what was wrong first. You can speak to the bruises we saw. If they want to hear from me, they can send you or Vol in. I can’t add much that you two wouldn’t be better for. But if they come for her, they aren’t going to fare well.” His tone and expression were serious. There were times that he didn’t trust the Council and this was one.

“El, don’t start a fight where there isn’t one.” Baldur warned. He knew exactly why he felt that way. “Vol and I got this. No one is going to come for her. This isn’t the same situation as your sister.” The growl that came from Elmar told him that he might have stepped on a nerve he shouldn’t have, but he didn’t flinch. “It’s not. Neither Vol or I are going to let them come for her. You just keep her company and make her tea, if she needs it, with some lemon. Her throat has got to be killing her.” He glanced in her direction, concern evident across his face.

“NO. ONE. is going to come for her.” Vollrath stated absolutely. “We are not going to mention the level of familiarity between her and I, nor that she spent last night in my company. She came here this morning to meet with the three of us after I confronted her on my property last night preparing to do a ritual she is not trained in. I convinced her to hear the three of us out about her abilities, and the ritual she clearly did not understand. That is all that they need to know. Or do you gentlemen feel differently?” Vollrath looked at both of them, as they agreed with him. He too knew the Council often stopped listening when they heard something that they thought was the “real story”, and were wrong. Limiting the story to just what happened in his office would prevent that. “How do we explain her having your jacket?” Elmar asked. That was the only flaw he could see in the explanation that Vollrath was suggesting. “Everyone knows Vol’s temper. She wasn’t understanding and accepting what was being said, and he started to lose his temper out of frustration. She didn’t know about shielding and he didn’t think about that. He caused her to pass out. We’ll leave out the real reason: she didn’t understand that you and I were flirting with her just to piss off the big guy, and Vol was actually jealous and about to hit one of us.” Baldur gave a tight smile. Not one of any of their finer moments and he would be happy to leave it out from anyone ever hearing about it.

“Yes, that would be the better explanation for that. And we WERE making her tea so you both could tell me what an asshole I am, and how I need to control my temper. So, it’s not like they will question that.” Vollrath sighed. He still felt guilty about that, and now more so that she had been hurt when he left her alone in the office.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 4 months

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"Are you having trouble breathing, Mahala?" Baldur was concerned, and was relieved when she shook her head. That was at least one thing they weren’t going to have to deal with. The inability to speak and that damn big bruise, they were. Why weren’t they healing? He had tried more than one type of healing and reversal spell and enchantment and it didn’t seem to be helping. This was normally something he could do without hardly a thought. He had to figure it out and do it fast if they didn’t want Vollrath to know about the situation. "Don’t you worry about a single thing, we are going to fix this, babygirl. It's resisting my healing right now; but, you're going to be okay, I’m just going.. "

"To get the fuck out of my way." Vollrath interrupted him abruptly, with a voice that was a low and almost feral growl; and he saw Baldur visibly flinch when he did. As his friend stood and turned to step away from the couch, Vollrath grabbed his shoulder, "when it comes to her, don't EVER hide something from me again." He didn't yell or raise his voice, he didn't have to. Baldur knew how serious he was, and nodded. The only thing keeping Vollrath from leveling his own office was knowing it would just put her through more pain, and she was currently dealing with enough.

"Close your eyes, my little witch." Vollrath told Mahala, as he replaced Baldur, sitting on the edge of the couch with his hip right up against her. His fingers gently traced over the deep pink, purple, and blue bruise that seemed to be darkening as he touched it. It was the opposite of what should be happening, and it frustrated him. He had no clue what Jonathan had done, but he had the power and control to be able to make it so she would be just fine. There was nothing Jonathan could have done that he couldn’t undo, that’s part of what made him who and what he was. The warlock down in a containment room would be dealt with later, by someone else. With his anger, he’d kill him if it was he that handled things.

Mahala nodded as she felt his gentle and light touches; she trusted him. Her hand went over to rest on his thigh and she felt one of his rest on top of it. The warmth of his hand and the way he cradled hers softly was comforting, it almost felt caring and protective. Surely it was her imagination though, it had only been less than a day since they’d met. It seemed like ever since she had returned to the town where her mother had grown up, one thing after another had gone wrong, but so far the morning in Vollrath’s office had been the worst. That’s why it was so perplexing that the man himself was able to ease her worries and upset. It put a very slight smile on her lips as she lay and waited for him to fix everything.

His palm ghosted over the skin of her throat, barely touching it, as he tried to not put too much pressure on the bruise that would be painful even if there had been no magic behind it; Vollrath closed his eyes to focus his magic on not only healing but reversing whatever spell or enchantment had been cast to silence her. He could feel the resistance to his mystical powers, and that only served to feed the rage that was building within him; he used that frustration to fuel his efforts to heal her. A slight whimpering from Mahala, as he increased his magic to force back Jonathan’s, made him instantly come to a complete stop with his efforts. He now knew what had happened and why nothing was getting better, and he was going to need one of the other men to fix it. As with handling Johnathan, his solution would be to simply kill him, which would no doubt not make the Coven Counsel happy, and they would now have to be involved.

“Shhh…I won’t do anything more that will cause you pain.” He gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips, then her forehead as he tried to sooth her. “You can still breathe without any problems?” He tried to keep his expression soft and warm, as was his tone, so he wouldn’t upset her any more than she already was. When she nodded, he was relieved that at least it was not getting worse. Vollrath could feel some of the tension in his body ease, as he was reassured that she was not in danger of suffocation. It was just temporary pain, not a risk of death. That he could deal with.

For a moment he thought about which of his friends would be better to send on the required errand for him. “Baldur, can you please come here for a moment?” He heard both men start to approach, which made him chuckle lightly. Both of them were worried; a fact that both warmed and amused him. He knew that they’d gotten off to a bad start that morning, but it did seem they were trying to make up for it. This is why they were his closest and oldest friends, while all three of them were far from perfect, when they made mistakes, they were ready to make amends without question.

“What do you need me to do, Vol?” Baldur was ready for whatever Vol had to say, or so he thought. He looked down at Mahala who looked even smaller than she had before, swaddled in Vollrath’s jacket as she lay with eyes closed. Guilt gnawed at him for how everything up till that point in the day had gone. If he and Elmar hadn’t good naturedly tried to provoke their friend, she wouldn’t have been alone in the office, for everything to have happened.

Vollrath turned, so he was looking at his two friends, his expression instantly changing and becoming malevolent and dark. Both men stepped back and gave him wary glances, not sure if one of them had done something, or if there was another problem. His eyes grew darker to an almost chocolate brown, his brows coming lower and closer together, and his jaw harder and more set, which only added the dark edge in his voice when he spoke. “Go down to containment and knock the asshole there unconscious. If he accidentally hits his head too hard and dies, oops…” His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. “He was trying to kill her when she defended herself and he’s still tied to her because of it. I’d go, but I WOULD kill him.” Vollrath’s jaw clenched again and there was no doubt in either of the men’s minds in front of him that he was serious. That they could see his one hand still lightly caressing the side of Mahala’s face was both unsettling and impressive.

Baldur’s lips thinned, his eyes now darkening as well; not only with what he’d been asked to do, but also with what he knew would have to come later. He’d been in the Coven long enough to know what Jonathan’s actions meant for the Coven as a whole. “I’ll call the counsel when I’m done. We’ll hold the meeting in the main conference room after hours tonight, for judgment on punishment. I’ll make sure he doesn’t wake up until then, and I’ll add another band.” He nodded to Vollrath, and turned and exited the room, his hands balling to fists as he did. Whatever had caused Jonathan to attack her, there would be no justification for almost killing her. If she was human the sentence would normally be death. That she was a new witch coming into the Coven complicated matters greatly, but he had a feeling that the judgment would be exactly the same.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Elmar looked at Vollrath, who he could tell was having a hard time staying calm, and not lashing out at Jonathan through the floors that separated them. Elmar himself was having problems staying still. He needed to be doing something to help. He hated feeling useless.

“Pull down the surveillance feed onto my laptop. Once Jonathan’s unconscious, it should stop back-feeding the spell, that has her voice trapped and the bruise darkening when I’m trying to cancel it out. I want to know exactly what happened in this office, but I don’t want to put her through having to relive it. We’ll also know what the Counsel is going to see tonight and where we need to clip it to keep certain things…private.” His jaw was flexing as Vollrath was trying to control his temper. Elmar could see that somehow, Mahala was remaining calm next to him. No matter what he had said after calling Baldur over, she had not started getting upset again. The woman truly was an enigma, and he was now convinced she was the Lioness to Vollrath’s Lion within the Nachtnebel line.

Baldur reappeared at the door a few minutes later, “you’re clear. He won’t be waking up for….a while.” A tick started in his jaw that had Elmar’s brows raising, and he headed over to Vollrath’s laptop quickly. Two of the most powerful men he knew physically and magically both pissed to the edge of reason, sure he wanted to be near them…like he wanted to be in front of a raging rhino!

“Hold still, love, and this will be over in just a minute. It shouldn’t hurt again.” Vollrath picked Mahala’s hand off of his thigh, turning it over and kissing the palm, before replacing the palm of his other hand against her throat. Closing his eyes, he focused his energy and power, causing his hand to glow and a warmth to spread over the whole area. He could hear Mahala’s breathing deepening, which meant she was relaxing, and that reassured him that this time it was working.

After approximately five minutes, the glow faded and Vollrath pulled his hand back. Baldur was now standing and looking over his shoulder. Both men could see the bruise gone, hopefully this meant that all Vollrath had been doing had been successful this time.

“Babygirl, can you say something so big guy here doesn’t kill someone?” Baldur finally said something, when Vollrath didn’t, earning him a glare from his friend that had him rolling his eyes.

“You’re loud, asshole.” Mahala said softly, making Vollrath laugh.

“She’s not wrong.” Vollrath kissed her knuckles and then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Rest, sweetheart. I think Elmar’s ready for me over at my laptop. We won’t leave you in the room alone again.” That got him a thumb’s up, so he stood and headed over to his desk, followed by Baldur, who still looked ready to commit murder in an instant.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 5 months

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“Other than the fact that she has no clue what she’s doing and needs your help with the magical part, she really doesn’t need you standing up for herself, does she?” Baldur asked once they were in the kitchenette on the top floor. He was impressed, which didn’t happen often. Most women looked at the three powerful warlocks to defend them and played “damsel in distress” to get attention, but it seemed that Mahala was not the usual female in any way.

“No, she doesn’t. You can see she has a voice of her own, and isn’t afraid of using it; you can imagine that last night I too was put in my place at least once. Once she knows how to control her powers, use potions, craft runes, and encant spells, she’ll be almost as powerful as the three of us. With her stubbornness and tenacity, she will be a force to be reckoned with. I’m honestly glad she is on our side. I wasn’t being glib when I said she’s going to be my assistant.” He cast a look over at Baldur with a smirk, then turned back to the reason he was there. Vollrath filled the mug in his hand with hot water and poured in some sugar. He remembered how she liked her coffee, so he was hoping she liked tea just as sweet.

“Das Lionessa Der Nachtnebel, hearing her roar was interesting…” Elmar said, making Baldur look at him then start shaking his head. Elmar raised his brows and started smirking. There was no doubt in his mind, not after how Vollrath kept acting around her.

“No. You’re joking. No, right? Very funny.” Baldur rolled his eyes, assuming Elmar was just being an ass again. “Don’t even start with that just because Vol finally has found a woman he is…falling in love with? And can stand his grouchy ass, let alone stand UP to his grouchy ass.” Even he was finding it hard to define what the fuck he had been watching in Vollrath’s office. Elmar couldn’t be right; could he?

“Might want to tell the ancients and ancestors that, and be prepared for an argument. Her mother called her “little lioness”, and I think you just saw she can roar even without using any powers. She had no problem standing up to me last night, even when I was trying to make her back down; and she just set you two in your place without even having to raise her voice. He’s the second one to call her that in less than 24 hours, and I hadn’t thought about that prophecy for…years.” Vollrath turned around and leaned back against the counter. He had hoped that one of them would correct him on his feelings, but instead Elmar had reinforced it. Now he was sure of it.

“Come on, Baldur, it’s pretty clear and logical. It would explain what's going on with Vol.” Elmar gestured to Vollrath with his head. ”Think about it, Mr. Freeze here suddenly thaws over a random unknown and untrained witch he just met last night? Spent the night with her and not in a sexual way. That is hardly the man we have known since we were kids.. Unless….” He raised his brows, tilted his head, and grinned.

Baldur looked between them. “You really think she is? Seriously?” His brows drew together as he considered it. They were both making too much sense. If she was, then there was a lot of shit that was about to go down. He’d stand by his friends through whatever, but it could get very ugly.

“I think she is.” Vollrath didn’t hesitate, as he bobbed the tea bag in the scalding water. He’d done a lot of thinking, and it made sense. It also made everything that was happening make sense.

“I’m going to go with that as well.” Elmar said. “Who else could thaw the Ice King and get him to kiss…" he grabbed his chest as he felt the wind suddenly knocked out of him. Shaking his head, he looked at the other two. "Please tell me that was one of you two being an ass?"

Vollrath said nothing but set down the mug and immediately took off out of the room at a dead sprint with the other two men on his heels. Since it hadn't been any of the three of them, that meant there was only one room on the floor that it could have come from, Vollrath’s office. None of them knew who had caused it, but there was no way it was good. It had been a great use of power, and no one in the building should be doing that for any reason.

The scene in the office brought Vollrath to an abrupt halt, but Baldur and Elmar split up both to avoid him and due to what they were witnessing in front of them. The conference table was overturned and a Coven warlock, Jonathan, was on the ground near one end. Mahala was in the back corner of the office behind Vollrath’s desk, huddled up in Vollrath’s suit coat and trying to become one with the carpet. Her dark hair hung in front of her face like a curtain, hiding her eyes from view, but it was clear she was shaking. Baldur slowly approached Mahala, putting himself in front of her so he was all she could see, while Elmar was over with Johnathan.

"Would someone like to tell me what the fuck just went on in here?" Vollrath demanded in a voice that left no doubt that he was enraged. This was one instance that being the Master Warlock of the Coven had its major drawbacks. He couldn’t be the one to go to Mahala, he had to remain impartial until he knew what happened. His heart was back in that corner and now Baldur had blocked his view; he was hating that all he could see was Baldur's back. Worry lanced through him with each step his friend took, but he knew that the woman that he was coming to love…yes, love was the word for it…was in good hands.

"That damn sneaky bitch attacked me." Jonathan announced in a clearly irritated and confrontational tone, trying to move away from Elmar, whose brow creased at the declaration. Vollrath’s head whipped to look at him at Jonatha’s declaration, pinning him with an intense stare. "Came in to deliver reports on the progress of the Marshall project and she was rifling through your desk. When I tried to stop her, well you see what she did!" His arms gestured to the disaster the room was now in.

Elmar’s eyes met Vollrath’s and he shook his head. Two and two were equalling six, and the powerful warlock didn't like it. If she had that kind of control and knowledge, why would she have not guarded earlier? Why get to the point of passing out over Vollrath’s jealousy? No, Jonathan's story wasn't right. Elmar may have just met Mahala, but he would take her side instantly over what had been said by a warlock that had been in the Coven for decades. There was more going on, and until he knew what that more was, he wasn’t going to accept that as the story. He had been in a position of leadership too long.

"Band him." Vollrath ordered, not needing Elmar to actually say that he didn’t believe Jonathan. It had been clear on his friend’s face. He didn’t believe the other warlock either. Something wasn’t adding up with his story, based on the woman he knew and the way he’d said it happened. Mahala might have the power to have destroyed his office, and more, but she didn’t have the knowledge of HOW to do it. Her training hadn’t started yet.

Vollrath turned his attention to Bladur, who was still very slowly approaching Mahala. He could only see Baldur’s back, which frustrated him and made him wonder what was going on for his friend to be moving so slowly. Was there something he didn’t know? "Bal?"

"Working on it. Don't want on my ass, V. I don’t believe his story, but she can still kick me." Baldur called over his shoulder, then turned his attention back to Mahala who was trying her best to disappear into Vollrath’s suit coat. While he didn’t believe what Jonathan said was the complete truth, something had caused chaos in Vollrath’s office, and Mahala did have a shit ton of raw power. If she was defending herself she may have done it without realizing it. There had to be some explanation and he needed to keep her calm and trusting him enough to find out what it was..

Finally closer to her, he crouched down, still making sure that he was all she could see. An enraged Vollrath was intimidating even to him; since she was already scared, it was the last thing she needed. "Look at me, babygirl. That's it. You're safe. We're back from the other room. Can you tell me what happened?" She shook her head and Baldur wanted to hit something. Why wouldn't she talk? If she was refusing to cooperate, it was going to make things exponentially harder. "Mahala, you've got to tell your…." He stopped when he realized that she was sobbing and gesturing to her throat, but there was no sound. She wasn't refusing to tell him, she literally couldn’t. FUCK! If Vollrath was mad about the teasing, this was going to send him into an apoplectic fit.

"Vollrath, would you please take Jonathan down to containment? I think Elmar and I will be fine here." Baldur prayed his friend didn't come over to find out why he wanted him out of the room. He reached out his fingers to brush just the tips of Mahala’s as they rested on the floor. He needed her to know he wasn’t going to hurt her and also to remain calm till Vollrath was out of the room. They'd fix what was wrong, but he needed Vollrath not to be losing his shit at the time.

"Why?" Something was wrong, Baldur wasn’t telling him something, and Vollrath didn’t like it. He couldn’t hear Mahala talking to his friend. He only had heard Baldur’s voice. With the slight confrontation earlier, he was sure he should be able to hear her. What were they hiding from him?

"Trust me." Baldur closed his eyes and prayed to the ancients to help them. “Just please take him out of the room.” He leaned forward and laced his fingers with Mahala’s keeping his eyes on hers. They would figure out how to fix this, but he needed Vollrath out of the room so they could.

Jonathan started to protest the request by saying that he was being treated like the guilty one when she had attacked him; and that seemed all Vollrath needed to get him to drag the warlock from the room. Now Baldur and Elmar only had a short time till he'd be back to figure out what was wrong and fix it. No doubt Vollrath would be as quick as possible since he couldn’t have missed something was very wrong.

"She can't make a sound." Baldur scooped the frightened woman up off of the floor and took her over to the couch. "If it's not her boyfriend trying to give her a stroke, one of his employees is trying to kill her." Gently he once more laid her down.

"Trust us, sweetheart. We may be assholes, but we would never purposefully hurt you, and Vol will lose his mind if you're badly hurt. We’re going to figure out how to fix whatever is wrong." Elmar gently took her hands to get them to release Vollrath’s jacket. When it fell open, both warlocks swore under their breath. Her entire throat was a mottled purple and red bruise. "I'd say she hit him in self defense. That is an ugly bruise." Elmar’s words came out slow as he took in what was in front of him and tried not to follow Vollrath down to containment.

"Good bet." Baldur sighed as he agreed, his finger gently traced over the skin of her throat. The bruise was beginning to swell, but held no residual magic that he could detect "I can't find any magic tether or spell remaining. Enchantment of some kind? He's got a wrought iron band on, he can't be holding her by force. See if you can find something over in the mess. Vol's going to be back any second and it’s going to get ugly fast." He saw Elmar’s shadow move as the other warlock went to try and see if he could find a talisman or other object.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 6 months

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By the time that Baldur and Elmar came back into the room, Mahala was sitting up on the couch and leaning against Vollrath’s shoulder with his arm around her. Elmar’s jacket was now on the back of one of the conference table chairs and had been replaced by Vollrath’s. The two friends looking over at the couple couldn’t remember any time in their long friendships that they’d seen Vollrath like that with a woman. They could only hope that this wasn’t a mistake on any of their parts.

“Is she feeling better?” It was Elmar who spoke and walked in to slip on his jacket again. He stood at the end of the room, not really wanting to test the waters after earlier. Even having noticed the jealousy building in Vollarath, he could not have anticipated the reaction that had eventually happened. Normally when irritated, his friend had a more verbal or physical reaction. That it had ended up being a mystical one, and one that injured an innocent party, did bother Elmar.

“I am. And from now on when you two piss him off, he’s going to take it out on you, not me.” Mahala’s voice sounded tired, but at least her head no longer felt like it was in a vice. Vollrath had at least remedied that for her in ways that she still did not fully understand. Magic was real, she was a witch, and the man that she was inexplicably drawn to was a powerful warlock…that was going to take a little bit to sink completely in.. “I don’t appreciate what either of you did, even if that hadn’t happened. I want that completely clear. I was nothing but polite and respectful to both of you, and did not deserve to be used in some…” her eyes closed as she sought for the right word to use. She was frustrated and that and the remnants of the headache made it hard for her to be as eloquent as normal.

Vollrath leaned over, kissing her temple and adding some extra healing as he did, to try to help. The look he was giving both Baldur and Elmar made it clear that he was still enraged, but controlling himself for her sake. He was not going to cause her one drop more of pain, even if he could remove it afterward. The two men, well, that was a different story for a different time.

Finally Mahala’s eyes opened and she stood, a bit unsteady and using Vollrath’s shoulder for balance. “Baldur, Elmar, her head turned slightly as she addressed them each. “I am not a pawn to be used in some kind of game that you play with your friend to see if you can cause a reaction. I am not a button to be pressed or a toy that can be manipulated to see if you can make him have a temper tantrum. I am a living, breathing, human who also just so happens to be a witch coming into your coven, and what you did was not only unfair, it was insulting and demeaning. My mother fled from the Codona mansion either slightly before or right after I was born, she hid my abilities as well as her own from me for my entire life, and now I’m wondering if she was fleeing this Coven.”

Both Baldur and Elmar realized their gross miscalculation in their earlier actions on both a personal level and as leaders of the Coven. While they had just seen how it was affecting Vollrath and been acting to get a reaction at his expense, they now saw how that looked to Mahala. She was a new witch, who had faced off against Vollrath, of all warlocks, in the dark the night before and came out with him almost worshiping at her feet. Yet she walks into their office the next day and they treat her as something just to get a rise out of their friend.

“Mahala, I’m sorry.” Baldur said. He now felt the regret he had seen etched in every line of his friend’s face when he’d left the office. “We made a grave mistake in how we treated you, and I feel bad about it.” It was an honest statement and he knew that there was no way to step back and make it better now. Forward would be different.

“You damn well should.” She was not going to give an inch, and she wanted that clear to both of them. “You behaved so juvenilely in this office that you should both be ashamed. Save any further words, because the only redemption you’ll earn will be through actions.” She looked at both of them and sighed heavily. Mahala was feeling exceedingly tired, no doubt lingering effects from what had happened a short time prior in the office. “I had really hoped to come here today and for things to go well. It seems…I hoped in vain.” Her eyes and head tipped forward simultaneously, feeling a bit of defeat. The previous night had shown her that she could not handle everything herself, she had hoped that the three of them would help her. The only consolation was that Vollrath still would, even if the other two decided to bow out.

There was a slight wobble in Mahala’s balance, and Vollrath was on his feet in an instant with his arm around her waist to steady her. Both of his friends had seen the kiss to her forehead that had almost seemed a completely natural action, and now how quickly he had just reacted was unlike anything they had witnessed as well. There could be no missing that there was more at work than just simple attraction. Physical attraction alone did not make such drastic changes to someone’s behavior overnight, not to someone as set in his ways as Vollrath was. Mistakes had certainly been made on their part to agitate him.

“Please sit and rest sweetheart, let me get you a snack and some tea. You need to get your blood sugar up.” Vollrath helped her to relax back onto the couch before placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. Then walked towards the other men, his eyes hard and face serious. “Walk with me gentlemen. Let’s talk in another room for a minute. I think the three of us have upset her enough for one day.” His brows rose as he passed them and headed through the door. Both men followed without a word, they knew an order when they heard one.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 6 months

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“Vol, he’s right. You lost your shit for absolutely no reason, and she got hurt. It’s obvious what is going on to both Bal and I. You need to get a hold on this. Take care of her, we’ll be back.” Elmar clapped him on the shoulder and followed their other friend. They all needed a little space.

As soon as the door to his office closed, Vollrath ran a hand through his auburn hair and walked over to the couch where Mahala lay. He’d watched her sleep the night before and even that morning, but she hadn’t looked like she did now. There was a difference. This was not a peaceful rest, it was something different.

Sitting on the edge of the couch next to her, he took her hand in both of his, holding it like it was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched. It seemed so small compared with his, so delicate. Gult flooded him and threatened to drown him. “Mahala, I’m so sorry. I don’t know…” His eyes closed, Vollrath did know. “I’m sorry, little witch, I didn’t trust you. I didn’t trust them. I let stupid shit get to me.” His head shook, this was just the thing his friends got on him all the time about, once his temper started to go, it was an explosion of some kind. Never before had it been over a woman. Keeping hold of one hand, he reached up and brushed her hair from her forehead, softly chanting a healing incantation as he did.

“What have you done to me? How have you instilled such a fear of losing you in such a short amount of time?” The backs of his fingers caressed her cheek, his lips thinning as guilt weighed on him. “Instead of holding you closer, I lose my temper and this is the result. I warned you it’s hard to let people close, but I never meant to do this.” He knew that he had to get his temper in check when it came to her, or he would lose her. It would only be a matter of time until he lost it AT her, not just AROUND her. Their differences the night before had been nothing compared to how enraged he was at his friends for purposefully pushing his buttons regarding her. “My little witch, you already have my heart.” The last sentence was said just above a whisper.

Mahala’s eyelids fluttered and her breath stuttered, the hand being held by Vollrath twitched and then held his back. He leaned over her, putting his free hand against the back of the couch to brace himself. She was waking up, now would be the test if she knew what had happened. Now he would find out if she would forgive him, or if he was going to have to send Baldur and Elmar away with her to train her so he did not lose his mind.

“Vollrath?” She blinked a couple of times, then her eyes squeezed shut and her hand not being held reached up to her forehead as her face scrunched. “Did I hit my head? What happened?” She blew out a heavy breath and slightly moaned.

“Let me.” His voice was soft as he pulled her hand down and leaned back so he could once more run fingers over her forehead. “I…” he sighed heavily, “I lost my temper, and forgot you don’t know how to shield your magic, or yourself from it. I am so, so sorry, sweetheart. I…” another heavy sigh, “I never meant to hurt you. I made a mistake in not being more careful and calming down.” He kept easing her pain as he spoke, hoping, praying that she wouldn’t hate him.

One eye slitted open to look at him. “You losing your temper feels like I bashed my face on your desk?” He nodded, guilt overwhelming him once more as he waited as her open eye once more closed.

“You’re going to have to work on that, as in like, today. I do not consent to be knocked unconscious because you and Elmar get in a fight. Knock him out. Or Baldur. They’re bigger.” She moaned slightly and her face started to relax. “Whatever you’re doing is helping.”

Vollrath just sat and stared at her as he worked healing magic over her. She wasn’t pulling away, she wasn’t rebuking him, she wasn’t doing all of the scenarios that had gone off in his head as he had been waiting for her to open her beautiful eyes. He leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. “Anything for you.” It was almost spoken as a prayer as he did, it was a vow.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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Mahala comes to Vollrath's office, but things don't go as planned...

“Baldur, Elmar, good, you’re both here.” Vollrath walked past their desks in the office on the top floor between the Executive Receptionist’s desk and his inner office. “I need you in my office, now.” Although he didn’t slow down as he walked through to his office, his voice was firm and both men raised their brows as they looked at one another, stood, and followed.

“I’m taking it that there was some excitement with the witch last night?” Baldur asked after closing the door behind the three of them. He had expected a call after everything was completed the night before, so he was curious how bad it had gone.

“You could say that,” Vollarath gestured for them to sit, “Mahala will be my new assistant. We will need to rearrange my office to add her desk next to mine. I will be taking next week off. She will be here in two hours to meet the two of you and for more formal explanations of all that will take place. Elmar, I will need you to do more in depth testing for strengths, she’s had no formal training. Baldur, I need you to procure a dagger and a pistol.” He looked between them. Both men were staring, mouths slightly open.

“Did you fall and hit your head on the way into the office this morning?” Baldur was the first to speak. “Drink a potion you meant to give her? Finally get laid?”

Elmar choked, shook his head, then put his elbow on the armrest of the chair he was in and rested his forehead in his hand. “If you’re going to kick his ass, can you please take it outside this time. I’m tired of having to pay extra to get blood out of the carpet.” Vollrath hit hard, and for some reason people did not stay out of his arm’s reach. Next time they were getting darker carpet in their offices. “How about, what had brought about these changes, Vol? This is not like you, and you know it.”

“You’ll both know when you meet her. I won’t have to explain a damn thing.” Vollrath hoped he was right, because if he had to try to explain it, they were going to think he had hit his head or that she had done something to him. That would go badly and he did not want it to.

“We’d better, Vol. We’d better.” Baldur stood and walked towards the door. “This is NOT you. So either she comes in and I understand, of Elmar there is going to find out what the fuck is up while I hold your ass down. I can see now that is what will have to be done. Something’s wrong with you, and I love you too much to let you destroy yourself.” He opened the door and walked out.

Vollrath sighed, rested his elbows on the desk and put his head in his hands. “Elmar, do you have anything to say? Go ahead. I don’t want to fight with you both, but if I have to I will. And if either of you two hurt her, I will hurt you.”

“Vol, he’s right. This isn’t you. You don’t do this shit. He’s just worried, WE are just worried. Threatening to fight us doesn’t make me feel any better.” Elmar stood and rested a hand on his friend’s head. “You are like a brother, Vol. I’ll wait till I meet her. Okay? No judgment until then.”

****

Two hours later the downstairs receptionist called up that Mahala had arrived and was being sent up in the elevator that went directly to his office. Vollrath had Balder and Elmar come in, so they’d be together when she arrived. For as calm as he appeared on the outside as he stood between his two friends with his hands clasped behind his back, his nerves were a wreck. The words of both friends echoing in his head.

When the doors opened, Mahala stepped out in a beautiful black business suit, looking polished and utterly gorgeous. She looked at the three powerful warlocks standing in similar positions before her and slowly took each one in. When Vollrath had dropped her off that morning, he’d been in a hoodie and jeans, now he was in a three-piece suit and it looked damn good on him. Each of his friends was as well, and they were handsome as well, but not quite as much as her warlock. She remembered what Vollrath had told her, lighter hair and grey eyes was Baldur, black hair and almost black eyes was Elmar.

“Good morning, gentlemen.” She stepped into the office, her nerves making her feel as if her stomach was to empty itself upon the carpet. “Vollrath, it is a pleasure again.” She gave him an affectionate smile and inclined her head toward him with lowered lashes, a pink tinge coming to her cheeks. Then she turned her attention to her left. “You must be Baldur,” she extended her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard quite a bit about you and your friendship and leadership within the Coven and corporation.”

For his part Baldur was stunned. Mahala Codona was not what he had been expecting, and as soon as he took her hand he felt the immense power that radiated off of her. She wasn’t even trying to cloak it, which meant that Vollrath had been right about her being completely untrained. “Pleasure is all mine, Ms. Codona.” He brought her hand up and kissed the back. If he hadn’t known better he would have sworn he heard Vollrath growl. “Unfortunately I cannot say the same, Vollrath seems to be keeping you a secret, and I can see why.” Now he was sure Vollrath was grinding his teeth, wasn’t this interesting? Was his best friend jealous? “I look forward to getting to know you better today.” Just to fuck with Vollrath at this point, Baldur gave her the most charming smile and flirtatious look he could. She was gorgeous and he could see why Vollrath was interested. He didn’t poach from friends, but he would fuck around with Vollrath a little bit.

Watching Baldur had Vollrath wanting to hit him even more than his words earlier did. The pink that tinged Mahala’s cheeks at his flirting had him wanting to clear his desk and rage. He knew it was irrational and that the look she gave him after Baldur had released her hand was one that said he was still the only one in the room she was interested in, yet he couldn’t help the jealousy. What was wrong with him?

“Which means you are Elmar?” Mahala gave the other warlock a bright smile as she offered her hand to him. Baldur seemed nice, so she was hoping that Elmar was as well. Something seemed to be bothering Vollrath, but she was trying not to let that make her nerves worse.

“I am, Mahala.” He took her hand and shook it, then like Baldur brought it up to his lips, knowing full well Vollrath was about to crack a molar or two. Watching her exchange with Baldur who had been the most against the woman and her affect on Vollrath, he had started to figure out that there was a shit ton going on. As soon as she touched him, he knew there was and while that didn’t tell him what was going on with Vollrath, it did tell him that she wasn’t a threat to him. “It seems our Master Warlock and friend did not do your beauty or grace justice.” He released her hand with a smile, and a slight bow to her. “You and I will be working very closely today. He has asked me to help evaluate your mystical gifts. I want to warn you that this can be a little hands on, but I promise it is painless.” He smiled at her, his eyes meeting her and making sure his voice was smooth as silk. Learning from Baldur, he watched as the pink bloomed on her cheeks and Vollrath’s breathing changed once more. “It might take into the evening, but I promise Baldur and I will make sure not to bore you or tire you too much, and will get you home safe.”

“You and Baldur?” Vollrath had just about enough of the two next to him testing his patience, and he now was sure that was exactly what they were doing. Mahala looked at him confused, and he realized he had no clue how he’d just sounded. Judging from the fact Elmar was fighting a laugh he could only guess it was less than friendly.

Baldur stepped forward, time to see how bad his friend had it. “Miss Codona, I think that Vol and El have had a slight miscommunication earlier about the day’s plan.” He offered her his arm. “Let me take you in the other room and get you something to drink while they clear that up. I’ll make sure you are very comfortable.” His best charming smile was given in her direction as he kept out of Vollrath’s reach doing it.

Mahala looked uneasy now and she felt almost ready to panic. She could feel something in the air and it was starting to make her dizzy. She blinked a few times looking at Elmar, Vollrath, and then Baldur again. There was tension, it was obvious on Vollrath’s face, but not the other two. Something was wrong. Had she done something? “Um..sure. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a problem.” She took a breath and put on a tight smile as she took a step towards Baldur, reaching a hand out to slide into the crook of his arm. The second she touched his arm, she felt the world spin, black coming in from the edges, and pinpricks of light filling her vision. She gasped at a spike of pain, and then it all went black.

“FUCK VOL!!” Baldur caught Mahala before she hit the ground. “You want to dial down your agitation and power, you’re even giving me a migraine. Damn, bro.” Sweeping her up in his arms, Baldur carried her over to the couch. “Can one of you get a pillow at one end so I can put this poor woman down, and then we can think of how to explain that you just caused her fucking pass out from jealousy big guy?” Baldur was pissed. He knew his best friend had a temper, but this was a bit extreme.

“Good job, Vol. Get a woman that looks at you like the sun, and you give her a stroke in one day. Normally it takes you closer to a week to run them off.” Elmar got the throw pillow ready for Mahala’s head and then took his suit jacket over to cover her legs since her skirt was riding a little high for his comfort, and he really didn’t want to meet Vollrath’s fist. “You do know that we were giving you shit, right? Poor girl was oblivious too, and she’s the only one that paid for your anger. You need to work on that before you kill her.” Elmar turned to face Vollrath who was standing at one the windows with his forehead against the cool glass looking defeated and dejected.

“Is she okay?” Vollrath’s voice was quieter and more pained than the other two men were used to hearing. He was holding so much guilt for not controlling himself. With how well the night had ended and the morning began, he still wasn’t sure why he had lost his temper like that. There was no doubt in his mind about who she had affections for, yet he had been so jealous he could not control it. Since she was the only one in the room who had no idea how to shield herself from the magic of others, she’d been hit full force with his power when he’d lost his temper.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself. You did it, you fix it. I need air. I’m going out for a cig. Come on El, let’s let the room air out. We’ll be back. Get your head on straight. She seems sweet. I see now, she’s not the problem. YOU are, Vol. Fix it.” Baldur stalked out of the room, he was pissed. He’d never seen Vol act like he was right now. He had a good idea why after meeting Mahala, but Vol had to get a handle on himself, or Mahala was the one going to get hurt.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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Things take yet another interesting turn as Vollrath and Mahala keep talking...could something more be at play here?

Somewhere between the kitchen and his bedroom as they had briefly discussed how the next few days would go, they both had started to relax. She was going to be introduced to his company as his new Assistant. Only Baldur and Elmar would know who she truly was, and, more than that, what she meant to him. Although, he was already trying to figure out how to explain it to them, since it still wasn’t making much sense to himself. They had known him since childhood and no doubt would be in shock.

Vollrath had told her more about his friends and Seconds in leading the Coven, about his family, his normal life, and what the Coven was like. It had then been her turn to tell him about what her life had been like. He knew that there was something wrong with her childhood and made a mental note to have both Baldur and Elmar look into it. Her family was as powerful as his, so not to tell her about her gifts and for her mother to have kept her moving around the country as a child made him worry for her. Now she was under his care, she would be safe, however he wanted to know who or what could be after her. Bringing her under Coven protection now was even more crucial than ever and he was not going to let her be alone, ever.

Starting on Saturday they were going to take a trip into the mountains to his cabin. There, away from people and the noise of the city, they would start to do training on all aspects of her abilities and magic in general. They’d spend at least a week up there, Baldur and Elmar could hold everything for his company and the Coven down that long without having to contact him. They might come back the next weekend to handle issues if they needed to, or they might just stay up there. How things went would all depend on how good of a student she was. He didn’t mention it, but it would also depend on how things were going between them.

“See, much more comfortable up here.” Vollrath kissed the top of her head as he adjusted the throw that was covering both of them as they reclined on the sectional in his master suite. Only one lamp in the room was on and it cast a soft golden glow over them that added to a warm amber glow from the gas log fireplace that Vollrath had lit up to take the chill out of the air. Currently they were sitting in the corner of the sectional, Vollrath leaning back against one side, legs outstretched with Mahala between them, her head just tucked under his chin. “I already admitted you had a point.” A slight chuckle followed, but he already knew she was teasing from the sound of her voice. “Don’t make me elbow you again, I’ve got both our mugs and I don’t think you want me to spill hot coffee on you.”

“I don’t know.” He teased back as he gently retrieved his mug from her, making sure that he, in fact, did not spill it on himself or, worse, her. “Having you play nurse on a burn on my upper thigh might not be so bad.” His other arm held her a bit tighter against him as he anticipated getting smacked for that comment, playfully of course.

“VOLLRATH NACHTNEBEL!” Now Mahayla laughed outright. “Do you always make such innuendos on the first date?” Leaning slightly to the side, she looked up at him, fighting a laugh and trying to look offended.

“Already with the full name, my dearest little witch! Was that really necessary?” Now he was laughing and pretending to be offended as well. Both were failing miserably, mostly due to not being able to contain their laughter. “And no, I do not make such innuendos on the first date, ever. I am a perfect gentleman, which you will see on our first date. As it is Wednesday, it means in two days. However, this is not our first date, this is just your first time in my home, therefore the rules are different.” He’d already kissed her, he’d already wiped away tears, he’d already held her in his arms to help calm her nerves over being overwhelmed. Assuming she’d agree to a first date seemed like a foregone conclusion at this point.

“You seem pretty assured I want to go on a date with you. I mean, I guess I could lower my standards….” Mahala shrugged her shoulders, tipping her head to the side, and slightly rolling her eyes before taking a drink of her coffee so she didn’t laugh.

“Das Lionessa Der Nachtnebel, you do go for the jugular, my dear. I believe my pride is not only wounded, but completely dead.” Vollrath chuckled and shook his head. He absolutely adored her ability to snark back at him.

“I’m sure it will recover with the flattery of some female at some point. With your good looks it won’t take you long to find one to throw herself at you I’m sure.” She kept her voice dismissive, but the thought of another woman in his arms like she was at that moment made her heart hurt, and she had no reason why. They had just met and she didn’t know if there was anyone else he was seeing. She only assumed not after what he’d said in the kitchen.

“No…no…I believe only one female at this point is going to work. A devastatingly beautiful little witch I found practicing forbidden rituals in my woods this evening.” A kiss was dropped at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. “And it is absolutely going to have to be Friday, delivered in a beautiful dress, over a fine dinner with wine. No other way will it be resurrected.”

“Fine…I can’t have the Master Warlock of the area walking around with his pride in the grave at my expense. You shall get your first date, Vollrath. However, I can’t guarantee that there will be a second.” She tipped her head to look back at him. “You best be on your good behavior.”

“Only my best, and I can guarantee there will.” He grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose. He could already hear Baldur and Elam insisting he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had, but he was enjoying it.

“Why does that make me think that you’re still not guaranteed to be a good boy.” Mahala laughed, the sound making Vollrath’s heart do something funny. Yes, he had lost his mind. Tomorrow at the office would be confirmation, he was sure of it. “Darling, I am a warlock, I’m rarely a good boy. When there is a beautiful woman in my arms who I am attracted to, I’m even less of one.” He grinned and held her even tighter against him. If he could convince her not to go into the other room to sleep that night or go home, he would be the best boy ever.

“I feel like I’m being warned.” She laughed and then her face grew a little more serious. “What did you call me a minute ago? Das lionessa…?” Mahala couldn’t remember the rest of it.

So she had caught it, Vollrath had wondered when she hadn’t immediately asked. “Promise to not try to run screaming, I would hate to have to chase you.” He had said it without thinking, almost as if it flowed naturally. Now, now he was nervous.

“Why? Did you insult me in some foreign language? Vollrath, you’re kind of scaring me again.” Her eyes narrowed at him, wondering what he had really said and why he was nervous. It sounded like he’d called her a lioness, but she wasn’t sure why he’d want a reassurance she wasn’t going to run if that was the case.

“Mahala, please just promise.” Now his voice was serious, those hazel eyes holding a silent imploring as well. While he waited for Mahala to respond, Vollrath felt like he was holding his breath, not sure if she would agree. So, when she finally nodded, he sighed heavily. “My grandmother was a powerful witch, much like you. My grandfather, her husband, called me the Lion of the family. She gave a prophecy that one day I would find my equal, das lionessa der Nachtnebel. And further, das Lionessa der Nachtnebel will rip out their throats and take their heads. Don’t ask what that means, I have no clue, other than I took it to mean that when she stood by my side that she would rule as my equal, since my grandfather always said I was more vicious than he’d seen in generations.” He swallowed, waiting for her response. How bad had he just fucked things up with a woman that seemed to cause him to take two steps forward and one back all night, and was he going to have to chase her down? There was no doubt he’d lost his mind to even be thinking the things he was about her, let alone how he kept feeling, but he wasn't’ letting her go or losing her.

Mahala turned to look away from him, not saying a thing. Her eyes darted about as she absorbed what he was saying. All night they’d been doing a back and forth dance, a push and pull with one another. It had started in the forest, and had not stopped. This revelation was something more though, it felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. Her mother had always said she was “her little lioness” because of how feisty and headstrong she’d been as a child. More than once she’d been told her viscous temper had no equal, and that she was more likely to take someone’s head off than make a friend. There was no way that Vollrath could have known any of that, and this seemed one more thing in a weird set that had been going on all night.

“So, you think? You think that’s me?” Finally she asked, still feeling like there was a weight on her chest. She was still facing away from him, needing that tiny bit of disconnect to handle things.

“I didn’t think. It just came out as if that was your name, who you are. Like it was right.” There was an uncertainty in his voice, and the fact she wasn’t looking at him was not helping him any. He kept his hold on her, praying she wouldn’t try to run. They had gotten so relaxed with one another somehow from how things had gone down in the mudroom just a few short hours earlier. Why could they not have just a few calm hours?

“I told you I don’t believe in fairytales, but after tonight I’m beginning to wonder.” Mahala said after a moment to think. “My mother called me her little lioness.” Her voice stuttered and she leaned over to set her mug on the tray table. “Said that I was likely to take someone’s head off because of my temper. So either you’re reading my mind, or….” She let her voice trail off, and she felt his arms tighten around her as she leaned back, closing her eyes to try and calm her nerves and racing heart. “Now we just need the villain, or maybe that is what I’m going to find when I go through that mansion I inherited. It seems that would fit with my mother running away and never coming back, an evil king?” She took a deep breath, still trying to fit everything right in her head. Opening her eyes, she once more tipped it to look up at him. His lips thinned, brows drawn together, forehead lined, and eyes tight, his expression hit her heart, causing her hand to rise to rest against his cheek. “You can see I’m not walking away even if it is like a fairytale and I’m in the center of it somehow.”

Vollrath felt like something had hit him in the middle of his chest and his breath came out in one rushed huff, leaving his lungs burning. His words from the kitchen, the one thing he’d asked her, she’d not thrown those words back at him the way some had in the past but instead used them to sooth his nerves that few ever knew he had. “You could completely destroy me, Mahala Codona. You know that?”

“I won’t. You trusted that when you told me how to do it.” She closed her eyes as she rested fully back against him. “And I trusted you when you told me I was safe with you after you scared the shit out of me when we came in your house.” Mahala moved her head so her forehead rested against the side of his neck. “You and I, we hold power over one another, and yet we already trust. I won’t claim to understand it either, Vollrath. This whole night has been….”

“A constant contradiction?” He finished for her, for the second time in an evening. She nodded softly, and it made him smile. He couldn’t argue with her. The whole night seemed like a continual and constant contradiction. They’d go from almost fighting to being soft with one another. Him wanting to throttle her to wanting to kiss her till she was dizzy from being breathless. There was a message from the ancients in there somewhere.

After a few minutes of silence, Vollrath asked the one question that he needed for that night. “Please, stay with me tonight. We can stay right here. I don’t want you leaving me.” With all they had talked about, with all the back and forth, with it feeling like the ground was shifting under his feet, he didn’t want to be alone and the only person he wanted with him was her. He wouldn’t force her to stay, but he might beg. Baldur and Elmar were going ot have him fucking committed to the closest mental institution.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Mahala’s voice was soft, relaxed, and calm. She didn’t know what the next few days would hold, but at the moment, she just wanted to stay right where she was.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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A confession draws them closer

Vollrath, for his part, wasn't fairing much better and was glad this had happened in his home and not office. Being forced to cover for his reaction would have made him fuck up, he was sure. "I'll keep that in mind for the future." Would he ever, and how she affected him as well. At the moment he was trying to figure out how to not ruin things but get to talks they needed to have. Nothing since they had walked into his house has gone according to his plans, and that was a rare occurrence.

"I'm always open to bribes." Her hand that had landed on the back of his head during their kiss, lightly ruffled his hair. She was starting to get nervous again under his intense gaze, even if now there was no hostility in it at all.

"Is that so?" He slid her off the stool so she was standing pressed against him, then slowly started backing towards the coffee pot. He had an idea. Hopefully he was not as clueless at romance as he thought. "Hopefully homemade bribes work just as well as store bought." He grinned as he spun her to face the counter where the pot was then caged her against it with his arms.

The small gasp and laugh told him enough that he'd done well so far. "Maybe I can bribe you to share more about you tonight." He reached to get the mugs and placed a kiss against the side of her neck as he set them down. "I'll even trade some about me." As he started to pour the mugs, he rested his head against hers.

"I might be amenable to that trade." Mahala couldn't hide the smile in her voice as she answered him. She may have said she didn't believe in fairy tales but she almost felt like she was in on at the moment. The princess with the powerful wizard seducing her and also having fallen in love with her at first sight, only to reveal she was a sorcerss.

Finishing pouring, Vollrath wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I'm sorry that I upset you earlier." He wasn't sure where that came from. If there was something he did only slightly more frequently than kissing a woman but rarely enough no one could remember the last time, it was apologize.

"I have a feeling it won't be the last time we have a miscommunication. " She laid her arms atop his. "We have lived very different lives in different worlds." Her head leaned back against his chest. "It means a lot that you apologized though." She turned her head and tipped it back to look up at him.

"There is probably one more thing I should mention before you meet Baldur and Elmar." How did he explain this one to her? Since meeting her he could barely stop touching and placing his lips on her. Still Vollrath needed to get it out of the way. Gently kissing her upturned lips, since he very well could get smacked or pushed away shortly. It might be his last opportunity for a while.

"You're stalling." Mahala teased with a grin.

"I am. You didn't have to point it out though." He chuckled and held her slightly tighter, wondering where this ease came from. "See, they will of course mention it, and.." he lightly sighed. Swallowing hard he decided to just spit it out. "I am not normally like this around a woman. At all. Not this relaxed, not this affectionate, and," due to his nerves getting the better of him, he dropped his lips down next to her ear. "I know you won't believe this, but the last woman I kissed that wasn’t family was in college, and I've slept with a few since then. I don’t just mean on the lips, I mean anywhere, period." His eyes closed. They could be starting over from scratch in seconds and he was already missing the feel of her in his arms, the smell of the way her body chemistry interacted with the sandalwood oil she'd gotten on her during the interrupted ritual, and the feel of her skin under his lips.

Turning in his arms to face him, Mahala’s face was awash with a mixture of confusion and shock. "Are you serious right now?" Her eyes searched his face as she waited for a response. He couldn’t be, could he? He had kissed her forehead when they were still out in the woods on his property.

Normally when Vollrath heard that question it was full of sarcasm, but hers was full of confusion, as was her expression. "Yes. I told you earlier that you are very special, my little witch. Don't ask me to explain, because I can't. I'm not playing games, Mahala, I gave you my word." There was a soft sigh as he finished talking and at the end his voice sounded defeated; he wasn't sure how to feel, which was in itself a new feeling. He was a Master Warlock and head of his own company. Normally he was fully in control of everything and everyone around him. Then he found Mahayla in the forest and he felt like his world was upended.

"I didn't mean it like…now I'm the one who is sorry, Vollrath. Bad word choice." Gently one hand rose to lay on his cheek, the auburn stubble there tickling at her palm and fingertips. "I just meant it has all felt so…" she struggled to find the word without once more using a poor word choice.

"Natural." He ended the sentence for her as she nodded. "You also don't need to apologize. It seems we are both in new territory tonight." His lips formed a soft smile as his eyes softened around the edges. Vollrath didn’t believe in love at first sight, but this was definitely a new territory that he’d never been in before and he was curious exactly what this was. What he did know was that having Mahala in his arms DID feel like the most natural thing in the world and the little acts of affection required no thought like they had in relationships in the past.

“Very new. Whatever is going on between us plus this whole thing with witches, warlocks, hunters….I’m just…overwhelmed…” She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the middle of his chest. Her emotions were starting to get the best of her and she let out a stuttered breath, almost a dry sob as she just felt everything hitting her at once. When Vollrath’s strong, muscled arms enveloped her to hold her gently, there was something so comforting in it, and she felt herself wrapping her arms around him and just relaxing into his strength.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Vollrath kissed the top of her head, his hands gently caressing her back. “How about we skip talking in here and take the coffee up to my bedroom, I have a huge sofa up there we can relax on? It’s more comfortable and not so bright. It’s my sanctuary from the world” For some reason the thought of having her wrapped up in his arms, relaxing in his room, made his heart speed. He felt a NEED to do this, to have her close and keep her that way.

When she nodded against his chest, he smiled against her hair and kissed her head again. “You are safe, Mahala, always with me.” It was a vow that went to the very core of his soul.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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As she finished speaking, Mahala wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by everything that poured from her lips or she was. Her voice had been firm, her eyes meeting his evenly, and she had somehow kept from shaking. Now was only to see what he said. Would he admit what he was thinking, what was swirling behind those hazel eyes of him that seemed to be shifting colors already in the light of the kitchen?

And now we find out how our Master Warlock responds.

Once more Vollrath found himself wanting to throttle the witch in front of him and kiss her till she was breathless at the same time. Even his best friends would have been proud of her for challenging him like she just had, and he was. His jaw clenching to keep him from snapping at her, not because she was wrong or out of line, but out of a defense mechanism to keep anyone from getting to close, he took deep breaths through his nose as he took another step closer to her and used his hand still on her hip to pull her flush against him. His eyes never left hers, and it was an intense stare he expected her to wither from, but once more the little witch before him surprised him and straightened more to face off against him with a fire in her eyes that called him like he was a moth. He was NOT going to let her go, and her threat to walk away from him sparked something in him, a desperation to stop her in any way he needed to.

"It appears we've already had our first miscommunication, Mahala." He breathed out heavy through his nose, shutting his mouth once more to keep from making it worse and leading to an actual fight. A few more breaths and he continued, "I was not saying I'm not attracted or that I don't want you to flirt, although I will not lie and say I would prefer of the three of us that it was with me you flirted with, if you do. I won’t even deny that I find you desirable and hard to resist." That at least got him a raised corner of her mouth. He sighed and gently pulled his wrist back from her hand to take that hand gently in his. "Let me try this a different way, okay?"

Once Mahala nodded he lowered his head down so their foreheads were touching. He would have to focus on keeping his voice low which meant also choosing his words better. "You are the strongest witch I've ever met, and I don't know if it's that or something else that is drawing us together but I feel it. I want to protect you, Mahala, I want you to feel safe, I want to help you discover what you truly are, and I want to share a whole bunch of wonderful firsts with you involved that…but not just with that, I just don’t normally have to put it all into words. What I don't want is for you to have the wrong idea of what my life is like or I'm like and that be what ruins things. I can assure you I'm quite capable on my own."

Vollrath closed his eyes, still feeling the weight of her gaze and took a deep breath. "Letting people in, letting people close, doesn't happen often with me." His eyes opened, and he saw confusion swirling in her eyes. "That doesn't mean it won't, it's just hard." His jaw tensed. "I don't do casual relationships because of that. So as we work together if you can't…" He swallowed. Fuck he hated how many times as an younger man he'd been told both he and his love weren't worth it. His heart ached and he fought the notion of telling her to forget it and he'd have Baldur train her. It was then that the thought of his best friend touching her, having his arms around her as he taught her spells just about had him committing violence. Was he losing his mind?

"Vollrath?" His name, soft and quiet as a prayer, and the sensation of Mahala’s hand against his cheek had him opening his eyes to gaze back into hers. He didn't even realize he'd closed them, and he wondered how long he'd stood there lost in his own thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Mahal asked, her voice no louder than the first. She could guess, but did not want to be wrong. A single tear started to escape his left eye and she gently wiped it with the pad of her thumb. How did they get here? The large male who could be intimidating in a heartbeat obviously in pain over…something?

He swallowed once more. "Just promise that if something develops you won't just walk away at the first sign of trouble or things not being a fairytale." Vollrath was actually pretty proud of himself for sounding a lot more calm than he was. He'd just told her how to wound him deepest and leave him destroyed in her wake.

Mahala searched his eyes once more for deception but found none, instead only his openness and a form of vulnerability. "I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago, Vollrath." She believed she at least now understood what he had meant before. "I'm also stubborn and have no problem speaking my mind. So, you'll always know what is on it. Just don't think that because you can boss everyone else around that you get to me as well." One side of her mouth rose as she smirked up at him.

A light chuckle shook his chest, "my darling little witch, I hate to break it to you but how else are you going to learn." Once more Vollrath was starting to relax as they both laughed at his teasing comment. His heart still ached and if she had pulled away from him, he wasn’t sure exactly what his reaction would have been.

"And what if I don't listen?" The smile that had lit up his whole face when he'd laughed had made her heart do something funny, so she decided to test the waters further and see if she could get another one.

"Defiance, eh?" He smirked, amused, and raised a brow. "You know there can be punishments arranged." He laughed as her eyes went wide and her mouth made a little "o". So close together still, he couldn't miss the laughter trying to hide in her eyes. "Although…I tend to prefer incentives better." He grinned and moved his hand from her hip onto her back.

They were so close Mahala had to wonder if Vollrath could hear or feel the thundering of her heart at the slight dip in his voice and the feel of his tightening hold on her. This man she knew almost nothing about was having serious effects on her. "And what incentives would those be? They might not work on someone like me."

By all the gods, Vollrath could easily fall for the untrained witch before him. Something so simple as playful banter seemed to elude former paramours, most having never been anything but overly serious. "Hmmm…for a worldly witch such as yourself? Starbucks? Cheesecake? Steak dinners? Trips to my cabin? Or…" He'd had her smiling and almost laughing, transfixed by the lights dancing in her eyes when his lips found hers. Soft , slow, and almost chaste, his first kiss in decades stole his breath and left him craving more.

When their lips parted, Mahala found herself looking up into his eyes that seemed to have shifted to an amber, the color of fine aged bourbon. "Or…or is very nice…" she somehow managed to stumble out, although her brain and heart were both aflutter at the moment. One soft kiss and Vollrath had left her a jumbled mess.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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Discussions continue in the kitchen...and tempers rise..

"It is my vow to never give you reason to doubt me, Mahala." If he did not get away from her he was going to say or do something to either frighten her or change the whole dynamic of their relationship in a direction he did not want quite yet. Reluctantly he took a step back from her but left their hands joined. "Come, let's start the discussion. Okay?" He started to lead her out to the lit hallway to the kitchen without waiting for her to even answer.

"Okay." She replied and followed. Instantly she missed the feel of him so close, the tingle of his magic sliding over her. Mahala was pretty sure she must be going insane. Having a crush at her age, on a man she just met, who was the most powerful warlock in who knows how large an area was not the most normal thing to be doing. But there she was, following Vollrath through a mansion that put the one she had just inherited to shame, admiring his ass, and anticipating the next forehead kiss.

His kitchen was no less impressive than the rest of the house that she had seen. Far more updated than the one she had at her familial estate, brighter too. The handsome warlock now standing in the middle of it didn't hurt any. Now she could see him better, and it gave her even more butterflies than before. She had known he was tall, well over six feet, but now she could tell that his hair was a medium auburn and those hazel eyes of his really did change when he moved in the light. The hair of his beard held more red and for some reason it was the sexiest thing. She had been able to feel his muscles, but seeing them outlined through his well fitted shirt was causing her to find it harder to meet his eyes again, and this time not due to intimidation. Mahala was quite sure she must have hit her head because thinking thoughts like shew as at the moment was not like her.

"Coffee or tea? I don't do soda. If you want water or juice, I have orange and apple. I also have lemon or lime for tea and water." Vollrath offered her as he led her over to the stools on one side of the large island in the middle of the kitchen. He could feel her eyes on him, and it made him smirk a little, as soon as he could, he too would be checking her out now that they were not in low light.

"Coffee, please. Do you have cream or milk?" Then added a little "Oh!", as Vollrath released her hand and didn't pause before turning and lifting her by the waist to deposit her gently on the stool he'd pulled out for her.

"Both." He winked, kissed her forehead again then the tip of her nose, and spun around to head off to do preparations, leaving Mahala staring a bit stunned and slack jawed.

A moment later she composed herself to turn and face the island, watching his move effortlessly around the room. While the carafe was filling in the sink he pulled out the milk and cream, holding them up for her to point to. Next came sugar or sweetener. Then he let her pick the coffee flavor. It was all ready by the time the carafe filled. Now they just had to wait while it brewed.

"So you understand, before we start discussing anything else." Vollrath leaned over the granite countertop of the island in the middle of the kitchen, his hands just over shoulder width apart and flat on it. She really was stunning, his drank her dark hair and chocolate eyes in before he continued, "I am the Master Warlock of the Dunkelheit Coven. Baldur and Elmar are my Seconds, and best friends. All three of us are single and for good reason. It is our responsibility to lead and protect the Coven. When we choose a partner, it has to be someone who can help us with that responsibility, a true partner in all aspects of our lives. Don't flirt or think that you.." he saw her mouth open to say something. Her brows had already started to draw together, forehead creasing, breath increasing. He held up a finger.

"LET. ME. FINISH." His voice was firm, but not raised. Her mouth closed, but arms crossed over her chest. "Do not think you can have a casual or light or, fuck, even normal, relationship with any of the three of us. We aren't normal, we're not easy, and at times a lot is required of us. So, before you get offended, the same speech is given to all females who come into the Coven over eighteen or are born into it when they turn eighteen. Now, I'm done, so, the kitchen is yours, my lady." Vollrath inclined his head and gestured over to her. For some reason he did not get the same level of enjoyment out of that little speech as he normally did. In fact, he had a feeling they were back to square one and he'd just fucked something up again.

"We met hardly an hour ago, and you feel the need to give me a warning about relationships with you and two men I haven't even met. I'm not joining your Coven. I'm here because I inherited a mansion that happens to be in your territory and made a mistake in thinking that summoning a spirit was as easy as something off TV. Please make this make some kind of sense for me, Vollrath, because you’re the one that seems to be making the advances, not me." She was confused, tired, and her own attraction to him and emotions were not helping. Not even factoring in the forehead kisses that he kept giving that were seriously fucking with her head.

Before she had time to focus on what he was doing, Vollrath was around the island, and had turned Mahala to face him. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, her lips slightly parting as she was once more left stunned and slightly intimidated. His face was serious. Auburn brows were low and drawn together as hazel eyes seemed to almost swirl in color. His hand was still lightly on her hip from turning her, and he raised his other hand the place two fingers under her chin to keep her looking directly into his eyes. Vollrath leaned forward, their noses almost touching. "Tell me you don't feel it, Mahala. Tell me you don't feel the attraction, tell me you don't feel the spark every time that we touch. Look me straight in the eyes right this second, and tell me that you don't, and I will apologize for a false assumption."

In that very second, in a kitchen he had had many females in over the years, he had not felt the urge to kiss a woman full on the lips since he had been in college. But in that moment he wanted nothing more, and that both confused him deeply and scared him to his very soul. That was why he had given the warning but he had no clue how to tell her that. No idea how to explain that. The contact of his fingers on her skin was a temptation to slide them back in her hair and do just that, to give into temptation.

Mahala stared back into his hazel eyes that seemed to have darkened almost to a chocolate brown, it was as if they could shift their colors like a chameleon. It confused her, it scared her, but there was something about it that seemed to reflect the man before her that could one moment be twirling around the kitchen with a smile on his face as they discussed coffee and the next be so intimidating. Her problem was that she couldn't tell him that she didn't feel it and she hadn't been thinking about it. And looking in his eyes, it was even more apparent that the reason that he'd given the warning was that he was feeling it as well. Maybe that was the problem, they were both feeling it, and they were both scared at what that meant and why it was happening.

"I told you I wouldn't lie to you, Vollrath. I'm not asking you to apologize because you are not wrong, I'm asking you to make this all make sense." Mahala's eyes were pleading and her voice soft. She didn't want to argue with him, she didn't want to start a fight. Her hand came to rest on the forearm of his arm that had a hold of her hip. "You tell me that I am an actual witch, but I'm not. My mother was a witch, I have her grimoire. But I have never practiced, I have no powers, and I was only going to do that one spell." She held up a hand, stopping anything he was about to say. He hadn't even tried to interrupt her, but she could already hear it in her head. Tears swelled up in her eyes, she was so frustrated and so confused. "Before you say anything, I know it was a mistake, but it was just that one spell. I've never done any magic in my life. I was just here in this city to settle the estate and see if I wanted to stay or if I just wanted to sell it all. And now I'm here in your house, and we're having this discussion, and you had to give that warning because of something that neither of us can deny."

One side of Vollrath’s mouth lifted as he looked down at her, considering how he wanted to answer everything that she had just said. He had given her time to say it all so she would understand he was coming to respect her. Only time would tell how some things with her would turn out, but other things would depend on how well they could work together regarding the powers that were innate within her, whether she wanted to admit to them yet or not. In the end that was what would make the full determination of it, including whether she stayed within his territory or not. It was that thought of her leaving that caused a dull ache in his chest, that he absolutely hated. What was this little witch doing to him?

He was a difficult man the best of days, he was stubborn, he was demanding, and he tended to buttheads with just about everyone, including the two men who were his seconds in command of the Coven, as well as best friends. He had felt the need to warn her, so that she didn't get attached and thinking that life would be roses or any different than it was in that exact moment, he would always be a hard man and his life always would be demanding. It would only be whatever love or emotions developed between them that would be the difference and how well they could work together. However, what he hadn't told her was he already would be willing to kill for her, to destroy for her, to ensure that no one ever could hurt her. That was something that he would say for very few people, and he did not understand why he was willing to do that for her now, so soon after meeting her. The possessiveness, the protectiveness, the almost level of obsessiveness that he was feeling in those few minutes that they had actually interacted with one another since they had met, he would willingly almost go to war over her. He wanted to understand it, and eventually he would find out what it was that was causing this. For right now, he would not let her go, he could not let her go, whatever he had to do to convince her to continue to see him, to let him instruct her, and whatever else it took to stay in contact with her he would be willing to do, even if he had to scare the living shit out of her to do it. He would not be proud of it, but he would do it. Because there was something so deep inside of him that needed to do it and he needed to find out what it was before it could destroy him and by proxy the Coven.

After what seemed an eternity to Malaha, Vollrath answered her, "You are a witch, Mahala, you're a powerful one. For whatever reason, your mother chose to hide that from you. I can help you discover everything about what you are and the gifts that you hold. I can guide you, I can teach you, and I can protect you. Whatever this is, this thing that we're both feeling, we'll figure it out as we go. I make no promises, but at least now you know exactly what you're getting into if you decide that this is what you want and our feelings are always mutual. I won't lie to you, and it won't lead you on. I'm also not an easy man, and I'm not going to change for you. I don't expect you to change for me." He wasn't exactly sure how he made it through that speech. He felt like he was drowning in the chocolate pools of her eyes. He really did think that she possibly had some enchantress powers within her. The skin beneath his fingers dragging down the side of her neck felt like satin. He both hated her and desired her in equal measures.

Mahala’s breath was shaky, he kept telling her she was something she felt to her core that she was not. Yet when she looked in his eyes, she could see no deception, something she’d been good at since she was a child. What she did see confused her in other ways. It was as if he was at war with himself, but she dared not voice that. Her hand not already resting on his arm rose to lightly grasp his wrist. “Don’t toy with my emotions, Vollrath. Speak very clearly what you want because I want no miscommunication or misunderstandings here. You seem to push and pull, muddy the waters. You tell me not to flirt or expect anything after I’ve done nothing of the sort, yet you stand here with something entirely different swirling in your eyes and touching my skin as if you were my lover. I am not a naive girl, Vollrath, and *whatever* this is…it’s not a game I’m going to play. You offer to teach me about gifts no one in my life has ever even hinted at, yet caress and keep giving light kisses as if you are looking for something completely different than an apprentice. I will not be toyed with, no matter if I have trespassed on your Coven or your personal land. So talk straight to me, or let me go and I’ll make sure you never set eyes upon me in your city or territory again because I have no intention of being a piece in a game of someone’s ego.”

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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@blind-the-winds @saltysupercomputer @late-to-the-fandom @spookyceph @writingmaidenwarrior @jessica-writes22 @toribookworm22 @verba-writing @aziz-reads @sam-glade @outpost51

Two steps forward and one back...sometimes it becomes a dance....

"Listen here, little witch, I think you know exactly who and what I am." Suddenly the air around them seemed to hum and vibrate. Vollrath’s face became a mask of rage, his eyes hard, and voice cold. The distance between them was closed in a mere step, his head tilting to look down at her, his gaze even more intense and intimidating than they had been at any time up to that point. Mahala didn't flinch, her exterior hiding her instant regret at provoking him and her inability to move. "Do you really want to start a confrontation with me right here and now? I would consider your answer very carefully. Remember where you are and the mistakes you almost made in the forest on MY land. Once you summoned your mother, how would you contain her? How would you vanquish her back to the other side of the veil? What would happen if another spirit showed up? Were you ready for any of that? So, again, do you really want to take me on?"

Through all he said, the volume of Vollrath’s voice did not raise. His tone made the Arctic Circle seem like a tropical vacation, but he did not yell. He'd also, at some point, taken her hand again. The action had been so smooth that she had not even noticed until he had stopped speaking. Why he had done it was once more a mystery to her, this man was so confusing!

Mahala wasn't sure how she didn't run from the room like a scared mouse being chased by a lion. In that moment, Vollrath’s rage had him appearing as if he was a lethal predator and it shook her to her core. From somewhere she found the fortitude to stand her ground. Within her chest, the beating of her heart threatened to break ribs to free itself, and her lungs felt too constricted to allow full breath, yet she still remained on her feet.

After almost a full moment of silence, Mahala gave Vollrath a reply, the tick that had started in his jaw indicating his already foul mood was further deteriorating. "I know that I made a mistake considering the ritual to summon my mother, you don't have to remind me. That doesn't mean I'm a slave or captive to be ordered around like I do not have free will, Vollrath." She closed her mouth before her voice started to shake. She'd made it that far sounding confident, best to keep it that way.

"I consider you neither." He leaned in closer, his hazel eyes almost seeming to glow in the dim light. Still his voice was calm and quiet, but his demeanor was less intimidating. "You are an untrained witch with a great deal of wild power who is currently under my protection. If I let you leave without at least a couple basic protection spells, information on how to contact me, and some basic discussion on what you are and how hunters will find you, do you think you would be safe?" His voice was smooth and almost too calm for how rattled Mahala felt. Just as he finished speaking Vollrath’s thumb swept the back of her hand and he squeezed very gently. He would have done more, but given how keyed up she was, he preferred not being slapped or more. Everything would come in time, he could feel the ancients and ancestors working.

Mahala knew that there was something he’d done with the caress of the back of her hand, but she didn’t know what. She could feel herself relaxing, her breathing easing, and her heart calming, even if her emotions were still a tempest. "What are you doing?" Her voice was quiet and sounded small as her eyes searched his like they held some answer that she would be able to discern. He somewhat frightened her and what he had just said reminded her just how dangerous he was, and also how much she needed him at the moment.

Unshed tears sparkled in her whiskey eyes, reflecting in the dim light coming in from the hallway to the mudroom they were currently standing in, there was no way Vollrath could miss them. His free hand rose to gently lay against her cheek, trying to comfort the upset he had caused. There was something about the witch that made him feel possessive and protective over her in a way he did towards none other under his purview. It was hard for him not to draw her into a comforting embrace to try to sooth her. Everything he normally avoided was what he wanted to do, with her.

"You might not like my style, Mahala, but I am trying to help you. I need you to listen and work with me. Sometimes that may mean I have to do things you don’t like to get your attention. You are safe with me, always. That , I promise." His eyes met hers evenly as he spoke. If she ran, he would have to chase her. If she fought, he would be forced to restrain her. If she'd just work with him, he could keep her safe and alive. “Do not make me be harsh with you, it is not what I want. I'd prefer to help calm and comfort you as we do this.” He hated scaring her which was unusual, normally he gave not one single fuck.

Once more his fingers slid into her hair to pull her gently forward to press a soft kiss to the middle of her forehead for the second time of the night. As he did, he heard her exhale a stuttered breath and felt her trembling fingers rest against his chest. Maybe she was starting to trust him. Maybe this could work if he could also control his own temper, a small feet in its own right.

"Why do you do that?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She didn't want to challenge him, but she did want to know. Mahala found that for some reason she liked it when he did, but it made no sense that he did it.

"Does it bother you?" He tilted his head so he could match her volume, his lips now brushing the curve of her ear as he spoke. Why did he wish his lips to be on her skin, to find hers? He ached for it. His mind already playing over the scenarios in which he could further contact.

Very slightly her head shook, the contact with him sending vibrations over her skin and giving her chills. Not only was he very powerful, he was devastatingly and darkly handsome, a combination that was giving her totally inappropriate butterflies at the moment. His small shows of affection were part of her confusion regarding the whole situation.

"No, I would just like to know the reason." Mahala got enough control of her breathing and voice to ask.

A slow smile formed on his lips as he began to answer her, "you are very special, little witch. More powerful than you realize. You have me captivated and draw me to you in ways I have yet to fully understand. I feel the need to personally see to your protection, training, and education. I want you to trust me, Mahala." Vollrath, to his credit, was honest. He didn't mention he normally did not kiss women anywhere, even in romantic settings or that he would gladly do more if she'd allow, but he felt he'd given her enough information for the moment. This was especially true since he had no idea why he craved her so.

On Mahala’s part, his answer did nothing to quell those butterflies she was already feeling. Without realizing it, her fingers had gripped the fabric of his shirt. "I will trust you, Vollrath, unless you give me a reason not to." Before she could think better of it, she turned her head slightly and left an ever so soft kiss on his cheek right next to the corner of his mouth.

Mahala Codona was going to be the death of him, Vollrath was quite sure. If she didn't frustrate him by making him want to throttle her, she was going to cause him to want to end the world to keep her safe. And those petal soft lips that had just caressed his cheek, they became a whole new temptation of their own; which had him doubting his own sanity.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 7 months

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"No, I would just like to know the reason." Mahala got enough control of her breathing and voice to ask.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 8 months

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They get out of the woods..but is that any better??

Strange, I was to ask you the same thing.” Now Vollrath smirked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her, knowing that she truly had no grasp on her powers and was a force of nature, a strong one. “It seems we are going to have MUCH to talk about, Mahala.” Suddenly he jerked his arm and pulled her forward so fast and hard that she crashed into his chest where his other arm banded around her back to hold her tight against him as his forehead came down very close to hers. “Don’t lie to me Mahala and never try to play games with me, and we will get along fine. Understood?” He looked deep into her dark eyes, that had she been able to harness her wild magic he would swear were enchanting him. This witch was dangerous to him, and he was glad she had no clue just how much so.

Mahala swallowed and nodded slightly. As sexy as Vollrath was, he was also intimidating and rather frightening when he was intense. She wasn’t sure which one was winning out of those three at the moment. “Understood. And same, Vollrath.” Her voice held a sense of assurance she did not feel as her chin lifted just a little, never breaking eye contact. It was not lost on her that she was in no real position to be making demands, but she at least wanted it out there that she expected the same.

“Of course. I will help you with everything, because you’ll need it, darling witch, but try to fuck me over and it will not go well for you.” His voice held no threat, not a drop, and his eyes remained on hers. Vollrath wasn’t sure he could have torn them away in that instant had he had wanted to. He could feel his heart thundering as he was as captivated by her beauty, as he was her mystical energy, truly an enigma. Her slight defiance was something new as well, and his eyes narrowed slightly at her for it. It was a vow he was making with his word to help her; and he would indeed help her learn the craft, help her learn to shield her magic and herself from hunters, to protect herself, and he was going to have to find out what this was between them. “First, we need to get out of the open.” Raising his head slightly he kissed the middle of her forehead, then released her, keeping hold of her hand he had taken earlier, and began to lead her back towards his mansion. As he did, he had to wonder exactly what that kiss had meant, for both of them. Vollrath didn’t kiss women, ever, kissing meant emotional attachments, and he avoided those in any and all forms with females that he wasn’t related to, apparently until now for some reason.

A kiss on the forehead had been about the last thing that she had expected. It was a touch of softness in a man that Mahala got the impression rarely was. Although she could not deny that being held against him so close had awakened things in her that shouldn’t have, given the current situation, so it was possible that the feeling was mutual between them. She couldn’t imagine any woman wouldn’t have those thoughts though, Vollrath was handsome, tall, broad shouldered, and muscular. Add onto that his mystical powers and he was anything a woman could want. Somehow his slightly threatening air made him even more sexy, not less, to her.

“Where are we going?” Mahala asked as Vollrath led her through the underbrush of the forest away from the clearing that she had been in. He made sure to point out anything that she might trip over and hold back branches that would be near her face. She was thankful for the assistance but curious exactly where she was being led.

“You are on my land, we are going to my house.” He answered simply enough, keeping his voice low. While he had not sensed anyone else on his property, hunters were known to be exceptionally good at concealing themselves. Since Mahala had not cloaked herself with any kind of magic, or from any kind or magic, she could have easily been followed. Most hunters were not foolish enough to engage him head on if they knew of him or his Coven, but if they did not realize that she was with him, then it could become a nasty confrontation quickly. “We will talk more when there is not the possibility of others listening, or being snuck up on.” He turned to look back at her to make sure she understood.

For her part, Mahala did and she gave Vollrath a small nod. There was not chastisement in his voice outright, but she could not help but to feel it. He did not have to say that she had not been careful and could have been followed for her to know that is what he meant. The fact he wasn't mad at her made her feel guilty all the more. If it was true that she could be tracked by hunters and she was also on his land, then she had put him in danger too.

Finally they reached the tree line and stepped out onto his vast lawn. This is when Mahala got the first glimpse of his home, which appeared to even be larger in scale than the one she had been left by her family. Did everyone in this town live in mansions? She doubted it, but she was a little surprised at quite how large his house was. When she had been in town, she had seen normal sized houses, but why had her family had such a mansion and Vollrath as well? It was something she’d tuck away in her mind for now.

As they made their way across the lawn, Mahala cast her eyes down toward their joined hands. He had not taken her hand in a closed grip manner, rather their fingers were laced between one another in a rather familiar manner. She had to wonder if this was something he had consciously decided to do, or if it was simply a habit for him to do. So many questions ran through her mind as the walk continued in silence. She would not have called it a comfortable silence exactly but it was not outright uncomfortable either. Awkward would be the best descriptor, and mostly because of the reason for their meeting. Still, there was something comforting about the way he was holding her hand. It made no sense to her, but then nothing since she’d looked up and noticed him had made sense. so, this seemed to be par for the course.

When they reached the side door to the house, Vollrath waved his hand to unlock the door before them, then opened it inward and released Mahala’s hand, stepping inside and holding the door open for her to come inside. “Please follow me into the kitchen. Do you prefer tea or coffee? We have much to discuss. You will need to stay here tonight, I’ll take you to your car in the morning. You will be safe here.” He added as he closed the door and threw the locks behind her.

“No, wait a minute. I’m sure you’re used to being able to give orders. I’m assuming Master Warlock is like Master Mason, like it’s some high rank in the Coven, but I’m…” the look that was on Vollrath’s face when he turned around had Mahala’s voice trailing off and her sentence ending there. Lips were pressed together and thin, brows were coming down low, and his stare was intense. If it was possible to actually lose height from just a glare, then she was sure that she was. While she was not sure, based solely on his ability to intimidate, she guessed that he rarely was challenged, if ever.

“I do not believe I gave you an option.” His voice was flat, emotionless, even if she was testing his patience. “You can either stay here, or I shall call the sheriff and you can spend the night in jail. It is up to you Mahala.” The corners of his lips rose just the tiniest amount. It was not a smile nor a smirk, but a third almost thing, a taunting thing.

“I don’t know you, and you expect me to trust you to stay the night in your house? You could do anything, be anyone!” She still protested, raising her hand to point at him as her voice became more sharp. For one thing she didn’t like being TOLD what she was going to do without being at all consulted. She liked being threatened even less.

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magical-mistakes-vm · 8 months

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So now Mahala can see Vollrath...now what?

Now it was Vollrath’s turn to freeze in place as his blood turned to an ice flow in his veins. He was doubly enchanted, she should NOT be able to see him. She should not be able to sense him. Yet, there she was looking straight at him and obviously she had heard him and was relieved that he was not what she had anticipated seeing. Who was she? More importantly, how could she see through the enchantments?

“Are you just going to stand there watching me?” Mahala finally spoke, a slight tremble coming into her voice. The man obviously knew he’d been spotted from the look on his face, but he had neither said anything nor come towards her. While she’d been relieved at first that he was human, now she wasn’t so sure that was better than the alternative.

“That depends, Ms. Codona, on why it is that you are in my forest.” She could definitely see him, might as well find out what she was doing there, and possibly how she was able to get around some of the most powerful enchantments done in centuries. It was not as if looking upon her was going to be a chore, she was as stunning as he had been told to anticipate. In fact, he was rather looking forward to getting in better lighting so he could appreciate her beauty even more.

“Uh…oh…I…I didn’t realize I was trespassing.” Her eyes went wild as she looked around at everything she’d spread out on the ground. “I just looked for a location that had what I needed to try to contact the spirit of my mother. I can leave, sir, if…”

Volrath holding up a hand caused her to stop. “I didn’t say you had to leave, I just wanted to know why. Also why a witch is in my territory without checking in with me. Being from the Codona family, I would have thought you would have been warned not to piss off the Master Warlock of the local Coven.” One brow rose as he continued to stay in his original location but his eyes never left her.

“Well, that would be the problem.” Mahala’s eyes closed as she took a deep breath. She had just trespassed on the Master Warlock’s land, and offended him…wonderful….thanks, mom. Opening her eyes, she looked up and over to him. “My family never told me anything about being a witch. What I know, I figured out by myself and learned from Google.” Did he just choke? Quickly she got to her feet and started to walk towards him till he held out an arm.

Vollrath had not known what to expect her answer to be, but that she was completely untrained was not it. So, he had an untrained witch on his property, about to summon a spirit which was an advanced ritual that he was quite sure she had no concept of the ramifications of, could see through high level enchantments, and she couldn’t even tell how powerful he was enough to be scared? Had he pissed off the ancestors? A lesser god? A major god? Fuck! “Ms. Codona, I’m going to need you to not do that ritual, gather your supplies, and come with me. I think we have some things to talk about.” He was not angry with her, but even he could hear the irritation in his voice as he fought not to be short or lose his temper. “I do not think you know what you were about to do, from the scent of those poultices that you have, if you have not been trained. I am Vollrath Nachtnebel, Master Warlock of the local Coven. You can trust me, I will not harm you, you have my solemn word. If I meant you harm, it would already have befallen you.” The edge came out of his voice more as he spoke, gaining more control of his emotions.

Looking back and forth between Vollrath and her ceremonial circle, Mahala considered what he’d just said. It was true that she was not really sure what she was getting herself into. If the spell was in her mother’s grimoire, could it have been that harmful? The truth was that she did not have one single idea, but it was clear that the male was far from happy, so it was probably a sure bet that it was not safe. Finally she looked at Vollrath and nodded. “Just give me a minute to clean everything up. By the way, how do you know who I am, sir?”

“I’ll help. It will be faster.” This time his voice was calmer, he had more of a chance to gain control of himself and his reactions. “I do not think it is safe to stay out here if you have not been shown how to guard yourself or your magic. I will assume if you were not taught about magic that you were not taught about hunters either?” He stepped around the bushes and started closing the distance between them. He kept his tone and posture relaxed so she would not see him as the predator and true threat that he could become if the need arose. “As for who you are, as I said I am the Master Warlock of the local Coven. Little regarding anything within the mystical realm in the area escapes me.” Especially when it involves a beautiful woman, he finished in his head but did not say out loud. He could flatter her later if he wished, but this was not the time or place. Nor was he one fond of entanglements; the witches he had experience with wanted to be with him for his wealth, position in the Coven, abilities, or a combination of those. He refused to be a trophy or used for what they could get from him.

Mahala found that she was finding his voice soothing and relaxing for some reason, probably something he was doing. Master Warlock, something told her that meant that he had all kinds of nifty tricks. Not that she knew how to prevent it or even recognize it if he was doing something. She had not been lying when she’d said that her family had told her nothing of how to use her gifts. “Hunters? No. From the sound of that, I’m going to guess they are nothing good. If anything like those that hunt animals, then I have no clue. And same for any kind of guarding. It seems you are assuming correctly, Mr. Nachtnebel.” She let out a heavy sigh after her words, realizing how out of her league she truly was in even being here. Returning next to her backpack, she knelt down to start collecting things.

“I will help you to understand everything, including what you are able to do through your bloodline. Please, also call me Vollrath, there is no need to be so formal.” Innocent mistakes it was, so he would not be harsh on her unless he had to. How a powerful family like hers had not prepared her for her natural mystical abilities perplexed him. They had to know that even if she never discovered them, that hunters would be able to use her innate vibrations to find her. It made him question why her mother had left and never returned, even when her own father was dying. That could wait until they weren’t in the middle of the woods after dark. “You are correct, that hunters are as they sound. They originated with the witch trials and inquisitions of antiquity, but they have gotten much better in their ability to suss us out as time has moved forward.” He crouched on the other side of the sigil and began to collect items.

“Then please call me Mahala. And that explains why we probably moved around a lot when I was a kid.” Mahala added the items in her hands to the backpack then held them out to Vollrath to take what he had collected. When his fingertips brushed her skin, they left it tingling in their wake. She wasn’t sure if that was his magic or if it was because he was the best looking man she’d ever met and talked to. Having moved around so much, it wasn’t like she had a lot of relationship experience. “The longest we ever stayed in one place was a couple of years.”

While he didn’t know what Mahala had felt when his fingers touched her, Vollrath was surprised at the literal spark that passed between them. He had never had that happen with a witch before, only another warlock. Witches rarely held that amount of power. So, that could explain seeing through the enchantments. Curious. The woman before him was not only enticingly beautiful, but an enigma as well. The evening was certainly shaping up to be much different than he had anticipated when he had left his house. He had a feeling that as more was revealed it would only continue to be more so.

“If you were not taught about your gifts or how to hide them from those who would harm you, then that would be the logical way to avoid detection. I knew the man I assume to be your grandfather. He was a very powerful warlock. I never knew what happened to your mother or what caused her to leave, or your father.” He remained crouched, watching her secure her bag. Then he pushed himself to standing and held out a hand. “Here, let me guide you through the forest back to my familial mansion.”

Mahala’s eyes dropped to his outstretched hand, then up to his face where his brows rose and his head cantered slightly, then back to his hand again before she slid her much smaller hand into it, and allowed him to help her to standing. The same sensation as before wrapped completely around her hand and started to work its way up her arm this time, and she took in a quick gasp of air, her eyes darting up to his once she was upright. “What are you doing?” Tremble once again filled her voice as her eyes widened. “Strange, I was to ask you the same thing.” Now Vollrath smirked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her, knowing that she truly had no grasp on her powers and was a force of nature, a strong one. “It seems we are going to have MUCH to talk about, Mahala.” Suddenly he jerked his arm and pulled her forward so fast and hard that she crashed into his chest where his other arm banded around her back to hold her tight against him as his forehead came down very close to hers. “Don’t lie to me Mahala and never try to play games with me, and we will get along fine. Understood?” He looked deep into her dark eyes, that had she been able to harness her wild magic he would swear were enchanting him. This witch was dangerous to him, and he was glad she had no clue just how much so.

#magical mistakes #paranormal romance #supernatural romance #chapter 2 #new chapter #new writing #magical romance #warlock #witch #witchcraft #fiction #original fiction #original story #original characters

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