Catalyst (A Tethered Novel)

by Jennifer Snyder

  Kace removed his hand from my thigh to parallel park in front of a little coffeehouse with purple trim and a front door in a matching color. It was called Paisley’s. I remembered then what Adam had said, the answer he’d given me to the question I’d just asked Kace—Hoodoo. Dear God, please do not let him tell me that this elemental magick was some sort of strange Hoodoo stuff.

  “He told you about that?” Kace asked. His lips pressed together and his jaw tightened.

  “Well, yeah.” I didn’t understand why Kace was so upset about it. Wasn’t it something he was planning on telling me anyway?

  “He shouldn’t have.” Kace cut the engine and forced a laugh. “Well, at least you’re still here, right? That’s all that matters…that he didn’t scare you away with more of this magick stuff. And to answer your question…Hoodoo, that’s how they do it.”

  I climbed out of Kace’s low-riding car and closed the door behind me. The air was a little cooler here and instantly made me wish I’d remembered the brown cardigan I’d picked out to go with this dress for tonight. I wrapped my arms around myself tightly and met Kace on the sidewalk.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  He held his hand out. “Here.” A challenging smirk twisted his lips. “Take my hand… I’ll warm you up.”

  I rolled my eyes and stifled a grin. Damn he was sexy. Reaching out, I placed my hand in his and tried to ignore how good it felt to be there. Flickers of heat caressed my palm, instantly warming me.

  “Feel that?” he whispered. “That’s your magick responding to mine...in case you haven’t figured it out yet.”

  The smoldering look that entered his eyes then was beyond sinful. It was like knowing he had this effect on me, this power to ignite whatever magick was within me, to awaken it, was the best foreplay he’d ever come across.

  “I feel it,” I answered simply, not because I was trying to appear cold or uninterested, but because I wasn’t sure I could utter another word. Was it this intense between other Elementals? Or was it only us?

  We entered the quaint little coffee shop, and I instantly fell in love with the place. It was the same feeling I’d gotten upon entering the bookstore and Collette’s as well, even though I was reluctant to admit the last one, simply because of whose family owned it. I couldn’t be sure which amazing scent filled my nose most upon entering Paisley’s—the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, the scent of spices from teas, or the fresh-baked muffins smell.

  I paused inside the entrance, enjoying the atmosphere of the place for a moment while still holding Kace’s hand in mine. There was a peacefulness lingering in the air here, and I wanted to grip hold of it for as long as I could.

  “This place is amazing,” I finally said as Kace began moving toward the earth-toned, marbleized counters in the back. A tall glass snack case stood there as well with mirrored shelves that reflected the goodies held inside.

  “I know. This is one of my favorite places to hang out.”

  I glanced at him, skeptical. “You enjoy hanging out in a coffee and tea house?”

  He chuckled softly, making the fine hairs along the back of my neck stand on end. “You say that like you’re completely shocked or something.”

  “That’s because I am.”

  “Well, contrary to popular belief, I happen to enjoy coffee and tea. They also happen to have the best macadamia nut cookies and the fastest free wifi.” He winked.

  I grinned. “So, if this is your favorite place, then what do you recommend I try first?”

  “A macadamia nut cookie, of course. They’re freshly made every day.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked, enjoying our little bit of banter.

  “Callie’s mom owns the place, and she knows I love the hell outta those cookies.”

  Callie’s mom owned this place? Another Elemental-run business that I was sure was successful. I glanced around, taking in the place with a whole new set of eyes now. Did she use magick here like Adam’s family did? The place had a decent amount of customers seated throughout at tall-legged chairs with matching tables. There were big glass windows in the front and a chalkboard with the menu neatly written in colorful chalks hanging on the wall behind the counter. The place seemed established, like it had been here for a while.

  A woman, who I guessed must be in her late thirties to early forties, stood behind the cash register ringing up a customer. She had chin-length brunette hair, a clear complexion, and was wearing a black apron.

  “Hey, Kace, how are ya tonight, sweetie?” she called with a wave.

  “Great, Mrs. Yates, how are you?” Kace asked politely. He started walking to where she stood, and I felt my stomach begin to burn with a sudden wave of nerves.

  The woman had to be Callie’s mother. I could clearly see the resemblance the closer I got.

  “Wonderful,” she said. Her blue eyes shifted to me then, and she cleared her throat before speaking again. “Oh, and this must be Addison. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” There was something off about her tone. It didn’t seem as cheery and pleasant as when she’d been talking with Kace. It was more of a forced politeness. I wondered if it was because she’d known my mother. Did I resemble her?

  “Thank you, it’s nice to meet you too.” I didn’t know what else to say. Obviously, I had heard nothing about her, and the energy between us seemed suffocating and awkward.

  “So, what can I get you two tonight?” Mrs. Yates asked with a smile, the awkwardness dripped away as she seemed to have gathered herself back together quickly. Her fingers were already lined up with the buttons on the cash register, waiting for someone to order. “Usual for you, sweetie?” she asked Kace, her warm smile never wavering as she glanced at him.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Please.”

  “Sure thing.” She pushed some buttons on the register and then turned around to face the cappuccino machine. In a jiffy, she stood back before us with a frothy something for Kace in one hand and a macadamia nut cookie in the other. “And what about you, honey?”

  I didn’t drink much coffee, but when I did it was always French Vanilla flavored with gobs of sugar stirred in.

  “I’ll take a French Vanilla cappuccino, please,” I said. Kace cleared his throat and held up his cookie. “Oh, and one macadamia nut cookie too.”

  “You got it,” she said with a wide smile, going back to the machine, and I wondered if I’d imagined the strangeness from a moment ago. I gave Kace a sidelong glance. He hadn’t seemed to notice anything weird in her demeanor. He took a big bite out of his cookie and grinned at me goofy-like. I laughed.

  After Kace paid for our coffees and cookies, he led me over to a café table near a window. I took a sip of my cappuccino and felt the warmth—similar to what I felt whenever Kace touched me—cascade down the back of my throat. It was deliciously good.

  “Yum, this is the best cappuccino I’ve ever had, I swear,” I muttered, gripping the warm cup between my hands and taking another frothy sip.

  “Would you say it was almost magickal, it was so good?” A devilish look crossed his face, almost as though he knew a big secret that he wanted to torture me with by keeping it a little longer.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Why, is there something magickal about it?” He’d piqued my interest, making me wonder if this place was doing something similar with their stuff as Adam’s family was at Collette’s.

  Kace nodded as he swallowed another sip of his drink. He leaned his elbows against the table and flashed me a sexy-as-sin smile. “Sure is.”

  “All right, so now that we have coffee and our cookies, enough with the cryptic shit… Tell me about the Hoodoo or magick or whatever the hell this all is.” I hunkered closer toward him and whisper yelled, wanting to know some actual truth about what was going on in this little town—in me—for a change.

  Kace took another sip of his coffee while holding my gaze. A little froth clung to his upper lip, and I wat
ched intently as his tongue darted out and licked it off slowly. “Woo, you’ve got a little potty mouth on you. I like it.” He grinned widely. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t suppress the smile that formed on my face. “It’s kind of complicated really. Our parents were the last generation to have full powers. They initiated themselves when they were sixteen. I’m not sure what happened with your mom—her reason for why she left, I mean—but when she did, she muted their magick to nothing with her absence.”

  “Why?” I wondered out loud.

  He shrugged. “Our powers are only activated when we’re around our corresponding element, but they’re heightened once we’re all four initiated together. Only then can we use magick for things. And if one or more of us should leave the others and move someplace else, like your mother did, then all of our magick becomes muted until that person or persons return. Once we’re initiated our powers are linked together somehow.”

  I remained silent, sipping my coffee and letting my mind make what it wanted from his words. This was all so surreal, but I was about to ask something that would make it seem even more so. “Things like, what? What could you use the magick for?”

  “Anything.” Kace took another sip of his coffee and smirked at me. “You look gorgeous when you’re lost in thought, by the way.”

  I dropped my gaze to the top of the table we sat at and felt my cheeks heat. “Whatever.”

  “You’re not too great at taking a compliment, are you?”

  “Not when I think someone is making fun of me,” I snapped, raising my eyes to his.

  “I wasn’t making fun of you; I was telling the truth. I think you’re hot when you’re lost in thought.” His light blue eyes seemed to darken with seriousness, and I forced my gaze back down, this time to look at my cup, because even with them darkened, his eyes were sexy as all get out.

  “If their magick became muted when my mother left, then how can Adam and Callie’s parents still use it to run their businesses?”

  “They don’t use their magick, obviously. This is where the Hoodoo comes in.” He took a large bite of his cookie and made several noises that I thought should only be heard in the privacy of a bedroom.

  My cheeks heated as my thoughts seemed to cloud with images of him in a bedroom and all the things I could do to him that would make those noises come from him.

  “There’s a family here in town that our parents…worked out a little deal with a while back,” Kace said matter-of-factly, oblivious to my dirty thoughts. “That way they could keep up the lifestyles they’d all used magick to create before your mom left. The deal with the Van Rooyens they created is pretty simple, actually… We pay for their services and they provide them, no questions asked.”

  “For their services?” I asked, wanting a little more information. “What type of services?” Please don’t say Hoodoo dolls and hexes.

  Kace hunkered down a little more so that a couple who’d just sat at the table beside us couldn’t hear. “Spells and stuff—ones to take away sickness, keep a business thriving…” He held up the last remaining piece of his cookie. “Make food to satisfy everyone’s tastes.”

  I glanced down at the cookie of mine resting on my napkin. Picking it up, I took a small bite, testing to see if what he said was true. It was pure bliss on my tongue. “Oh wow, this is the best!”

  “I know, right?” He grinned.

  Nothing Kace was saying sounded so horrible; I didn’t know why I had been so freaked out by it all. Or better yet, why my mom had left when it sounded like she’d had things so good here.

  “So, that’s it? You don’t do anything to harm anyone or put hexes on people and stuff?” I asked seriously.

  Kace laughed; its rich loudness startled me. “Of course not, why would we? When you have magick to make things go well, there are no negative things that come about. And now that you’re here…well, things can only get better for all of us.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked before polishing off the last crumb of the cookie I’d devoured in seconds.

  “You’re our fourth. With you here, we’re balanced and we can initiate our group. Then neither our parents nor us will need to pay for services we can do ourselves ever again. You’re the catalyst to this all, Addison, our salvation from being under the Van Rooyen’s thumb any longer.”

  Catalyst? Salvation? I wasn’t so sure I liked the sound of either of those two things being associated with me, but I could understand where he and the others might be inclined to think those things. After all, it seemed like me being here allowed them to be free from their dependence on the Van Rooyen’s spells finally. No pressure, though, right?

  “Don’t look so scared.” Kace smiled.

  “I’m not, I mean…it’s just a lot to take in at once, that’s all,” I lied.

  I took another sip of my coffee and left the cup resting against my lips before pulling it away, hiding the fact that my bottom lip was now trembling. What the hell had I gotten myself into by deciding to come here in the first place?

  “Morning, sleepyhead,” Vera said as I hobbled down the stairs and passed the living room where she sat on the couch with Binks beside her. “I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up.”

  “What time is it?” I asked groggily as I rubbed the remaining sleep from my eyes.

  “Almost twelve,” she answered. “Did you and lover boy have a good time last night?”

  I started toward the kitchen, desperately needing my morning cup of wild berry green tea with just a dash of honey. Had we had a good time last night? I smiled at the thought. Of course we had. We’d talked for nearly two hours at Paisley’s before taking a long walk through downtown and continuing our makeshift date.

  “Last night was…interesting to say the least,” I said.

  I grabbed a cup from the cabinet by the sink and filled it with water from the tap. Vera walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter beside me.

  “What did you guys do? Go tromping through some woods or something someplace?” she asked with a slight amount of snip to her words.

  I glanced at her as I unwrapped my little baggie of tea. “What are you talking about? We went for coffee like I said we were and then we just walked around Main Street.”

  “How did you manage to track in so much dirt last night, then?” she asked and then took a long sip of what was probably her fourth cup of coffee today. “There was dirt all over in the foyer this morning when I woke up, like you’d gone for a walk in the mud and then stomped your shoes off as soon as you walked in the door instead of outside. Let me tell you, it was not a fun thing to clean up first thing in the morning, but I didn’t want it tracked all through the house.”

  “I didn’t track mud in. I don’t know how that got there,” I said with a frown. “Are you sure it wasn’t sand or something?”

  Vera scoffed like she couldn’t believe I was questioning her and walked over to where the trash can stood. She dragged it over to me and lifted the lid. “See, dirt. If there’d been a plant beside the door or something I would have thought your creepy cat had knocked it over, but there isn’t, and I know it wasn’t me, so that only leaves you.”

  I glanced in the trash can at the deeply rich-looking soil that was tossed on top of our garbage. It definitely wasn’t sand. It looked like soil from a garden, and there was something red mixed in with it…a reddish powder.

  “Huh, well I don’t know. Sorry you had to clean it up, though,” I said with a shrug of my shoulder.

  There was no sense in arguing with her. Vera was not one to lose a fight, even if she was wrong. I wasn’t sure how the dirt mixture had gotten in the house, but I knew one thing—that it hadn’t been brought in by me. And considering the amount, I was sure it wasn’t something Binks had done.

  “I’m sorry I’m so snippy. Ugh, I feel like I have to get out of this house! My hangover lasted for like a year. Please tell me you don’t have to work today at that incredibly boring job you applied for?” Vera asked as she
rinsed out her mug and sat it in the sink.

  I chuckled at her as I pulled my tea out from the microwave. “Not today. I start tomorrow.”

  “Awesome,” she said, hoisting herself up onto the counter. “Let’s go hang out at the beach all day. I could use some vitamin D and some eye candy.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Yes! I still haven’t gotten to use my new bikini I bought for this trip yet,” Vera said as she hopped off the counter and bounded toward the stairs.

  Binks trotted into the kitchen lazily as soon as she exited. He walked straight to me and began winding though my legs and brushing up against me, meowing.

  “Are you ready for some food?” I asked as I bent down and scratched behind his ears. I was answered with a long meow. “All right then, I’ll take that as a yes.” I smiled.

  I stood and attempted to walk toward the pantry where I kept his food, but Binks darted in front of me, nearly tripping me. I caught myself, but knocked over the trash can in the process. Everything came tumbling out and scattered across the kitchen floor.

  “Aw crap,” I said, staring at the mess with my hands on my hips. “Look what you made me do, you crazy cat,” I said to Binks.

  He was huddled in the corner of the kitchen, staring at the trash pile with the hair along his spine raised.

  “Guess it scared you more than me.” I grinned at him.

  I bent down to pick up the larger pieces of trash, but Binks began hissing and I paused, hand still extended toward the mess.

  My eyebrows drew together as I glanced at him. “What’s the matter, Buddy? It’s just trash.”

  Pulling the trash can back up into a standing position, I reached for the larger pieces of trash again. This time Binks didn’t just hiss at me, he lunged at me and swiped at my hand with his paw.

  I jumped back. “Geez, what the hell is your problem?”

  I was answered with another vicious meow. Binks darted toward the broom that leaned against the wall. Vera must have forgotten to take care of it after she’d cleaned up the mess she’d blamed on me. He began brushing against it lovingly, and I got the distinct impression that he wanted me to use the broom to clean up everything and not my hands. I glanced back at the mess in front of me and decided it wasn’t a bad idea.