Luca's POV
"You two should never have come here!" I grossly estimated how powerful Ezra Hunter is. He is enclosed in some barrier of gold glitter and my magic can't penetrate it at all! His living room is practically in shreds. Even his couch is split into two.
He is right, Mother.

Luca, something has happened to Dessi! I can't feel her powers anymore!!
Goddess, my mother was right. I couldn't feel Aunt Desdemona's presence at all!
"WHAT IN THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO MY LIVING ROOM!!"
My mother and I whipped our heads around and noticed two women standing in the doorway.
"You must be Sheri and Stefanie Hunter. I'm..." Unknown energy knocked me right on my a**.
"You are the witch the Faes seek. I sensed you coming earlier this week." Sheri Hunter told me. Up close, she was plain with dark brown hair. But her brown eyes showed her power and I did not want to be on the wrong side of it.

"Mother...let him be." Stefanie took her mother's hand and smiled flirtatiously at me. Although she's as plain looking as her mother, she will be of use to me. At the very least af***able one.
"We came here to get information about...." I started but got interrupted.
"SHUT UP!!!" Ezra bellowed at me.
"My Goddess. You never told them. Did you?" My mother whispered, side-eyeing Ezra.

"Because there is nothing to tell!!"
"You lie, husband! Stefanie!!" The young woman pinned her father to the living room wall and glowed a reddish color I had never seen.
Mother, why is she glowing like that!
Stefanie wasn't a born witch. She sold her soul.
"What does this woman mean?? What secret have you been hiding from me!!" Sheri snapped at Ezra.
"It's nothing!"
"Would you rather tell them, or shall I?" Sophia threatened.
Ezra looked straight at Sheri. "Our son, Sheri. It's about Jordan."
"What about him!!"
"I lied to you about Jordan. He didn't die alone. He was married, and his wife died with him in the car crash. They have a daughter who is still alive." Ezra strangled out.
"WHAT!?!" Sheri went ballistic and attacked Ezra, ripping out a chunk of his grayish hair.
"Mom, stop it!' Stefanie tried to pull Sheri off her father but got knocked back.
"Do you hear this?! Your father kept this secret from both of us!! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!!" Sheri kicked a portion of the couch so hard it split yet again.
"Mrs. Hunter, you never questioned how your son's affairs were handled at all?" I was genuinely curious how a fortune-teller could have been that oblivious.
"Jordan left us the moment he was legally an adult! He said he never wanted to see us again, walked out that front door and never looked back! I grieved him long before he died! But Ezra...our son had a wife...and a child...and you knew!!" Sheri slapped Ezra across the face.
"You f*****g evil b***h! For close to forty years I have suffered because of YOU! You and our daughter drove Jordan away with your constant nagging and b*****g! No wonder Jordan left and never came back...I've wanted to do the same for YEARS!!!! Yes, I knew about the marriage, and I knew about the child. And I did NOT interfere because I knew the moment you found out about Jordan's daughter, you and Stefanie would do what you did to him. DESTROY HER LIFE!" Ezra spat at Sheri with so much hate that even my mother and I recoiled at it.
"How dare you! I was hard on Jordan because I needed him to be strong! Not a weakling like you!!" Suddenly, it hit me and I started to laugh.
"Ezra, Ezra....you've kept a lot from Sheri, haven't you?" I taunted, enjoying how the old fool turned pale and green.
"What else is there!" Sheri shouted at us.
"Sheri, you know what we are. Now how is your husband still alive??" Sophia asked her. Finally, the lightbulb went off and Sheri grabbed Ezra into a chokehold.
"What are you! What have you been hiding!!" She hissed at him.
"Go on Ezra, do tell!" I laughed and stepped back to watch this interesting melodrama unfold.
"Doamne, te rog salvează-mă! (My God, please save me!)" Ezra shouted out.
"Why are you speaking in that language!" Stefanie asked her father incredulously.
"It's Romanian. My God Ezra...you're Gypsy! YOU'RE A GYPSY!!" Sheri delivered a sucker punch right to Ezra's jaw.
"I hid it from you, because I knew you'd use it to further your own magic!" Ezra gargled back at her.
"WE COULD HAVE HAD SO MUCH MORE THAN WE HAVE! HOW COULD YOU HAVE KEPT THIS FROM ME ALL THESE YEARS!" Sheri wailed and proceeded to throw things around the room in a fit of rage.
"THAT'S WHY! I can't use my powers for personal gain and neither should you!" Ezra told her.
"God Dad, I hate you!! We could have been living in McMansions and driving Bentleys if you and Mom had combined your gifts, but you held out on us!" Stefanie stomped and huffed like a child.
"Părinte ceresc, iartă-i, ei nu știu ce fac! Iartă-mă că sunt atât de orb! Protejează-mi nepoata! Arată-mi cum să ajung la ea! (Heavenly father, forgive them, they know not what they do! Forgive me for being so blind! Protect my granddaughter! Show me how to reach her!") Suddenly, Ezra vanished into a ball of yellow smoke!
"EZRA! NO!" Sheri screamed out and kicked the wall.
"Where did he go!" My mother frantically ran around the room.
"We can't worry about him, we need to worry about them!!" I thumbed to the other two women. My mother prepared her hands and Sheri held up hers in defense.
"Wait a minute. We can help you!" Sheri placated.
"How!? Five minutes ago you didn't even know you had a granddaughter!" I shouted at her.
"We are witches. I can see the future, and Stefanie can cast many spells and can help you!" Sheri's desperation to stay alive was clear. I sized them up to determine if they could be of use to me.
"You said you saw us coming days ago. You could have run away. Why didn't you?" Sophia asked her.
"Because we want to help you. Many years ago, King Arlen's parents executed mine in a war! So anyone who wants to take him on can count me in!" Sheri told us a bit too eagerly.
"Me too! I hate Faes! All their stupid magic and tricks!" Stefanie jumped in, looking a bit unbalanced. Surprisingly, I was a bit turned on by that. Crazy women aren't usually my thing, but this one is quite a puzzle.
"If you two join up with us, King Arlen isn't the only enemy we are battling. A wolf pack in Wyoming has two natural Faewolf children with special powers. One of those children has the power of healing all scars and wounds. And an Alpha whose head I want on my wall!!" The two women clapped their hands in delight.
"We hates werewolves too!" Stefanie jumped up and down in excitement.
"Well then, we will all get along just fine." I smiled at Stefanie, not missing her flirtatious smile right back.
"Just so I'm clear. The witches are going after King Arlen and a wolf pack to obtain two special Faewolves. Correct?" Sheri clarified.
"Exactly, Sheri. Help us, and we will help you. A fortune-teller like you and the magic your enchanting daughter can do will go a long way." A little flattery can never hurt.
Stefanie and Sheri grinned ear to ear. "We'll be glad to help!" They bowed their heads to me and my mother.
"First things first. We need to find my Aunt Desdemona, the witch ruler." Sheri looked at me in alarm.
"Sheri, why are you looking at me like that??" Dread hit me and then my mother wailed.
"Oh no. OH NO!" My mother sobbed out in agony. "DESSI!!"
"I'm so sorry, Sophia!" Sheri and I both went to console her.
"How did it happen!" Sophia demanded.
"I sense Faes!" Stefanie hissed and sniffed around. Within seconds of seeing the ash in the street, I knew what had happened.
"AIDEN STARR!! They took Jenkins too!!!" I growled in fury.
"Wait, the Starr brothers?" Sheri looked at me.
"You know them?"
"I know of them, as well as the Quads. They've been terrorizing witches the last year looking for I'm assuming you!" Sheri confirmed.
"Now that Desdemona is gone, we need another witch ruler. Mother, would it be you since you are her only sister?" I asked her.
"I don't want it, but I can choose who I think it should be. And I think it should be you, Luca. You are much more powerful than me and are willing to take risks." My mother smiled at me in encouragement.
"Does it matter that I am a wolf hybrid?"
"You are still half witch and of the Banker bloodline. You were made for this, Luca. I can see it." I nodded and looked around the street, debating on what my first act as the Witch Ruler should be.
"What shall I call you then? Witch Ruler, or Luca?" Stefanie purred at me, touching my arm. This little wh*re totally wants me!
"Witch Ruler, but when we are alone, whatever I tell you to call me!" I grabbed her and kissed Stefanie hard, taking and exploring her mouth. I had to imagine her being Brynn to get any kind of satisfaction at all. Not that she would ever know that.
"Son, let her go. There is plenty of time for that later." My mother cajoled me, and Sheri clapped her hands. Her eyes showed the opportunist in her. What supernatural wouldn't want their half-gypsy daughter mated to a witch ruler?
I hated to burst Sheri's bubble, but this whole arrangement is just to serve my purpose until I could get to Brynn.
"There is one other thing, Sheri. Your granddaughter is mated to the Fairy King." Sheri gasped and got right up in my face.
"That isn't funny, Luca!" She shouted at me.
"Nevertheless, it's true. Arlen will fight to the death for her. Which we will use when the time comes." Sophia smiled wickedly.
"We must make the announcement to the witch world, Mother." I know just what my first act as Witch Ruler is going to be.
"Indeed we should, Luca. You know what to do." My mother joined hands with Stefanie and Sheri and chanted over me. Since Aunt Desdemona passed away so suddenly, her death wasn't felt by many in our world right away. Desdemona's power was automatically passed to my mother on her death, so the chant would help transfer that power to me. Minutes later, I felt a surge of energy and glower blue for a brief moment.
"OK son. Are you ready?"
"I am." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Zade, let us begin.
I shifted into my wolf, figuring my message to the witch world would be much better heard coming from him.
To all my beloved witches, this is Luca Lombardo. I am bearing horrible and tragic news. My sweet Aunt, your Witch Ruler Desdemona, was murdered at the hands of a Fae known as Aiden Starr this afternoon!
Sad energy and mourning brought me to my knees right there in the street. I took a deep breath and continued on.
Witches, King Arlen has been terrorizing us with his dictatorship for far too long! We can't sit by and talk about a war any longer!! Our reprisal must be swift, it must be fierce, and it must show Arlen and the rest of the Faes that their reign of terror is OVER!!! As your new Witch Ruler, I ask your approval for an official declaration of war against King Arlen and his Fae kingdom!! YEA OR NAY?
Collective YEAS reverberated through my head.