Loving a person doesn’t require submissiveness or sacrificing yourself to become the ideal person you think your partner wants you to be. This isn’t love. No man will change me, and any lover that expects differently has learned that he isn’t the only one with a dagger that enjoys penetrating unusual places.

~Aine, Goddess of Love and Vengeance

“You alright?” Zoe asked as they entered his dorm room.

“I’m fine. He only interrupted my technique, and I’ll recover shortly.”

“How about you grab your things and live with us? We have an entire building with a shared courtyard. It’s something all covens get, but a few sisters need to share a room since there aren’t enough. I’ll give you Minnie’s room, and she can share mine. We sisters can take turns watching over you when you cultivate.”

Crow thought about it and didn’t see any reason to say no. At this point, he’d seen all there was to see, and he was technically married to all of them, so the sect shouldn’t have any problems with it.

“Alright, let’s do it. We can go now. I keep everything with me in case I need to make a quick escape.”

“You going to marry us and bail?”

“I won’t if I leave on my terms, but we both know my situation. And I can’t promise I can keep my cool if I see some evil shit happening. There is a good chance I’ll kill people I shouldn’t.” Crow wondered when killing people became something he just did. He could clearly remember his first kill and how nauseous it made him. This world wasn’t kind to the weak; all he could do was try to remember his manners and remain kind as long as the situation allowed it.

“I’d never restrict you, and I used you. As long as you never mistreat my coven, we’ll follow and support you.”

“I’ve always meant to ask, are your rituals just complicated formations?”

“I wouldn’t say complicated, but flexible. It’d be more accurate to call them curses, but unlike what people usually think, a curse isn’t necessarily evil. Their uses are varied and even can heal.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“I can sense your Soul is cursed, but it doesn’t seem to hinder you. It might even be one of the greatest boons you’ve received throughout your life. Am I wrong?”

Crow thought about it for a moment and had mixed feelings. It was definitely something meant to cripple him and used with evil intent, but with calamity comes reward. It wasn’t wrong to say that much of the power he controlled now is attributed to Soul Burn. It had been almost ten years since he was cursed, and his most significant gain might be the Fireheart Oak, which was derived from that curse.

“One of my wives would say that everything has a yin and yang—a cycle of loss and gain. I’m not saying I haven’t benefitted from the curse, but I believe that the intent differentiates a curse from a boon. The man intended to harm me using Soul Burn—that makes it a curse, no matter the gains I received.”

“Alright, I can accept that reasoning,” Zoe nodded. “But for a witch, a curse to harness the natural Truths and, using your terms, the yin and yang make the curse powerful. A spell is a watered-down version of a curse because it takes the beneficial components from an attack spell and the negative aspects of a benevolent spell.”

“You are saying that curses are neutral?”

“No! They are balanced. The Dru—err your people, respect the natural order. You harness both internally and externally, so we aren’t much different. Our rituals and curses try to maintain a balance, and if we want to negate an aspect of them, there is a price to pay.”

“Sacrifices?” Crow asked, finally getting where she was going with all this. Witches used regents because they could use them to temper a curse or a ritual, allowing them to achieve the best results without sacrificing the power of their abilities.

“Yes. Covens are protective of their curses and rituals because we garnered them from the natural formations in this world—or you could call it observing the Truths. We can mimic them to create rituals with multiple facets because each of my sisters learns to control an aspect of each ritual. That is why a priestess like me is greatly weakened when I lose a coven member. It is like having my arm chopped off, which makes each of my sisters valuable and precious to me.”

“Can you give me an example? I’m curious, and my mom never shared this much with me,” Crow asked.

“Didn’t you already experience it?” Zoe giggled. “The marriage ritual is the main reason Vale wanted me. It has a lot of similarities to the Durex clan’s dual-cultivation methods, except our practice is mutually beneficial. Well… you gained more initially because only you can use the virginal essence you absorbed.”

“Would I have really died?”

“We harness the Truths, and our rituals and curses can—and do—backfire. It is why we never hastily use our abilities and why we’ve evolved our ability to become Seers. Had you lacked the vitality to share among the coven, you might have reached a point of no return. I sacrificed some of my virginal essence to boost your vitality, so I lessened the risk. Still, you also lost some of your potential gains.”

While they were talking, they’d arrived at Zoe’s place. They designed it differently, as it had a wall surrounding the building. The gap between the building was much bigger than his previous place, which meant the back courtyard wasn’t small. Unlike his dorm, this one also had a front yard that could only be entered through a singular gate. A heavy wooden door and an old crone blocked the entry. Despite the old crone’s age, Crow could tell she was once a beautiful woman.

“Why are you here?” Zoe asked with no pretense of cordiality.

“Is that the way you talk—”

“Enough, Claire! All that comes out of your mouth is trash and lies. I swear, here and now, you plot against my coven again, and I’ll summon you to a Witch’s Conclave and ensure that only one of us will leave it alive—dare you push your luck?” Zoe’s voice, mannerisms, and attitude completely shocked Crow. The profile of this noble woman was as imperious as a queen. “That’s what I thought. Now leave. You aren’t welcome at our hearth and are forever banned from our table.”

Crow didn’t understand the last statement, but Claire flinched, so he knew it struck the old crone’s pride. Based on what he learned from his mother, he assumed she was doing the equivalent of shedding all ties. Covens required absolute trust in their fellow witch, so maybe it was like calling her a traitor but with much more impact.

Claire’s eyes turned to Crow, who was standing behind his woman.

“As the coven’s husband, it is your job to keep your home under control.”

“Save it,” Crow said indifferently while putting a hand on Zoe’s trembling shoulder. “Listen well!” Crow’s deep voice filled the surrounding area with mesmerizing power. “Her words are my words. A husband’s role isn’t to control his wife but to lead and support her. To be her bulwark when she falters. To stand at the front, suffering the grievances that the world levies against her. Zoe is not my fucking slave and may speak her mind with my full authority. I build a marriage on the foundations of trust, and if you think your petty words can turn me against her—all I can say is you are too naïve.”

The last of Zoe’s hesitance toward her chosen husband melted away. If the situation wasn’t serious, she might have cried at his unwavering support. His words touched her in the deepest parts of her heart. The coven watched from inside the building and felt Zoe’s overwhelming emotions and the impact of Crow’s words. Only Minnie was left with dry eyes because they were sparkling with mischief, because she had already given herself completely to this man who stood unbending in the face of everything for them. She believed without fail that Crow meant every word.

Zoe shifted to the left and wrapped an arm around Crow’s waist. He smiled and moved his hand so his arm was draped across her shoulders. Standing with their bodies side by side and staring down at the crone that came to cause trouble. It was as if they were a pair of majestic statues epitomizing love and respect while carrying the aura of a king and queen.

Claire felt her soul trembling while standing in front of this pair. Seeing the two lovers trust in each other tore open old wounds, and she coughed up a mouth full of blood. At that moment, she looked impossibly old and haggard. There were no words to refute what both had said, and arguing further would lower her status. Claire turned and walked away, and her eyes clouded as she delved into memories she had long thought buried.

“A husband’s role…” Claire muttered to herself, unable to shake Crow’s words.

After she was gone, the two walked into the coven’s building. Zoe whispered so low that only Crow could hear. “If you think I’m letting you run away after that speech, you better hope you are faster than all of us, or I’ll tie you up and never let you leave our bedroom.”

Crow chuckled and rubbed his little priestess’s head. The women of this coven were all unique, making him miss Faelan, Mara, and the others. He was really homesick and wanted to reunite with them more than anything. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave Zoe and them behind but that something was pulling him toward them. A gnawing feeling of impending danger.

No one noticed his gold-ringed green eyes had turned silver as he watched the ties of karma between him and his wives. The impending danger toward his women returned to one location—the Unhulde sect. Crow also felt the crumbling connection between him and Kafe and knew that the man had finally betrayed his trust. Kafe’s interference put his wives at risk and crossed Crow’s bottom line.

No longer did Crow have the intention to leave at first chance. Since he was already in the beast’s heart, he might as well cause enough chaos to prevent them from going after his wives. If Mara saw his sinister grin at the moment, she’d almost feel sorry for Unhulde because she’d seen this grin before. It was the one he used when planning something devious.