Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1)

by Alessandra Jay

  Upon entering, the first thing I notice are the four new faces joining us. My dad runs up to me and picks me up in a swooping motion. “Scarlet Winter, you were beyond amazing out there. I am so damn proud of you,” he says, gushing. He sets me down in mid laughter and moves to the side, as he greets Evan with a tight hug, surprising us both. Next, Demi walks forward with Silas right behind her, and they both embrace me in a loving group hug. “Seriously, sis, you were incredible. I can’t wait to show the girls everything Silas captured on his camera,” she says, as she sheds a few tears. “I miss them so much,” I tell her, “I know, Scar. You’ll see them soon. Focus on the prophecy for now, and you'll catch up with the girls as soon as it’s all over. After seeing you kill it out there in the Matches, I know you guys will defeat the Dark Coven. And now that I know who the casters in your coven are, I won’t have to worry about your safety. That’s a killer team you got yourself,” she says, gesturing behind her.

  I look at her in confusion, and she looks taken aback. “You don't know? What were you guys doing up there? It was announced an hour ago,” she says, unintentionally putting me on the spot. I feel my cheeks get hot, and she immediately tries to recover. “Oh, sorry. Um, well, I’ll let them explain. Silas and I are going home to be with the girls. We’ll be back at midnight for your ceremonies.” She kisses me on the forehead and begins to leave but stops as I wipe a tear from my eye. “Wait a minute. Is that a ring on your ring finger?” She hastily grabs my hand and inspects the ring that Evan gifted me. “Is this what I think it is?” She asks, with a new brightness in her eyes. I can’t help but smile from ear to ear, as I think about the Anima Partem ceremony that I'm going to have with Evan. I shyly look back at him and feel my mind tingle as he makes contact with it. “I love you, Scarlet,” he says. I can feel the love dripping off of his deep and sultry voice.

  “Yes, Demi. It is what you think it is.” I finally reply to my sister, as she continues to gawk at the ruby. She squeals and shouts. “I couldn't be any happier for you than I am right now, little sister. Okay. I'm going to go before I start crying again. Congratulations, guys,” she says, as she waves goodbye to everyone. As soon as she leaves, Dad stays behind and takes my hand. He pulls me forward, and I quickly reach for Evan’s hand, so he can come wherever my dad is taking me. We round the kitchen island, passing the beautiful Elders, who all look amused, and turn to stand in front of the stove. We face the island and the casters of my coven. The first caster that I see is the girl that I had my eye on in the Greece location. Outside of her uniform, I can really see how gorgeous she is, with her height, she can easily be a runway model. Her pin-straight black hair cascades down her back, reaching her long waist. The pastel green color of her owl-shaped eyes stands out on her light complexion that is almost as pale as mine, but she has a glow to her. She smiles brightly and, through her perfect and shiny white teeth, introduces herself with a quirky wave. “Chloe Kanelos.” Her name rolls off of her tongue with her alluring accent.

  I nod my head and move to the caster next to her. They are just about the same height, which says something for her because this guy is huge. His dark hair is buzzed down to a nice shady length that matches the goatee on his cocoa brown face. His light gray eyes really pop from the gorgeous color of his skin. His muscles are the biggest I’ve seen. And he stands up tall, as if he knows it. He grins at me, as I blatantly size him up. Showing his pearly whites, he nods and announces his name. “Oliver Gibbs, madam,” he says, very politely in his British tone. He must be the caster that won from the England location. I return the nod and move to the guy standing next to him.

  This guy hops across the counter and rushes towards me with his hand extended. “Owen Long, China. Look forward to be fighting by your side.” He looks at me with his almost black-colored eyes and brings my hand up to his mouth to kiss the top, and I instinctively look towards Evan. He looks amused as I giggle, retracting my hand from Owens grasp. He snaps his fingers and returns to his spot. His light complexion is covered in random tattoos that are placed sporadically throughout his body. His jet-black hair is twisted into long dreads that are pulled back into a thick ponytail. And he is actually pulling it off quite nicely.

  The caster at the end of the island scoffs at me, as if she just read my mind. I look over at her and instantly recognize her as the caster that I'm sure read my mind, when I was watching her on day one of the Matches. She is the caster from Quisqueya and salutes me like a soldier would, as she musically tells me her name. “Victoria Seda,” she says, with a velvety Spanish accent. She is beautiful and exotic, and she reminds me of Charlie with her spicy bad ass vibes. Her hair is chopped to her shoulders and is a color that I would never have guessed was natural, considering her Latin roots. Her platinum blond hair that is practically almost white falls to her shoulders in sexy beach waves. I wonder if she casts her hair, like Demi used to. “Of course I do,” she answers, clearly reading my mind. She smiles at me amusingly as I continue to admire her features. Her honey-colored eyes are slanted, like almonds. And her lips come out in a pout, making her look even more striking. She looks to be a little taller than me, with an hourglass body to add to her uniqueness. I smile at her and nod as I stand there, unsure of what to do next. Evan, to the rescue, moves to stand in front of me. He takes my hands in his and brings them both up to his delicious lips, placing a kiss on the top of each hand.

  “And I'm Evan White. It is SO nice to finally meet you,” he says, with a playful wink. We all laugh, and I thank him for breaking the ice. “Nice to meet you guys. I'm really honored to have such strong and powerful casters by my side through this journey.” I say quickly and simply. “Thank you, Scarlet,” Ava says, as she moves to walk over to my side. “We are going to begin preparing for your ceremonies. You all get acquainted and we will meet in the west courtyard ten minutes before midnight. You cannot be late, Scarlet. Rick, if you will join us, I have some Marked things that I must discuss with you.”

  Both my dad and I nod our heads in agreement, and I pull her in for a hug. It was unexpected and a lot more affectionate than I meant for it to be. But I think with both of us feeling useless in helping Dimitri, it was something that we needed. As she bows her head and exits the room, I can see the moment when she brings her hand up to wipe a tear from her face. Dad comes up to give me a hug. “Love you, honey. I will see you in a few hours,” he says, kissing my forehead. “And I agree with your sister. I couldn't be happier for you two. You deserve the world, Scar. And marrying this guy is pretty damn close,” he says, as he extends his hand to pat Evan on the shoulder. Evan bows his head in respect, and my dad leaves the room with a happy heart.

  My feelings are a jumbled mess. I’m over the moon excited about marrying Evan, but I'm also still heartbroken about Dimitri. And now I'm even a little pissed off at him. Not only do I want to help my uncle, but I want to also yell at him for mistreating Ava. The moment Ava and the other Sisters leave through the door, Hunter stays back and jumps on the island, clapping her hands loudly. “So what’s for dessert?” She says, wiggling her eyebrows. I roll my eyes and end up smiling at her theatrics.

  “Well, do you like bacon?” I ask, knowing full well she is going to say yes. She shouts her celebratory response and spins around on the island to face the casters in my coven. “Scarlet is the best baker in all of Eden, especially when she’s stressed. I try to always be by her side whenever I see the fire blazing in her eyes,” she admits. Her comment took me by surprise. Because now that I think about it, she has been there by my side the two times I baked here. I recovered by casting a hair tug on her with a flick of my wrist and turn to walk towards the cabinets, to get my baking appliances ready.

  “Ow!” She shouts, as she rubs her head. As I grab the deep fryer, I decide bacon churro balls is what I'm going to make right now. Grabbing all of the ingredients, I cast them to the island. The counter fills pushing Hunter off and onto the floor. I hear Evan chuckle and turn to see him take the seat at the end of the i
sland. He sends me a wink as he flicks his wrist. When the beautiful melody of Only You by The Platters comes on, I instantly get in the baking trance that I love to get in and my love for him grows even more.

  As I mix my dry ingredients to make my churro batter, I pour the ingredients into the bowl, Victoria hops up on the stool and very intently watches me work my magic. “Wow.” she says. I shrug my shoulders with a grin on my face and continue to get lost in my baking. I hear the casters around me converse about their likes and dislikes, and I nod and smile at the right moments. But my head is racing in a million different directions. I'm putting all of my focus on the dessert in front of me, so I can disguise my inner panic. I'm nervous about the ceremonies. I'm worried about Dimitri and Ava. I miss my nieces and my roommates. And now that we have found the Light Coven, are we closer to battling the Dark Coven?

  “Are you all right, love?” Evan asks me in mind speak, as he comes up to hug me from behind. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even realize he stood to come over by me. “Yes. Why do you ask?” I say peppier than I meant to. He cranes his neck forward, so I can see the look of obvious disbelief on his face. “Fine. Just a little stressed, nervous about stuff and worried about people, the new norm.” I attempt to sound convincing, and I'm not sure if it worked. But it seems like Evan is letting it go for now. He kisses me on the cheek and lets go to lean on the counter next to me.

  “Chloe asked you a question and you didn't answer her, so I came over to check on you.” Still connected to my mind, he informs me of my rudeness. Evan lowers the music slightly as I gather my wits. “Sorry. I get lost in my own thoughts sometimes.” I apologize to them. “It’s okay, Chica. We totally get it.” Victoria says, trying to make me feel better. “So what was the question?” I say aloud, as I get back to the baking. Chloe speaks up. “I wanted to know if it was true that you only just got your power.” It takes me a minute to fully understand her because of her accent. Nodding my head, I answer her. “Only a few weeks ago,” I say with a shrug. “That’s insane! How boring was that? How did you live so mundane?” Owen says, unaware of how obnoxious he sounds.

  “I can already see this guy is going to be the coven clown,” Evan says in my head, causing me to laugh out loud. “Um, well, Owen, I adapted. I couldn't keep obsessing over the fact that I had no power,” I reply with an amused smile on my face, as I watch his bewildered look. “I have to, surprisingly, agree with Owen,” Oliver says in his proper English. “That must have been a tough situation to be in, with your family casting all around you. I must admit, though, I believe it has made you a stronger caster. Having to live fully like a mortal gave you the chance to excel in other areas.” He compliments me. With a nod, I stop my mixing. “Thanks. I never really thought of it that way. And although I do agree with you, I think it has made me equally as weak due to the lack of knowledge I have about this world,” I admit, getting back to my mixing.

  “How did you know you were finally getting your power?” Victoria asks, as she leans forward to look into my mixing bowl. “Well, first I had a killer migraine one morning. And I never ever get those. It was a new and very painful feeling. Then I started having nightmares, which that is also something I’ve never really had. And they kept coming. Evan kept telling me they were visions, but I kept telling him they weren't because I was so sure that I was only mortal. It wasn't until our first date that I broke our waitress’ wrist because she was flirting with Evan. That’s when we knew I finally had my power,” I say as I recall the moments. They seem so long ago, but they really aren't. “Damn, Amiga!” Victoria says, as she raises her hand to me for a high five. I smack it and giggle as I think of that embarrassing night.

  “So it’s true. He’s your Anima Partem?” Owen asks, looking slightly heartbroken. Oliver nudges him on the arm and shakes his head in disapproval. “What? I just want to make sure!” He tries to defend himself. “Yes. That is a very true fact. He’s stuck with me forever,” I say menacingly. We all laugh as I begin to fry the churro balls. “Just out of curiosity, have you ever returned to those visions?” Chloe inquires. As my eyebrows come together in deep thought, I quickly turn towards Evan. “Actually, no, Chloe. We haven't.” I reply with big eyes. “Well, I guess that’s why we’re here,” Owen says, as he transports himself to stand next to me.

  “I just want the first churro,” he says, with a shrug of his shoulders. “Hey buddy, get to the back of the line. I was here first! The first churro is mine!” Hunter says, as she runs to stand in front of him. They lightly wrestle with each other as they fight for the first dessert. I take it out of the deep fryer and roll it in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Walking it over to where Evan is standing with a smirk on his face, he opens his mouth to take a bite. His head falls back as he savors the deliciousness. He takes the other half of the dessert out of my hand and feeds it to me and a smile spreads on my face, as I taste how delightful it came out. I turn around to take the rest of the fried balls out of the deep fryer, and I can’t help but notice the approving looks I'm getting from both Chloe and Victoria. Hunter looks annoyed because she didn't get the first dessert, and Owen looks like I just broke his heart. I giggle as I coat the other churro balls.

  I snap my fingers, and a dessert ball appears in each caster’s hand, including mine and Evan’s. Nobody waits. We immediately dig in. I look from face to face and watch as they all savor my dessert. You can taste the juicy bacon inside of the warm ball of sugared dough. I smile as I hear the moans of approval coming from each person in the room. With all of their different backgrounds, I hear words of pleasure in all of their languages. I mentally pat myself on the back for, once again, getting the reaction that I love to see. “I need more, Scarlet!” Hunter says dramatically. Owen rapidly nods his head, agreeing with her, and I shake my head, laughing as I continue to take the fried balls out of the fryer. I knew they were going to ask for more and the giving part of me wanted to save some for the other Sisters that couldn't be here, so I made triple the batter that I usually do.

  As we all continue to stuff our faces, Oliver reminds me about my visions. So I begin from the first horrific nightmare to the last. I see Chloe writing down everything I'm saying, from the heartbreak I felt the night I was being buried alive, to the terrifying feeling of being chased by a demon. “Un minuto. You said the name of the store was ‘Scuro Luna’?” Victoria says, merging her Spanish language in with her question. I nod my head, answering her, and she quickly responds. “That means ‘Dark Moon’. Have you researched to see if that is a real store?” She asks us. Shaking my head, I reply, “no. There hasn't really been any free time for us to have looked into it.” I say, disappointed in myself for forgetting about the visions.

  Oliver snaps his fingers, and a tablet appears in his hands. He types in the name of the store, and the location that we have. And instantly a picture of the outside of the store that I saw in my vision pops up on the screen. I drop the spoon that’s in my hand as I recall the horrid night. “It looks like it was just recently closed,” Oliver says, as he reads an article placed under the photo. “It was burned to pieces just two days ago,” he informs us. “What else happened that night in the vision? The last thing I have here is you running away from the demon into an alley. Did it attack?” Chloe asks, rereading her notes. “Um, well, remember that guy I saw in the beginning of the vision, the guy fumbling for his keys?” I ask them. They all nod their heads, and I continue. “Just after I turned into the hidden alleyway, he appeared in front of me. He said something in Italian, I think it was ‘Vai’,” I say, as I remember the urgency in his tone. “Then he clapped his hands, and I awoke next to Evan.” I finish, shrugging my shoulders.

  “Vai means go,” Victoria tells us. We all stay silent to think for a moment, when Owen speaks up with the churro ball still in his mouth. “Well, firecracker, do you know any women that fit the description in any of your visions?” He asks me, with what I'm guessing is my new nickname for him. I shake my head no, and he conti
nues his questioning. “What about the woman that died in the last vision you had?” I think back and shrug my shoulders as an answer. He stuffs the rest of the dessert into his mouth and asks a final question. “What about any guitar players? Preferably with a name that starts with a J.” He finishes.

  I begin to shake my head, when I remember how the last day went when I was at Syracuse. I met a guitar player named Julian Jett in my class then at the cafe. He reeked of cigarette smoke and had an unexplainable darkness to him. “Oh, my Ava. Julian, the new guy in our first class, Evan. He was there at the cafe when I began to feel weird, like I was under some sort of foggy spell. I left because I didn't like the feeling. And that’s when I ran into the Takin demons. Remember I told you I thought I heard one of them say they were waiting for a signal? Could they have been waiting for Julian?” Evan gets to his feet and begins to pace the room, cursing under his breath.

  “Okay. This is good, guys. We can go check out the store in Italy for any clues to who they are, where they went, and what really might have happened to the Scuro Luna. And you obviously know who JJ is from the vision. One of us can go get him for questioning. Now we focus on who the women in the visions could be,” Chloe says, as encouragement for us all. I nod my head in agreement. “You're right, Chloe. Thanks,” I say. I snap my fingers and all of the dessert gets packed into several different boxes. “This is something Ava needs to hear about, so that’s my queue. Scar, I’ll see you about an hour before your ceremony to help you get ready.” Hunter hops off of the counter, grabbing another handful of the bacon churro balls. As she leaves, I close my eyes and focus on all the people here in Eden that are special to me. I think of their beds and I quickly find my power. Willing all of it into this cast, I snap my fingers, and the filled containers disappear from the counter.