The Coven's Secret: A Paranormal Academy Witch Romance (Hidden Legends: College of Witchcraft Book 1)

by Alicia Rades

  “Right. I know that,” I told her.

  Samantha sat up straighter. “Okay, so the Reaper Moon does away with the Veil for just that night. All the reapers are free to roam our plane. Think of it like Halloween, but for reapers.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Why haven’t I ever heard of it? Why isn’t there a big celebration for it?”

  She frowned. “Well, because it’s rare, and most people, like Professor Warren, don’t think there’s any truth to it.”

  “Why not?” I asked. It didn’t seem that implausible.

  “Because people don’t believe things they can’t see with their own eyes,” Samantha asserted. “On Halloween, Seers can see the spirits, speak to them, sometimes even touch them. The Reaper Moon’s not quite the same. The only one who can see the reapers is—”

  “Is me,” I finished for her. “The Reaper’s Apprentice. But why would I be able to see them during the Reaper Moon when I can’t see them all the time?”

  She pressed her lips together. “I’m not entirely certain. I would guess it has something to do with the Veil.”

  Her eyes brightened. “You’ll get to see for yourself, though. It’s been a hundred years since the last one. The next Reaper Moon is coming soon—on December twelfth.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “So soon?”

  She frowned. “Yeah, which is why I don’t get why Professor Warren wouldn’t talk about it.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “It doesn’t sound dangerous. Unless there’s a reason he doesn’t want me to see the reapers or get in contact with them.”

  Samantha glanced down to the books in her lap, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Wait, do you know something else?” I asked.

  She bit her lower lip. “I have a theory.”

  “What is it?” I didn’t like that Professor Warren was keeping something from me.

  Samantha hesitated before answering. “Well... my grandpa told me this story about the last Reaper Moon.”

  I practically squirmed in my chair. The anticipation was killing me. “And…?”

  “The Reaper’s Apprentice who was alive at the time… he went to one of the reapers, and he asked them to take away his power and assign it to someone else.”

  I gasped. “Is that even possible?”

  No wonder Professor Warren didn’t want me to know about the Reaper Moon. He wanted me to suffer with this gift forever. He knew if there was a chance to get rid of it, I’d take it.

  “It must be, because it worked,” Samantha said. “The reapers all came together and used their magic to take the gift away from him. He lived another forty years or something without ever hearing another person die.”

  My mouth had gone dry, and I stared blankly ahead. I couldn’t believe I had a chance to get rid of this thing—to silence the voices!

  “Lucas, are you all right?” Samantha waved her hand in front of my face.

  I snapped out of it and shot to my feet. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for the information. You’re a lifesaver.”

  I abandoned Samantha and rushed back to Professor Warren’s classroom. The room was empty and silent, but I found him sitting behind the desk in his office. The curtains were closed, and it was a little eerie.

  “I know what the Reaper Moon is,” I stated as I burst into the room.

  I fell down into the chair across from him without so much as a hello. The dick didn’t deserve it. He’d been lying to me for months. Find the good in your gift, Lucas. You’re stuck with it for the rest of your life.

  What a load of crap!

  Professor Warren looked shell-shocked as his gaze followed me to the chair.

  “Why didn’t you tell me there was a way to get rid of this… this curse?” I demanded.

  Professor Warren leaned back in his chair. “For one, the Reaper Moon is nothing but fiction.”

  “You don’t know that,” I snapped. “Most would say that about our magic.”

  Professor Warren tilted his head as if to say touché. “The truth is, Lucas, I didn’t want to put ideas in your head. Even if it worked, it would have great consequences.”

  “Like?” I challenged with a raised eyebrow.

  Professor Warren sighed and sat up straight. “For one, your powers would be passed on to someone else.”

  “Yeah, to someone who wants it,” I shot back.

  He raised an eyebrow. “How can you be sure of that? Are you truly willing to take that risk and let someone else carry this burden?”

  My jaw tightened. Honestly, I didn’t really care. Let them have it.

  “Mother Miriam chose you for a purpose,” Professor Warren reminded me.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “I’ve heard that one before.”

  His lips tightened. “Don’t you think it’s a little… dishonorable of you to refuse the gift she’s given you?”

  “That’s what I’m saying!” I cried. “This isn’t a gift. I can’t do cool shit like the rest of you. I can’t brew potions or see the future. I hear people die, Professor Warren! Every single day, I take their secrets and their regrets, and I shove them as far down as possible so they can’t hurt anybody anymore!”

  I shook, but Professor Warren barely seemed fazed.

  “Perhaps that’s the problem, Lucas.”

  I gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re pushing them down, instead of facing them—accepting them.”

  I slammed my hands down on his desk, my nostrils flaring. “Don’t tell me what I’m facing. You don’t know shit.”

  Professor Warren backed off a few inches. “Please understand, Lucas, I’m only trying to help. If you refuse Mother Miriam’s gift, she won’t let you into Alora.”

  “Who says?” I growled. “Giving my gift back isn’t a sin.”

  Professor Warren sighed. “That depends on how Mother Miriam sees it. If you displease the Goddess—”

  “This isn’t about her!” I roared.

  Professor Warren’s eyes went as wide as golf balls. It was like he couldn’t believe I had the gall to take a jab at my own goddess. For a second there, I couldn’t believe it, either.

  But she’s the one who wanted me to spend the rest of my life under the weight of this mental trauma. She hadn’t sent me a real mentor—someone who actually knew shit about reapers. She hadn’t told me what to do, or given me any real way to deal with it. Professor Warren’s attempts be damned. Maybe I’d take my chances in the Abyss.

  I whirled around and stomped out of his office, but his voice followed behind. “The coven needs a reaper, Lucas!”

  I grumbled on my way out of the classroom. “The coven’s got enough.”

  “Hold up. You’re telling me there’s a way to stop being the Reaper’s Apprentice?” Grant asked.

  “Yep.” I stepped up to the concrete disc golf platform.

  Grant let out a puff of air. “And I thought my day was bad.”

  “What happened to you?” I asked.

  Grant frowned. “The whole Alchemy department’s in an uproar because someone broke into the supply closet and stole a shit ton of potion ingredients.”

  “I hope they caught the idiot.” I threw my disc as hard as I could. I held my breath as it flew through the air, praying it wouldn’t land in the trees on either side of us. It soared in a perfect arc and landed five feet from the basket.

  “They haven’t caught him yet. Good throw, man,” Grant said as he stepped up to the platform. He took a running start and threw his disc, flicking his wrist at the last second. His disc landed in line with the basket but too far away to make it in the next shot. “Anyway, I can’t believe Warren didn’t tell you about the Reaper Moon. Like, the dude just forgot?”

  “No.” My teeth ground together as we walked down the fairway. “He purposely didn’t tell me. The coven needs a reaper, Lucas.”

  Grant laughed. “That’s a pretty good impression of him. Why are you so desperate to get rid of it, though? I mean, if Mother Miriam wanted you to be the R
eaper’s Apprentice…”

  I shook my head. “I’m not cut out for it. I’m too weak.”

  “You’re not weak,” Grant insisted, punching me lightly in the shoulder.

  I dropped my gaze to my feet. “I don’t know. Maybe I am.”

  Grant stopped beside his disc and picked it up. “You know what I think? I think this has less to do about your gift and everything to do with a certain someone whose name starts with an N and ends in an Adine.”

  I let out a puff of air and rolled my eyes. “This isn’t about Nadine. But I’m not going to lie to you, it’s definitely crossed my mind. Fuck man, I’m cursed to be a virgin my whole life.”

  Grant chuckled and tossed his disc. It bounced off the corner of the metal basket and ricocheted back at him.

  “That’s what you get for laughing at me, douche,” I teased.

  Grant stepped forward and swapped out his driving disc for a putting disc. This time, the chains clanged as he landed it inside the basket. “Technically, you’re not cursed. You could fuck whoever you wanted and be fine.”

  “Yeah, but at their expense!” I conjured my putter and tossed it into the basket. “I’m not going around fucking girls I don’t care about just to get laid, only to curse them with a terrible illness.”

  We both grabbed our discs and headed to the next platform.

  “You’re too soft,” Grant accused.

  “Dude, you’re awful,” I shot back.

  Grant rolled his eyes. “It was a joke, Lucas. So, what are you going to do about Nadine? Are you going to get rid of this thing so you can date her?”

  I frowned. “I don’t even know if she wants to date me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Grant asked. “She totally likes you.”

  “I don’t get why,” I grumbled.

  Grant stepped up to the platform, flipping his disc in his hands. “Well, you could ask her.”

  “I’m not going to ask her!”

  Grant rolled his eyes. “Say she wanted to date you. Would you contact the reapers at the Reaper Moon?”

  I hesitated. My instinct was to say yes, but Professor Warren had made some good points. Now that I had time to consider what he said, I feared he might be right. Mother Miriam trusted me with this gift. If I gave it back, I’d be banished and sent to the Abyss. So my choices basically came down to Nadine or Alora.

  Fuck.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It’s kind of a big decision. I’ve got to weigh the pros and cons. To be honest, it’s looking pretty appealing right now. I wouldn’t have to carry these thoughts around anymore. And I know there’s no way to break the Reaper’s Shadow curse, but this is the next best thing if I’m ever going to date. But… the Abyss, man.”

  Grant shuddered. “Yeah, that’s tough.”

  I gaped at him. “That’s all you have for me? That’s tough?”

  He shrugged, then threw his disc and watched it soar through the air. It hit a tree and bounced into the forest. He sucked a sharp breath between his teeth, then turned to me. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t risk the Abyss. An eternity of damnation? No thanks. But I can’t make that decision for you.”

  “Why not?” I joked. “It’d be easier.”

  Grant frowned. “Nothing about this is easy. If you’re not going to go through with the Reaper Moon, you need to stay away from Nadine.”

  My eyebrows slammed together. “What? No way. She makes me happy. I actually smile around her, and the voices are quieter when she’s around.”

  Grant frowned. “You know that never works. One of these days, you’re going to cave.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “And what do I do if she wants to stay friends with me? I can’t just avoid her.”

  Grant shrugged. “Be an asshole, and she’ll be the one avoiding you.”

  I scoffed and stepped up to the platform. “Uh, no thanks.”

  I swung my arm around and flicked my wrist, and my driver went flying toward the basket. It narrowly missed a tree and landed just a few yards from where I was aiming.

  “How about I tell her you’ve been keeping secrets?” Grant suggested.

  “You promised!” I growled.

  It’d been weeks ago that I’d told Grant where I’d heard Nadine’s name before—in her mom’s last thought. Nadine didn’t know, and I couldn’t tell her. It could put her in danger.

  Grant held his hands up in defense. “I’m not going to tell her! Not unless you decide you want to drive her away. What’d this last thought say, anyway?”

  I shook my head firmly as we started toward our discs. “Nope. Not telling. Reaper’s Apprentice privileges only.”

  “It’s killing me why you won’t tell her,” Grant said. “What’s the big secret?”

  “I’ve already told you too much.”

  “Fine,” Grant sighed. “Your secret is safe with me. So, can we invite the girls out for a round of golf?”

  “What’s with you, man?” I complained. “One second you’re telling me to stay away from her. The next you’re inviting her to our bro day.”

  Grant cocked an eyebrow. “Bro day? You just said you’re not going to avoid her. So pick one.”

  “Whatever. Invite them if you want.”

  Grant conjured his phone and started poking at the screen.

  Grant and I worked our way through the rest of the course. The last hole ended close to the parking lot. Grant chucked his disc above a wall of tall bushes, and we heard it skid along the gravel.

  When we stepped out of the forest and into the parking lot, my blood ran cold. Next to our vehicle sat a sleek black sports car. It was the only car here besides ours. Just thinking about all my rides in that thing made me want to hurl. I couldn’t believe I was ever friends with those assholes.

  Grant turned up his nose. “What are the Tarantulas doing here?”

  I frowned. “Dunno. But I guarantee it’s not disc golf.”

  I’d only ever seen Ryan play once, and I kicked his ass so badly he made a big deal out of how disc golf wasn’t a real sport and I was a sissy for playing instead of working out in the gym like a “real man.” I can’t believe I took that jerkwad’s verbal abuse. I guess growing up with my dad, you just learned those kinds of things were normal.

  Grant chuckled. “I bet their drug drop-off is somewhere around here.”

  The sad thing is, he wasn’t kidding.

  “Let’s find my disc and get out of here before they come back,” Grant said. He still hadn’t forgotten the prank they’d pulled on him last year. Neither of us wanted to face those losers.

  Grant and I glanced around the parking lot, but his disc was nowhere in sight.

  “That’s weird,” Grant remarked. “I didn’t think I threw it that far.”

  He walked to the other side of the parking lot to see if his disc had landed in the grass. Meanwhile, I bent over and tilted my head to look beneath the cars. Sure enough, Grant’s green disc was lying in the gravel beneath Ryan’s shiny black car. I groaned and lowered myself onto my stomach to reach under the car for the disc.

  “Hey!” a deep voice boomed across the parking lot.

  My whole body gave a jolt. Several pairs of footsteps began racing across the gravel all at once. I quickly pushed myself out from under the car and tried to get to my feet. But I didn’t get there before Ryan dropped a backpack beside his car and grabbed me by the collar.

  “Stop!” Grant cried as he sprinted over to me. Nolan and Finn stepped in front of him and held him back.

  “What the fuck were you doing to my car?” Ryan roared. Spittle flew onto my face, and his nostrils flared.

  My whole body shook in rage. What I wouldn’t give to punch this jerk in the face. I shoved him away with my forearm so hard that he stumbled backward and let me go. “Get off of me, man. I didn’t touch your damn car. We lost a disc.”

  I held up the disc as evidence, but Ryan didn’t seem to buy it. He was back on me in less than a second, his forearm pinning m
e to the side of the car.

  “I don’t believe you,” he growled, his dirty breath skimming along the side of my face.

  Grant tried to side-step the other Tarantulas, but the third and fourth gang members stepped forward to block his path.

  “Now tell me what you did to my car!” Ryan shouted in my face.

  My lips tightened, and I held his gaze. “I told you. We lost a disc. That’s all. I wouldn’t touch that filthy thing anyway.”

  Ryan’s lips curled into a sneer. He grabbed a fistful of my shirt with each hand, then slammed my back against the car again so hard it nearly knocked the wind out of me.

  “I’m not in the mood today, Taylor,” Ryan threatened. “If you cut my brake lines or some shit like that, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

  I scoffed. Did this loser really think he could scare me? The only time we’d ever gotten into a fist fight, I’d won. “I’ve already served my time. Being friends with you was hell enough.”

  Before I saw it coming, Ryan’s fist slammed into my mouth. A shock wave went through my teeth and down my jaw. Warm liquid and the taste of copper filled my mouth. For a second, I couldn’t believe he’d actually done it.

  I was done. I was so done with this asshole. I dropped the disc and retaliated quickly.

  “I’ve had enough of your mouth—” Ryan started.

  He was cut off by my fist cracking into the side of his jaw. Pain shot through my knuckles, but I didn’t care. It was totally worth it to watch him stumble to the side clutching his face. A wave of pride washed over me, but it was short lived.

  Ryan righted himself and shot daggers my way. “You’re gonna pay for that, Taylor.”

  Ryan gathered midnight blue magic in his hands and muttered an incantation under his breath. He thrust the defensive magic forward. I ducked and lunged, slamming my shoulder into his middle. We both fell to the ground the same time the sound of shattering glass came from behind us. The idiot had smashed his own window.

  Everything moved so fast that I barely knew what was going on around me. All I heard was the sound of feet slamming into flesh and Grant’s pained grunts not far from me. I had to get to him pronto, but I couldn’t while Ryan was trying to rip the flesh off my face. Fingernails dug into my skin as he muttered an incantation and ran his nails down my cheek. A burning sensation—like acid—ignited across my face. Whatever magic he was using wasn’t anything we’d learned in class. It was probably illegal.