Gwen D'Morte and The Hidden Spellbook: an Adult Academy Series (The Avalon Institute Book 2)

by Eve Stone

  “How do you know this?” I asked.

  “It’s a property that Martha Craft owns and has heavily guarded. The book has been there for weeks.”

  “Well then…we better get busy planning our infiltration,” Clara said with a smirk.

  I did not feel as confident as Clara looked.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I didn’t wait around to hear any more from the coven or the Lockes. I was halfway down the hall before I heard my name being called out.

  “Gwen.” I turned around and raised an eyebrow as Evie approached. “Can I have a word?” she asked.

  For a moment, I just stood there staring at her. Did I want to talk to Evie? Not exactly.

  For one, I hardly knew her, and for two, last I had heard, she was potentially having an affair with my father. But my curiosity as always got the better of me. I could not for the life of me figure out what she would want to talk to me about.

  “Sure,” I said, before turning on my heels and walking in the opposite direction.

  I may have said we could talk, but if she wanted to, she was going to have to walk and talk at the same time. I was going to be stuck in meetings all day tomorrow with the coven to put our plan of attack into place, which meant I needed ibuprofen and some sleep.

  “I know you might find it strange that I’d like to speak with you, but this is something I felt best done in private,” she explained.

  I pursed my lips trying to figure out where this was going.

  “The council is desperate to get their hands on you, and I don’t think it would be a great idea for you to go on this mission.”

  I stopped, whirling around on her. “Why? Is there something else you’re hiding?” I asked a tad bit aggressively.

  “No. I’m not hiding anything. It’s just…that place…the old asylum, it is heavily guarded. I have a lot of faith in Clara and the coven, but their focus is solely on retrieving the book so that they can further their agenda.”

  My eyes narrowed as I tried to unriddle what she was saying? It sounded an awful lot like a warning against the coven.

  “I’m not trying to speak ill about them,” she continued. “Believe me, but the bottom line is, we’re a means to an end. All of us sorcerers are. Once they retrieve that book, what use will they have of us?”

  “They said we needed to work together to bring down the council.”

  “Right now. They need the extra set of hands. Without the other coven’s support, they are outnumbered if the council has you. But once they hand over the book, everything changes. Souveign will come around and then what?”

  “You don’t think they’ll fight with us against the council?” I ask, suddenly apprehensive.

  Without the aid of the covens, our small group didn’t stand a chance. We’d have to somehow garner the support of our peers, but how? We’d be caught in the process.

  “All I’m saying is that if you’re captured during this raid, I don’t have a great feeling that they are going to put their resources into getting you back. The coven doesn’t know just how important you and Tristan are, Gwen.”

  I winced at the mention of our names together like that, especially coming from her lips.

  I couldn’t think about him right now. There was too much at stake to get caught up in melodrama.

  “If what your father has told me is true, you’re far more gifted than any of us know, and the council will exploit that if you’re caught.”

  “Don’t you talk about my father,” I said, pointing my finger in her face. “I know all about you and my father,” I spit the words at her disdainfully. Her eyes went wide and she took a step back, shaking her head. “What you think isn’t true, Gwen. I wasn’t having an affair with your father,” her eyes didn’t veer from mine. “We were trying to figure out a way to keep you and Tristan safe. Your mother was involved too, but your father wanted to keep her out of it as much as possible to keep her safe as well,” she sighed, sounding as exhausted as I felt. “He loves you and he loves your mother. He would never do that.”

  I scoffed. “He has a funny way of showing love.”

  She smiled sadly. “When you’re at the mercy of the council, you learn to keep those that you love at a distance, because evil people will exploit your weaknesses, and it’s always those that you love that end up in the crossfires. Whatever opinion you have of your father is unfortunate, because he’s a good man, and I assure you he loves you more than anything in this world.”

  My shoulders slumped, and my eyes lowered to the floor. It was hard to believe after the years of indifference and criticism I’d endured at his hands. If what she says is true, my heart breaks for him too. What an isolating life we’ve lived because of the council.

  She placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “I’m sorry for both of you. All he ever wanted was a normal life, but there’s nothing normal about our society. We only dreamed that one day the council would fall, and things would be different.”

  “I hope for all of our sakes that happens,” I said and she nodded.

  “Me too, Gwen. Me too.” She dropped her hand from my shoulder and took a step back.

  Looking weary, she said in a small voice, “just make sure that you have your own plan in place, and you recognize that at the end of the day the coven doesn’t care about you as much as they care about themselves.”

  “Maybe we should tell the coven about the abilities you and my father believe Tristan and I possess? If there are abilities yet to be uncovered, we should try to do so before we rush into danger,” I suggested.

  “I think perhaps you’re right. I’ll work to put together training for tomorrow for the two of you. Can you manage to work together?” she asked arching a well-sculpted eyebrow.

  Awkward didn’t begin to explain this conversation. I didn’t want to talk about Tristan and I to anyone, let alone his mother.

  “We’re adults and this is more important than anything going on between the two of us,” I said with little conviction. Evie’s lips straightened into a line.

  “You’ll have to, Gwen. The obstacles that you’re going to face in that hall are going to test you physically and mentally. I’ll prepare you all as much as I can, but even I don’t know all of the safeguards put in place within those walls. I’ve heard murmurings and it is not for the faint of heart. It’s said that unimaginable horrors live within those walls, whatever that means,” she said grimly.

  The more she spoke the more uneasy and frightened I was about what was to come. I knew she was just trying to make sure I was prepared, but I was scared. Her words didn’t make me brave or prepared. They had the opposite effect. I absolutely considered running to the opposite ends of the earth to hide.

  “Thank you for the warning,” I said grimacing when the words came out sarcastic.

  She chuckled. “I didn’t mean to frighten you…completely. It’s important that you go in there prepared. All of you will need to rely on each other. To trust each other.”

  Her emphasis on the word trust wasn’t lost on me. I knew what she was trying to say. You’ll need to put your differences aside and let the past lie before going into the asylum of horrors.

  “I’m gonna go get some rest,” I said nodding towards my door. I turned to walk away and she called out to me. “Gwen?”

  “Yes?” I said turning towards her once more.

  “Be gentle with Tristan. He left Avalon the first time because in his heart he truly thought he was protecting you. Your parents and I made certain of it,” she said, not sounding at all sorry.

  “You sound pleased by your deceit,” I said anger rising to the front.

  “I’ll never be happy that I hurt either of you, but it was more important to break you two apart than to let your abilities come to light. When you were together you brought out something in each other that was beyond anything we could comprehend. Your powers were stronger. We couldn’t stop them from showing.”

  “I never had powers,” I said confus
ed by this talk.

  “Your parents did a good job of making you think that. You are the strongest sorcerer that any of us have ever seen and you haven’t even scratched the surface. Tristan isn’t far behind, but you my girl…you’re stronger,” she grinned.

  “Let’s hope that all the years of suppressing it can be overridden. If what you say is true about this asylum, we’ll need all of our abilities to shine.”

  “I’ll help you and Tristan to get back to where you were before we tore you apart.

  Nothing the council has will stand a chance against you two.”

  I frowned. “We’ll never be those people again, Evie. I’m sorry to disappoint.”

  She sighed. “This last time, he thought you were safe with Chancellor Andrews. He truly believed if he came and saved me, he could save us both. He never would’ve betrayed you, Gwen. Not really. He played the games he had to in order to deceive the council, but nothing more.”

  “He should’ve confided in me. This all could’ve been avoided. But he didn’t,” I said sadly.

  “I’ll train with him, Evie, but we’ll never be together. As long as you realize that, I can put the past aside and work with him.”

  “That’s all I can ask,” she said. “I need him to rely on others and not try to be the hero,” she said, eyes downcast. “One of these days, it’s going to get him killed. Please, work together.”

  My lips turned down into a frown. The thought of something happening to Tristan twisting my stomach. No matter what, I didn’t want anything to happen to him and she was right. He did have a tendency to jump in the middle of the fire.

  “Get some rest,” she said, before walking away.

  I thought about all the things she said as I made my way back to my room. As much as I knew my mind should be focused on what she referred to as “the horrors that awaited,” all I could think about was Tristan and all that Evie had told me. If what she said was true and Tristan was only trying to protect me, then we were nothing more than a tragedy. Star-crossed lovers never to be, and that truth never ceased to sting.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I practically ran back to my room needing privacy. The whole day had been taxing.

  So many thoughts assaulted me from my conversation with Evie. So far, the dowager coven had been very accommodating, but Evie’s words rang through my head making me question what the coven was capable of. We are needed right now to fulfill their mission, but what about after? Would we all still work together? Or will we be left to defend ourselves?

  Although the council was a formidable opponent—when they possessed their abilities—right now, they were sitting ducks. Unless they had managed to recruit the students. In that case, the situation would potentially still require all hands on deck. I didn’t know whether the coven could actually work well with the rest of us. Sorcerers and witches had not played nice over the centuries.

  I slid my back down the door to my room, bringing my knees into my chest. I felt like crying but no tears would spill. I’d been an emotional wreck for what felt like days—months even—and I was so tired. So incredibly exhausted.

  A rap at the door had my head lifting slightly.

  “Gwen?” Lance’s voice came from the other side. “Can I come in?”I stood, opening the door to a worried Lance. His brows are furrowed, and his lips are in a thin line. “You ran off so quickly—”

  “I needed to be alone,” I explained, cutting off his words.

  He bobbed his head. “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head slowly back-and-forth. There was no sense in lying. I was anything but okay.

  “Come here,” he said, pulling me into his firm chest. He walked me backward shutting the door behind us. The back of my knees hit the edge of the bed, and I sat, with him coming to my side. “Is this about Tristan?” he asked, cautiously.

  “Not just him. It’s everything,” I groaned. “Our whole world has caved in on us, Lance. Don’t you feel it?”

  His hand grabbed mine and squeezed gently. “With everything that we now know, this was going to happen sooner or later, Gwen. I’ve got to be honest; I think it’s for the best,” he said sounding confident. “Our fight ahead is going to be tough. We are most likely going to lose more friends, but it’s imperative that we stop the council and take back the power.”

  I hadn’t even considered the fact that more people would likely get hurt in this war against the council. People we went to class with would soon be our enemy. Hell, at the end of the day it might be the five of us against all other sorcerers. I took a deep breath knowing that wasn’t the case. We had Evie on our side and if she’s to be believed, my parents. Surely, there are others who would side against the council.

  “Evie talked to me,” I told Lance, wanting to confide in him.

  One brow arched. “Oh,” was all he said, so I forged on.

  “She said it was going to be hard to infiltrate the hall, and that there were safeguards in place. Things of nightmares is how she put it,” I said blowing out a harsh breath. “What do you think she could be talking about?”

  His eyes widened and he pursed his lips. “She didn’t elaborate?” he asked sounding a little miffed.

  “I don’t think she actually knows,” I explain. “What could we be walking into Lance?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. It’s hard to tell with the council,” he seemed to contemplate something. I watched as his eyes raised to the ceiling and he puckered his lips in thought. “Maybe she’s wrong,” he said, sounding optimistic for the first time in this entire conversation. “The council no longer has their powers. How could they still have anything in place anywhere?”

  I did not want to burst his positive bubble, but it was obvious to me. “Unless they’re using students,” I piped in.

  He nodded, not seeming too deterred. “True, but I’ve got to say, I feel much better about taking on our peers, than council members who have had years to perfect their abilities.”

  He was right, and his words did soothe me to an extent. Lance, Holly, Mallory and Tristan had all proven to be stronger than any of the students we’d encountered.

  “We won’t be alone either. Not in the big fight.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You mean the covens?”

  “No. Well…yes, but that’s not who I meant. Evie also talked about my father.”

  “What could she possibly have had to say about him?” Lance’s tone made it clear that he had no love for my father. He never had. He’d watched all the years that I endured under the roof of my father’s house, suffering in silence and indifference.

  “She said the same thing that he had said. Everything he had done was to keep me safe.

  She said that if he kept me at a distance, it kept the council off of me because they just assumed that I wasn’t as strong as they all had thought.” I shrugged my shoulders not wanting to give away how desperately I hoped Evie’s words were true. “Do you believe her?” I asked waiting anxiously for my dearest friend to tell me there was a possibility that after all these years—if we defeated the council—I could have a relationship with my father.

  “Anything is possible, Gwennie,” he said smiling at me reassuringly. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time. Right now, that has to be sleep,” he said as I yawned, stretching my hands over my head.

  My shirt lifted up, exposing my stomach, and Lance’s eyes caught on the movement.

  Heat pooled in his eyes, and I quickly lowered my hands, pulling my shirt down to cover myself. I might’ve told Lance that we could try for more, but we had to take it slow. I was in no condition or position to act on any of that. My mind was all over the place at the moment.

  “Gwen,” Lance said, putting his arms around me and pulling me into his chest. “What’s wrong? What did I do?”

  I looked up into his eyes shaking my head. “You didn’t do anything. I’m just exhausted,”

  I explained. “Can we get some sleep?” I asked, hoping that he would drop his line o
f questioning and acquiesce.

  “Yeah,” he said the words, but as he did, he lowered his mouth to mine. I froze in his arms, not knowing how to react. I couldn’t believe he was pushing things.

  That wasn’t like Lance. I didn’t move as his mouth worked over mine, prodding gently for me to open to him. Despite my reluctance, a dam inside me broke, and I gave in, kissing him urgently. I pulled him tighter to my chest so that we were flush. A moan escaped him as my tongue massaged his.

  My eyes were closed helping me to get lost in the moment. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this connection. How badly I craved affection. Lance laid me on my back, hovering over top of me.

  “Tell me what you want, Gwen,” Lance’s eyes bore into mine.

  “More.”

  His lips crashed into mine, tasting, teasing. The noises coming from me were foreign.

  Mewling and pleading as though my life depended on his next caress. It was as though my brain and my body were disconnected.

  My subconscious screamed at me to stop. It begged me to see that this was wrong, and I was doing it for the worst reasons. But my body lavished in Lance’s sweet caresses. My ears perked to the tender murmurings that he whispered, as he nuzzled into the crook of my neck, trailing kisses along the curve, until settling at the base of my shoulder.

  Soft hands moved up and down the length of my body, heating every inch of my flesh as they went. It felt so good. Too good. He made me feel needed, wanted, cherished…things I’ve craved for so long.

  Not from him.

  That inner voice chastised, making me stop cold. “God,” I said, sitting up quickly.

  “What’s wrong?” Lance asked, concerned.

  “We can’t do this,” I whispered, sounding miserable.

  “Did I do something wrong?” he asked? “I know you said slow and I’m sorry if I’m taking things too quickly. I just couldn’t help myself and I thought—”