Page 29 of Resurrecting the Witch
“Interesting,” Anya said as she walked around Patrick like she was inspecting a new car. “A conduit is something that can hold power but not use it. Maybe like a plug in the wall? But you can’t charge yourself up to any power, you simply hold power like energy in your body.”
“So, he’s not a regular zombie, but a battery zombie?” Lennox asked.
Honestly, I was thinking the same.
“Technically, he is an undead conduit,” Guillermo added. “Zombie is a fad term. He was resurrected from his grave, so he is undead. He has power-sharing and holding capabilities, so he is a conduit. Therefore, undead conduit.”
Lennox pouted.
Guillermo noticed and added, “But, if you prefer zombie battery, or whatever else, that’s fine too, I suppose.”
“I like zombie better,” Patrick admitted, and I couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across my face.
“My sexy zombie.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him suggestively, and his gaze heated at what was mostly a joke on my end to lighten the tension in the room.
“This sexy zombie has a craving for something between your legs,mo peata. And while most of me is undead, I can assure you my cock is very much alive.”
“Dude,” Dom and Drew said, shaking their heads from across the room at the same time Lennox asked, “Why was that so hot?”
“Bryg, why did you leave me here with this?” Anya muttered and stared up to the sky.
I laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re out of control.”
“When it comes to you, I definitely feel out of control.” Patrick moved to stand by my side at the head of the bed. “But what does this mean for Cliona? I don’t want to take her power.”
“Thanks for bringing us back to reality, Patrick,” Guillermo said. “While a conduit might help manage your power in the short term, Cliona, the time has come where you need to pick at least one coven member and power share. It doesn’t have to be today, but it needs to be soon.”
“Why does she have to pick?” Patrick seemed more curious than defensive of me.
“Because I have too much power and need to disperse it so it can grow and thrive. If anything, I’m not just doing damage to myself but also my family’s magick the longer I keep it all in,” I admitted out loud for the first time.
Everyone looked at me with slackened jaws.
“Oh shut up, the lot of you. I know I’ve been a bit stubborn but for good reason. I don’t want anyone else burdened by this. It will always be a threat to you, and coven formation isn’t something that can be undone. It’s for life.”
“We know,” Lennox said.
“But you’ve never said it out loud before.” Drew walked up and placed a kiss on my forehead, ignoring the bristling Patrick on my other side. I wasn’t sure he knew Drew was like a brother to me, but he had to know now. “I know the grands would be proud of you for this, Cliona.”
“I know.” I sighed. “I’m embarrassed it took this to make me realize it. Give me until the Samhain Festival is done to decide on who, and we can perform the ritual that night after everyone goes back to their own houses.” I sounded defeated and couldn’t stop my head from hanging or my eyes from drifting closed.
A warm, smaller finger gripped my chin to lift it up, and I opened my eyes to see Anya staring into them. “I’m proud of you, Cliona Erin Ó Cuinn.” She wiped the tear that spilled down my cheek. “So very proud.”
Chapter 8
“Is this your first town council meeting?” Gioia asked as she sat on the folding chair next to me in the Town Hall courtyard.
She saw me when she came in with Drew and Merrick, who probably attended every meeting as business owners. There were more people in the courtyard than I expected, probably a little less than a hundred. The space in the center of Town Hall acted almost like a nature preserve with flower beds on each wall and vines climbing the upper portions. There was a glass ceiling at the top, showcasing the clear night sky. The moon was waxing and almost full, so plenty of light shone through the space, in addition to the soft lighting throughout. It wasn’t bright, but it wasn’t hard to navigate the surroundings either.
“Is it that obvious?”
I hadn’t seen anyone else I recognized on a first-name basis except for the Hemlock pack and Lavinia, who I had already sat next to. Lennox said she would rather chop off her left nipple than come to a council meeting, so I figured there was some sort of torture involved, but I doubted Drew would bring Gioia if that were the case. She might have been eighteen, but she was definitely still treated like a pup. “Do you come to them all?”
“I try to,” Gioia answered, her cheeks blushing slightly. Before I could ask more, the double doors behind the five larger podiums at the front of the space opened to reveal the council members.
I spotted Cliona’s silhouette first and nearly groaned at the sight. We hadn’t spent much time together in the last week since her poisoning after Anya kicked everyone out of her room so she could rest.
I was incredibly annoyed at the universe for not giving me the private time I craved with her. I was also hard as hell, making my time chopping wood in the forest for the townsfolk in preparation for the winter more difficult than usual.
