United. (Book 5 of the Lupus Antiqua Series)
Always a Bigger Fish

Loralee

The newcomer didn't seem this powerful initially. But the girl was more than holding her own. In fact, she was giving Loralee the best fight she'd had in over a century.

She was smart, fighting her ice with fire, and she had the force of will and the depth of power to keep it up to the point where Loralee couldn't overcome it. Who would have though that the pretty, if mousy recluse had a dragon within?

If the girl could last a few minutes longer, then she had the power to join the elite coven. The one Loralee led. As an Imperium the girl was an asset regardless of power level. But an Imperium with this much power? She'd be a coven leader one day. Perhaps even High Witch of the War College in her own time. That is, if there was still a War College in the coming years.

Loralee watched as the fire Abby was throwing at her kept coming. Time to test how deep that well went. Loralee grinned savagely and sent a blast of winter from within so potent the ground around her cracked with the force of it.

**

Abby

She'd thought Loralee had already been at full power. She'd been wrong. A cold so pervading, so inexorable that it could only be described as the breath of death itself hit the air like glass and sharp metal, sending knives of agony splintering through her lungs, her skin, her skull.

Not even the fire she was wielding was enough to protect her from cold that potent. She coughed and icy mist tinted with blood came out. If she didn't figure out how to overcome this, Loralee might well kill her.

She pulled more of that power up from within and unleashed it, letting it have it's way and the fire flowing toward Loralee tripled in size, both recoiling when it hit the air around the ice witch and also reaching for the woman, aching to consume.

She thought for a long moment that she would manage to win this, but then the cold, that pervasive, tricky cold, slid around, over and beneath her fire and slithered into her with icy talons that wrapped around her heart.

She gasped and all at once the fire died and Abby fell to her knees on the frozen ground, clutching at her chest, which felt like it was freezing from the inside out.

Loralee walked toward her, stride graceful and elegant and crouched in front of her, eerie eyes capturing hers.

"You have great power, girl. In time you may outshine me. In time, you will lead. But you have much to learn. You've done well, but never forget. There is always a bigger fish.

There is a great battle on the horizon my dear, and the creatures we are likely to be facing are not to be trifled with. When properly motivated they pose a threat even to us." Her voice was quiet and cold like the rest of her.

Loralee held Abby's gaze for a moment longer and then snapped her fingers. Abby fell to the side as the freezing cold vanished and her body began to warm again; the ground and grass starting to thaw. She'd nearly died, but she was filled with a grim sort of satisfaction.

She'd made Loralee; Winter's Fury herself, unleash the deadliest of her power in order to best her. She watched as the older woman walked away in no hurry, seeming not to notice how everyone backed up several feet as she neared them and Abby outright grinned.

She narrowed her eyes and slammed herself into the woman's mind.

'If I use this gift, Loralee; you'd be dead in seconds.' Loralee halted and looked at Abby over her shoulder, a little smirk playing about her lips. It was the warmest expression she'd seen the woman make.

"I think I may like you, Imperium." The woman blinked and Abby was bum tossed out of her mind. She blinked in surprise. No one had ever been able to do that before. "Bigger fish. Never forget." Loralee winked and then turned and continued walking.

**

Melody looked around the room curiously. She'd never met witches before. They held themselves more like queens, and there was more power roiling off of them than she could shake a stick at.

Dorian was quiet and watchful at her side, seeming on edge. She didn't blame him. The witches weren't kids playing with tarot decks. They were forces of nature as inexorable as the tidal force of the moon. She felt intimidated.

She shook her head. She was Melody fucking Winters. She wouldn't be cowed. She raised her chin a little, earning an amused smile from Dorian. He thought it was cute when she put on what he called her 'tough face.'

There were seven High Witches that formed the High Council, and one additional witch who sat in an eighth seat. She was High War Witch but not part of the council. She shook her head. Witch politics didn't mean shit to Melody. She just wanted their power backing up her wolves.

"I am Serena, High Witch of Light. For the purposes of this meeting I am speaking for the High Council." A lovely ethereal woman stood and came forward, commanding the room. "We acknowledge your right to call this meeting as King and Queen of the Werewolf people, and will hear you. Please, proceed." Her voice was kind.

She seemed benign enough, but Melody had a feeling the chick could throw down, and she didn't want to set it off. She glanced up at Dorian. He was better at politics than she was, and her foul mouth was likely to get them killed. He nodded at her, understanding her silent request.

"Greetings, you have our thanks for agreeing to meet. Micah.." he gestured toward Micah, who was standing a little ways behind them. "is part of the Wyrd triplets."

"We are aware of the Wyrd." Serena confirmed, eyeing Micah with interest.

"He came to warn us of what is happening in the world. I assume you know?" Dorian asked.

Serena shot him a cattish grin.

"We have our own sisters of fate, young King. Of course we know. Ramaah, the Nephilim King has been freed from his prison. Unfortunately we don't know too much else. His power shields him from their sight. Does it shield him from yours?" She addressed the last bit to Micah, who stepped forward.

"Yes, it does." He confirms. Serena nods as if she expected his answer. Dorian sighed.

"We have no clue when he will make his move, but Micah's brother Richard, who can see the future, tells us that though there are a great many possible futures, none of them avoid war.

In every case, the human population dramatically drops and the suffering is extreme. If the Vampires align with the Nephilim, they will burn through the humans in less than ten years, leaving Werewolves as their only other truly viable food source.

I would like to prevent that from happening." Dorian stated. Melody snorted indelicately.

"Not to mention stopping mass genocide of humans. Not all of us suck." She pointed out. This got at least a grin from everyone in the room. Well, that was something. "Are you guys going to back us up in the war or what?" She asked, completely losing her patience with all the niceties.

Serena cocked her head and studied Melody.

"If we side with Ramaah, there will be no losses for us. No True Witch will die. They are powerful without us. All we would need to do would be to sit back and do nothing at all.

If we fight with you to protect the humans, we will suffer losses. Our precious sons and daughters in defense of a race of beings who not so long ago were burning us alive simply for existing. Why should we help you?" She asked, eyes boring into Melody's.

"The past is full of terrible shit, lady. Every race of beings has done terrible shit and suffered terrible shit. And surprise, surprise; there's more terrible shit coming.

Does the entire human race deserve to get mowed down because of what happened hundreds of years ago? How many of you witches did terrible shit? Do you all deserve to die for that?" Serena blinked and Melody had a feeling people didn't talk to her like that. She sensed it was time to push her point home.

"So I guess the question you have to ask yourselves is do you fight for people who can't fight for themselves, or do you sit back and sip a cocktail and let it all happen like cowards?" She glared each High Witch down.

Melody might not have anything resembling power like they had. But what she lacked in power she made up for in audacity. Micah laughed lightly, and Dorian smiled, shaking his head. He was used to her by now. He spoked up before the High Witches could choose to be offended.

"True Witches and Werewolves have worked in symbiosis for centuries. Every pack has a True Witch attaché. Many of us find mates in humans with wolf blood in their lineage." He gestured to Melody, who was one such. "Even if you have no regard for the humans, what about us? We have power. But nothing that could even attempt to take on Ramaah. For that, we need you." He said.

"And what can you offer us in return?" Serena asked.

"Warriors. We are good fighters. Though, I won't demand this of every pack. The choice will be up to the Alphas and Lunas. They can speak for their packs. But Melody and I know them all." Dorian murmured.

Melody nodded. "They'll fight for their own. And if you do too, then they'll fight for you." She confirmed. Interest warmed Serena's eyes.

She turned and stared at each High Witch still seated.

"Council. What do you say?" One by one each woman said, 'Aye.' Then, Serena turned to Kani. "High War Witch. What do you say?"

"The War Witches are with you." Serena nodded.

"Call your alpha pairs then, King. They will meet at the war college. As this is a matter of war, Kani will be your liason."

Every High Witch stood up in unison, coming forward to join hands with Serena and Kani.

"So let it be." They all said at once and a frission of something ripped through the world, and answering volley to whatever had been unleashed when the Nephilim King had awoken.

"Shit." Melody muttered.

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