Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1)

by Alessandra Jay

  “Auntie! Auntie!” Layla shouts. She runs right into my arms and I hug her tight. She snaps up and leaves me to throw herself into Evan’s arms. My mouth falls open as she gives him a big hug, just like she always does with me. “Traitor.” I whisper to her, poking her sides and tickling her. She hugs Evan tighter and he brings his arms up to block my fingers. My eyes get big and I cross my arms. “Oh, okay. I see how this is gonna go. I need someone on my team. Where’s Violet?” I say, as I go searching for her. Layla giggles and I quickly make my way to the kitchen to find her baby sister. She’s on the floor, walking all around the kitchen and I stop in my tracks.

  “When did this happen?” I ask Demi, pointing to the walking Violet. Kneeling on the floor, I hold open my arms to her and she squeals and very wobbly walks into my arms. Demi simply shrugs her shoulders. “The day after you guys left. Every time I put her in her walker, she freaked out until I took her out and put her on the floor. She kept pointing to the door, calling for you,” she says to me with a hint of sadness. “Aw!” I say, as I squeeze her tight. “I love you, Vy.”

  “Hey, Evan,” Demi says, as she makes her way over to him for a hug. “Hey, Demi. You heading to Eden?” He asks, as she grabs her bag. “I am. I shouldn't be back late. Order pizza. There’s money on the fridge,” she says, walking backwards. “See you later, Dee,” I say to her. But before I hear the front door close, she shouts, “There better be cookies when I get back!”

  ***

  “Ready or not! Here I come!” Shouts Evan from the living room. A squirming and giggling Violet is making it difficult to hide from him. He can hear us from the other side of the house. And the worse thing is, I never hear him coming. Putting my finger up to my lips, I whisper, “Shh.” Surprisingly, she doesn't make a sound. The next second, we hear a scream and loud laughter. He found Layla. Hearing Layla's laughter is making it harder for Violet to stay quiet and she starts laughing alongside her sister. I hear Layla's laughing suddenly stop and I perk up.

  They must have heard Violet. Violet coos and shouts, and I get so scared that I end up laughing. Loud enough for them to hear us. I hear a finger snap and my eyes get huge. They're in here. I quickly put my finger to my lips, and I'm almost turning red from trying not to laugh. It quiets Violet down but she’s looking at me with confusion on her face, making it even harder to stay quiet.

  “Boo!” Says Layla, as she swings the door closed, revealing us completely. I jump so fast that I fall and land on my butt, with Violet safely in my arms. She is laughing, thinking I did it on purpose. And Evan is laughing with Layla while they high five. Getting up, I squint my eyes at him. “What? You're the one who said game on.” He says with a wink. My eyebrows shoot up but I cave in after seeing Evan try to contain his laughter.

  Evan and the girls turn on a movie while I make the cookies that Demi so nicely demanded. When they're finally done I walk into the living room to see both of my nieces cuddled into Evan’s arms. “Cookies are ready, guys. Wanna come and get a few?” I ask the girls. Layla turns around and quickly shakes her head. “Can we have cookies later? Rapunzel just escaped,” she sweetly asks. She has never turned down one of my cookies. Never. I smile and numbly nod. “Of course, bug. I’ll be right back.” She turns back around and gets lost in her movie again.

  I slowly leave the room, taking in the charming sight before going back in the kitchen. I get the cookies onto a tray and hear the front door open and close. “Scar?” Demi’s voice sounds through the quiet house. “What happened? I thought you were going to be gone longer,” I ask. She shrugs her shoulders and replies, “Thanks to dad and your new beau, I got to skip the line. Where are the girls? And, oh, my Ava, is that snickerdoodle I smell?” I laugh and answer quickly. “The girls are watching a movie with Evan. Wait till you see them, Demi. And yes, those are snickerdoodle. The girls turned them down for the movie.” I say as I lead the way. Demi’s eyebrows shoot up as she processes what I just told her.

  “They turned down your cookies?” She says, as she trails behind me. We walk through and I hear Demi gasp. “Back so soon?” Evan says, standing up. “Yeah. Thanks to you and dad.” she says, not really paying attention to us. She slowly makes her way to Layla and sits down next to her. Demi looks up at us, “You two go. I’ve got this,” she says, as she looks back at her girls. “Thanks, Demi. I'm taking him to the cave,” I tell her. She quickly turns to look at me. “You're what?” She says, dumbfounded, causing me to roll my eyes. “Yes, Dee. I am,” I harshly answer her. “Wow.” she says in amazement. Embarrassed, I take Evan’s hand and quietly head for the door.

  But before I open it to leave, I look back at Demi. “Love you. Cookies are in the microwave.” Evan waves at her as she thanks us. We can grab our things and I hear Evan grab the keys. But when I don’t hear them jingling behind me, I stop and turn around. He’s standing in front of the microwave with a shy look on his face. Pointing his thumb towards the microwave, he says, “Could we maybe sneak a few of these cookies away. I have a new rule; try every single thing you bake.” He looks so cute when he’s being modest. Nodding my head smiling, I jog over to the cabinet to get the Tupperware. Opening the microwave, the smell of fresh cookies hit me in the face. Evan steps forward and takes in a deep breath. After hearing him moan, my cheeks turn bright red. He reaches over my shoulder and steals one before I close it back in the microwave. Still smiling, I turn around as he stuffs the cookie in his mouth.

  “We better hurry. If Demi sees us with these, she’ll fight you for them.” I warn. His eyes get huge and he takes my hand, running towards the front door. We hear the girls’ voices getting closer to us and he temporarily panics. He picks me up and runs to his SUV. Setting me down and opening the door for me, I quickly get inside. He runs around to the driver’s side and starts the car in a hurry. He rushes out into the road and doesn't slow down until we’ve turned the corner. I know my face is red from trying not to laugh. Evan does a double-take when he sees me struggling to hold it in until I can’t anymore. He shrugs his shoulders as I burst out in a loud laugh.

  “Hey, it was worth it for these cookies,” he says, as he sticks his tongue out at me. “Where is this cave you're taking me to?” He asks, as I try to catch my breath. “Well, we were going to cut through the park. But since you wanted to go all race car driver and turn the corner, we can leave the car at my dad’s and skate there. Do you know how to skate?” I ask, curious to hear his answer. He looks at me sideways and mysteriously says, “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” I shake my head, knowing very well that he knows how to skate. He knows how to do everything. How am I going to keep up with this guy?

  Chapter 17

  Cave’s Visitor

  We’re almost to the cave and I'm getting more and more nervous. I'm going to slow down and ride by it to test the glamour that was placed on it. If Evan notices it without me telling him where it is, I'm going to ask dad to place a stronger glamour. He’s keeping up with me on the skateboard he borrowed from me and he looks so good, like he’s done it before. He says he hasn't ridden a skateboard in years but I guess it just always sticks with you. Suddenly, he stops his board and stands directly in front of the cave.

  Disappointed, I stop my board and sag my shoulders. “Guess dad is going to have to redo the glamour,” I say, coming to stand next to him. I look at Evan push my skateboard forward, jumping on it and disappearing into the glamour. Not a second later, Evan appears behind me and catches up. “This is really cool,” he says, looking at the hidden runway. “You haven't seen anything yet,” I say, with a little pride. The door is coming closer, so I slow my skateboard down. When I get there, I hop off and stand up the board. I take a deep breath when the familiar smell of fresh, clean soil hits me. Evan comes up behind me, brushing by my shoulder, walking to the middle of the cave. The place that’s away from all that’s wrong with the world. The place where I can just be me.

  “Whoa,” he says, admiring the cave. Laughing, I walk over to the futon and
kick my sneakers off. Sitting down on the bed, I watch the guy I'm falling for in my secret place. It’s an unexplainable feeling. It just feels so right. “I came here almost every day, before going to Syracuse,” I admit. “I can see why.” He says, sitting down next to me. “Would you mind if I was the one to put up a new glamour on this place?” he asks me shyly. I don’t know why I didn't think of asking him. “That’s a great idea, actually,” I say, getting up to walk to the bookshelf. I grab the book all the way on top and I turn to the page he would need. “Could you add these on your cast? These are the rules I made for dad when he did it. But that was years ago. You can add your own rules in there, too, if you want,” I say, looking into his eyes, hoping he understands the importance of my comment.

  “I would love to. Thank you.” he says, as he leans down and places his soft lips on mine. I just had my first kiss in the place I love to be the most. Wow. Smiling and bringing my hand to my lips, I turn around and walk towards the microwave, grabbing my bag along the way. Evan goes to the middle of the room and begins to prepare to cast. Getting the snickerdoodle cookies out of my bag and placing them on a plate, I heat them up for eight seconds. Just the perfect amount of time for the cookies to taste like they just came out of the oven.

  I hand one to Evan and he moans his enjoyment as I walk back towards the couch. Getting to watch the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever met perform a spell in my hidden oasis is exciting. The air feels like it’s getting stuffy and I start to feel a pulse in the air. It feels strong, really strong. But nonthreatening. Light, not dark. And very, very powerful. I try to pull the pulse closer to me just by willing it to do so, like it belongs with me. And when I start to feel it coming closer, my heart rate picks up. I feel tingles in my brain and my hands start to tremble.

  What is happening? It feels like it’s trying to cover me and protect me. It feels like Evan. I pull it into my body and soul. I don't know how I'm doing this, or why it wants to be with me so bad but it feels addicting and I crave more. Evan opens his eyes and spins his head in my direction and suddenly claps his hands in front of him. Beginning at the top of the cave, through the hallway, down to the ground there are blue sparkling lights connecting with each other to make one big orb right at the center, where Evan is standing. It looks like a bubble of energy is underneath his feet as it explodes, sealing the cast. My eyes are huge, unblinking. And I'm so focused on the lights that I don't even realize he’s walking towards me

  When he put his hand on my arm, I jumped off of the couch and almost hit my head. “Scarlet, did you do that?” He asks quietly, as he helps me regain my balance. Confused, I scrunch my eyebrows and tilt my head. “What do you mean? Did I do what?” I say, as I take a step back. Evan takes a step forward, closing the space between us again. “When you're a caster, you can feel when someone pulls off of your power. There’s no one else in here. It’s just you and me, and someone was definitely pulling at my power,” he says softly to me. Shaking my head no I disagree, with tears in my eyes, “Evan, I'm not a caster,” I say, full of sadness. “Love, I don't mean to upset you. This is what a caster is taught, as soon as they receive their power. When you're ready, we can look into what’s happening but only if you want to,” he says, kissing me delicately. When I'm ready? I’ve been ready for years, but even the Sisters said it’s too late.

  I thank him for casting the spell, and he leads me over to the bookshelf, asking me to pick my favorite book. Reaching for one I’ve read over a hundred times, I hand it to him and go back to the couch. For the next two hours Evan and I get lost in a book that I have memorized. Only this is the first time someone else is reading it with me. I'm really falling for this guy, and deep in my heart I can feel that he’s falling, too.

  Evan

  It was nice getting to know what type of literature Scarlet enjoys. She chose a coming-of-age book, and I was genuinely pleased with it. We weren't able to finish because Scarlet fell asleep. Running my hands through her beautiful curls, as I watch her sleep, she looks so peaceful and so incredibly ravishing. I know I’ve fallen hard for her, and the more time I spend with her, the more I want all of her. We’re caster soul mates, but we haven't bound our souls, not yet at least. If she would just embrace the magic she feels, then we can fulfill our destiny, by sealing our fate.

  I wish she wasn't so pessimistic about feeling the power. Although I do understand that the caster world, and her family have told her she is destined to spend her life in the mortal world. But I know they’re wrong. She’s meant to be with me and I feel power inside of her, even if it is just a spark. I feel that spark moving throughout her body. It’s dim, almost undetectable, but it’s there. My curiosity is overwhelming me. I know it’s wrong, but I want to check her blood, thoroughly this time.

  Her breathing is even and heavy. I slowly take my fingers out of her hair, and she twitches, but she doesn't wake. I raise my hand over her heart, and close my eyes, focusing every ounce of power I have, to search for that spark. I feel my magic leave my body, as it enters the top of Scarlet’s head, searching every fiber and moving down to the rest of her body. I feel a zap when my magic reaches her heart. My power pauses there and vibrates and builds. This has never happened before. I definitely feel magic there, and it’s powerful, really, really powerful, like ancient magic powerful.

  Just as I was going to try and set her power free, I felt another zap. This time, it hurt. It hurt my brain, my heart, and my soul. The pain was excruciating. I couldn't breathe and it felt like I was burning up. With as much energy as I could muster up, I pull my power back out of Scarlet’s body. She twitches again, but still doesn't wake. I need to get up, I feel like I'm suffocating. As quiet as I can, I race over to the fridge and grab a bottle of water, finishing it in one gulp. Taking deep, silent breaths, I pace the room, trying to think.

  What the hell was that? She definitely has power in her blood, in her heart. Scarlet has to be a caster, and there’s some kind of cast placed on her, keeping her power locked away. Who would do that to her? Rick doesn't seem like the type to lock his daughter’s powers up like that, especially not without her knowledge. None of them would. Her mother, it had to be. Should I bring this up to Rick or investigate myself? So many questions and so many dead ends.

  After an hour of pacing, I have decided to keep this to myself. I’ll tell Luke if I really need to talk about it. But for now, no one knows, and no one needs to know, not until Scarlet wants to look into it herself. I won’t do it behind her back. After getting zapped, I'm afraid to try anything else without her knowing. Deep down, I wish she would wake up and want to know what’s going on, with the changes she’s going through. But I don't think she’s ready. I hear my phone vibrate, and I walk over to the table, 12 missed calls and 23 text messages.

  Luke: Where are you? The Sisters have been attacked! Call me or someone!

  Derek: Dude, you're gonna be in deep trouble if you don’t call someone back.

  Rick: Evan, are you with Scarlet? Did you hear about Eden? Will you be at the meeting tonight?

  The messages keep rolling in. My uncle and aunt have called multiple times. Even Sister Hunter tried to call. I walk in the hallway, and cast a silencing bubble around me, so I don’t wake Scarlet. I call the Elders’ estate, no answer. I call my aunt and uncle, no answer. Luke and Derek wouldn't know specifics, so I call Rick. He answers on the first ring. “Evan, are you with Scarlet?” He asks quickly. “Yes. We’re at the cave. She fell asleep reading a book. I just now heard my phone going off. What is going on? No one’s answering my calls, and there was no answer in Eden.”

  “Scarlet brought you to the cave? Wow. I can’t believe…never mind. Something terrible has happened, Evan. The coven in Sister Hazel's vision, they went to Eden and set fire to the entrance of the Elders’ estate. They placed a border spell to stop the Sisters from finding the chosen one. They're all working on taking the spell down, but it seems to be difficult, even for the Elders. They need all Marked there tonight to help, including
you,” he finishes. “Okay. I’ll wake Scarlet now, and we’ll head back to Syracuse. I’ll meet you in Eden.” I say quickly. “See you there,” he says. We hang up, and I run to Scarlet, shaking her as gently as I can.

  “Scarlet, love, wake up. There’s an emergency in Eden. Scar?” Her beautiful eyes flutter open. The gray is more like a silver though. They seem to be glowing. Surprised, I fall back. She rubs her eyes and groggily asks, “What’s wrong? Why do I feel weird? My body feels numb.” She slurs the questions, and I'm stunned silent. I didn't unlock the magic in her, so she shouldn't have any reacted towards my power. But clearly, she does. That doesn't explain her eyes though. I really need to get to the library in Eden for research. “Evan? Are you okay?” She says, as she stands up and stretches.

  Following, I stand up and slowly shake my head. “The Sisters have been attacked. We have to get back to the dorms. There’s an emergency meeting for all Marked,” I say, more robotic than I intended to. “Evan?” Scarlet tries again. She comes up to me and places her small hand on my face. Instantly I feel tingles where her skin touched mine. And watch her eyes glow brighter. They're so silver that they look like titanium. I feel my own eyes get bigger. She takes both my arms and sits me down on the futon. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?” She pleads. Shaking my head, I realize I must be frightening her, and I don’t want that, ever. I take her face in mine and place my lips on top of hers, as I gently stand her up.

  “Nothing, love. What happened at Eden must have me all shaken up,” I half lie. Scarlet gives me a small smile, and she nods her head, believing me. “Let’s go, so you can get there and figure things out,” she says, walking to her skateboard. She hops on and turns her head back to look at me, and her metallic eyes pierce me. My head gets blurry and a moment later, Scarlet’s soft voice sounds in my mind.