Emersyn shook from head to toe. She only fought me for a split second before she caught up with my speed. “Don’t let go of me,” she shouted.
Bettina was a silent shadow latched on to my left arm. Her normally tanned skin was white as fresh fallen snow. Tears streaked down her face.
I can’t believe I dragged her into this.
Just then, something flew out from within the trees, but before I had time to duck, the spirit grabbed me by my hoodie and lifted me in the air. The spirit’s fingers dug into my shoulders. It cackled in laughter above me. I looked down and watched the ground get farther away. Emersyn jumped and wrapped her hands around my ankle and pulled. My leg screamed in protest, but I didn’t lower at all. Bettina leapt up higher than I’d thought possible and grabbed me by the knee. They wiggled and struggled to get me free.
“We’ve got you,” Bettina cried, tightening her grip.
“Let her go!” Emersyn screamed toward the spirit trying to fly away with me.
“We need,” the spirit whispered so quietly I wasn’t sure I’d heard it. Sinister laughter bubbled above my head as the spirit flew higher. I watched in horrified slow motion as Bettina was thrown ten feet away. NO! Emersyn’s fingers slid until she lost her grip, and she dropped to the dirt.
“No!” the spirit squeaked. “Must take both to the hidden kingdom.”
What the hell? Just as I opened my mouth to scream for help, something as bright as the sun soared by my face. The spirit screeched and exploded into white flames like fireworks…and then it disappeared completely. Air flew by my face as I freefell. I flailed my arms, but it made no difference. I tried to roll on my side so I wouldn’t break my back, when suddenly I landed in a warm cocoon. Heat wrapped around my legs and across my back. My eyes burned and filled with tears. I hadn’t hit the ground. I looked up to see what I’d landed in, and my jaw dropped.
It was him.
The guy I’d seen before. The guy I’d run into by the bonfire. He’d caught me. I stared up at his beautiful face and those mismatching eyes, but he wasn’t looking back at me. His face seemed paler than it had before. His shoulders were tensed and tight, the veins in his neck throbbing.
I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. Look at me. Finally, his gaze turned to meet mine, and my breath was knocked out of me all over again. How could two eyes be so intense? My chest singed, and I knew I wasn’t breathing, but my brain didn’t appear to care. I opened my mouth to get air, and his eyes tracked the movement. My cheeks flushed.
So, this is what this feels like. I’d always watched and listened to other girls talk about meeting guys, but I’d never understood. I didn’t see how just the sight of someone could render a person so weak they couldn’t breathe. But staring up at this perfect stranger, it all clicked. I didn’t have words for what was happening, and I felt a little crazy just thinking about it.
I could’ve stayed there cradled in his arms forever. The heat from his skin soothed the fear in my bones. I wanted to bury my face in his chest. His cheeks flushed, like maybe I was having the same effect on him. I hoped I was. I couldn’t be alone in this.
All too soon, my feet slammed into the ground. My body began to fall away from his and I panicked. I gripped the front of his black V-neck T-shirt and pulled myself closer to him. Close enough to see myself reflected in his eyes. His hands landed on my waist and squeezed. I gasped and moved in closer. His mouth opened like he was going to speak, but no words came out.
Please, say something.
“Guys, over here!” Bettina shouted from behind me, but the sound was hazy and distant.
“Let’s go!” Emersyn screamed. A cold, thin hand grabbed my elbow and yanked me out of his arms.
NO. Wait! I wasn’t ready to leave. I needed to talk to him, but the world passed by me in an orange blur. My foot snagged on something, and I slammed into Bettina with a thud. I cursed and looked up. Reality snapped back into place. We were still in the clearing. Terror and panic raged on all around us. Okay, forget the stupid boy and get the hell out of here, Bishop.
As soon as we got within reach, Bettina grabbed my hand and pulled me into the woods. I didn’t have a free hand to pull out my phone for a flashlight, and I wasn’t about to let go of either of their hands to do so. Instead, we ran blind at full speed. Anything was better than the scene we left in our wake.
We didn’t let go of each other’s hands as we ran, and none of us said a thing. We were locked in concentration. Moonlight trickled in between the trees, giving us just enough light to finagle our way through the dense forest. We may have been out of the clearing, but I was still terrified. We just needed to get the hell out of there. Once we were safe…that’s when fear was allowed to cripple me. But not now.
Not now.
The sight of the gravel road was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. I almost dropped to my knees to kiss the pavement. On the other side of the small two-laned road was the tiny unpaved parking lot where we’d left Bettina’s car sitting in the moonlight. As my feet hit the rocks, I had the sudden horrible realization we’d left Emersyn’s friends back at the clearing. I skidded to a stop.
Emersyn gasped. “What’s wrong?”
“Your friends!” I screamed. “We left them!”
Emersyn shook her head. “No, they bailed as soon as things got weird. They left me in there alone.”
“WHAT?” How could they leave her? What kind of people were they?
Emersyn shrugged, but she had tears in her eyes. “You find out who your friends are right when you really need them the most.”
I sighed. I wanted to punch someone. “So, where are they? Do we need to go help look?”
Emersyn shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
Tires screeched and a big white pickup truck flew up behind us. The doors opened, and Em’s friends jumped out. They sprinted across the gravel road with terror plastered on their faces.
Emersyn took a few steps toward her friends. I took a step forward to go give those friends a piece of my mind, but Bettina grabbed me by the arms and dragged me toward her car. I didn’t have any strength left to fight her. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Tiffany and Mia had shoved Emersyn into the backseat of their truck.
Well, at least everyone is safe. Wait, I want to say bye. I was pushed into the car from behind. I managed to get upright in time to see the taillights on Emersyn’s truck disappearing in the other direction.
I leaned my back against the leather seat and struggled to catch my breath. We experienced the most terrifying moment of our lives together. We’d taken turns saving the other’s life, and then she was just gone. I’d probably never see her again. I just hoped the memories of the night wouldn’t linger. I should’ve felt relieved to be alive and free from danger, but instead, I was overwhelmed with grief. It made no sense. I couldn’t even place where the feeling came from.
I glanced out the window and spotted a pair of mismatched eyes. HIM. I gasped and jumped forward, scrambling to find the window button without taking my eyes off him.
The second fresh air hit my face, I leaned out of the window and screamed, “Tegan Bishop!”
It was a desperate attempt. A shot in the dark…and I didn’t think it worked. I was too far away.
I held his gaze, searching for any sign he’d heard my name, but his face gave nothing away. “Wait. No. Please, go back!”
I hung out the window like a dog, my hands gipping the edge of the window. Our gazes locked as distance spread farther between us. When the car turned a corner, I crawled over to the other side and pressed my face to the glass…but it was too late. He was gone. The adrenaline left my system, my body slumped, and I slid down the back seat until I was flat against the cool leather. My body shuddered, and this time I didn’t try to hold it together. Tears stung my eyes, and I let them spill onto my cheeks. I wiped my face with my muddy, trembling fingers. I took deep breaths, trying to calm my frantic heart.
Damn it. I felt heavy, like t
he weight of the world sat on my chest. It burned so bad each breath felt like I’d swallowed lava. I closed my eyes and saw his face perfectly in my mind. Something told me I might not ever forget it.
I didn’t even know his name.
Maybe he heard mine.
Please find me.
Chapter Three
Tennessee
I sat at the kitchen counter in my house, trying to keep my head in the game. It’d been nine hours and fourteen minutes since I left The Gathering, and my mind was a mess. I couldn’t stop thinking about that girl with the gemstone eyes. I looked down at the Roman numeral IV Mark on my arm and scowled. If I hadn’t been the Emperor, if I was just a regular witch, I could’ve taken the time to search all of Eden for her. Someone had to know who she was. She’d parked in our race’s private parking lot. Only a witch could’ve found it. But looking for her would have to wait. I was the Emperor, a member of The Coven, and I had a job to do.
A job I technically completed but was no closer to understanding. I sighed and rubbed my face with my palms. It was early morning, and despite the fact I’d gotten home before sunrise, I’d decided not to wake my Coven-mates until now. My adoptive father, Kessler, stood on the opposite side of the island cooking me breakfast. My adoptive brother, Cooper, was behind him making us all coffee. Royce and Henley sat beside me at the counter. They lived next door to us and were two of my closest Coven-mates, and the only two I’d called over this morning.
“Should we call the others?” Royce asked quietly. His normally perfectly styled black hair was disheveled and hanging into his face.
My father turned his hazel eyes to me then over to Royce. He shook his head. “Tennessee has had a rough night. He can tell us, and we can tell everyone else.”
Four sets of eyes turned toward me, and I sighed. I’d called my father right after The Gathering ended and gave a brief summary. Well, everything except her. He didn’t need to know about that. He’d told me to get back on the plane and get home. So…I did.
“So, this is all that happened with your dagger?” Henley asked, my dagger in her pale palms. Her sapphire eyes narrowed in concentration at the blue crystal now embedded into the black crystal hilt. “You killed a demon with it, and when you picked it up, the crystal was there?”
I nodded. “Yup, and no, I don’t know what we’re supposed to do with it.” But I knew someone who did. I kept picking up my phone to call Cassandra only to remember too late that she was gone. How many days has it been? Three? Four? Five?
“She didn’t know, either, son,” my father said with a soft voice, like he knew where my thoughts had gone.
Cassandra was our Hierophant, Card number V. Our connection to The Goddess. The Coven’s spiritual authority. And we lost her last week. Now, we ran blind. I cleared my throat and forced those thoughts away. “We need to focus on finding the locket. We don’t have much time left.”
Cooper leaned his elbows on the counter and nodded. “Less than three weeks at this point. But Cassandra said we had to initiate the twins into The Coven before we could complete the quest for the Hierophant’s locket.”
That locket was as old as the world itself. All of our race’s secrets and prophecies were inside it. If we didn’t find it in time, it would be lost forever.
“You said the twins were coming.” Royce scratched the back of his unruly hair, his X Card Mark poking out from the sweater he had on. He looked to my father. “Please tell me it’s soon?”
“They arrive Tuesday.” My father sighed. “My brother and sister-in-law refused to move them sooner. They claim it wouldn’t be beneficial to their moods upon arrival.”
“Yeah, their moods are crucial here,” Royce mumbled.
Every witch knew why the twins were so important. We learned Salem’s Prophecy at a young age, and it revolved around the twins. They would be the ones to close the Gaps into the other dimensions and prevent major demons from crossing into our world anymore. But they could also be the ones to rip the Gaps apart forever and destroy us all. As Royce said, their mood was crucial. And we couldn’t pray to close the Gap without the locket.
To say the weight of the world rested on this quest was putting it lightly.
“So.” Henley took a deep breath. “What’s the plan? What do we do?”
“We introduce ourselves to them on Wednesday,” I suggested.
Cooper’s eyes widened, and he stood up straight. “That quick? They get here Tuesday.”
My father squeezed Cooper’s shoulder to calm him down. He looked at me with a deep frown. “That isn’t how this was supposed to happen with them.”
“And Cassandra wasn’t supposed to die, yet she did.” I sighed and shook my head. “I understand your family had a different plan on how to bring your nieces into our world, and I respect that. But we no longer have that freedom. By the time the twins get here, we’ll have lost a week. We have to bring them in as soon as possible.”
“But how are we supposed to initiate them into The Coven this week? We’d have to get everyone to Eden—”
“That’s not true, actually,” I interrupted Royce. Everyone frowned, even my father. “Cassandra’s exact words were, ‘My Mark will not carry on until they claim their rank.’ We don’t have to do the formal initiation ritual for them to claim their rank.”
“Ah.” My father smiled wide. He grabbed the pot of coffee and sat it on the counter. “Nice catch. He’s right. We could do any kind of basic ritual with them, in a circle, for their ranks to be recognized.”
“Exactly.” I nodded and filled my mug with coffee. “The first day of school, they’re not going to know anyone, so we approach them like we’re just being friendly. It’s actually perfect timing. We tell them we’re having our annual start-of-the-school-year party that night at the beach and invite them along.”
“We have an annual start-of-the-school-year party?” Royce asked with one eyebrow arched over his mug. Steam billowed over his face.
“No, but they don’t know that.” I sat up straight on my barstool. “We get to know them, make friends. Give ourselves a few days to let them get comfortable and trust us. Then on Saturday, we invite them over here and tell them what they are.”
“We can’t tell them the prophecy. It specifically says they have to find out on their own.” Cooper began pacing back and forth in the kitchen. “We can’t break The Goddess’s rule.”
“Tennessee isn’t suggesting that,” my father assured him. “We are allowed to tell them they’re witches and about our race. We can tell them about The Coven and the Cards, more specifically about them being Cards.”
“We can tell them everything except Salem’s Prophecy. We explain the situation with the locket and that we need their help. After all, they’re the High Priestess and Empress.” I watched Cooper pace across the tiled floor in his mismatched socks. I wanted to calm and reassure him. He may be my adoptive brother, but he was actually Kessler’s nephew. The twins were his little sisters. His whole life had been in preparation for them joining The Coven.
“Why don’t we just tell them Wednesday night?” Royce asked. “We don’t have time.”
“Because it’ll freak them out, baby brother.” Henley finally stopped inspecting my dagger and set it on the counter. “We can afford a few days to gain their trust.”
I held my left hand out and summoned my dagger. Without hesitation, it flew into my open palm. Not that I didn’t trust these four people—I just felt better knowing where it was. I tucked it into my left boot, right where it belonged.
Cooper stopped pacing. He scratched the back of his head, his nervous tick. “Can we take the weekend to train them on basic magic so they’re not on a quest blind?”
I opened my mouth to say no, but my father held his palm up to stop me.
“I think Cooper is right. If we don’t prepare them, we could put them on the wrong path.” He ducked and met Cooper’s panicked eyes. “But if The Goddess sends us a message, we’ll have to listen to it. Ok
ay?”
We all nodded. Sometimes we had perfect, detailed plans on how we were going to do something, and then The Goddess sent a message that uprooted the whole thing.
Henley raised her hand and smiled. “Two things. First, one of us girls is going to do the introducing and inviting. They might freak out and get the wrong idea if it’s a guy. Second, we may know they’re off-limits for dating, but they won’t. So what are you going to tell them?”
I frowned. “Tell them the High Priestess and Empress are not allowed to date until they’re older because of their power.”
Henley arched one black eyebrow. “Won’t that sound suspicious and sexist?”
“Fair point.” I nodded.
Royce raised his hand. “So say the Emperor can’t date either. The three most powerful Cards in The Coven. It makes sense. We can also say the Hierophant can’t, since we currently don’t even know who the new one will be. I’m sure we can convince them to go along with it.”
All four of them turned to me. I nodded.
“Son, are you sure about this?”
“That’s a lot to ask of you, Tenn.” Cooper frowned.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. A pair of gemstone eyes flashed in my mind. I probably shouldn’t agree to the plan, but we didn’t have much choice either. Did I risk the fate of the world on the small, off chance I’d find the green-eyed needle in a haystack? There was a part of me that wanted to say yes. But I was the Emperor, and if I’d learned anything in the last week, I needed to play my role the way my race needed me to.
“I think we all know Salem’s Prophecy is coming for us sooner rather than later. Besides, when is the last time I dated? I’m the last person you need to worry about here.”
Chapter Four
Tegan
The Lost Witch Page 3