by J. L. Weil
“Bri,” he sighed.
I rolled my eyes. “If it makes you feel any better. I have to work all day. I promised Aunt Clara that I would close that night. She and Chad are going to paint the town red. She deserves it.”
He twirled his lip ring with his teeth. It was dangerously hot… and distracting as hell.
Unable to resist, I walked around the counter and pressed my lips to his in a kiss that ended far too soon. “Did you just come to talk about the V-word or did you have something else on your mind?” I let my gaze roam to his lips.
His head dipped and—
The door chimed again. Slightly annoyed by the interruption, I looked over Gavin’s shoulder, slowly letting my arms fall from around his neck. I sucked in a breath.
God hates me. That was my first thought as I watched Lukas saunter in through the door. Feeling the surge of another witch’s energy signature, Gavin stiffened. Spinning around, he gave a quick jerk of his chin. I bit my lip, trying to decide how best to handle this situation. There was way too much male witch-osterone suddenly filling the small shop.
“What is he doing here?” Gavin asked under clenched teeth.
“How should I know?” I whispered.
“Bri,” he growled.
Lukas had a carefree attitude and an air of confidence about him as he walked toward us, but he had nothing on Gavin’s lethal, domineering presence.
This was going to be bad—epically bad.
Gavin’s hand rested on the small of my back. The marking-my-territory move wasn’t lost on any of us.
Lukas snickered. “Hey, Brianna.” His emerald eyes slid to mine. “Sorry. Am I interrupting?” He didn’t look all that remorseful or intimidated.
Just freaking Yankee-dandy-doo.
The last time the three of us were under the same roof, the two of them had decided to declare war on each other. I didn’t want a repeat of that. Placing a hand on Gavin’s arm, I felt his muscles bunch. Before I could mediate, a current of power coursed through Gavin’s fingers and shot across the room, striking Lukas.
Lukas jerked back, scowling. “Cheap shot. I knew you were a tool.”
And the name-calling has ensued.
I blinked, and that was all it took for Lukas to send an electric spark of his own. Gavin stepped out in front of me, making sure he was the only target. It hit him on the forearm.
Gavin hissed, shaking his arm. He cracked his neck. “I’m just glad you are finally showing your true colors so Bri can see what a douchebag you really are.” His voice was full of contempt.
The two of them could not be in the same building, let alone the same room. I stepped out from behind Gavin and put myself between them. Maybe not the smartest move, but they left me with very few choices. “Look, hotheads. My aunt is the next room, and I really don’t need her to come out and see the two of you throwing around spells and destroying her shop, so knock it off. I don’t want to have to play nasty.”
Lukas snorted.
I gave him a dry look. “Lukas, why are you here?”
His eyes were glaring over my head at Gavin. “I can see that my timing was bad.” Then his gaze dropped to me, again. “I’ll catch up with you later. It can wait. Maybe, tonight…while you’re sleeping?”
That was low. And sneaky. I didn’t like it, And neither did Gavin.
His lips thinned. “You go anywhere near her dreams, and you’ll be having nightmares about what I’ll do to your face.”
Now that we got the threatening part out of the way, I figured I needed to defuse the situation, stat. “Lukas, I think you should go.”
A flash of anger jumped behind his green eyes before he smothered it with cockiness and a smirk. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Gavin shove a hand through his hair after Lukas left the same way he had come—without a care in the world. “I really dislike that guy. There is something about him, something in his eyes when he looks at you.”
He had made his contempt for Lukas abundantly clear. “You think he is dangerous,” I supplied. Truthfully, the same could be said about Gavin. There was a purely predatory vibe about him.
His eyes softened a tad. “Just promise me you’ll be careful?”
I nodded.
Last night I had sleep like crap, and for once it wasn’t because I was dreamscaping, so I couldn’t even blame Lukas. I had a nightmare.
The screwed up part is that I was the nightmare—my magic-stealing powers and me. I was still trying to convince myself it hadn’t been real. In the dream, I had been a monster with a black heart, fueled by greed, blackness, and a hunger for power I never felt before. I didn’t recognize myself. As I was right on the brink of consciousness, I heard a laugh—sinister, spine–chilling, and familiar.
When I woke up, I lay there, staring at the ceiling, beating myself up about letting my insecurities get to me. I hated that I let something so stupid upset me. My dreams weren’t prophetic—that I knew. I didn’t have to become that person. I wasn’t doomed to be a bad witch.
After a long huff, I finally dragged my butt into the bathroom. I washed my wash face, brushed my teeth, and changed out of my jammies. The simple morning routine felt comforting. Twisting my second-day hair into a messy bun, I was ready to start my day.
No sooner had I stepped into the halls of Holly Ridge High than I was waylaid by an all-too-real nightmare. Unfortunately for her, this bully didn’t know who she was really dealing with. If she had seen what I had in my dream, she would have run from me screaming.
“Hey, freak,” a sweet and sour voice said from just over my shoulder.
Oh, goodie. Just how I like to start my mornings—going a round with Rianne.
Chapter 8
I told myself to keep walking, but my legs didn’t obey. Treacherous body. Pivoting on the balls of my feet, I faced the queen bitch and shot her a look of extreme annoyance. “Is there a point in all this? Because I’m over you and your extra-large mouth.”
Her amber eyes flamed. “I’m on to you. I’ve seen your eyes. They’re not right,” she spat.
For a brief moment, I contemplated the idea of body-slamming her right in the middle of the hall. “Maybe you need to get yours checked,” I snapped, trying to act like I didn’t know what she was talking about, but inside I was having an “oh shit” moment.
She wasn’t deterred. “I know that there is something wrong with you, something abnormal. You’re not human.”
We were starting to attract a crowd. I caught a curious gaze from Sophie and a “do-you-have-a-death-wish” look from Austin. I knew I needed to keep my anger in check. “You don’t know shit, Rianne. And if you knew what was good for you…” I took a step forward, completely forgetting about reining in my anger and got in her face. “…you would forget about me.”
Her eyes gleamed in satisfaction, like she knew she was onto something. I wanted to wipe her face with the floor. And I might have, if I hadn’t noticed Rianne’s eyes shift to someone behind me. Her pink lips curled.
The tattoo at my back tingled.
“Problem?” Lukas’s voice came from beside me.
I snuck a glance from the corner of my eyes just to make sure my ears weren’t playing tricks on me.
What the heck was Lukas doing in high school? At my school?
Rianne looked Lukas up and down and up again. An expression of interest shone on her heart-shaped face. “Your threats don’t mean dick to me,” she seethed, and then flipped her long blonde hair in my face. My fingers twitched to reach out and yank her back.
Lukas’s hand closed over my wrist firmly, keeping me from moving. I could feel the pulse of my racing heart against his touch. “And who was that she-devil who was defaming your name?” he asked.
“No one worth mentioning,” Austin muttered. He and Sophie had maneuvered their way to my side as the crowd began to shuffle down the halls again.
Bless his heart.
Sophie took a different approach. “That was the school hoe bag, and a g
eneral pain in the ass,” she supplied.
Lukas blessed us with his dimples. All three of us were dazzled. “Oh, one of those. It’s unfortunate, but every school has them. Wait until you get to college.”
I picked up the messenger bag I had dropped on the floor in preparation for a possible beat-down with Rianne. “What are you doing here?” I asked, remembering that he was at my school—a place he shouldn’t be.
“I came to see you,” he replied.
“Oh.” I knew that he was watching for my reaction. I kept my expression blank, for everyone’s sake. “Now?”
His shoulder nudged mine. “School is overrated. Want to ditch?”
This was the second time in a week I was proposition to skip school. What gives? It’s not like I make a habit of it. The last time I had skipped out on a class had been the day I met Gavin, and that triggered a little jog down Memory Lane. A small smile tugged at my lips.
“Earth to Brianna,” Austin said, waving a hand in front of my face.
I blinked just as the bell buzzed.
“Are you coming?” Sophie asked, giving Lukas a disapproving glare. Her dislike was as clear as her brother’s.
I shook my head. “Go ahead. I don’t want to make you late.”
“Are you sure?” There was hesitancy in her voice, and her cobalt eyes were filled with worry. She didn’t want to leave me alone with Lukas. I couldn’t figure out whether that was because she didn’t trust Lukas or whether it was out of loyalty to Gavin.
It didn’t matter.
Obviously Lukas needed to talk. She was just going to have to trust me.
With once last glance over her shoulder, Sophie and Austin both disappeared into the crowd. I faced Lukas now that we were almost alone. A few stragglers lingered in the halls. “What is going on? Why are you stalking me at school?”
Smugness crept across his face. “Someone’s feeling feisty this morning.” He took my elbow in his hand, leading me down the hall, and I let him.
“It’s been a hell of a morning.”
A glimmer of mystery sprang in his eyes. “Excellent, because I am about to blow your mind.”
That didn’t sound pleasant. “I am not positive my mind can handle that right now,” I mumbled.
“I know what you can do, and what you are. I want to help you,” he whispered, low enough for just my ears.
I tripped, my head snapping in his direction. Bug-eyed, I felt my mouth hit the floor. I really needed to work on masking my emotions. “W-what?” I stuttered, slumping against the nearest wall for support. No way he meant what I thought he meant, right?
He stopped, caging me by placing a hand on either side of my arms. “I take it by the goofy look on your face, that I took you by surprise. Well, I’ll let you in a little secret: I’ve known for a while.”
My eyes sharpened. I didn’t like that he kept so many secrets from me. Every time I turned around, he was admitting something else. He knew I was a witch. He knew I wasn’t just a dream. He knew that I could dreamscape. And apparently my darkest secret—that I was a clàr silte.
I got an uneasy tingle down my neck. “What are you talking about?” I pretended ignorance, not yet ready to reveal the truth. It was possible that we weren’t talking about the same thing at all. And if Morgana was right, one of them, Gavin or Lukas, wasn’t who he claimed to be but which? I was more confused than ever. Gavin already knew the horrible thing I could do. It wasn’t because I trusted him more, but because he had been my first victim. Kind of unavoidable.
But Lukas…
Was it an unfair advantage that one knew and not the other? What if the only way I could figure out which one truly cared for me were to tell them both, put them on even playing fields? My heart and my head were at war with each other, but I knew that for my safety and my aunt’s, I couldn’t make any mistakes.
“It’s okay. You can trust me,” Lukas said.
My gaze fell. “I’ve got to get to class.” I turned, but his hand shot out, preventing me from my intended slippery escape. I wanted to mull over some ideas before I said anything I couldn’t take back.
“You’ve got this all wrong, Brianna. I want to help you harness your gift. You are extremely powerful, and there are risks—ginormous ones. But I know you can handle them.”
A faint tremor went through me. What he was implying scared me to death. The small taste of power I had gotten was too alluring, like a drug. I didn’t want to become addicted; there would be no stopping the monster it unleashed.
No, I didn’t want it.
Shaking his arm off, I said, “I’ll talk to you later.”
He gave a slight nod of his head. “I think your boyfriend wants to rearrange my face. I guess you aren’t the only one with trust issues.”
I rolled my eyes and took off down the hall, Gavin quickly materializing at my side, matching my strides. “What did asshole want?”
I didn’t know what to say, but I knew if I told him the truth, he would go ape shit. I needed time to think. “Nothing,” I muttered. “He wanted to know if we’re still going to practice you-know-what.”
His eyes went gloomy. “And?”
“I told him that I had to think it over.” I glanced at the clock hanging in the hallway. Classes had started five minutes ago.
Damn.
I retreated to an empty corner of the library. My schoolwork had been suffering for the last few months, and I was having a hard time concentrating, understandably. There had been a lot of crazy distractions in my life, but if I wanted to graduate, I needed to get my head back on task.
With about as much enthusiasm as I had for eating Brussels sprouts, I opened my massive trig book and prepared to fry my brain. Math has that effect on me. Flipping open my notebook, I searched the bottom of my bag for a pencil. The chair beside me scraped across the floor, and a stack of books joined mine on the table with a thump.
“So you are back to hiding out in the library?”
I lifted my lashes, spotting Sophie’s angelic face and exhaling a rush of air. “It is the only way I have time to actually study, lately.”
The material of her jeans rustled as she made herself comfortable in the seat next to me. “Is my brother sneaking into your room at night?”
I was pretty sure she was teasing, but my jaw dropped. Maybe we hadn’t been as inconspicuous or clever as we had thought. I had one guy who slipped into my room and the other invaded my dreams. How do I get myself into these pickles?
I sat back in my chair. “Sophie, how is my aura today?” I hadn’t really expected there to be a change in the dark spots that had appeared on my aura, but it was worth a shot. I believed in miracles. And I was in desperate need of one.
She tilted her head to the side, studying the outline of my profile, seeing the colored glow of my spirit. “It’s a bluish-gray. You are under a lot of stress and…” She paused. “You still doubt yourself.” Her eyes became sympathetic. “Regardless of what you think, you have come a long way. Magic isn’t learned or controlled overnight. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
If she only knew the half of it, and what I had done to her brother, then she might not be so understanding.
Sometimes it sucked that she could read me so well. I sighed. “And the spots?”
She nodded. “Still there. I can’t be positive, and I didn’t want to alarm you, but I think they might have spread.”
I tried to keep the disappointment from my face. It made perfect sense, though. I had done unthinkable magic. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“What are you going to do?”
The million-dollar question. I tapped my pencil on the table. “What can I do?”
She stayed with me, keeping me company as I worked on my homework. It was nice not to be alone, even if I got the impression she was looking out for me, making sure I was okay. On our way out of the library, she paused at the double doors. “Hey, how about we catch a movie sometime soon—you, Austin, Tori and me? Take your
mind off all the crap.”
I smiled. I liked the sound of that. “Sure.”
She beamed at me and waved as we split off down the halls.
The rest of my day felt like all I did was play catch-up. I went straight home after school. Evading Gavin’s dangerous smirks and the insinuations behind them had been challenging, but somehow I had managed.
Scooping up my black furball, Lunar and I headed upstairs to my room. I was thinking I needed a power nap, but first I had to take care of something. I reached into my bag and dug out my cellphone. Sending a quick text to Lukas, I waited for his reply, nuzzling my face into Lunar’s silky-soft coat. A moment later he responded, and nervous knots formed in my stomach.
Have you thought any more about my offer?
Have I ever. It was all I thought about. Yep.
You aren’t going to be cruel and leave me hangin’, are you? He texted back immediately.
My fingers danced over the keys. I just don’t know if I can trust you.
Ouch. You wound me.
I plopped on my bed. Whatever.
My phone buzzed. You know that I can help you.
Did I? I guess it was time to lay all the cards on the table. Fine. After school tomorrow. We’ll talk.
There. The decision was made. Now I hoped I had the gonads to go through with it, and whatever needed to be done. I knew that at the end of all this I would have to say goodbye to one of them.
I pressed my hand over my chest. The idea of losing either Gavin or Lukas gave me chest pains. Morgana better be right about this, or I was never going to forgive her for putting so much stress on my shoulders. Family or not, she’d better not be screwing with me.
And the plot of my so-called life curdles.
I felt like I was playing a dangerous game, where the stakes were higher than anything I would face in my life again. This was it. Sink or swim. I needed to figure out who I could trust. Keep your enemies closer, they say, except I didn’t know who my enemies were.
I think Morgana just wanted to torment me.
Her visits had become few and far between, so why not today? It was already a pretty strange day, and I was feeling overwhelmed. Her timing was always impeccable.