Southern Reign

Bree “I look good for 26-years old.” I chuckled as I gazed at my reflection in my antique cherrywood mirror. I had no idea how I was going to get through this party, but my sister insisted that I let her throw one for me. She claimed that there were over 100 people expected to attend. Mostly her friends and some mutuals, since I didn’t get out much. That was the reason I was the stronger witch between the two of us. She was such a party girl. When we were small, she told our parents she wanted to be a werewolf. They were taken aback and a little offended by her sudden outburst. However, they allowed her to dream and grow into her own. They realized by the time she was 14-years old that they couldn’t convince her to take her powers seriously. She still studied and practiced, but her heart wasn’t in it. It was a shame because she was very wise. All of these years later, she has not changed. As for me, our parents poured their everything into training me up to be powerful and tactful. They took pride in my quick climb to the top of my class. They said they knew from my birth that I was special. “Bree!” My thoughts were interrupted when I heard my sister screaming through the hallways. I sighed and before I could open my door, it flew open. “Bree! Oh my Sorcerer. Where have you been?!” “Cree, I’ve been in my room all morning.” “You didn’t get my text?” “No.” “UGH! Where is your phone?!” I rolled my eyes. “Just say what you need to say.” She took a deep breath before talking fast. “I invited a few more people, but mom wants you to help her finish bottling some potions for shipment before the party tonight. Hurry up! We have to go shopping!” She huffed and left as quickly as she came. I sighed again and wrapped my hair before leaving my room. On the way to the basement, I heard a group of young witches gossiping about the visit from the Lycans, who lived just over the mountain. Our coven was situated deep in the forests, with red clay and pine trees all over. We were able to easily go unnoticed by humans because of our tricky terrain. We rarely had visitors, let alone any of a different species. However, the headmistress wanted to expand our allyship and grow support for our coven. There are some witches and warlocks who were not too happy about that. But no one argued because the headmistress wasn’t having it. Anyways, the Lycans were her latest target in building this allyship. And we lived just miles from the territory of one of the most powerful Kings in the supernatural world. My mother was somewhere in the castle and I took my time trying to locate her. It was a busy season, as Halloween was just around the corner. Many in the supernatural world wanted extra protection, since this was the time of year humans would wander into places they had no business being. I heard my mother yelling at my sister, who beat me down to the lab, as we called it. I was passing the library when the most pleasant aroma stopped me dead in my tracks. I stood just outside the door, inhaling the scent of mahogany teakwood as I fell back against the opposite wall with my eyes closed. Suddenly, the scent grew stronger and my eyes shot open when I felt a hand brush my cheek. Standing before me was the most gorgeous being I had ever laid my brown eyes on. His olive skin nearly glistened. He had brown, wavy hair down to his shoulders. His muscular build was God-like, as he sported a crisp white t-shirt with a pair of black slacks. He had tattoos up his arms that looked almost like tribal markings. And goodness! He was tall! I thought to myself he had to be at least 6’3. And his eyes were like pools of honey. I heard a low growl escape his perfectly full lips as he stared down at me, continuing to caress my face. When he spoke, I almost melted. “You belong to me.” His voice was deep, like thunder. I couldn’t speak. He lifted me in one sweep and threw me over his shoulder. I felt myself being carried through the corridor, but I was in a daze. A door opened and this giant, beautiful man set me down gently on a bed. I recognized the layout of the room as one of our special guest suites. When I finally spoke, it was with much more attitude than I had wanted to give off. I was known for being rather feisty and assertive. At a height of only 5’0, I had to be tough. I had to let him know I wasn’t afraid of him; whoever he was. “Who are you?” A smile slowly played across his face and he took his time answering. He placed his phone and a set of keys he took out of his pocket on a side table. I looked around the room. He had the most elaborate of the guest suites the coven had recently renovated. The bed had a canopy and a solid gold frame with a mattress that felt like a cloud. I started to turn my head to say something else when I felt him pull my legs until I was on my back and only my upper body was on the bed. He looked down at me with a lustful look. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. It felt like I was in a trance. He grabbed both of my hands and kissed the inside of one, and then the other. I almost shivered. He stood straight up and walked over to a closet. When he returned he was no longer wearing his black slacks and had replaced them with basketball shorts. I sat up and asked him again. “Who are you? You have 3 seconds.” He turned to look at me with a smirk on his face. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. He finally spoke. “If you wanted to leave, you would have teleported by now. After all, you are a witch.” He winked. I narrowed my eyes. Not because I was mad, but because he was right. I felt like I couldn’t move. Who could this man be?