by Patti Larsen
“I’ll help you put it on,” he said as I looked up. “If you want.”
“Brad!” I didn’t know what to say. It was beautiful. And felt suddenly heavy. “It’s too much.”
“Not for my girlfriend,” he said it so softly I almost missed it. “That is, if you want to. Be my girlfriend, I mean.”
I stared at him open-mouthed for so long I think I worried him. He shifted from foot to foot, green eyes earnest.
“Syd, I… I really like you. I’ve never… I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel different around you. Like, I matter to someone, you know? Outside of football and school, like I’m important. I’m not doing this right.” He pushed one hand though his shining blond hair, blushing now.
Brad Peters was blushing over me? My heart melted and my knees weakened like they always did and I caved hard.
“You’re doing great,” I whispered. He looked up at me and smiled a little.
“Really?”
“Really,” I said. “Can you help me?”
Brad eased the necklace out of the box and leaned close. I could smell the soap he used and the subtle hint of pepperoni and cheese as he breathed beside my cheek. It took him a moment to fasten the clasp. He leaned back, his fingers sliding down the chain to catch the heart and hold it up.
“Syd,” he said softly. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
Despite what I knew, despite my fears he only liked me because of the draw of power, despite everything that happened and was happening in my crazy life, I could only think of one thing to say.
“Yes,” I said.
A thread of power slid along his hand, through the necklace and into me. I felt it stretch and lock around the heart before dissipating, gone before I could look at it too closely. Whatever the magic was, it was done and I had a sudden moment of panic when I realized I had no idea exactly what that meant.
Brad didn’t notice. He leaned toward me in my moment of frozen reaction and kissed me.
Brad had the softest lips, full and firm. I tasted diet cola and pizza as he parted them just a little bit. I know I would have slid bonelessly to the ground if his hands hadn’t settled on my upper arms and held me up. It was only the second time he kissed me, the drunken beer kiss not making it to my official count, but my hormonal reaction was exactly the same.
He leaned back after what seemed like an eternity of bliss. I looked up into his clear green eyes and immediately started kicking myself for being an idiot. What the hell was I thinking?
“Are you sure I can’t walk you home?” His voice sounded deeper than normal and I wondered how hard the power hit him or if it was just his own testosterone doing a number on his physiology.
“I’ll be okay.” I managed to breathe back. I took a step away from him, easily one of the hardest things I have ever done, and realized we had a very happily cheering audience on the other side of the diner’s windows.
I made a face at Alison as Brad turned and grinned at our friends. I took the opportunity to escape.
My mind churned as I made my way down the quiet street. Like I didn’t have enough to worry about without complicating my personal life at the same time. I fingered the heart as I walked, probing it a little to see if I could figure out what happened. I finally dropped the thing and let it go. There was nothing there. Whatever the power’s intent, it was done and gone and I had bigger issues to worry about than the fact I agreed to be the football captain’s girl.
I was halfway home before I realized I wasn’t alone. Part of me felt a little pissy when I noticed the footfall of someone close behind me. If Brad was going to be so possessive he couldn’t take the hint, the relationship was over before it even really started. I stopped in my tracks and turned to give him what for, only to come face-to-face with a total stranger.
For a moment, I blushed, embarrassed. It was just some guy walking in the same direction as me, nothing more. I sent a silent apology to Brad for thinking ill of him. Until I realized the strange man also stopped and smiled as if he knew me.
I suppressed a small thrill of fear. It wasn’t like he posed much of a physical threat, after all. He was barely my height of five-foot-six, slim and compact with short white hair and clear, open blue eyes. His skin looked smooth and youthful but his hair said old guy. So did his suit and tie. I was getting weirded out more and more by the second as he just stood there and smiled at me like a happy little cherub.
I debating just turning around and walking away, but I had the feeling he had been following me for a reason and knew he would continue to if I didn’t find out what he wanted. And somehow the prospect of him knowing where I lived gave me a serious case of the creepies.
“Can I help you with something?” I tried not to be too rude, but the guy was following me, after all.
“I hope I can help you,” he said in his soft, gentle voice. It was the smoothest voice I ever heard, like a singer’s, or someone who practiced really hard to not have an accent.
He held out one slim hand to me and I actually hesitated before taking it. But, it was just an innocent handshake, no power exchange, no probing that I could tell, so I relaxed a little.
“Demitrius Strong,” he offered as way of an introduction. “It is a great pleasure to see you, Sydlynn.”
My defenses went up again instantly. Yup, I was right. Creepy.
“Do I know you?” I didn’t. Was I wrong? Had we met before? Was he from another coven, maybe?
“Unfortunately, no.” There was a little musical laughter in his voice. “But I’ve been wanting to meet you for a very long time.”
How nice for him. “How nice for you,” my mouth spoke before my mind was ready. “Was there something or are you just into stalking teenage girls?”
I wasn’t sure why my back was up, he certainly seemed pleasant enough, but the very music in his laugh, the twinkle in his eye, made me cringe and want to run.
“On the contrary,” he said, cherubic face lit up with his humor. “I’m only interested in the very special ones.”
“Well, nice to meet you. Got to go.”
I didn’t even know I decided to just get out before I turned to leave. My demon hummed angrily, as worked up as I was and not knowing why.
“I understand today is your birthday.”
I turned around to face him again. His smile remained, perfect teeth glimmering just past his little boy lips, blue eyes so peaceful and near- angelic I felt a shudder run up my back. This guy would give a statue the creeps. Hello, horror movie.
“So?” How did he know so much about me? And what did he want?
“Being born on Beltane… you are a child of great power.”
Okay, I was officially freaked. My ordinarily untrustworthy shield slammed up and vibrating in a heartbeat.
“Who are you?” I reached for Mom but still couldn’t reach her and suddenly wondered if the man in front of me had something to do with that.
Paranoid.
“I told you,” he said. “I am Demitrius Strong. Leader of the Chosen of the Light. And I am here for you, Sydlynn Hayle.”
If it was a fight he wanted, I was so ready to blast his ass.
And yet there was nothing aggressive about him. Quite the opposite. He remained where he was, smiling benignly at me, sweet face calm and gentle.
“I’m here to guide you,” he said. “To counsel you on your path. To lead you to the Light, if that is your choice. You are young enough, my dear, to still make a decision, to choose the Light.”
I had no idea what he was talking about and really didn’t want to.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said. Why did he feel like some religious dude trying to convert me? I knew I had him pegged when he spoke again.
“The Chosen are always here to guide you,” he told me. “If you want to talk. To see the misguided path you and your family are traveling and finally come to the Light.”
It was pretty obvious he knew about the coven, but I refused to give an inch just in case.
>
“I have to go now,” I said. “Nice talking to you.”
He smiled deeper.
“I will visit you and your family again soon,” he said. “I look forward to it.”
With that, he turned and strolled away from me, back the way we came, as if he was out on a Sunday walk and not a creepy dude who knew about witches when he shouldn’t.
Yup. Great. One more thing to worry about.
***
Chapter Eleven
I shifted under the weight of the heavy black velvet cloak I was forced to wear to such witchy occasions and tried not to make my discomfort obvious to the gathered coven. Namely, to my mother who stood, similarly dressed, beside me. Surrounding me, suffocating me, was the press of the coven, about a hundred odd men, women and children, tied together by magic, chosen allegiance and blood lines.
At least the cloak was warm. It helped I bundled on a turtleneck and wool sweater before I left the house, but the cloak cut the last of the chill. I guess that meant it was actually good for something.
Fueled by my uncommon bout of optimism, I tried, really tried, to focus on my mother’s droning voice as she began the evening’s incantation, leading up to the power spike that I, Sydlynn Hayle, unhappy witch and demon child, would use to light the Beltane bonfire and welcome spring.
Yipee for me.
Still, I had trouble concentrating with all the extra crap floating around in my head. Crap I had as yet a chance to unload on my unsuspecting mother.
I arrived home, shaken and confused from my encounter with Demitrius Strong, to find the house empty of all but Sassafras. I wasn’t about to confide in my cat about my boy troubles, no matter what his origins. I left him snoozing peacefully in a patch of traveling sunlight on the living room carpet and escaped upstairs before he woke up. While Sassy might be a help with someone like Demitrius Strong, matters of my heart were strictly off-limits.
I could only imagine the conversation with him about Brad. I shuddered as I closed my bedroom door and collapsed on my bed. Bad enough Sassy was actually a teenaged demon boy himself trapped in a cat’s body. The thought of getting advice from him about my love life just made me nauseated even without magic involved.
I spent the next hour waiting for my mother. By waiting, I meant pacing. And doodling. And pacing some more. And cursing a little. She was still heavily shielded from me and I started to wonder why.
I heard the crunch of tires on pavement without feeling her, but grabbed my sweater and hit the stairs anyway. I was disappointed to enter the kitchen and find Erica waiting for me.
“Where’s Mom?” I knew I was being ungracious but didn’t really care.
“Nice to see you too, Syd,” Erica raised an eyebrow. “Happy Birthday, by the way.”
Fine, be that way. “Thanks.” I hugged her quickly. “Now, where’s Mom?”
Erica laughed a little, blonde bob swinging. She crossed her arms over her chest, striking a pose in her coordinated yoga outfit. I hated it when Erica tried to act cool.
“At the site. With the rest of the family. She sent me to get you.”
“Nice of her to let me know,” I growled, feeling left out. Especially since I planned to talk to her on the drive. Whatever. I would corner her at the site and fill her in.
I pulled my loose hair back into a ponytail and headed for the door. “Let’s go,” I said, pushing the door open with my back, hands still wrapping the elastic around my hair.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Erica nodded toward a bag hanging over the back of a kitchen chair. I groaned inwardly and retrieved my ritual robe before leaving her alone in the kitchen to follow or not.
Actually, it was best she followed. I still didn’t have my driver’s license and it was a long walk to the site.
I briefly considered telling Erica about what happened but held my tongue as she started chatting on and on about stupid, useless crap I knew she used as an attempt to bond or something equally as pathetic. The trouble with Erica was she always tried too hard. She would never lead her own coven, would always be second best because she cared too much about what people thought of her. Mind you, Mom cared, but never enough to let it get in the way of the good of the family.
At the site I realized my plan to corner Mom and spill my guts was highly optimistic at best and nuts at the outside. She was deep in the ritual already and I understood belatedly that was the reason I hadn’t been able to reach her all day. Duh, Syd. Mom wasn’t just my mother on days like Beltane. She was connected to the entire coven and, for that reason, her own essence was everywhere. I could feel her inside me as the awareness came, and I felt a little better. Maybe I was worried for nothing after all. If she was with me all day, maybe she already knew about Pain, Demitrius and the whole Brad situation.
I pulled the hated cloak from the bag, wrinkling my nose at the heavy scent. Mom obviously sent our robes out to the Vegas again. I loved Louisa and Martin, don’t get me wrong, but Louisa was heavy into earth magic and her power flower was lavender.
I never had the heart to tell her it always gave me a headache.
By the time I shrugged my robe on and made my way to the center of the circle, marked by a giant pentagram, the sun set completely and the clearing, the coven site, was dark but for a periphery of candles forming a perfectly spaced ring all the way around us. I was assigned the job, once. Once. I suck at perfection.
I almost reached Mom when I was grabbed around the waist from behind. Meira grinned up at me through her cowl, skin its natural red glow, eyes fiery amber.
“Happy Birthday!” She hugged me again and I couldn’t help but hug her back. “Did you get the card I made you?”
I flashed to earlier this morning that seemed like a week ago and smiled back.
“Thanks, Meems,” I said. “It’s wicked.”
She glowed even more, reaching for my hand. Her robe hung way too big and made her look so much smaller than she was. In fact, she practically had to push half the length of her sleeves back to expose her hand. But, the magic infused in the cloth wasn’t to be wasted, so the young ones were forced to wear robes they would wear as adults. I remembered being Meira’s age and feeling like I played dress-up in my mother’s clothes.
“Uncle Frank!” Meira left me in a rush, running to hug him and Sunny. The pair just arrived with sundown, a new addition to our ceremony. There had been a time when the vampires were excluded from all things coven, banned for being undead and, to some, unclean because of their need for blood. But, ever since Mom absorbed some vampire magic during the Moromond’s attack, she insisted Frank and Sunny were welcome at all coven events and ceremonies. It caused a big stir among the more traditional of the witches, but no one chose to leave the coven over it and, in fact, some of the younger members welcomed the vampires with open arms.
Present company enthusiastically included.
I received a hard, warm hug first from Uncle Frank then from Sunny, who whispered, “Happy Birthday,” before shoving something into my front pocket. I realized then I had as yet to open any of my gifts except for the necklace Brad gave me. Just thinking about it made me blush.
“Thanks,” I whispered back.
“Not every day you turn seventeen.” She smiled at me, ignoring the glares of a few of the coven members who gathered to begin the ceremony.
“I guess.” I shrugged inside my robe. “Accidents happen.”
Sunny laughed openly and I grinned. “Not to you,” Sunny said. “Not tonight.”
“If you don’t mind,” Celeste interrupted, her long brown braid hanging horridly from the side of her cowl like a noose, “it’s time to begin and we need you to take your place.”
She pointedly ignored the fact Sunny stood right next to me. I made a face at the tall, burly witch and linked arms with Sunny.
“We’ll just go confirm with my mother,” I said before leading Sunny off.
The vampire made funny choking noises, but when I looked over at her with concern, I
laughed openly. She struggled not to laugh herself and finally lost the battle.
“You are so bad,” she hissed at me around our giggles.
“Guilty,” I said.
“You really shouldn’t tease Celeste.” Sunny tried for serious as we approached the center of the pentagram and Mom. Celeste reached her already and stood behind her to the left, scowling openly at us. “You will have to lead her one day and you need her respect.”
The heavy scowl on the witch’s broad, masculine face made me giggle harder. “She can suck it up,” I said. I stopped and turned Sunny to face me. She was still smiling, but the old sadness I saw in her all the time showed behind her eyes. “You are a part of this family, Sunny, no matter what she or anyone else may say. Like it or not, you’re one of us and she just has to get used to it.”
I saw a couple of nods and heard the odd snort of anger from the cowls around us. I ignored them all and started walking again.
Sunny put one arm around my shoulders and hugged me in silent thanks before releasing me next to my mother, falling back into the crowd like the rest of the coven.
This was always the worst part, being in the center of the mass of witches, the focus of attention, all eyes trained on me, some approving, some hostile. I always felt like I was being torn down to what made me up, as though they were trying to decide if what held me together was strong enough or good enough for them.
I forced my shoulders back and met Mom’s eyes. Whatever they expected, whatever I did or was in the past, things would be different from now on.
Yeah, right. At least my mom was aware enough to smile.
Which took me back to focus and my lack thereof. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t bring myself to be completely drawn in to the pull of energy. Something inside me, something I had no control over, fought tooth and nail to keep me apart from what went on around me. The power building, the surge that would light the Beltane fire, was about to be placed in my mostly incompetent and shaking hands and I had a sudden irrational flash of overactive imagination.