“Because The Goddess said so,” Cooper answered. He pointed to the sky. “In the stars.”
“But why us?” Emersyn’s face was pale, and her fingers trembled.
I realized belatedly she wasn’t handling this as well.
Tennessee reached out and took her hands in his. “Because you are part of The Coven. You’re not a regular witch. You’re a Card. You both were chosen.”
I looked down at my left forearm and tried to see the Mark like they had, but it wasn’t there. “We don’t have Marks. If we’re two and three, then why don’t we show it?”
“Question…” Libby sat forward with narrowed eyes. Her side braid fell over her shoulder. “Perhaps we try removing the spell? Cassandra said they had to claim their ranks.”
“Who’s Cassandra?”
“She was the Hierophant,” Henley whispered. Her face fell. “We lost her last week.”
I glanced over at Tennessee, but his expression had turned dark. Whoever Cassandra was, she meant something to him. I didn’t know how I knew; I just felt it.
The rush of learning I was a witch faded a little, and I worried more for Easton’s health. “I’m sorry.”
Tennessee cleared his throat. “Libby’s right. Let’s try to remove it. You four do it. This isn’t my specialty.”
Without hesitation, they moved into action. Henley got down on the wood floors and kneeled between Emersyn and me. She took both our left arms and held them out. White light spread from her palms. It slithered up like a snake, coiling around our arms until my skin was out of sight. Libby slid to my right side. She held her palms over our arms, and after a second, little bolts of red lightning flashed. I braced myself for pain, but it never came. Royce leaned down and held his hands palm up. He winked at me then slid his hands under our arms. Flowers of every color rained onto the wood floor. Cooper hummed low then started chanting. I couldn’t make out the words, but I’d read enough books on witchcraft to recognize spell-work.
“Oh…my…God…” Emersyn whispered.
I frowned and looked up, only to find Tennessee watching me. With the red and white lights from the girls’ magic, I saw the vivid hues of his mismatched eyes. He smiled, and without breaking eye contact, reached his right hand out and held both mine and Emersyn’s left hands. The second his skin met mine, a shock of electricity sizzled up my arm. His right arm shimmered like glitter for a second then lit up like a lightbulb.
“You said this wasn’t your specialty, so what is?” I asked.
“The Coven has elemental magic. Only the Cards have enough power. But everyone has different ones, and some aren’t as traditional forms as you might be familiar.” His smiled curved higher on one end. He raised his left hand and wiggled his fingers again. A stream of water flew out of the ocean and wrapped around his hand. “There are three Cards who have more power than the others, and more special gifts. As the Emperor, I am one of those. I can control Water, Air, and Earth.”
“So that’s why you smell like rain,” I whispered.
His eyebrows raised and his lips curved.
Oh crap. No, no. I did not just say that out loud. Heat filled my cheeks, and I knew I was blushing. Get control of your mouth, woman. None of the others appeared to have heard me.
He chuckled softly. “Do I?” he whispered back.
“Yes.” I nodded and grinned. “So, what are the other two most powerful Cards?”
“Can someone explain to me what they’re doing?” Emersyn all but shouted, and I jumped. “Kinda freaking out right now.”
“For reasons we don’t have time to go into right now, The Goddess chose you both while still in the womb. When you were born, She put blocking spells on you to suppress your magic and hide your Marks. We are trying to remove the spell.” Tennessee met my gaze. “So you can claim your ranks within The Coven.”
My heart skipped a beat. I wanted this. Wanted it so bad. Something about the tone of his voice and the intensity in his eyes suggested I needed to be a little worried, like this wasn’t going to be a picnic. I understood that. I did. I’d already experienced demons and monsters three times. I knew how dangerous it was going to be. Hell, Easton had gotten badly injured, and apparently they lost the Hierophant already. But the thing was, my whole life felt wrong. I didn’t fit in with people. I didn’t think the way they did. All of my obsessions that garnered me weird looks and the attention of bullies now were justified.
I’m a witch. I wanted to see my Mark. I wanted to see which Card I was. I knew which two I potentially was. I knew the Card deck well enough. But I needed to see it. I took a deep breath…then asked the question I’d been dying to know. “Which Card am I?”
Libby cursed. Red lightning flashed across the night sky. Cooper sighed and leaned back. He wiped his face with his palms. He almost looked relieved, which was strange. Royce mumbled something in another language, but it sounded like a curse. He waved his hands, and the flowers he’d summoned floated over the boat’s rails and dropped to the water. Non-traditional elemental magic. His gift must be something to do with flowers and nature.
Henley fell back off her knees. She shook her head and pursed her bright red lips. “We can’t do it.” She cursed.
“Perhaps that’s why The Goddess is sending us to the Crones.” Tennessee sighed and got to his feet. He looked around at the ocean. “You guys need to rest before we get to the Crones. Go down to the cabin and sleep. This is my world out here, so I’ll stand guard.”
Cooper stood. “I’ll help you.”
Tennessee spun to face him and shook his head. “As much as I’d like that, my brother, I need you to be on dream duty.”
“Are you sure?” Cooper walked over to Tennessee and squeezed his shoulder. “You don’t have to be out here alone. You’ve spent too much time alone in the last week.”
“You know I didn’t choose to do that quest by myself.” Tennessee leaned his head back and stared at the sky. “But we need all the information we can get, or we’ll never succeed. You can see things no one else can. So, I need you in dream land.”
Cooper nodded. He clasped Tennessee’s shoulder one more time then waved the rest of us to follow him into the cabin. I walked over to where a small wooden staircase led down to what I assumed was somewhere for us to sleep. Everyone else wished Tennessee good luck then dipped out of sight. Emersyn looked to be in a daze, like a zombie. I touched her arm as she passed to go into the cabin.
“You know, Tenn,” Cooper said from the top step, blocking my entrance.
He spun around and smiled.
“You might as well stop fighting the leadership role. It really suits you.”
I stalled on the edge. Cooper dropped down into the cabin. I hadn’t realized they were brothers, unless that was just a figure of speech. Everyone seemed to be convinced Tennessee should be in charge, and I understood why. I also noticed he was the only one who wasn’t on board with it.
I turned to face Tennessee. His mismatched eyes met mine. There were things I wanted to say to him, things I needed to ask. Things we didn’t need an audience for.
I licked my lips. But how do I say it? Where do I start? “Tennessee…”
He smiled and it warmed the chill inside me. “Go get some rest, High Priestess. You’re going to need it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tennessee
So that’s why you smell like rain.
Did I smell like rain? No one had ever told me so before. I mean, it made sense. Water and Earth were two of my gifts. But why would she say it like it was a good thing? She’d smiled and said rain like it was magical. I scrubbed my face with my palms. Or maybe I was overanalyzing everything she did and said. Snap out of it.
I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket, clicked the button…and cursed. It had only been forty-five minutes since I sent everyone away, and my thoughts on her were spiraling out of control and consuming me. We had a few more hours left on the water before we arrived. I’d be a mess if I didn’t get m
y head on straight.
I needed to get Tegan off my mind or we might not even make it to Crone Island. The more I thought about her, the rougher the seas got. My magic was tied to my emotions. Every time I pictured her face, the boat would creak and rock. Every time I remembered the way her fingers felt tracing my Mark, a hurricane-force gust of wind slammed into my face and pushed me over. If I didn’t get control of myself, I might capsize the damn sailboat.
“Tennessee?”
I spun around. Tegan. There she was, staring up at me with wide, pale green eyes. Even with only the moon and stars for light, the vibrant color of her eyes shimmered like gemstones. My heart skipped a beat then kicked into hyper speed. Adrenaline rushed through my veins like electricity. This is not control, Tennessee.
“Hi…” She smiled up at me, and my stomach filled with butterflies.
I cleared my throat and prayed my voice wouldn’t betray me. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.” Really? That’s how you greet her? Don’t be a jerk.
“I couldn’t sleep.” Her smile curved higher on one side. I couldn’t see the color of her skin in the moonlight, but the way her gaze darted to the ground told me she was blushing. When she looked back up at me, there was a twinkle in her eyes. “I was thinking about you.”
Heat spread through my body like she’d touched me. I gripped the railing behind me to stop myself from reaching out to her. Each beat of my heart thudded in my ears, blocking out the sound of the wind racing by.
“What were you thinking about?” Was that MY voice? Good God. It was too low, too rough and raspy.
Tegan stepped forward until there was only an inch between us. She craned her head back to look up at me. I was only like six inches taller than her. I’d only have to tip my head down a little to kiss her.
What? No. Stop thinking like that. You’re not kissing her again. I cleared my throat again. “We’ll explain more stuff about The Coven when we get to the Crones’ island. They’ll help us get your magic unlocked.”
“That’s not what I was thinking about,” she whispered and stared into my eyes.
I watched her shoulders rise and fall with every one of her breaths. I stared down at her chest, to where I knew a glyph marked her skin. The spot where our souls were connected and meant for each other. I wanted to pull down the collar of her Star Wars tank top and see if her glyph was the same vibrant magenta color as mine.
Step away from the soulmate, Tennessee. You cannot have her. Not now. Not yet. Not until she fixes Salem. Back away from her now.
I knew I needed to move, to get out of the spell her nearness created. Except my hands wouldn’t release their hold on the railing. My legs glued to the wood floor like cement pillars. Wind slammed into my back, blowing my hair into my face. “What were you thinking about?”
Her hair flew out behind her like a cape, the black and purple strands whipping through the breeze caused by my out-of-control emotions. She wasn’t fazed by the elements. She stood there strong and unyielding, like she knew the world was hers to play with. In that moment, I knew we were in trouble. Her power was intense, her aura crushing. Those blocking spells may have trapped Emersyn’s magic inside her, but they were no match for Tegan’s. The High Priestess was a force to be reckoned with. We needed to tread with care. I needed to behave.
“You saved my life at The Gathering, and at Hidden Kingdom last night. Then tonight, if you hadn’t gotten to me so fast, I…” She shook her head. She rested her palm on my stomach and stood up on her tiptoes. Without breaking eye contact, she leaned forward and whispered against my lips, “I need to say thank you.”
Son of a… All of my control snapped. I crashed into her kiss. My lips found hers in an instant, and we melted together. All of my thoughts and fears, my worries for the future of the world should we fail, all vanished. Water rushed over my feet, but neither of us flinched from the chilly invasion. I uncurled my fingers from the rail and took her face between my palms. My grip was too rough for her delicate skin, but her sigh told me she liked it. She fisted my shirt and pulled me closer. My balance faltered, and I fell into her, arching her back. Our feet carried us backward until her back hit the mast.
She moaned, or maybe that was me. I could no longer tell the difference between my body and hers. All I knew was the energy and passion flying through us. She was Heaven, and she was Hell. She was pleasure and pain. She was absolutely everything, and she was tearing me apart. I fisted her hair and pulled her head back to deepen our kiss. Bright light pierced through my closed eyes, and I knew the glyphs on our chests were shining like lighthouses. The pain seared through my bones and choked me, but I pressed into her closer.
The wooden mast creaked in protest. I ignored it. Her hands slid down my stomach then slipped under my shirt, and her skin met mine. I hissed against her lips. I needed to back away, but I couldn’t stop. I needed her more than I needed the air I wasn’t breathing. I reached down and lifted her in the air. Her legs wrapped around my hips and squeezed. My ears started to ring and my head got a little fuzzy. I knew I was in desperate need of breathing or I’d pass out. I pressed into her and kissed her harder. Her nails dug into my back as she held on tight.
“Hey, Tenn.” Cooper’s loud shout broke through the Tegan-induced haze in my brain.
I jumped back from her so fast she dropped to the ground with a thud. Oh, God. What am I doing? This can’t happen. I’m such an idiot.
Hurt flashed across her face. The pain in her eyes felt like a stab to the heart. Her lips were red and puffy, her eyes were wide and a little glassy…but she probably didn’t understand why I reacted the way I did. And I couldn’t tell her.
“Tennessee?” Cooper yelled out from the other side of the sailboat, over by the steering wheel—where I probably should’ve been. “Where are you?”
“Over here,” I answered. My voice was all wrong. It was too low and rough, like I’d swallowed gravel. Wait…COOPER. I gasped and leapt away from where Tegan sat on the floor. If Cooper saw her sitting there…well, he’d take one look at my face and lose his shit. The twin thing aside, this was his baby sister. I wasn’t supposed to touch her like that. I cursed under my breath and walked over to where Cooper could see me.
“Hey.”
He spun around. “Oh, there you are. Caught you sleeping on the job, didn’t I?”
I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. “So what’s up?” Had he heard us talking? Did he notice she wasn’t down there? Maybe he felt the boat rock and came to check?
“Oh, I was cruising around some dreams, trying to see what I could see, when an idea came to me.” Cooper scratched the back of his short blond hair and began pacing the deck.
I knew my adoptive brother well enough to know he was stalling. He didn’t think I’d like his idea.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Tegan crouched behind the bench seats. Her pale green eyes tracked Cooper’s movement. She’s gonna make a run for it. I almost smiled. Tegan had no reason to know Cooper couldn’t catch us together, yet there she was playing the part.
I cleared my throat, the way I did when I wanted to be obnoxious. When Cooper turned to look at me, I held my arms out. “Do I get to hear this idea out loud, or are you testing your telepathy?”
He sighed and stepped closer to me. His back faced the staircase down to the cabin. Tegan didn’t hesitate. She sprinted across the deck and slipped out of sight. I sighed with relief. At least Cooper wouldn’t be onto me…yet.
“Can I enter your dreams?”
I flinched. “Excuse me?” Though I knew exactly what he wanted. Cooper’s gift was a dream walker. He could go into anyone’s dreams and send them messages. But he’d made an oath not to enter any of The Coven’s without verbal permission.
“I thought maybe if I saw what you’ve seen, then maybe I’d recognize clues when I saw them. You know?”
Damn it. A week ago I would’ve suggested this idea myself. It was the smart, logical move to make. But I couldn’t let him
do it. I couldn’t risk it. Ever since The Gathering, I’d seen nothing but Tegan in my sleep. Even in random dreams, she’s standing there. So, I opened my mouth and said the first thing I thought of. It wasn’t a lie, just not the full truth.
“Cooper, I can’t. The last person who dabbled in my dreams died, and I cannot lose you too. I just can’t take that risk.”
Chapter Fifteen
Tegan
He had to like me. You don’t kiss someone like that if you don’t have any feelings for them at all. And he did it not once, but twice. So why did he jump away from me like I was poisonous? It wasn’t the fact he’d moved; it was how far he’d jumped and how quickly he’d done it. It was the way he dropped me like I’d burned him. Like he’d opened a box and a snake jumped out. That was the part that hurt. There had to be a reason. I’m smart. I can figure this out.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to climb the wooden staircase up to the deck. After hours of staring at the cabin ceiling dissecting every moment I’d spent with Tennessee, we’d arrived. Hearing his voice yelling down to us to get up had sent my brain into a tailspin. I was both anxious to see him and dreading it at the same time. How would he act? Would he try to talk to me about it? Or would he act like it hadn’t happened? Please not that.
Oh God…what if he has a girlfriend? I hadn’t even asked. But if he did, who was she and where was she? Wow. It’s been hours since he kissed me, and I only just now thought of that.
“Tegan?” Henley’s voice echoed down the wooden stairs. A few seconds later, her black hair bounced into view. She smiled at me with fiery red lips. “C’mon, we’re ready.”
I jumped to my feet and met her at the foot of the stairs. When I got up to the deck, I blinked and looked around in confusion. It was still dark out. I thought it would be daytime. We’d traveled for hours. I was so shocked by the lack of sunlight that I didn’t notice the step down until my foot slipped off and I fell face forward. Before I had time to react, a long, tan arm shot out and caught me around the waist. I didn’t need to see the IV Mark on his arm to know it was him.
The Lost Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 1) Page 10