by J. L. Weil
Strap on your witch’s hat, ‘cause it is going to be a whirlwind of a ride.
Chapter 4
No sooner had my droopy eyes fluttered shut did I feel myself being sucked down a dark tunnel, into a void of nothingness, a space of no definition, no walls, no physically solid anything. There were no lamps, no moonlight, yet I could see clear as day. Strange. But then again, dreams were whatever we wanted them to be. They don’t have to make sense, and, in most cases, they were a hodgepodge of thoughts.
It took me a few seconds to collect myself and get my bearings. Being pulled into a dream was not the same experience as summoning someone into yours. I prefer to do the summoning; it was less traumatic, and I liked choosing the destination, preferably a tropical one. This weird empty space felt cold, emotionless, and sad.
Catching Lukas’s eyes, I stared at him. He was dressed in wrinkled jeans and a UNC t-shirt. He was also barefoot and had his hands shoved into his pockets. Even though I hadn’t seen him since the Christmas party, he looked exactly how I remembered. Sandy hair, sun-kissed skin, a lopsided grin, and twinkling emerald eyes that always looked like he just performed the world’s biggest prank.
I really wanted not to be affected by his presence or his dang smirk, but I was. There was a light about him that shined brightly, even in the darkness. That was a huge difference between Lukas and Gavin: if Gavin had been in this same room, I knew that he would have melted into with the shadows, blending with darkness.
My heart knocked inside my chest. Slowly Lukas made his way over to me, his eyes imprisoning mine. “So are you going to tell me what I am doing here?” I asked.
“Miss me, Brianna?”
Damn his dimples. “No.” I wasn’t going to be done in by his cute smile and his boyish charm. Nope.
“Not even a little?” He walked in a circle around me.
I kept my expression blank even as my heart squeezed. Yeah, I had missed the doofus, but I sure wasn’t going to admit it. My eyes followed his movements.
“Well, I see this is going to be a riveting conversation. I thought after a few weeks of not speaking, you might actually have something to say to me.” His voice came from behind me.
My glaze slid back to him as he rounded the other side of me. “Guess you thought wrong.”
Something flickered in his eyes. Impatience? Exasperation? Pain? I couldn’t decode. “Come on. Don’t be like this, Brianna.”
I tilted my head to the side and folded my arms. “What exactly am I being like? You led on my best friend, who is now sitting at home by her phone waiting for a call or a simple text. You got into a fight with my boyfriend at my best friend’s party. And you risked being seen doing magic. Do you want me to go on?”
His weight shifted to one foot. “Can you blame a guy for having a bad night? Plus, I thought you had already forgiven me for that. I know it was wrong for me to use your friend to try to make you jealous. I think we can both agree that plan backfired in my face.” He glanced down. “I can’t help how I feel about you.”
The reminder of his feelings was like a kick in the gut. “Lukas—” It was true that I had forgiven him and hearing him say he had feelings for me just opened me up to emotions I didn’t want to feel.
“Save me the sympathy speech, okay. I don’t want it. Look, I get it. You don’t l-o-v-e me and you are dating the dark jerk. I’m coming to terms with it… but I miss doing magic with you.”
I missed that too. I did miss him.
Damn.
Last time we had talked, he had been filled with agony and hurt and had then hung up on me. I didn’t want to continue hurting people I cared about—and that included Lukas. Would our being just friends hurt Lukas more in the end? Would seeing me with Gavin drive a wedge between us? Maybe it would be best if I put an end to it now. But I couldn’t let him go.
I sighed. “Fine. Maybe I missed you a little.”
He flashed me a wry smile. “That’s because I am irresistible.”
I repressed the urge to punch his arm. “Says who?”
He stepped closer. “Give me ten minutes.”
I couldn’t stop the grin from teasing my lips, or the spike in my blood pressure. “Only ten?” I baited. “I think you overestimate your magnetism.”
“We’ll see,” he said, and bumped me lightly with his shoulder. “What have you learned?”
You don’t want to know.
I bit my lip just as the words were about to tumble from my mouth. No one knew that I was a clàr silte except for Gavin. I promised that I would tell no one for my safety, but Lukas wasn’t just anyone. He had been instrumental in my learning to control my dreams. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what had happened with Gavin, how I sucked the magic right from him without knowing what I was doing. But a promise was a promise, and I didn’t want to do anything to break Gavin’s trust ever again.
It had been bad enough when he found out that I was sharing dreams with Lukas.
But that meant that I had to lie to Lukas, something I’d never really done. In my defense, though, I also hadn’t known he was real either. I continued to chew on my lip. If I didn’t make a decision soon, I was going to be missing a chunk of my lip. There was a part of me that wanted to share this burden with someone who also shared some of my so-called gifts.
Indecision overwhelmed me. I wanted to do what was right, not just for me, but for Gavin and Lukas too. A stronger piece of me held back. So I just shook my head. “Nothing new. I’ve been slacking.” The lie was like sandpaper in my throat.
And I was pretty sure he didn’t believe me. His eyes narrowed. “I thought your boyfriend would have jumped at the chance to take my place as your instructor.”
It was no secret that those two didn’t like each other. “Is this why you brought me here, to talk about Gavin?”
“What do you think?” he muttered.
I thought it was time to move onto safer topics, like our drab setting, before he tried to press me. I didn’t trust myself not to cave and spill my guts or something worse... I stepped back. “Is this the best you can dream up?” I asked, looking up at… nothing.
He snorted, feigning outrage. “Have I taught you nothing?”
I blinked.
And during that nanosecond of blindness, Lukas moved. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, he was so close. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of auburn hair behind my ear. “Let’s make magic.”
Gulping, I got the impression that there was a double meaning behind his words, not to mention the one behind the spark that flashed in his eyes at my nearness. I was rooted in place, captured by the intensity of his dark green eyes.
He snapped his fingers, grinning like a shithead. All around me, tiny pricks of starlight appeared, showering us from head to toe. Light spilled from the stars like liquid silver. A string of magic flew, bobbing and spinning into the star-strewn sky. The hiss of power sang with the ringing of stars. It was breathtaking.
Holy moly. Okay. So maybe Lukas knew how to dazzle dreams.
“It’s mesmerizing,” I said, struck in amazement.
“So are you,” he murmured.
I scrunched my nose.
“Too cheesy?” he asked.
I pinched my thumb and index finger together leaving just an inch of space before they touched. “Just a tad.”
He laughed. The sound was a burst of sunshine. It was refreshing. “Are we going to be able to see each outside of our dreams?”
“As friends,” I said because I didn’t want there to be any confusion about our relationship. Forget that inside, I was mixed up about what I was feeling, but I needed to make sure that Lukas understood. It was the only way I could ensure none of us got hurt, except maybe me.
One side of his lip tipped. “For now.”
I wanted to argue, but I knew it would do no good. Lukas had it set in his thick head that he could sway my affections. And honestly, I wasn’t even sure that he couldn’t. That frightened me. “You just do
n’t give up,” I mumbled.
His jaw set. “Not when it comes to you. We are connected, whether you admit it or not. Our magic links us. Together, our power is endless.”
It was the mention of our combined magic that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I wasn’t a power-hungry whore. Just the opposite. I didn’t want the kind of power I had at my fingertips. The things I could do scared the bejesus out of me. I thought that Lukas understood that. “Too much power isn’t necessarily a good thing,” I replied, feeling like the moment we had shared was gone.
And then I got the dimple treatment. “But it can’t hurt, not if it can protect you. I heard what happened to you.”
I arched a brow. There was no way he could have found what I am.
“You were attacked by another witch,” he supplied, filling in the blank.
“Oh right. That.” I shrugged.
“That is a big deal. You need to be able to defend yourself.” His movements got animated, becoming passionate about his opinions.
Great. Now he sounded like Gavin. “It’s on my to-do-list,” I replied.
He took my hand. “Let me help.”
I angled my head, unsure. If he returned to my daytime life, it was sure to cause a ripple in the calm between Gavin and me. On the flip side, I didn’t want to hurt Lukas’s feelings either. Ugh, the dilemma that was my life. “Fine. But absolutely, positively, no fighting with Gavin.” Now I just had to get the same pledge from Gavin.
Thick lashes framed his eyes on a face that looked younger than he was. “You drive a hard bargain, but if it means seeing you, then deal.”
I could only hope this didn’t come back to bite me in the ass later.
I woke up just a few minutes before my alarm blared through the room. Lunar was stretched out beside me, purring and watching me thoughtfully. Groaning, I flung my arms out on the bed beside me.
What am I going to do?
I took a breath, squinting from the glare of sun cutting through the curtains. Seeing Lukas hadn’t gone as I planned, not that I really had a plan. To think I thought I had it all figured out, sort of. Gavin was the one my heart chose, but according to Morgana, that meant Lukas would destroy me.
This sucked.
How could I choose?
I was starting to wonder if Morgana was screwing with me. Maybe there wasn’t a prophecy attached to my powers. Maybe she wasn’t trying to help me at all. In my gut, I didn’t really believe that. Morgana was many things—including powerful, thorny, and a diva. I felt as if I were losing my ability to trust. Doubts seeped into my mind, scrambling my choices.
One was my soul mate, the other my destroyer.
No pressure.
Yesterday, I had been so sure that Gavin was the one. Today, I wasn’t sure of anything, least of all my ability to make life-altering decisions.
My stomach sank.
Dragging myself out of bed, I showered and tossed on a pair of jeans and a cardigan. I dried my hair most of the way and threw it up into a messy bun. Lacking the energy for anything else, I forwent makeup. Dreamscaping, whether or not I was driving the boat, was exhausting. My body didn’t get the deep sleep it needed while I was participating in dream sharing.
A quick glance in the mirror revealed that I needed to expend a little bit of magic and do something about the dark lines under my eyes. Thank God I had finally learned a spell or two to make myself look less like a haggard witch.
Hardy-har.
Chapter 5
I was sitting in the lunchroom at one of the round tables with Sophie, Austin, and Tori, picking at the bread on my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Somehow we ended up on the topics of palm reading, fortunetelling, and tarot cards. I think it was Sophie’s fault, but once the idea was brought up, Tori latched onto it.
“I’ve always wanted to go,” Tori said, waving her fork in the air. A piece of macaroni dive-bombed the floor.
“I heard about this lady just outside of town who is supposed to be phenomenal. We should check it out sometime,” Sophie suggested offhandedly.
Internally groaning, I already knew what was coming.
Austin gave a slight shrug. “It could be fun.”
Tori wiggled excitedly in her chair, doing some kind of happy dance. “Then it’s settled. The four of us will check it out after school.”
Okay, this is where I exit. “I think I’ll pass.” I had enough weird and unusual in my life. The last thing I wanted was to have my future read only to find out what I already knew. I was going to be a witch practicing the dark arts. How was I going to explain that to Tori and Austin? Anyway, I had Sophie, so what did I need a fortuneteller for? Not to mention, I trusted Sophie a whole heck of a lot more.
This sounded like a bad idea all around.
“It will be fun,” Tori pleaded, giving me her pouty lip and batting her eyes. “Say you’ll come, B?”
Fun was subjective. But what had me reconsidering was I didn’t want my two best friends mixed up in witch affairs. Since they were dead-set on going, someone had to keep them out of trouble, because if Sophie was recommending her, then the fortuneteller was the genuine thing. I wanted to keep my “secret life” a secret. That was the whole point, but how could I refuse with Tori giving me her pouty face. “Whatever. I’ll go,” I conceded.
“Yeah. Field trip, bitches,” she squealed.
Austin saluted us with his half-eaten pizza. “Cheers.”
I leaned my elbows on the table with my chin in my palm. “Technically, field trips are during school. This is more of an afterschool extra-curricular activity.”
Tori stared at me like I was a purple-people-eater from outer space. Then her pink lips curled. “Road trip, hookers,” she corrected.
I rolled my eyes.
“Hmm. Check out that tall drink,” Austin said, rolling his tongue.
Everyone at the table watched as Gavin swaggered in. I might have sighed, but my heart certainly did a flip-flop. He was hard to not notice. Soft shadows of light highlighted the arches of his cheekbones and the sweet curve of his lips. His eyes sought mine the moment he stepped into the room. Hiking up the pierced brow, he winked at me. The entire table sighed, except Sophie, who snorted.
I fought the dumb love-struck grin that was trying to break free on my lips.
“Hmm. Hmm. Mmm,” Austin purred.
I elbowed him in side. “Hey. That one is all mine. Get your own hot guy to drool over.”
Sophie’s perky little nose wrinkled. “Gross. You guys do realize that you are talking about my brother.”
Austin gave her a once over. “And honey, let me tell you that the genes in your family are superb.”
Sophie beamed at the compliment.
Tori guzzled half her water. “I don’t know about you guys, but all this talk about sexy bods has made me thirsty.”
I laughed out loud. Only Tori.
***
No sooner had I finished my final class than I found myself sandwiched between Sophie and a pile of shopping bags in the back seat of Tori’s love bug. Tori had gone on a spending spree the day before and had yet to remove the fruits of her labor.
Austin fumbled with the radio, cranking the volume when Katy Perry’s acoustics blew through the speakers. Gavin opted out of our little excursion—lucky jerk. I really needed to learn to say no. A yawn escaped. Man, I would kill for a Starbucks right now. The lack of sleep was catching up with me.
My prayers were answered as I saw the black and green sign appear up ahead on the road—a little blurry I might add. My shortage of zzz’s affecting my eyesight. “Need caffeine,” I said, meeting Tori’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“I’ll say. For a second when I looked up, I thought I was in a bad episode of The Walking Dead,” she said.
I squinted. “Hilarious. I just didn’t sleep well. Give me a break.”
Sophie peeked at me from the corner of eyes encased with enviously long lashes. I knew that look. It said, “I know what you were doin
g in your dreams last night.” And she was right.
I was going to have to tell Gavin now.
But right now, I needed to take the heat off me. No more questions. “So Sophie, are you going to tell us what is up with you and Declan?” It was a little underhanded of me, bringing up the other day, but I panicked, and it was her fault I was stuck going to get my palm read.
My little announcement got everyone’s attention. Heads whipped toward the backseat, including the driver. Tori’s car swerved off the road and when she jerked the steering wheel back in the other direction, she over-corrected her little car. I was flung from one side of the car to the other. She was going to kill us.
Austin’s light green eyes stared at Sophie through his wire-rimmed glasses. “You and Dec? Girl, I thought you had better taste than that. He is dirty than a monkey’s butt.”
I snickered.
“It was nothing. He just drove me home. Once,” she defended, glancing at her painted nails.
“And Gavin blew a gasket,” I added.
She speared me a look of exasperation. “He overacts. It runs in the family.” This started a whole new discussion on the inner workings of family and how annoying they can be.
Slumping against the seat, I stared out the window as Tori swung her car into the Starbucks drive-thru. At least this trip wouldn’t be a complete waste of my time. A caramel macchiato was worth it in my book.
The cup warmed my hands as we drove outside Holly Ridge to the border of Hampstead. I wouldn’t quite call Hampstead a town, but more of a golfing community. It was nestled off of Route 17 between Jacksonville and Wilmington.
I was a little surprised when the GPS announced that we had arrived at our destination. Tori pulled her little car over to the shoulder and stuck it in park. “Well, doesn’t this look quaint?” she commented as we all looked out the window at the cornflower-blue cottage-style house.
With my nose pressed to the glass, I saw a neon sign flashed the word fortunes in one of the bay windows. “What is she doing way out here? I can’t imagine she gets a whole lot of business.” It just seemed like a strange location for a woman trying to make a living by reading people’s palms or whatever.