Katie grabs my hand and squeezes, smiling at me. “See?”
“Now you girls can get on stage and make us proud without a doubt in your mind,” Jonathon says, peering at me through the rearview mirror. “Mary and Russell are two of the best Watchmen in our Coven. It was probably just a misunderstanding.”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding with his words. He’s right. A misunderstanding. That’s all.
“Do you have any preference to what side of the affinity bond you want to be on?” he asks.
I’m still thinking about my parents when Katie nudges me. He’s talking to me. “Oh me? Well, I’ve always loved the thought of being a Hunter,” I admit. I know it’s not often that a female is a Hunter, but when they are, they’re fierce. I’ve been repressed by my fear for so long that being the polar opposite seems attractive. Being fierce and independent seems freeing.
“That’s a surprise,” Eliza says, sounding amused. “I thought you’d want to follow Katie.” I don’t like the judgment I hear in her tone, or the way she looks down at her hands with her brows raised in disdain.
My words jumble. “I do, I mean…but I don’t know. I just…”
“She’s going to be a kick-ass Hunter,” Katie says in my defense. She quirks her brows at me. She loves going against her mother.
Eliza inhales sharply and spins around in her seat, catching Katie’s eye wiggling. “Katie Rose Coccia, you watch your language and wipe that grin off your face. Disrespect is unbecoming.” When she’s satisfied Katie’s been put in her place, she turns back around in her seat, clutching her purse on her lap.
Katie rolls her eyes and silently laughs. If they only knew half the things she’s said and done.
Jonathon clears his throat as he turns onto the interstate. “I think wishing to be a Hunter shows true strength,” he says, casting a quick glance to me in the rearview. “Being a Hunter, especially as a female, is rough. Even though our Coven has come a long way since the proclamation, there are still gender issues in the magic world.”
Eliza rubs his leg and looks at him lovingly, and I’m struck by homesickness. I should be riding with my parents right now. I should be having this conversation with them. What am I doing?
“Well, I think the proclamation is stupid,” Katie says, crossing her arms.
“Katie! You should never say such things. It’s heresy,” Eliza says.
“What? I’m serious. Before the Great Battle of the Covens, Hunters and Witches were able to do magic on their own. They didn’t have to be tied to someone for the rest of their lives. They didn’t have to have a Culling to tell them who they had to fall in love with and make babies with. It’s just so…medieval.”
I want to laugh, or maybe cry. I look at her, and the mischief in her eyes brings out the amber color in them.
“Right?” she asks me.
“I guess so,” I say, peering at her parents from the corner of my eye. They don’t look happy.
“Things are this way to maintain control and to keep our kind abundant. Without this ceremony, our numbers would dwindle,” Eliza says. It’s clear Katie’s treading the edge of Eliza’s patience.
“Not to mention, the old feeling of Witches hating Hunters and vice versa would more than likely strike up again,” Jonathon adds.
“It’s that way with or without the Culling, Dad. A silly rule isn’t going to change the emotions we feel.”
“Kat,” I whisper, giving her the shut up eyes.
She shrugs and looks down at her phone. “Just sayin’.”
“Regardless, these are the rules, and speaking of such opinions will only hinder your future within the Coven,” Eliza spurns. Her tone holds enough warning. “Now, I will hear no more of this talk. Not on a day such as this.” She leans forward and turns the radio on, filling the car with the sounds of opera and ending the conversation.
“Fifteen more miles,” Jonathon says.
I lean my head against the glass and close my eyes, shutting everything out. With every mile we travel, I go deeper into myself. The further I go, the safer I’ll be when the time comes to stand before the Coven.
Evernight (Night Watchmen, #2), is now available for pre-order!
It’ll be released on this year’s Culling! Samhain- October 31st, 2014!
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Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-book one in a young adult fantasy trilogy. She discovered in 2009 through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. And an outlet for all the voices residing in her head.
Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. In January of 2014, the last book in the trilogy, From the Embers, was released, thusly completing the trilogy. She now works on the Night Watchmen Series, while guzzling Red Bulls and pretending to be a ninja on Heelys.
You can visit her online at www.candaceknoebel.com
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The Gramm Curse (The Night Watchmen Series) Page 14