Hannah (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #2) by Virginia Hunter

felt like a ton of bricks falling off of her shoulders. More than that, though, telling Miranda everything had empowered Hannah’s resolve. When she started her tale, she’d doubted herself and the decisions she’d made, but, by the end, her conviction that Dominic was on the level had grown.
    “You believe him?” Miranda asked, after a moment of contemplation. Her features had smoothed into the formal demeanor of the matriarch. No worry or fear showed through the woman’s granite facade.
    “At first, I didn’t,” Hannah said, truthfully. “But now... yes, I do.”
    Miranda nodded. “We must prepare for the worst. Collect Alix and Troy—”
    “I have to find Dominic,” Hannah interrupted. She knew the coven needed protecting, but her heart would not allow her to sit by and do nothing if the foolish man was in as much trouble as she feared.
    The look on Miranda’s face was still stolid. Her eyes, however, blazed with anger.
    “Please,” Hannah said before the matriarch could voice her thoughts. She swallowed in an attempt to quench the dryness in her mouth, and whispered, “I love him.”
    Miranda’s stern gaze softened at hearing Hannah’s words, and she sighed. “Find Rhea, and take her with you. I will stay here and keep watch.”
    Relief washed over Hannah, and she embraced Miranda. “Thank you.”
    “Don’t be gone long,” Miranda said, as they broke apart. “I need you here.”
    “I won’t,” Hannah answered. And, then, she was running again, this time to Rhea’s cottage. She punched numbers on her cell as she ran in hopes of catching Rhea more quickly.
    The phone rang four times before Rhea answered, “Yeah?”
    “Oh, thank God!” Hannah said between breaths. “Where are you?”
    “I’m at the res, why?” Rhea replied.
    “Shit!” Hannah slowed to a walk. No point in running to Rhea’s cottage now.
    Concern crept into Rhea’s voice. “You sound winded. What’s wrong?”
    “I need you back at the grove,” Hannah said, ignoring the question. “Can you come now? I’ve got a situation here.”
    “Yeah,” Rhea drawled. “Care to elaborate on that?”
    “Nope. Get here as quick as you can. I’ll be in my cottage.” Hannah hung up before Rhea could respond. She didn’t want to create an opening for the woman to dally. They needed to be quick about finding Dominic, which posed complications of its own, but Hannah had an idea of how to track him down.
    She pushed through the door of her cottage, and went straight to the bedroom. The bed was still unmade; she hadn’t had the will to make it since the night Dominic left. Sad she knew, but depression was depression, and she was knee deep in it.
    Shoving the melancholy aside, Hannah scoured the bed in hopes of finding something she could use. She needed something of his for the incantation she intended to perform. “Bingo!” she announced to the empty room, holding up several of Dominic’s hairs. It’s enough for what I need .
    The next half hour was a blur as Hannah rushed around her cottage, collecting the various tools and components for the spell. She’d used this kind of magic a few times before, but never to find a human. She assumed it would work the same for people as it had for the different inanimate objects and plant life she’d searched for in the past. She “hoped” it would, was a better assertion. Magic was a tricky thing that took years to understand, and, from what Miranda had said, centuries to master. Working the ingredients that went into a spell was an art form, while reciting the rights of an incantation could feel like nothing short of performing an eight-hour rock concert. One had to have stamina, as well as talent and knowledge to excel at witchcraft. Determination and bullheadedness didn’t hurt either.
    A knock sounded at the front door.
    Hannah looked up from her preparations to see Rhea walk in through the open doorway. Faded blue jeans hung low on her athletic hips while the black half-shirt