The Empire Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  She fidgeted with the seashells hanging from a leather cord around her neck. “We have a problem. It’s Saffie. I need your help.”

  We all gasped. I grabbed onto Deacon and Tegan, bracing myself.

  Keltie frowned. “Sorry, she is alive and well…”

  We all exhaled as a group. I pressed my face against Deacon’s arm and wished I still had that cookie in my hand.

  Tennessee cursed. “Talk to us. What’s going on?”

  “Why don’t you have a seat.” It wasn’t a question. When a Goddess tells you to sit, you sit.

  Unless you’re Tennessee, then you cross your arms over your chest and stand there.

  Tegan sat in the chair beside the tree and leaned forward on her knees. “We’ve been worried about her, but haven’t heard from you.”

  “I was waiting.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You had your fight with Joseph that needed to be resolved, people to make safe. And I, well, I had everything under control.”

  “Had?” I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t like the sound of that.

  “I still do, essentially. But it’s complicated.” She walked over to the fireplace and stared at the flames. “Saraphina is fine save for a small detail…she has no memory. Of anything.”

  “WHAT?” We all shouted.

  Except for Cooper, who just sighed.

  Tenn spun on my brother with fire in his eyes. “I sent you to check on Saffie and you fail to mention THAT? You were there for a week! Did you know she lost her memory?”

  “Yes, I did,” Cooper said calmly.

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “Yeah, it SUCKS doesn’t it?” Cooper smirked, like he was proud of himself. He pointed to Tegan, then Bentley, then back to Tenn himself. “It’s not so fun when you’re on the other side, is it?”

  Tennessee cursed and scrubbed his face.

  “Bloody hell, Cooper.” Jackson shook his head. “I get where you’re coming from, mate, but…that’s some rubbish.”

  Deacon whistled under his breath. “Risky move, my friend.”

  Cooper threw his hands up. “I went to Salem and found her. Yes, she lost her memory but she’s doing okay. Her spirits are high. She’s got a couple friends who are super protective of her and the woman she’s living with is someone I’m sure Tegan would be friends with. And Keltie was there watching, and telling me she had everything under control. She told me she had a plan. I was going to tell you when I got to the Yule Ball Friday, but then you looked like you were actually having fun for the first time in – oh, I don’t know – two years? So, I decided to let you have that moment. It’s Christmas, for Goddess’ sake.”

  Bettina was sitting on the couch between both of them, and she looked adorable watching with wide eyes glancing back and forth like it was a tennis match.

  Tennessee hung his head and put his hands on his hips. “Cooper, I appreciate your intentions, but y’all got what you wanted. I am Coven Leader now. You can’t make those decisions for me anymore.”

  Timothy got up and walked over to his nephew. He put his hand on his shoulder then forced him to sit down. “He’s right, Cooper. And trust me, being the one keeping the secret isn’t any fun.”

  “He was busy this weekend protecting Issale from Lilith—”

  “What?” Keltie hissed.

  I grimaced. “Turns out Lilith is behind a cult of shifter hunters.”

  “Oh…the Duenill?”

  Tenn’s face fell. “You know of them?”

  Keltie nodded. “I don’t believe they will be a concern of yours for a little while still.”

  “But they will eventually. Great.” Tegan narrowed her pale green eyes “That’s what you’re saying right?”

  “You need not worry too much about them for now, you’re not at that bridge yet.” Keltie sighed and turned around, then sat on the stone ledge in front of the fireplace. “As for Saffie, I knew when the curse broke it would take her back to Salem. I also knew, given the nature of the Fae, her memories would be gone. I had hoped that by being in Salem, in the very area where she was born and where her magic was thriving, that it would trigger memories to surface. I cannot interfere until significant memories return.”

  “Wait, you can bring the rest of her memories back as long as she has some memories first?”

  “Yes, Tegan, that is correct. But I had a plan that I thought would work.” She hung her head. “However, Prince Thorne has used the best of his gifts on her and my plans have not worked. Her memory is still lost.”

  “This weekend didn’t work, either?” Bentley asked with a frown.

  Keltie shook her head.

  “What happened this weekend?” my mother asked.

  “It does not matter, it didn’t work. I brought her somewhere I thought would trigger memories. It did not.”

  Deacon raised his hand. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Is there much we can do?” Uncle Kessler asked.

  Tenn shook his head. “This is the Fae, their magic works differently.”

  “Which is where we’re at now—”

  “Wait, can’t we just bring her back here?” Bettina frowned. “I mean, Haven and I both had amnesia—”

  “No. There are things already in progress that cannot be interfered with – or more importantly, can’t be avoided. You’ll have to trust me.” She twirled the shell in her hair around her finger. “This brings me to why I am here now.”

  My stomach tightened into knots.

  “Riah has a plan and I…do not know what to do. Which is not something I am familiar with, so I have come to you since she is your family.”

  I frowned. “Riah? Who the hell is Riah?”

  “Someone you have not yet met but will.”

  Cooper sighed and looked to Tegan. “This is what it’s like talking to you sometimes, you get that, right?”

  Tegan glared at him. “Obviously, I do. But you will never understand what it’s like to have to speak like that. She’s telling us what she can.”

  “And we have to make a decision based on nothing…” Deacon scratched his head. “Just a name we’ve never heard and a plan we cannot hear. Fantastic.”

  Everyone went silent, staring into space and lost in thought. I glanced around and saw the wheels turning in everyone’s heads as they tried to think of a strategy other than trusting a stranger’s mystery plan.

  After several long, quiet, tense moments, Bentley sighed and gripped his Hierophant’s locket. “Let her go.”

  Everyone turned to Tenn.

  He cursed and nodded. “You heard him. Let her go.”

  “May I make a suggestion?” Tegan tapped on the gold earring sparkling against her dark hair. “Keltie, why don’t we give Saffie the other half of what you gave me? Put it on her and then let her go into Seelie? Then maybe we have a chance of tracking her?”

  “And she’d be connected to you, so if she did come out, you could get to her fast enough.” Keltie fiddled with the gold wave ring on her finger. “I think this is the best plan we’ve got.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Emersyn

  Christmas had always been my favorite holiday.

  But this Christmas was the best day ever.

  Because I had my family. The one I’d always dreamed of. I didn’t need to open a single present. They were all I wanted. This moment right here was all I wanted.

  Deacon’s too-tall tree was crammed in the corner, with the top three feet bent and sticking to the ceiling. The star Timothy had pulled out from storage was hanging from the tip about a foot down like some spider dropping down a web. There was absolutely no rhyme or reason to the decorations and they were perfect.

  I sat cuddled up with Deacon on the loveseat across from the fireplace so I could keep an eye on it. When it got too warm, I made it smaller, then let it grow again as the blizzard outside crept back in through the cracks. Timothy sat beside us wearing six different flannel shirts at the same time – we’d all gotten him the same gift, ev
idently. Not that he was upset about it. Each one was a different color variation and he loved it.

  Straight across from us, Bentley and Cooper were sitting in front of the fireplace playing with their new Nintendo Switches and doing a lot of smack talking.

  My parents sat on the floor in front of the tree wearing the matching pajamas my siblings and I had given them last night. They’d been enjoying handing out all the presents to everyone.

  Uncle Kessler was dwarfing the big chair in the corner with Mona curled up in his lap. Neither one had said much all day, but their smiles were so blissfully happy it made my heart full. I also noticed their soulmate glyphs had spread just past their elbows, which meant we’d have another soulmate ceremony coming soon and I was so excited for that. After he’d selflessly adopted Tenn and raised him as his own, then sacrificed his own freedom to help train all the Coven members as children...he deserved this.

  I looked to my left, to where Bettina’s adoptive parents were sitting in the two chairs pushed back against the windows. They wore matching happy smiles and held hands between the chairs. They had open presents sitting in their laps, but their gazes were locked on Bettina and Tenn across the room.

  Bettina and Tenn. I chuckled. They looked more like twins than me and Tegan. They sat beside each other on the couch with their matching black hair, tan skin, and mismatched eyes. The fact that they both had Coven Marks on their left arms, and soulmate glyphs covering their rights only made matters worse. Hell, she was almost as tall as him, too.

  Right now, Bettina sat crisscrossed with one leg propped up on Jackson’s thigh…whereas Tenn had his legs stretched out in front of him and had Tegan’s head perched on his shoulder. He was also shirtless, which was such a standard for him.

  “All right, let’s see who is up next…” Mom reached down and picked up a present with velvety white wrapping paper. “This one says Tennessee.”

  I sat up straight and tapped Deacon’s leg. His pulse quickened and I felt it like it were my own, which was going to take some getting used to. But in a good way.

  Mom held the gift up and then a gust of wind carried it over the carpet and into Tenn’s waiting hands. He grinned and shook the box. “Thanks.”

  Deacon cursed then fumbled in his pocket to pull his cellphone out. He held it low and mostly concealed by my leg, but I saw the camera recording Tenn as he carefully ripped the paper off. For such a badass warrior, he was surprisingly delicate with unwrapping presents. It only confirmed the teddy bear theory.

  Finally, he got the box out and pulled the lid off. I held my breath and bit my lip.

  His eyes widened. He just stared.

  Cooper frowned. “What is it, dude?”

  Bettina leaned over his shoulder then covered her mouth with her hand. She tried not to laugh and failed.

  “Well, nephew, what’d you get?”

  A slow, mischievous smile spread across Tenn’s face. He reached into the box and pulled two fuzzy dinosaur slippers. One was neon green and the other a bright sky blue. Both had massive orange talons. He held them up and chuckled. “MISMATCHED SLIPPERS.”

  Kessler threw his head back and laughed.

  Tegan’s jaw dropped. “BAAAAAABE.”

  He tossed the box aside. With a chuckle, he bent over and slipped the slippers onto his feet. He jumped to his feet and posed. “If these were a joke, I’m not mad.”

  We all laughed as he modeled the slippers for us.

  “Shirtless and in those slippers? Royce is gonna die,” Deacon whispered into my ear.

  I leaned back. “No more than Tegan is.”

  We both glanced to my sister – whose eyes were locked on her soulmate. More specifically, her soulmate’s gray sweatpants that kept sliding almost indecently low for a family holiday.

  “Okay.” Tenn rubbed his hands together and eyed the unopened presents. He smiled then plucked two off the ground. “Hey, look at this. To me, from Tegan and to Tegan, from me.”

  Tegan sat up straight. “Oh, gimme.”

  He sat back down beside her then handed her the gift. Both presents were the exact same size and shape. They both frowned at each other’s, then at their own. They looked to each other, then tore the paper off. This time, Tenn put some attitude into it. The lids came off and they both gasped.

  “Shut up,” Tegan whispered.

  Tenn’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  At the same time, they reached into their boxes and pulled out matching, identical black sunglasses. They held them up and compared the two, all while laughing.

  They got each other the same gift.

  Stop it. They did not.

  “You didn’t —” they said in unison then broke into laughter.

  Tegan cupped his face and pulled his mouth down to hers.

  “Ew. It’s Christmas,” Cooper groaned. He snatched a pillow off the couch and threw it at them.

  Dad shook his head, but he was avoiding looking at them, too. Instead, he reached down and picked up the next gift. “Okay…this one is for…Bettina!”

  “OH! Yay” She held her arms out and he tossed it right over. She yanked that paper off like her life depended on it…and frowned. “I don’t — are these…are these converse I already — OH MY GOD.”

  Bettina’s mom sat forward. “What’d you get?”

  “HIGH HEELED CONVERSE!” she squealed and held the white shoes in front of her face. “They’re so amazing!”

  Jackson grinned. “Thank you. I was afraid you’d hate them?”

  “Hate them? Noooo!” She kissed his cheek. “They’re perfect. Thank you so much.”

  “Emersyn,” Mom whisper-shouted. When I looked, she tossed a present into my lap. “For you.”

  I pursed my lips and eyed the gift. The box was heavier than I expected. “Let’s see what we’ve got —” I gasped.

  In my lap was a black leather jacket.

  “OH!” Tegan untangled herself from Tenn and moved to the edge of her seat. “This is from me!”

  I pulled the garment out and the leather was super soft in my hands. Whereas the box had been heavy, the jacket itself was impressively light. “Is this—”

  “Like the jacket Mom gave me?” Tegan grinned. “Yup. I thought you needed one since your magic is all hot and fiery, but also you’re in New York where it’s cold now. This will keep you comfy in both.”

  Deacon reached around me and ran his fingers over the leather. “Well, I do love you in black.”

  “Oh, that’s just the default color.” I must’ve made a face because she giggled. “I’ll show you how later, but that jacket will change colors – like to match your outfits or your moods, either way.”

  “No way.”

  “Way.”

  My jaw dropped. “That’s sick. I needed this. Thanks, twin.”

  “You’re welcome!” She winked then jumped to her feet. “All right, is that the last present? Because we’ve a feast I want to dig in to…”

  “Actually, there’s one more…” Tenn pointed to the tree. “Devon, please?”

  Mom reached up under and pulled out a big box. She barely touched it when it hovered into the air. Tegan snatched it then read the sticker. “Ohhhh, it’s for meeeeee.”

  Tenn nodded. “It’s from a few of us. Go ahead.”

  She yanked the paper off in one clean sweep then threw the lid off — she gasped. Her eyes widened. Then she pulled out a black leather jacket covered in gold and silver studs and spikes. She slid the jacket on over Tennessee’s beaten-up sweater.

  “It’s not that I wanted my jacket back, but I wanted you to have one that fit you and your needs,” Mom said with a warm smile.

  Bettina grinned. “I got Lennox’s help with a few things, too. It’s quite a list.”

  Bentley laughed. “We didn’t put spikes on your shoulders so you wouldn’t impale Tenn constantly.”

  Tenn nodded. “Much appreciated.”

  “Guys.” Tegan grinned and wrapped her jacket around h
er. “This is amazing. Seriously, best Christmas ever.”

  That made me smile. I’d said the exact thing before.

  “Yeah, Santa was good to us this year,” Cooper said and ruffled Bentley’s hair.

  “Coop…I’m the Hierophant, I don’t still believe in Santa Claus.”

  I frowned. “What’s the real story of him anyway? Like the real story?”

  Dad shrugged. “Long while back, the Fool Card wanted to give out gifts to our hurting society without them knowing it was him…now here we are.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Deacon

  “Yes, I know it’s New Year’s Eve, Butterberry,” I said into my phone as I made my way through the empty, dark halls. “I had to come by. Silas called.”

  “Fine,” she grumbled in my ear. “But don’t be late for the party. I want to arrive together.”

  I smiled. “You got it, love. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”

  She sighed. “I had you to myself for too many days in a row, I’m not used to this anymore.”

  My heart fluttered and the smile that spread across my face would’ve been a spectacle if anyone else was around to see it. She killed me with little comments like that. “We’ll be together again soon, gotta go now. Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” she said softly then hung up.

  I shoved my phone in my back pocket and hurried to my office at SOMA. When I threw the door open, I found the lights were already on. I stepped inside and was greeted by a wall of a dude. Silas. “Oh, shit.”

  “Sorry.” He stepped back. “Come in.”

  I walked in and found four teenage boys inside…and Landy hiding behind Silas. “Landy! Hello again! How are you?”

  She smiled. “Better.”

  Silas cleared his throat. “Sorry to be short with you, but I need to get back to Issale. Koth is extremely concerned about Lilith and the Duenill potential for retaliation.”

  “That’s understandable. What can I do for you?”

  Silas gestured to the teenage boys. “These four are fourteen or fifteen years old and therefor part of our training program before they officially join the Guard, but they are one of us.”