by R. L. Weeks
Over time, the Black Rose Coven was killed off one by one by The Black Lily Coven witches. Most of the coven went into hiding, their powers fading until the prophesized two would arise, members of both covens at the same time. They would be forced to compete in the end until the other was dead and only one coven would remain.
I looked at Nicholas nervously. “The two people of both covens, do you think they’ve been born yet?”
He bit the inside of his lip. “Let’s hope not.”
He knew something I didn’t, but I couldn’t place it. He had shielded his mind completely from me. Our bond was weaker than ever. Keeping his distance was working for him. Agitated, I looked away.
I waited for Joshua to leave to go to the restroom, and when he did, I looked at Nicholas. “Your mood swings are giving me whiplash.”
He seemed unfazed. “Sorry if you feel that way.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re impossible.”
He looked back at me with a self-assured smile. “I guess that makes two of us.”
Joshua returned after a few minutes. “If we can press pause on the angst, I’d love to get down to why I’m here. We have a wendigo on the loose, and your magic is darkening.”
Nicholas shot him a dark stare, and Joshua paused.
“Darkening magic?” I questioned. “What do you mean?”
Joshua looked from me to Nicholas. “Nothing. I must have missed something.”
Nicholas ground his teeth. “You know what you missed.”
I grew more agitated. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Joshua shook his head at his cousin. “You should tell her.”
Nicholas shook his head. “It would destroy her.”
“I’m right here!” I chastised.
Nicholas squared up to his cousin. “I know all you care about is the coven, but this is my life and hers. Show some compassion.”
“No,” Joshua responded. “She may be sweet, but you know what she did. After you told me what happened, I knew the book relates to her more than I first thought. To the both of you.”
I shuddered, reciting the passages in my mind. “Wait, you think I’m the one they talked about. The one from both covens.”
Joshua lifted an eyebrow. “Sorry, love, but your uncle was in the Black Rose Coven, which meant you were born from his lineage. Your father would have been in it too, whether he practiced it or not. Your ancestors are also in the Black Lily Coven, which divides your soul… if you were branded with both.”
I thought back to the memory of my uncle when I was a little girl. He said they were going to brand me, but I had no tattoo or scar.
Nicholas growled. “That’s enough.”
“You’re one to talk, branding yourself to the Black Rose, betraying your own people.”
“I didn’t know!” he argued. “No one told me I was a warlock. You could have told me, and I’d have known.”
I looked down at my tattoo. “But we have Black Lily tattoos.”
Joshua looked me up and down. “Lift up your shirt.”
I flushed red. “Are you kidding?”
Nicholas sighed. “Turn around and show us your back.”
I did and twisted to get a better look. When I saw a black marking, I ran to the antique mirror in the living room.
On my back was a small tattoo, like the Black Lily one but this one had a stem with two rose heads inside a circle. “How? When?”
“I imagine when your uncle branded you. It was probably cloaked until your powers fully emerged.”
“How did I not notice it before?”
Joshua frowned. “Sorry. I don’t know, but the point is both of you are now of both covens.”
I looked at Nicholas with a silent knowing. He had branded himself of the Black Rose Coven. That’s how he knew Jerimiah was one of us. It’s what he was hiding from me. It all made sense.
Chapter Seven
Slowing my thoughts, I let out a long exhale. Nicholas tossed and turned next to me. It was like sleeping with a tornado—if I was sleeping, which I wasn’t. I’d explained to my mom that I was having another sleepover. She seemed pleased that I was doing ‘normal teenage things’ as she called it. Only, she had no idea that the person’s house I was sleeping over at was a guy. I’m pretty sure she’d flip out if she found out. I let my thoughts fade away as I turned onto my side.
“Are you awake?” I whispered. The room was dark with dim light seeping in through the cracks around the door. The room was almost bare, with only a guitar propped against the wall in the corner and a flat screen by the window. He must have been lonely in that big house on his own.
Nicholas turned over so we were facing each other. I could just make out his brown eyes. “Yes. You didn’t sleep well either?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Same.”
I licked my dry lips. “Is that what you have been hiding from me? That you joined that coven?”
He sighed deeply, which couldn’t mean anything good. “No. I joined when I first found out about the house. I didn’t want to tell you. Jerimiah is in that coven.”
“What?”
“I didn’t know then.”
“So what are you hiding from me?” I placed my hand on his chest. “Please, don’t shut yourself off to me.” I felt crazy for pleading with him, but being near him made me crazy. “Let me in. You can tell me what it is. I can handle it. I promise.”
I saw a red glint across his gaze. A memory of me holding a shard of glass over my wrist rippled through our bond, except it wasn’t my memory. It was his. “You couldn’t.”
I nestled closer to him and touched his cheek. “Please, Nicholas, tell me what it is. I need to know how you feel. You’ve been my rock this past month. I need you.” I tried to grapple at the memory he held of me, but it was like trying to catch smoke. “What do I not remember?”
His frown faltered. “I can’t get close to you, Kate. Sorry. It’s better for everyone if we stay apart, especially for you. Like that book said, if we were them, then we would need to kill the other. We are of both covens.”
“Exactly,” I said. “We could just choose one together.”
“I don’t think it works like that.”
“I couldn’t kill you,” I told him earnestly. “I wouldn’t do it.”
In a moment of genuine emotion, he brushed my cheek with his fingers. “I’d never hurt you. I’d do anything to kiss you again.”
My heart dropped. “That was real.”
He nodded.
I moved closer to him, wanting to be near him one last time. I thought he would push me away, but to my surprise, he held me as I pushed myself closer to him. As we lay together, I felt a peace I had only felt when I was first out in the forest. I sensed he could feel it too. We lay in the dark, saying nothing, thinking of nothing, but in a perfect moment that neither of us wanted to end. We knew it had to. He would never tell me what he was hiding from me, and we were born to be enemies.
When the sun rose, he turned over and groggily got out of bed. “This can’t happen again.”
I wanted to cry. “I wish I had known how you felt before.”
“I always thought you knew,” he said depressingly and left the room.
A tear trickled down my cheek. I sniffed and wiped it away with my hand. I guessed that was the end of that.
***
I had to face school tomorrow. I had somehow avoided going back since Amara’s death, but I couldn’t avoid it any longer.
I walked into my house and saw my mom sitting on the sofa. When she saw me, she turned off the documentary she had been watching. “Where have you been? I’ve called and texted you.”
I hadn’t even checked my phone since I texted her. I wanted to cry and tell her everything that had happened, but she would probably have me locked away in some asylum. “I told you I was at a sleepover…”
She cursed under her breath. “Yes, but then to not
come home for days. Not even check in except for one text. I’m glad you’re out with your friends again, but you need to answer your phone.”
“I’ve been struggling with Dad’s death,” I said, telling her at least a part of the truth. “I went back to the forest where he died.”
She looked at me with wild eyes. “Are you insane?” She stood and ran her hands through her wild brown waves. “You could have been killed! Do you want to follow in your father’s footsteps?”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I burst into tears. “I’m sorry.” I sniffled. “I felt nothing when Dad died,” I admitted and cried harder. “Then it all came rushing back.”
I thought she’d be angry, but instead, she held me and stroked my hair like she had when I was a little girl. “I already knew, poppet. It’s okay. Everyone grieves in their own way. The doctor told me that sometimes it’s how people mourn. I’m glad you’re letting it in. You’re not wrong and should not feel guilty for not feeling anything at first. You dad would have understood. If anything, it showed how much you missed him. His death was so traumatic, you dissociated from your emotions.”
I wept harder. I didn’t deserve forgiveness. “I love you, Mom.”
She kissed the top of my head. “I love you too. So, so much. We will get through this.”
“Mom, I have to ask you something about Uncle John. Was he a warlock?”
“A warlock? Goodness, your imagination.” She looked at me with quiet amazement. “Oh, honey, no. He went missing. We don’t know why, but he was into all sorts of bad things. Drugs. Debt.”
Studying her expression, I decided she was telling the truth. “Never mind. I don’t know why I thought that.”
She brushed it off. “It’s all those witch books.”
I shook my head. If only she knew. “I’m going to shower and head back out. Is that okay? I promise I’ll be back by curfew.”
“Where are you going?”
“A friend’s house.”
She groaned. “I may understand why you did what you did, but don’t let it fool you into thinking that if you go back into the forest, I will not ground you for the rest of your life and take your phone, laptop, and TV away.”
“I won’t go back,” I promised, my eyes downcast.
“I can’t lose you too.”
***
A breathless Joshua walked into the kitchen with his arm wrapped around some girl. She looked like she was in her early twenties and belonged on the back of someone’s motorcycle. She had shoulder-length brown hair with pink streaks and was covered in awesome tattoos. She was skinny, the perfect hourglass figure. Stop staring, I said, mentally kicking myself.
“This is Tanya. She goes back to Scotland tomorrow. We were just saying good-bye,” Joshua said with the same self-assured grin Nicholas sported. Now I knew where he got it from.
“Nice to meet you.” I went to shake her hand but stopped when I guessed where it had been. They both still had bed hair.
Joshua escorted the girl out, and Nicholas looks at me amused. “He wasted no time catching up with old flames.”
“He used to live here too?”
“He visited and made some friends while here,” he responded casually.
“Oh. Um, so I’ve been thinking about that book. Do you mind if I take it with me? I want to study it, see if there’s some loophole or evidence pointing at what we think we know.”
“I’ve already been doing that, while you went to see your mom.”
“Anything good?”
He shook his head regretfully. “I’m afraid not. Joshua and I were talking about going out to the forest.”
“No!” I shouted. “If the wendigo is out there, it could kill you both. Boys.” I shook my head.
“Joshua is a skilled warlock. He can handle it.”
“A creature of the night with impossible speed and a constant hunger for human flesh? I’m sure.”
“There are two of us, Kate. We’ve got this.”
I wanted to offer to at least go with them but remembered my promise to my mom. “I can’t go back out there. Please, just promise me you will tell me before you go.”
“Sure.” He quickly changed the topic. “Oh, I invited Vanessa over tonight.”
“Did I hear your right? Vanessa. My Vanessa?” I asked with astonishment.
“Yeah, I figured you could use some real-life friends around you while you’re going through all this. All work and no play—”
“That’s incredibly kind of you,” I said, interrupting. “Too kind.”
He smirked. “It’s been known to happen.”
Joshua went to shower after doing pull-ups over the doorframe, which I had done my very best not to stare at in Nicholas’s presence, but damn that man was fine. Afterward, we sat on the sofa. Nicholas propped his feet up on the coffee table with his shoes on and stretched his arms. There were a million things I wanted to ask him. He had been a hurricane in my life, the type that would take years to clear up after it left a path of devastation.
Joshua walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at his body. Stop it, Kate, you are not supposed to be checking out Nicholas’s cousin. I looked away and stared at the television. Thank God our bond was weaker. I’d hate for him to see the things I thought about his cousin. They were physical though, nothing like how I felt about Nicholas, which apparently didn’t mean a thing. He wanted me but couldn’t want me. It was exhausting, and I was done chasing.
“When was your friend coming?” Joshua asked with vague curiosity.
“Shortly,” said Nicholas as he checked the time on his phone. “I’m ordering pizza.”
Joshua tapped the side of his phone. “We need to go to the forest tomorrow, Nicki.”
Nicholas cocked his head. “That soon?”
“You’re not going tomorrow!” I ordered. “We need to come with a plan at the very least or something.”
Joshua shot me a devilish look. “While I appreciate your concern, we have it handled.”
I scoffed. “The witches’ spirits kept me safe at the house, but in the forest, you won’t have anyone. You’re going on a suicide mission. My dad died out there.”
Joshua sat across from me. “I am sorry about your dad, but please understand, he wasn’t a practiced warlock—meaning he chose not to use his powers. He wouldn’t have stood a chance, but I have been practicing for a long time.”
I refused to look at either of them while we waited for Vanessa. The living area was small but really warm. The walls were blue with modern art covering the walls and a huge sixty-inch TV on the wall. One question did linger in my mind. How did my powers not present themselves before?
“Joshua…” I said. “How come my powers didn’t come out sooner?”
He shrugged. “I’m guessing they show themselves when you experience trauma.”
Nicholas’s gaze caught mine. “Hmm.” I contemplated. ‘Then what about Nicholas’s?”
Nicholas looked at his cousin darkly.
Joshua shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Liar, I thought.
The doorbell rang, and Joshua got up to answer. I followed him. Vanessa was wearing a blue dress and cowboy boots. She looked cute.
I smiled. “Hey, girl.”
“Thanks for inviting me. Weird you asked Nicholas to ask me though.” She eyed me suspiciously. “Are you two a thing now?”
“Just friends,” I told her, using the term lightly, and walked her into the living room.
She gazed at me. “You’re glowing.”
“I am?”
She smiled brightly. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”
I laughed. “Not sleeping and too much coffee. Got it.”
She looked at Nicholas. “Hey.” She scanned the room until her gaze stopped on Joshua’s magnificent form. “Hey. You must be Joshua. Nicholas said he had a cousin,” she said sheepishly.
“Hello, love,” he said and she s
wooned. I cringed. Nicholas felt the same. I could tell by the look on his face.
We all sat down to eat. Vanessa and Joshua flirted with each other. I didn’t say anything, but I needed to warn Vanessa next time I could grab a moment alone with her. He was a player; anyone could see that. He had walked a conquest out two hours ago.
“So, Vanessa, are you a senior too?” Joshua asked.
She put down her half-eaten slice of pizza. “Yup. What about you?”
“I finished a year ago.”
She beamed up at him. “Oh. So where do you live?”
“Ontario.”
“I thought I recognized the accent.”
I leaned into Nicholas and whispered. “I’m going to throw up.”
He chortled. “I’m glad to see you’re having fun.”
I nudged him in the ribs and turned my attention toward Vanessa. “How are things with your mom?”
“Oh.” She returned her focus to me, seeming embarrassed. “She still won’t let me go.”
“Hmm.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “What about Jerimiah?”
She gave me a stern look. “We didn’t work out.”
Good, I thought, knowing what I knew now about Jerimiah.
Joshua interrupted. “Actually, Nicholas, did you want to show Kate that passage you were showing me earlier in that book you were reading?”
“What book?” Vanessa questioned.
“Just some fiction thing.”
She grinned. “Ah, right up Kate’s street then.”
“I’m good here, thanks.”
Nicholas sighed. “You really should see it actually.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper as Joshua and Vanessa started laughing at something. “I don’t want to leave them alone. I don’t trust him with Vanessa.”
“They’ll be fine, and if we hear anything, we will intervene. It’ll only be for a minute,” he promised and grabbed my hand.
I pushed my hair over my shoulder. It draped down my back. Since my powers had come in, my hair had grown an extra four inches. It reached the middle of my waist and was starting to mirror my mom’s photos from the eighties. My hair was tamer than hers though. She definitely had some Brazilian in her lineage.