After the Summerland (The Witches of Spring Hill Book 1)

by Patricia Proctor

  He laughs when he sees all of their faces, “No way. And I made sure to have reinforcements here. Grandpa Marcus and GG Peter are staying at the house all weekend.”

  Chloe, Rowan, and Kaiden make eye contact with each other, sensing that the Silvans staying at the house is not the only reason why Grandpa Marcus and GG Peter are staying. Chloe remembers her dad’s concern in his text messages. He doesn’t believe Selene is actually out of town, Chloe thinks to herself.

  As everyone makes their way toward the house, Brianna catches up to Chloe and says, “I’m not 100% convinced that she’s out of town either.”

  It dawns on Chloe that Brianna just replied to what she was thinking. She asks, “Just how much can you hear?”

  Brianna realizes that she probably shouldn’t have said anything when she heard Chloe’s thoughts, but she couldn’t resist. As soon as they started making their way up the hill she tuned back in to everyone’s thoughts. It was the first time since this morning that she could actually hear someone else so she made the mistake of replying. She is usually very careful about replying only to words, and not thoughts, and, in fact usually blocks everyone just so she won’t get bombarded all the time.

  Brianna says, “I’m sorry. It’s the first time all day I’ve heard anyone’s thoughts and so I wasn’t blocking like I usually do. You should start carrying carnelian; it will keep me from reading your mind. It’s a pretty, reddish gemstone and I know this great site online where you can get some if you don’t have any.”

  Rowan overhearing the conversation says, “Actually, I think we might have a few of those. I’ll show them to you and you can tell us if that’s what they are. I found them in the box in the attic.”

  “Well, if you don’t want anyone to read your mind, then you should have it on you.” Brianna says as she pulls the necklace she is wearing from inside her shirt. “I wear this all the time because I don’t know if my aunt can read minds or not, but I don’t want her sifting through my thoughts. She already seems to know too much.”

  “Thanks, Brianna,” Rowan says, appreciating how open and honest Brianna is about everything.

  She’s not like some girls who won’t tell you something because they want to come off as better than you or have plans to one up you in the future. She always seems to help Rowan and when Rowan acts snotty, Brianna calls her on it. Rowan can’t remember the last time she had a friend who put her in her place and built her confidence in the same day. Brianna is becoming a very good friend and Rowan hopes whatever is going to happen with their Aunt Selene, that Brianna isn’t in the line of fire.

  Once they are all in the house, and snacks have been put out and drinks poured, they begin talking excitedly about what they are going to do with the rest of the day.

  “Maybe we can look through the grimoires and books you’ve been talking about,” Cian suggests.

  “We can do that later, because right now I think we should go out to the clearing while it’s light out,” Kaiden says, lifting his eyebrows. Everyone agrees and Chloe runs upstairs to get the spell book, stopping in the family room to tell Liam what they are going to do.

  “Just be careful, Chloe,” Liam says. “You know I have a bad feeling about Selene. If anything gets weird I want you to come back immediately, okay?”

  Chloe agrees and runs out to meet everyone else who is standing outside waiting for her. She looks at Cian walking through the garden with his hands running over the tops of all the herbs she planted. He looks back and calls to her, “I can feel your energy here, Chloe.” She smiles sweetly and jogs to catch up with them. She notices that everyone has paired off; her and Cian, Brianna and Kaiden, and finally, Rowan and Xavier. It all seems so natural and comfortable as Chloe leads the way through the gardens toward the clearing.

  Chloe stops suddenly and asks Cian, “Before we get to the clearing, do you see anything about your Aunt Selene? You know, have you had any visions?”

  Cian stops to think about it and says that like Brianna, earlier he felt a bit fuzzy and couldn’t see anything at all. But since he’s been on the property, he can feel the fuzziness going away. Cian closes his eyes, focuses his mind and searches for anything about his Aunt Selene. Strangely enough, he can’t see anything about her; however, he did see him and Chloe having their first kiss.

  Cian turns to Chloe who is patiently watching him. “Well? What did you see?” she asks.

  “I didn’t see Selene, but I did see this.” He cups her face in his hands and leans toward her lips. He pauses only for a second to watch as her head tilts up toward him, her eyes close, and her lips part slowly, welcoming him. His lips lightly touch hers and the electricity between them is magic. He kisses her fully and feels a jolt deep within him, as if someone just started his heart. Her lips are soft and wet, and her mouth tastes sweet like honey. He melts when her hands touch his body and for the first time, he worries that the fire burning within him will start both of them and this whole forest on fire. When they finally come up for air, still holding her face, he looks in her eyes and whispers, “You know I’m crazy about you, right?”

  Chloe smiles shyly up at Cian and for the first time finds herself speechless. That kiss opened her up to the Goddess. She let her guard down enough to feel the writhing, deep desire that she knows only a woman can feel. She transcended girlhood with that kiss and saw a vision of their future.

  She is secure and confident knowing that whatever is going to happen with Selene, they both will survive it. They have a future together. They will grow old together. They will die together. Chloe’s eyes fill with tears, both from joy and relief. She feels so safe and secure knowing that she has found her true love and she will never have to live a day without him.

  Just then, Brianna and Kaiden round the corner and see Cian and Chloe embracing. Brianna says, “It was only a matter of time.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” Kaiden says. He grabs Brianna’s hand and runs on past Chloe and Cian. “Now we get to be the first ones to the clearing,” he says dragging Brianna along with him. She laughs and enjoys the playfulness of the moment, almost forgetting about Selene. Almost, but not quite.

  Rowan and Xavier are quickly falling behind their siblings. Every time Xavier sees something new, he has to stop and look at it more closely. He recognizes plants and herbs that he has only read about and realizes that everything growing on this land is meant for witchcraft and casting spells. He also realizes that the Alexanders don’t quite understand the uniqueness of this land. It is clear that Chloe is the one who tends to everything in the garden since Rowan looks like she does not enjoy the great outdoors. He can’t help but explain to her why each herb is special and she seems genuinely interested. Maybe she just needed coaxing by the right person, he thinks to himself.

  Rowan admits that being in the garden is much more enjoyable with Xavier. Even though Chloe is always so eager to teach Rowan everything, she quickly gets bored and her mind wanders. She can’t help but take an interest in everything Xavier points out to her since he seems to be in awe of everything around him. She is finding a depth to Xavier that is taking her by surprise. Not that she herself is especially deep, but lately she has been thinking more and more what it means that she is a witch.

  Chloe suggested that maybe her abilities haven’t manifested because Rowan is fighting being a witch. So now, instead of fighting it, she is trying to think of it all as a gift, one that needs to be honored. Whenever she has a moment alone, she reads one of the books hoping that she will recognize something in herself.

  Going back to Xavier, she can’t deny she is somewhat attracted to him. I mean, how could I not be? she thinks. He is gorgeous and mysterious; all the things that make girls fall hard. But, I just don’t feel the connection to him that Chloe feels for Cian or even what Kaiden is feeling for Brianna, she admits to herself. Chloe and Cian put off such intense vibes that their attraction to one another is visible to anyone who looks at them and it seems that Brianna and Kaiden are headed do
wn that same path.

  She likes being around Xavier, but not in the all or nothing kind of way that her sister and brother seem to be experiencing. She wonders for the hundredth time if she is different from all of them because her abilities have not manifested, or, feeling insecure, she wonders if her abilities are not manifesting because she’s not like them at all.

  Xavier draws her out of her thoughts by pointing out another herb growing at the edge of the garden. She smiles and listens intently to what he says; again, she is surprised by how much he seems to know about plants and herbs. He’s going to enjoy the clearing, she thinks as she drags him away from whatever captured his attention this time. “C’mon Xavier, you can spend time in the garden tomorrow with Chloe. You’ll enjoy it more because she’ll have more to say than I do.”

  Xavier follows Rowan, but under his breath, he says, “But… I’m enjoying being in the garden with you.”

  Even though Rowan heard him, she ignores what he says and moves on through the path with him close at her heels. She doesn’t want to give him the wrong impression about how she feels about him. It’s nice to know he’s interested in her, but that doesn’t mean she has to be interested in him or fall at his feet. She is not ready to go there with her feelings and she won’t fake something that she doesn’t feel.

  When Rowan and Xavier finally arrive at the entrance to the clearing, everyone is standing there waiting for them.

  “We wanted to experience it all together,” Chloe explains. And with that, they all take a step into the clearing.

  Chapter 28

  The moment they walk into the clearing, it becomes clear to Xavier, Brianna, and Cian why their aunt wants this property. This is what she is after, Brianna hears in both of her brothers’ thoughts. She is surprised she can hear them since they both wear the amulet that is supposed to keep her from being in their head. The energy in the circle vibrates and just as quickly as they catch the earthy, musty smell, a strong breeze blows it away, clearing the air.

  “Our aunt wants this,” Xavier says out loud. “She must know that the power here is more powerful than anywhere else. Do you realize that the only place with this much power on this coast is in Salem, Massachusetts?”

  “How do you know that, Xavier?” Chloe asks.

  Xavier looks around at all of them and says, “My thoughts are so crystal clear right now. I know because I can hear the spirits… they’re telling me that this knowledge has always been within me and it’s only transparent now because I am here, within this circle, with all of you.”

  Cian falls to his knees, and drops his head. “Cian!” Chloe and Brianna yell at the same time. When Cian lifts his head, his eyes are wide open and his pupils are glowing bright white.

  “He’s having a vision,” Brianna says breathlessly, “We have to leave him be…”

  “Have you seen this before?” Rowan asks, moving slowly away from Cian and his freaky eyes.

  “Never like this,” Xavier says and then asks, “Brianna, can you see what he is seeing? Can you read his thoughts?”

  “No, I can’t see or hear anything! Maybe if you touch me with your clarity, and I touch him, then maybe I can see.”

  Brianna kneels down in front of Cian and takes his hands in her own. Xavier stands behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders. They both close their eyes and wait to be let in to whatever vision Cian is having. Overhead, lightning streaks across the sky and the energy crackles within the circle.

  Chloe, Kaiden, and Rowan stand back from the Silvans. Not wanting to break the spell, but knowing that a circle was never cast, Chloe suddenly grabs the bag that was dropped in the middle of the circle. She quickly pulls out the altar and everything she brought to cast a circle. Terrified that what she is doing is going to break the magic, she begins preparations for circle casting. Chloe knows that opening themselves up to this much magic without protection is dangerous.

  “Kaiden, I need your fire!” Chloe yells over the energy crackling within the circle. “Rowan, look in the grimoire and find the spell to put a shield in place so we can protect the circle.”

  Kaiden runs to Chloe’s side and using his magic, lights the candles that she laid out on the altar. Rowan rushes over to the book and quickly opens it to the page her sister needed. As they stand together, Chloe begins the process of casting the circle. When she finishes, she closes her eyes and begins a spell to cast a shield of protection around them inside the circle, she calls out, “We give the Earth this sacred salt and cast a circle to shield and protect all within, from all that is evil… Make this be by your powers, Spirits of the Land.”

  When Chloe opens her eyes she looks around and sees a glowing shield in place around their circle. The lightning overhead stops flashing, but the energy within the circle continues to crackle.

  “Chloe, that was amazing!” Rowan says, impressed by her sister’s abilities to act quickly.

  “You see the shield?” Chloe asks surprised that her sister can see it. The grimoire made it clear that she would be the only one to actually see the shield, since she was the one to call for it.

  “What shield?” Rowan responds. “I just meant that you acted so fast and stopped the lightning.”

  Chloe ignores the question, realizing that she had been holding her breath in hope that Rowan’s abilities had manifested. Instead of saying anything, she looks over to where the Silvans are sitting.

  Cian has come out of his trance and is staring at Chloe over his sister’s head. “Thank you,” he says to her.

  Chloe rushes over to Cian’s side and wraps her arms around him. He says, “I felt myself falling deeper and deeper and I didn’t know if I would find my way back. Your magic brought me back.”

  “Were you able to see anything?” Kaiden asks Brianna, who is clearly shaken up by what she saw in Cian’s mind. Tears fill Brianna’s eyes as she reaches for Kaiden. He wraps his arms around her and can feel her trembling. “It’s going to be okay,” he says trying to comfort her. “Whatever you saw, it’s okay.” She shakes her head and pushes away, wiping her tears from her eyes.

  “It’s her!” she cries out, startling everyone, making them instinctively look toward the entrance of the clearing. When Selene doesn’t materialize in front of them, they all realize that the vision Brianna saw in Cian’s mind was about Selene.

  “I saw her… and she was surrounded by pain and death, which she is going to unleash on all of us. She has so much anger, so much hatred, so much pain. She doesn’t just want us all to die; she wants us to feel her pain. It’s going to be bad…” she continues, before finally letting go of the tears she was trying desperately to hold back.

  “Shh, it’s okay, Brianna,” Kaiden says comforting her. “She’s not here… you’re safe now.” Kaiden feels her let go, while he rocks her gently in his arms.

  “Well, I guess the line has been drawn in the sand,” Xavier says, looking around at all of them. “It’s all of us against her.”

  “I would be comforted by the fact that there are more of us if I knew how her abilities would manifest on this hill,” Cian replies. “Because this is where it is all going to go down.”

  Rather than respond, Chloe stands up and says, “I think it’s time we go back to the house. We need to tell Dad what happened.” Unsure of how wise it is to tell Liam, Xavier knows the bond between the Alexander kids and Liam will make it impossible to convince them otherwise.

  Chloe releases the spells, closes the circle and they all make their way back to the house. The excitement they felt earlier is replaced with unease and uncertainty.

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  Selene watched Xavier, Brianna, and Cian walk home from school. She thought she was going to be disappointed until she saw the Subaru pull up and her niece and nephews come bounding out the door with overnight bags. Aww, a slumber party… how nice, Selene thinks to herself, happy that she spent the money on the plane ticket. It appeared it was money well spent, since it’s going to lead her right to what she wants
. She notices how happy and comfortable they all are with each other and she feels the rage boiling up inside her.

  She has to remind herself to calm down so that they won’t detect her energy. She cast a spell over the area that would block their magic until she releases it. They don’t know half of her abilities, and for the second time today she is glad she didn’t share everything with them. Without a doubt, they are way too comfortable with the Alexanders, which indicates just how much time they have been spending together.

  Selene didn’t need to follow them to know where they were going. She parked back in the spot she parked at before, cast a disguise spell on her car, grabbed her backpack, and started the hike up the hill. She brought a pup tent to set up when she got tired of climbing. Tonight she wouldn’t give up until she found her way up to the house. She was hoping they wouldn’t resist the pull to practice magic together, because as soon as they did she would be able to find them.

  Not even an hour into her climb, she felt the electricity rolling through the trees. Lightning flashed overhead and Selene smiled up at the sky. Those fools, she thinks to herself. She picks up her pace to follow the lightning and then just as suddenly as the lightning started, it stopped again.

  Selene looked up and around; and although the forest was still crackling, she no longer had a beacon to guide her. She smiled wickedly, wondering which one of the newbies cast the protection circle. No matter, she thought as she continued on her climb, it won’t be long now.

  Occasionally Selene’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of crunching leaves. She figures it is a deer or some other animal brave enough to wander near her. Although she has only been hiking for a couple hours, dusk comes quickly. She feels her energy wane for the first time all day. She sits down on a log, grabs an energy bar and a bottle of water, and takes a short break.

  Like the afternoon they hiked before, Selene feels like she isn’t making any headway. Just as she stands up, a black and white cat soundlessly jumps out from behind the log she was sitting on and hisses at her. The cat quickly darts off into the woods and before she can pick up her backpack to follow, the cat disappears.