by Freya Black
A wedding between two witches was binding, connecting us for life, but it wasn’t unbreakable. Even the Inner Circle’s link could be broken with the correct incantation.
“No. I can’t—” I started to say before Sloane interrupted.
“Nona, I’m not letting you go by yourself, so stop being so stubborn.” A smirk crossed his lips. “We’re in this together. Where you go, I go.” He slid his hand into his pocket and produced an identical ring that once fit his tiny finger. His palm now swallowed the ring, making it look like a speck of gold. “Forever.”
His words took my breath away. Since the day we’d met at Enchanted Books & Beans, he never failed to surprise me. Just like my mother had had my father, I had Sloane. It was the reason Crescent Witches and Telepaths belonged together.
“Fine. But the Inner Circle will never let us leave.”
He shrugged. “We can sneak out after dinner. Leave them a note or something.”
“Who knew you were such a bad boy?” I stared at him in admiration, and my fingers twisted between the soft cotton clung to his chest. “It’s so…hot.”
An impish grin spread across my lips as I pulled him closer, and then he kissed me.
Before dinner, I sauntered down the hallway to Declan’s room. I had to tell someone, and a note felt too impersonal. Kate would object and run straight to the Inner Circle, and Celeste couldn’t keep a secret long enough for Sloane and me to make it out the front door. I hated to burden Declan with my secret, but we were out of options.
Declan opened the door on the first knock. We sat next to each other on his bed, our backs against the cold sandstone wall. I debated on whether telling him was the right choice. If the Imperium Council found out he had knowledge of our treason after Sloane and I left for Krona, it would make him a coconspirator. The act of using the Scipio wand alone could land all of us in the Gallows where the Council would strip us of our powers. If for some reason we didn’t return, I knew Declan would search the ends of the earth, looking for me. I had to tell him the truth.
“Sloane and I are going to Krona tonight. We’re—”
“What do you mean, you’re going to Krona?” he asked, sitting up in bed with a murderous look in his eyes.
“Hey! Chill out.” The anger in his voice made me snap back. I felt guilty about my reaction, realizing the truth could put him in danger, and I adjusted my tone. “I found a hidden room in my bedroom.”
Declan’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw set.
I continued, “A Scipio wand and the Galdrar were inside. I need to find out why my mom kept the room and everything inside of it from the Inner Circle. The only person who might know why my mom went behind the Council’s back lives in Krona, and Sloane knows him.”
“You should tell Kate.”
“I can’t. If I tell the Inner Circle, they’ll make me give both of the Sacred Tokens back to the Imperium Council. I found journal entries that I think have something to do with my visions. Before the Glamour War, my mom went to Krona to learn how to use the Talisman of Grimnir, but her journal entries stopped before Samhain.”
“Wasn’t the Glamour War on Samhain?”
I nodded in agreement.
Declan rested his head against the wall with a loud sigh. “If it’s the only way.”
“It is. She wouldn’t have risked her life, my dad’s life, or our lives unless there was a good reason. She must have seen something in her visions.” I brushed my thumb over his hand and peeled back his fingers, his hand slowly unclenching. “Can you give us two or three hours until you tell Kate? That should be enough time to tether to Krona.”
“Of course,” Declan said with a pained smile.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and hopped off the bed when I saw the time. “I still have to pack a few things for our trip, and dinner is in fifteen minutes.”
Declan stopped me before I reached the door. He hugged me so tight that I felt the air departing my chest. His emerald irises that changed color with his moods stared back at me.
Fifteen years ago, he’d stood on my front steps, his broken arm resting in a sling. That was the day we had become friends. I could recall in vivid detail when I’d accidentally broken his arm by throwing him off the trampoline in my backyard.
Every emotion ran through me at once, and I refused to let go. I knew there was a possibility that this would be the last time I saw my best friend.
I fought the tears welling in the corners of my eyes. “Everything is going to be all right. I promise.”
Declan wiped a tear from my cheek, and before I could react, he planted a kiss on my lips. When he tried to slip his tongue into my mouth, I stepped back, as if looking at him for the first time. His kiss left me dumbfounded.
The few thoughts running through my mind were incoherent chunks that I couldn’t piece together. “Why did you do that?”
“I’m sorry…but I love you.” His eyes held a certain amount of sadness that made me feel like I was suffocating.
“I love you, too,” I muttered, another tear streaking down my face. Can I love both Sloane and Declan?
“I had to do that at least once.” He looked down, staring at our hands meshed together as one. “Sloane’s taking you away from me.” Declan cradled my head against his chest and kissed my hair, massaging my back with his fingers. “If this is the last time we see each other, I want it to be perfect. I don’t want to have any regrets.”
“I don’t understand. Do you have feelings for me?”
Declan turned his head away from me. “Yes,” he sighed. “I don’t know. I love you, always have. It’s just ever since Sloane showed up—”
The shock of his kiss hadn’t worn off by the time he hit me with that bomb.
“You don’t have to worry about losing me to Sloane. I thought you knew that.” I grabbed his chin, so I could look into his eyes. “You are my best friend. No one will ever take your place. I’ll never forget what we have, no matter what happens between Sloane and me.”
I didn’t know what else to say, but the cards were right. The Crescent cards never lied. I wasn’t sure what to make of Declan’s declaration, but I couldn’t handle any more drama. Sloane and I had a job to do, and I had to block out everything else, so I could focus on the task we needed to complete.
I slipped away from Declan’s embrace and reached for the doorknob, studying his handsome face, knowing I had to choose Sloane to fulfill the prophecy.
His frown turned into a devilish grin, which was a relief. “Promise, you’ll be careful. I need you back in one piece.”
Since the Binding spell, I could sense the energy of my Coven’s divine powers. His warmth was no exception.
I raised my finger with a smile. “Pinkie promise.”
He twisted his pinkie around mine and kissed my forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I kissed him on the cheek and dashed out of the room, as if running from a burning building.
If Sloane was like a breath of fresh air, then Declan was the oxygen I needed to survive. The Lovers card meant a choice between them, and it was a choice I refused to make because I loved them both.
Chapter 22
Dinner reached awkward within the first five minutes. Sloane’s hostility toward Declan meant he knew about the kiss, proving that he’d broken his promise not to eavesdrop on my thoughts. That irritated me more than their childish games. Sitting within arm’s length of two bellicose idiots was like being the rope in an emotional game of tug-of-war.
Declan glared at Sloane, shoveling lasagna into his mouth, like a pig eating out of a trough. Sloane’s plate rattled when he touched the table, and for a second, I thought the table might flip over.
I wondered if a Telepath’s powers could kill someone. If they could, Declan would’ve been dead ten minutes before.
I picked my food and swirled it around into a mess of noodles and cheese. Guilt and regret consumed me. I hadn’t kissed Declan back, but I was equally guilty.
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Celeste tapped me on the shoulder and whispered into my ear, “Is everything okay?”
I shook my head. “No, definitely not.”
She tore an Italian roll in half, handed the other half to me, and stuffed a piece into her mouth. “I’m waiting for Declan to stab Sloane with his fork.”
“Not if Sloane beats him to it.” I wanted to laugh, but the reality was not funny.
“Yeah, I can see that. Whatever is going on between them looks pretty intense.”
“Declan kissed me,” I mumbled.
Celeste’s eyes widened, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. “No way.”
Declan and Sloane were still bickering in their minds, throwing daggers with their eyes.
I dropped my fork on the plate with a loud clang and shook my head at Celeste. “It’s a long story. I’ll explain later.”
After dessert, Sloane and I sealed off the secret room and snuck through the hallways. I had adjusted to the subzero temperature of our underground hideaway. But the outdoor air was no match. I zipped my jacket and waited for Sloane to finish tugging on the straps of his backpack. He led me through the forest, using the Sabine River as our guide. His energy was as cold as ice and matched the frigid look on his face.
We hiked the trails without speaking a word. I tried to apologize, but he cut me off and said he needed time to think. Whether he read Declan or the bad thoughts racing through my mind, it didn’t matter because I still felt like a cheater.
My entire life, I loved Sloane. From what I could tell from my repressed memories, I always had. The electric spark we shared only deepened those feelings.
Declan, on the other hand, was my rock, my best friend. He’d nursed my broken heart when Marco had shattered it to pieces and held my hair back when I’d drank too many daiquiris. Most importantly, he’d propped me up after my parents’ deaths and kept me going.
I loved both of them for different reasons, but the question wasn’t whether I loved them. It was who I was in love with. Can I really live without one of them? To choose one over the other would be like ripping my soul in half, and it didn’t seem fair to only give half of myself to one of them.
Blue and pink hues danced along the twilight sky, fading by the time we reached the top of the mountain. I would have stopped and taken note of its beauty if Sloane were in a better mood. Instead, he intermittently mumbled to himself under his breath. The silent treatment sucked…and so did running up a hill after him.
I bent over and rested my hands on my knees, taking in shallow breaths. “Sloane, I need to take a break.”
He took smaller strides and slowed his pace to a light stroll, which infuriated me.
“Babe, c’mon,” I whimpered.
Sloane stopped in front of a boulder and laid his backpack on top of it. “Five minutes, and then we need to keep moving.” He twisted the cap off his water bottle and took a sip. “It’s going to be hard enough to navigate now that it’s dark.”
“Yes, drill sergeant,” I said, annoyed by his attitude.
I slid my back against the cold, rough surface of the rock, my body crumpling as I sank to the dirt floor. He towered over me with a peace offering, and I took a swig from his bottle. Wind howled through the canopy, shaking the leaves as the sky opened up, filling with dime-size beads of water. I loved the earthy smell of rain soaking into the dry soil. As the water splashed across my face, I held my arms out to my sides. Five minutes passed in what felt like a second, and by the time I closed my eyes, Sloane cleared his throat.
“You ready to go, babe?” he said, his tone demanding and hostile.
My body felt weighed down, like I had sand in my pockets. “Not even close.”
Sloane pulled me to my feet, and when I wrapped my arms around him, he recoiled. I fought back tears as he turned away from me, pretending I didn’t exist. Even though our destination was unclear, I had an overwhelming desire to run. I set off into the darkness, a thick fog choking me as I bolted into the concealment of the Arcadian forest.
“Fiona, watch out!” Sloane yelled.
But his warning was too late.
My foot collided with a fallen tree stump and sent me flying face-first into a thick puddle of mud. I spit out chunks of dirt. “Seriously?”
Sloane laughed and wiped my face with a T-shirt he’d gotten from his backpack. “That’s a good look on you, babe.”
I smirked at his comment, but I was glad that his humor had returned.
We pushed our way through the foliage, unable to see more than a few feet in front of us, when Sloane’s forearm slammed into my chest.
“Hey!” My hands balled into fists at my sides. “What was that for?”
I couldn’t see his face, only the shadow the dim light provided.
“Straight ahead.” His voice lowered to a faint whisper, barely audible over the rain.
Then, I saw it. Like a soldier breaching enemy lines, the golden eyes of the beast penetrated the cloud of darkness. Moonlight crept through the canopy, providing enough light to see the monster tilt its head back as it snarled.
He shoved me behind him, and my face pressed against his back.
“We need to make a run for it.”
My entire body trembled.
His voice remained steady. “One…two…three.”
Without hesitation, I bolted down the path to our right, the wolf following close behind, and I hurdled over a clump of branches.
Sloane looked over his shoulder. “Get in front of me.”
The soles of my feet burned as I pushed past Sloane. At the end of the trail, we landed in an open, flat area that ran parallel to a crystal-blue river. Bright flora that should’ve matured and shed its leaves during autumn was layered around us. It was magical in every sense.
I ran toward a wooden bridge with twisted railings suspended over an enormous waterfall. As Sloane’s feet landed on the bridge, I almost fell off the side. It finally hit me when I heard the guttural sounds of the predator.
Why am I running when I can use magic?
I stopped in the center of the bridge and held my hand out to the animal. “Tardus tempore.”
The gray wolf was statuesque at first, but then it changed from animal to human form. I cringed when I realized it was a supernatural creature with swarthy skin, pointed ears, sharp teeth, and fingers that looked like claws.
“I don’t know how much time this buys us. Let’s go,” I said.
We ran across the bridge, up a steep hill, and hid behind a grassy embankment.
Sloane extracted the Scipio wand from his bag. “Do you remember the incantation to open the portal?”
“Yeah, I think so. If not, we have the grimoire.”
I sensed the power of the white oak wand as I pointed it into the forest. “Via, puella, caput draconis, aquisitio.”
Four geomantic shapes appeared alongside one another in a soft incandescent shade of electric green that shimmered as it took form. I lowered the wand to my side, watching as the elemental symbols fused together. They swirled into a tornado-like mist of smoke and formed a freestanding portal large enough for the both of us to fit through.
I looked at Sloane, noting a slight trepidation in his eyes. “Together.”
He clutched my hand, giving it a light squeeze, and for the first time in two hours, he smiled. “Together.”
I sucked a deep breath in and out, stood on the tips of my toes, and kissed him on the cheek. He pressed his lips to mine, his aura shaking through me, and then we jumped through the portal.
I’d envisioned tethering as floating on a soft cloud of magic. Instead, it compared to someone launching us from a cannon. Dumped in the orchards of Krona, Sloane and I wiped the dirt from our clothes and flattened our hands against our foreheads, adjusting to the ethereal glow.
Pint-size men with long beards and floppy hats hanging over their eyes plucked apples and peaches from trees. They stood on ladders, a pleasant tune escaping their lungs, as they filled wicker baskets.
Krona had a glow, and everything about the realm was magical, from the succulent fruit to the cloudless blue sky.
I tapped Sloane with my elbow, unable to take my eyes off the delightful creatures. “My mom read me stories about dwarves. This is so cool. Do they work here?”
He pressed his index finger to his mouth. “Shh! Dwarves don’t like to be bothered.” He laced his fingers between mine, and we started walking down the dirt path. “In Krona, everyone has a job, no matter how big or small. When I came of age, Queen Moira dubbed me Duke of Varro and gave me a small pasture just outside the castle walls. The title came with land and everything I could have ever imagined, but it was missing you.”
“So, what does a Duke do?” I asked, staring through the endless rows of apple trees.
“I collected payments from the residents of Varro, but the Fey don’t deal with money. They make payments in the form of magic and favors. I was supposed to take a cut of what I’d collected, but I wasn’t even sure how to use their gifts, so I’d just hand it over to the Chancellor of Krona. If I needed anything, the Queen made sure one of her advisors would take care of it.”
“That’s interesting.” I pointed the wand at the green blob behind us and spoke an incantation to close the freestanding portal. The mass swirled into an electric-green mist and evaporated, as if it never existed. I flashed a proud toothy smile. “I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
“Yeah, but don’t get too comfortable. This is a one-time thing. Then, we give the Scipio wand and the Galdrar back to the Imperium Council.”
My joy faded at the mention of the Council, instantly transporting me back to reality.
At the end of the orchard, we stopped in front of a giant staircase. Endless stone slabs cascaded down from the sky. Twisted into interwoven Celtic knots, the railing reminded me of our copper rings. After what felt like an eternity, we crashed at the top, our breathing labored and shallow.