Tegan’s green eyes glowed so bright they were almost white. Actually, they might have been white – just like they were after she borrowed our magic. The top of Elan’s staff lit up like someone had flipped a switch. Rainbow mist swirled around it. Tegan lowered her right hand and held it out in front of the staff. At first, I didn’t realize what I was seeing, but as the blue light from the Shaman’s staff floated into Tegan’s open hand, it dawned on me. That was the Air Stone. The one we were there to get.
Tegan looked to the Shaman and nodded. He held the staff out in front of him. Those black lines on his face grew thicker and darker. She whispered something I couldn’t hear, and all five stones that were sitting on her arm shot into the air. They floated over to the Shaman, then flew in tight circles around him.
A golden light shimmered over the Shaman’s body, and he lifted into the air. His staff hovered above the ground. The lines on his face disappeared, and he closed his eyes. The light grew brighter and thicker. Feathers spread over his body as he shifted into a bald eagle. He flapped his wings a few times then pulled them in. His talons hit the dirt and morphed into the dark, mocha-skinned human form of Elan. He grabbed his staff, and the five stones floating around him flew into the now open top. They settled into the small space together, reflecting each other’s light and energy.
Cold air brushed over my palms. The ritual was over.
The Shaman raised his staff in the air and grinned. “It worked!”
Tegan sighed, then chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ears. She reached into the inside pockets of her leather jacket and pulled out the Tarot deck. “Now for step two.”
The rest of my Coven must’ve had the same thoughts as me, because we all moved to the center of the pentagram at the same time. We all knew how this worked. Tegan would read them, but the Goddess would tell us who was going back to Salem. As she sat down and crossed her legs, I glanced around at our group. I saw a mixture of emotion and desire there. We all wanted to go…but we all wanted to stay. We wanted to be selected by the Goddess. We all wanted to get out of danger’s way. It made satisfaction hard to come by.
Tegan shuffled the black-backed cards then set the entire deck facedown on the ground. She wiggled her fingers over them then flipped the top card off and placed it faceup. My heart dropped as pale green eyes framed by dark hair stared up at me from the card. What? No. How can that be right? She’s going back?
“The Chariot,” Tegan said in a soft voice.
Wait, what? I frowned and leaned in closer. My breath left me in a rush. The face on the card was Devon’s, not my soulmate’s. Relief filled my lungs. Before I could process that little panic attack, Tegan flipped the next card. I wasn’t surprised at all to see Hunter’s face.
“Oh, thank Goddess,” Hunter whispered and brushed his forehead.
“Temperance,” Tegan said with a smile. She peeked up at her parents and winked.
They were soulmates. Of course they wanted to stick together. Tegan flipped the next card, and this time it did surprise me. Bright blue eyes surrounded by brown ringlets stared up from the card. Chutney. It was an interesting selection. I glanced over to her and almost laughed. She looked so relieved she might pass out.
“The Fool,” Tegan said with a smirk. Then she licked her lips and flipped another card… This one was black.
That was it. No one else was going. Just the three of them.
I cleared my throat. “All right. Devon, Hunter, and Chutney, you’ll be escorting the Air Stone straight back to Salem. Give it to Bentley when you get there.”
Tegan dropped the glowing blue Air Stone in Devon’s palm. “Take care of Bentley.”
Devon sighed. “We’ll help him. You guys be careful.”
Koth stepped up beside me. “Tyce and Dace, please fly them back to Salem as fast as possible. We’ll all feel more comfortable when that Stone is secure.”
Devon pursed her lips then held the blue Air Stone out to our Fool Card. “Actually, Chutney, I want you to hold the Stone.”
Chutney blanched. “Me? You want me to hold it? Why?”
“Because if we encounter any trouble, Hunter and I need to be ready to fight back.”
“Oh. Okay. You fight. I hold the Stone. Got it.” Chutney wrapped her fingers around the Stone, and bright blue light washed over her face and hand. “I won’t drop it. I won’t drop it.”
Elan snapped his fingers then dug into his pouch. He pulled out a small leather satchel and walked over to her. “Here, put the Stone in here, then wear it around your neck.”
Chutney nodded but her eyes were wide and her face still pale.
Koth looked to his twins. “Ready?”
Tyce and Dace nodded then walked to the edge of the cliff. They rolled their shoulders and shifted forms. Two dragons stood against the night sky, one ivory and the other dark gray.
“Ah, now I get it.” Chutney giggled. “Because I can talk to them. Got it. Okay, guys, we’re going. Please, pretty, pretty please, don’t die. I can’t take any more.”
We’d already lost too many. I couldn’t fathom losing any more either.
The three of them gave out a few hugs and waves then ran over to the waiting dragons. Within seconds, they were all three loaded onto the dragon’s backs and holding on. Chutney sat on Dace’s back alone. The air around the ivory dragon shimmered…and then five exact replicas of Devon sat on its back.
I smiled. A convenient and nifty trick. I hadn’t seen much of Devon’s or Hunter’s fighting abilities, but their three older children were something to be feared. That kind of skill had to be genetic. They’d make it to Salem just fine.
“Okay,” Koth said once they were gone. He rubbed his hands together and looked around at the rest of us. “The vampires are even more protective of their lair than we are. They adapted an attack first, question second type of approach.”
“Fangtastic,” Royce mumbled.
Koth grinned and shook his head. “Silas and Yaluk will fly you as close to Avolire as possible.”
The wild-looking guy with dark brown hair sticking in every direction and eyes the color of fire grinned. He looked to Tegan and winked. “You want shotgun?”
A cold chill slithered down my spine. My fingers burned like I’d dipped them into an open fire. My pulse quickened as my blood boiled in my veins.
Silas narrowed his yellow eyes. “Luk, stop before her boyfriend kills you.”
Tegan’s cheeks turned bright red. She peeked up at me and shrugged. “He’s not technically my boyfriend.”
The ground rumbled under my feet. It was a damn good thing my element wasn’t fire because I might’ve drenched that cliff in flames.
Chapter Nine
TEGAN
Sometimes I just really didn’t know what was wrong with me.
The last time I rode on a dragon’s back—the only time—I’d had Tennessee’s arms wrapped around me. From the moment Koth said he’d have one of his warriors fly us to Avolire, I’d been thinking it might help me get through to my soulmate. Like maybe he, too, would’ve remembered the times we’d flown together and how happy we’d felt. It wasn’t that long ago. And since we arrived in Issale, I’d noticed that the brick wall around his heart was chipping. Or at least it seemed so. He’d looked at me several times. He acknowledged me in conversation. Granted, there were other people involved. He’d stared at me that entire ritual. I definitely hadn’t imagined his reaction to me touching him and getting close to him. I knew without a sliver of a doubt that he still felt what I did.
He’s not technically my boyfriend.
Yeah, but I’m technically an idiot.
It was true. He wasn’t my boyfriend. We weren’t allowed to call each other that. He was my soulmate, which was so much more than just a boyfriend. But I had no idea what compelled me to say that. I couldn’t have said how long it took us to fly to wherever the vampire lair was, but I hadn’t thought of a single thing other than him. I just prayed Tennessee had moved on to other t
houghts.
It was dark out when we left, and it was dark out now. My stomach tightened into knots, though I couldn’t have said why. I wasn’t afraid to fly. Hell, I could fly now. But as Silas dropped under the clouds, my heart fluttered. I grabbed onto Royce’s back and wished it were Tenn. Was he thinking of me too? I wanted to think so.
Something cold hit my face. I looked up and my jaw dropped. Against the night’s black sky, little white balls fell from the clouds. I held my hand up and caught a few in my palm. It was cold like ice, and not at all shaped like a ball. They were snowflakes. A smile spread across my face. I loved snow. I’d been worried I’d never see it again once we moved to Florida.
A few seconds later, Silas flapped his gray wings in a graceful backstroke and landed on the heaps of snow beneath us. I squinted and tried to see around us, but it was too dark. The temperature had dropped significantly, and although the magic of my jacket kept me warm, the air stung my cheeks and hands. Silas lowered down low to the ground. Royce and Deacon hopped off his back. Their boots crunched into the fresh white snow.
“Lily, can you give us some light?” I threw my leg over his back and slid down to the snow. Bright, midday sun shined down on us just as my boots hit the ground. I flinched under the light, and my balance faltered. I flew forward, but something dark and hot to the touch grabbed me. Electricity shot through my arm, and my heart went haywire. The scent of fresh rain tickled my nose. I peeked up at him…and immediately wished I hadn’t.
His eyes, though they sparkled, were sharper and colder than the snow falling from the sky. “Thought you liked the dark,” he half whispered, half growled.
My breath left me in a rush. He pulled me upright then dropped my arm like I’d burned him. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but before the words could come out, he’d turned and stomped away. All I saw was the back of his wavy black hair bouncing as he marched forward.
I glanced around to see just how many of my Coven-mates had played witness to that moment, but they were all staring straight ahead. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open. I frowned and turned to follow their gazes. Oh…whoa. It hadn’t occurred to me until then that I hadn’t put any thought into what the vampire Kingdom of Avolire might look like. But even if I had, there was no way I would’ve pictured the sight before me. The prophecy said it was a lair tucked away from the sun… Yeah, hardly.
In front of us, stretching as far across the horizon as I could see, were towering mountains all covered in snow. The peaks cut through the clouds and disappeared into the darkness. But the part that took my breath away was the castle nestled into the base of the mountains. Seek the lair tucked from the sun. The prophecy line actually did make sense. I couldn’t have said just how far it stretched since the white stones perfectly blended into the snowy mountainside. There were archways and towers with spires, everything covered in white. Soft golden lights shimmered through massive glass windows, flickering like candles but far too bright to be natural.
It was stunning.
And that wasn’t a good sign for us.
Warm energy brushed over my face, and then Silas appeared in human form. He ran his hand through his short black hair, and his muscles flexed. In the dim light off the castle, his skin looked like liquid honey. Black tattoos covered one side, from hip to rib cage then all the way up to his jawline. His eyes were sharp and packed with fire. “Some advice? Proceed with caution. They’re as shady as it gets, and they’ll use it every way possible.”
“Come on, Silas. I’ve already been here too long,” Yaluk said with a growl.
His orange-eyed gaze swept over me real slow before he looked me in the eye and winked. Then he turned on his heels and shifted into his dark brown dragon form. I glanced over at Tennessee in time to watch him aim daggers with his eyes at Yaluk’s back. Silas nodded his head once then disappeared from sight with his warrior in arms.
We were alone. Just us, a kingdom of vampires, and heaps of snow.
Uncle Kessler sighed. “Remember, vampires are half Unseelie Fae.”
“Those dragons were friendly.” Timothy stared up at the castle and scratched his jaw. “I doubt we’ll get lucky twice in a row, but still, don’t go in guns blazing.”
A memory rolled to the front of my mind. “Hey, Easton, did you ever try to project your armor onto other people?”
Easton’s baby blue eyes widened. “Uhhhhh, no.”
“Well, you can. I read it in the Book of Shadows.”
“Well, hot diggity damn.” He rubbed his hands together. “That is good to know.”
“Let’s move,” Tennessee snapped. “We’re dinner sitting here.”
He spun on his heels and stormed off ahead of us. His head-to-toe black was a stark contrast to the whitewash surrounding us. Even the dark night sky was lighter than my soulmate. He was a walking shadow. His magic radiated out of him like a forcefield. It packed such a menacing rage that it melted the snow before it even landed on him. With every step he took, the snow and ice melted under his feet, revealing vibrant green grass in his wake. He stormed off, stomping up the only pathway that led to the castle.
To the vampires.
Royce shimmied up against my left side. “Well, technically, he has a point.”
“Technically, he’s lookin’ like the hungry one.” Deacon nudged my arm with his elbow.
I hung my head and groaned. “I hate you guys.”
“He isn’t technically our fire element.” Royce leaned down and mock-whispered next to my ear. “But you’ve got skill at heatin’ him up, girl.”
Deacon chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know. Technically, I’d say that comes naturally for her.”
I shook my head. My cheeks burned, and I knew I was blushing. “I hate you.”
“Technically speaking, right?”
“Royce, technically I think she’s hating herself right about now.”
“Oh my God.” I covered my face with my hands and laughed. “Shut up. Please.”
Emersyn walked up beside Deacon and arched one blonde eyebrow. “Technically I think we should keep up with our leader.”
I groaned. “Oh, not you, too, Em!”
Royce high-fived her over my head.
Deacon threw his head back and laughed. “Technically, that’s my girl.”
Emerson blushed and bit her bottom lip.
“Emersyn is right,” Henley said as she stepped up beside her brother. “Though he’s not technically our leader.”
Timothy walked past us then turned to face us. “Technically, I think he forgets.”
“OHHHH!” Easton, Royce, and Deacon all yelled at the same time.
My jaw dropped. Timothy?
He shrugged and gave a little smirk. I had no idea what the world was coming to when Timothy made jokes about Tennessee being our leader. I shook my head and looked over Timothy’s shoulder. My soulmate still marched ahead of us. He wanted to rush to the lair of vampires to avoid being near me. That hurt. Cooper was only a few feet behind him, but I didn’t know if that made me feel better or not. My friends were still laughing and coming up with new ways to use technically in a sentence, but my thoughts had drifted.
We were walking in blind. I hadn’t even realized there were vampires, let alone an entire kingdom. At least with the dragon shifters, we’d already met Lonan.
I licked my lips and grimaced as the ice-cold air stung my mouth. “What do we know about these vampires? About Avolire?”
“They’re lead by Queen Sweyn.” Uncle Kessler walked by me then paused. “Over a thousand years ago, the Unseelie King sent his daughter, the Princess, into our realm to breed with a Nephilim warrior. Their daughter, queen of vampires, is unlike anything you’ll ever see or meet. The only one of her kind.”
Willow moved to stand beside him. “She lives there alone?”
Uncle Kessler shook his head. He exchanged nervous glances with Timothy then sighed. “The Avolire court consists of vampires whose mother was Nephilim and father wa
s Unseelie. They’re not as old nor as twisted as their queen.”
“The rest of this kingdom is full of vampires who were turned as humans.” Timothy shivered and grimaced.
Silence.
It shouldn’t have surprised me to know there were real, actual vampires living in my world—yet it did. And apparently their queen was bad news. My stomach turned. We needed to get in there and get this over with so we could leave. As soon as possible. I pushed my shoulders back and summoned my magic into my fingers. Rainbow mist swirled around my wrists. I raised my hands in the air and stared at the open space just beside my brother, right behind Tenn, then portaled the rest of us up to be even with them.
Heat and pain flared in my chest from being near him. He glanced over his shoulder, but the second he saw me beside him, he peeled his gaze away. I tried to ignore it. I tried to pretend it didn’t tear me up inside. But it did. Even though I deserved it.
No one spoke the rest of the walk up to the castle. The roar of the snow floating through the mountain breeze was our only company. That and the heavy crunching under our boots. Towering mounds of snow blocked our path to the double glass doors. I raised my hands to push it away when it moved toward us, jumping right into our path. Not snow. Men.
They were dressed in white head to toe. Metal blades longer than my arm were strapped to their chests. There had to be at least a dozen of them. They moved in unison, jumping forward and drawing their weapons. They lunged then melted into one white blur. I pulled my daggers from my thigh holsters, but Tennessee was faster. He dove toward them with his own weapons drawn. Metal clashed against metal as the vampires attacked. They jumped, spun, and dove at him all at the same time. Tennessee melted into a shadow of motion, meeting each of their moves with one of his.
The vampires charged him together. Tennessee dropped to one knee and slammed his fist on the ground. Snow erupted like a volcano. The vampires flew into the air. I summoned a gust of wind and smashed it right into their chests. They soared back toward the castle entrance then dropped out of sight. Tennessee looked over his shoulder at me and glared. He snarled and a wave of energy so cold it was almost hot hit my face. My heart sank.
The Eternal Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 5) Page 7