Initiate

by Christina Garner

  “Thanks.” Eden’s hand was on the door, wanting to escape before the compliment turned into—

  “I mean, I’ve never seen that neckline on someone so flat-chested before, but you’re almost making it work.”

  Rebecca’s eyes held their usual predatory gleam. The world was a mouse and she was the cat.

  The click of the door closing behind her was Eden’s only reply—even Rebecca couldn’t dampen her mood.

  Eden’s boots crunched on the frozen ground and she took a quick glance down at her cleavage. Did the sweater really make her look flat?

  Her worry melted away when she slid into the seat next to Quinn. His eyes flashed with appreciation and she was pulled into his orbit by a force as strong as gravity. Their lips locked and she was gone, untethered to any reality other than him.

  Breath ragged, Quinn pulled back just enough to say, “How would you feel about eating in tonight?”

  Eden smiled against his lips and kissed him again.

  Chapter 7

  Dinner had to wait, because once back at Quinn’s place he and Eden became a tangle of bodies desperate to get closer.

  She pulled him down to the sofa, tugging his shirt over his head. First, she explored his chest with her hands and then with her lips. He slid her sweater up and kissed the top of her breasts. She wound her fingers in his hair and moaned as he kissed her lower and lower.

  He paused at the waistband of her jeans and looked up, the flecks in his eyes as golden as she’d ever seen them. “Is this okay?”

  Eden bit her lip and nodded. It was more than okay.

  But instead of undoing her zipper, he used his lips to trace his way back up to her ear.

  “Not here,” he said and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  He lifted Eden as if she weighed nothing—carrying her to his bedroom, where he undressed her slowly, murmuring, “You are so beautiful.”

  His eyes, his lips, his hands roamed her body, and Eden clung to him, sure that if she let go, she’d float away. There was magic, and then there was this—Eden wasn’t sure which she needed more.

  At that moment she knew she had to tell him everything. Whatever it took, she would find the words. She had pledged to keep Coventry House secret, but as his body pressed into hers she knew she was pledging something to him, too. Something deep and profound and worthy of the truth.

  Later, as Quinn slept and his chest rose and fell beneath her cheek, Eden couldn’t remember another time she’d been so utterly and completely happy. She lay cocooned in warmth and light and never wanted to leave.

  She felt the wetness just in time to spring up before the blood hit Quinn’s chest.

  Once in the bathroom, she tried not to cry. So far, the nosebleeds had only happened when she practiced magic. Why now, on one of the best nights of her life?

  You’re the perfect kind of monster… A blackness so complete it absorbs the light around it.

  The demon’s words echoed through her, and she drew her knees up underneath her chin. Whatever lies the borahn had told, Eden had jumped into his arms. More and more she wondered if her soul really was dark…if she were the monster he’d claimed her to be…that she’d seen for herself in the Chamber of Truth. How else could she explain the nosebleeds coming not only when she embraced the light in magic, but now, as she lay in Quinn’s arms?

  Bella, the shepherd mix Quinn had adopted from the animal shelter where they both volunteered, eased the door open and lay at Eden’s feet. She reached down and pet her absently.

  There was nothing medically wrong—she’d already stopped by the student clinic to get checked out. But even before the doctor had given her a clean bill of health she’d known the problem wasn’t physical. Something happened to her when she practiced now. The shadow of a feeling—or maybe the feeling of a shadow—stalked her when she opened herself to magic.

  And have sex, apparently.

  Eden pulled the tissue away and saw that it was clean.

  She had to do better, be better. Otherwise, her powers could end up hurting others—a risk Eden wasn’t willing to take. She walked back to Quinn’s bedroom knowing what she needed to do.

  “Hey, everything okay?” Quinn was awake, propped up on a pillow.

  “Yeah.” Eden forced a smile and got back under the covers. She fought the urge to snuggle against him and stayed sitting up. “But there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s nothing bad,” she said quickly. Quinn looked as if he was bracing for terrible news. “It’s amazing, actually. Just a little weird.”

  His face relaxed, and he reached out to lay a hand on her arm. “I can handle weird.”

  Which was true. Her behavior when after she’d done the memory spell had been very un-Eden, and yet they’d moved past it. Quinn never threw it in her face.

  “This is next-level weird.” Eden bit her lip.

  He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve definitely got my attention.”

  “Have you ever wondered…” Say it. “If magic exists?”

  Quinn looked like he was waiting for the punchline, but when it was clear she had none, he said, “Have I ever wondered… I guess when I was a kid, sure. But you mean…recently?”

  “Yeah.” Eden studied the gold flecks in his eyes. “It’s been a recent consideration of mine.”

  “Interesting.”

  Rebecca called Quinn bookish when she wanted to get under Eden’s skin, but the truth was, she loved his inquisitive nature. Other guys would have laughed at her the second they heard the word magic.

  “What’s your hypothesis?”

  Eden smiled. “I think we can skip that round and go right to the evidence.”

  Again, he seemed unsure if she was kidding. “You’d like to present evidence that magic exists?”

  “As strange as it sounds…yes.”

  He smiled and gestured for her to continue, but her proof wasn’t verbal.

  She closed her eyes and steadied her nerves. She could make a sphere in her sleep, but this was different. This was proving something—to Quinn, and herself. She was showing him who she really was, and she was demonstrating to herself that was an okay thing to do.

  Whether it was thinking of Quinn, or what telling him meant to her, something inside of her clicked. She went through the steps of the spell she’d been struggling with, except this time they came naturally. When she opened her eyes, a translucent, white rose floated between them, rotating slowly.

  Quinn’s eyes were wide—the way hers must have been when she’d first learned the truth. He glanced from the rose to her and back again.

  “What is it?” He passed his hand through it, creating ripples that coalesced back into a rose.

  “Magic.” Eden went for the big finish. “I’m a witch.”

  “You’re a what?”

  “A witch. Technically, I’m still in training, but…yeah.” Eden chewed her lip.

  Quinn scrubbed a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, passing his hand through the rose a second time, and again it re-formed.

  “I cannot believe I’m saying this…” He shook his head. “Theory accepted.”

  Eden exhaled, a weight melting from her shoulders.

  They stayed up the rest of the night talking—mostly about what could and couldn’t be done with magic, with Eden giving the occasional demonstration.

  The questions continued at the kitchen table the next morning.

  “Can you fly? It would be really cool if you could fly.” He handed her a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

  “Well then, I cannot claim to be cool.” Eden took a sip and smiled. “Yet.”

  Quinn took a seat, and Bella laid her muzzle in his lap.

  “So it’s possible?” His eyes shone like a kid at Christmas.

  “I don’t see why not. It would probably be a riff on a levitation spell.” She took a bite of the toast he’d made her.

  “God, that’s so cool.�
�� Quinn shook his head in disbelief for the hundredth time. “I’m dating a superhero.”

  “A superhero, huh?”

  “I might need to get you a cape.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

  She smiled against his lips. “That might be a little conspicuous. We keep a low profile, remember?”

  His eyes smoldered. “Who said anything about wearing it in public?”

  Jules spotted Ash out of the corner of her eye.

  She was having coffee at her usual spot, and he was there. The guy who could have gotten her arrested.

  She’d already drained her cup and finished studying—she should just leave. But she was pissed. Who did he think he was?

  Jules crossed the distance between their tables, then crossed her arms for good measure.

  “You made me a thief.”

  Ash regarded her over the lip of his coffee cup. Even his posture was insolent.

  “Technically, I gave you a gift. One could argue that choosing to keep it made you a thief.”

  Jules opened her mouth then closed it again. Had it really never occurred to her to just walk back and say there’d been a mistake?

  It just felt so good in my hand.

  “Trust me, with the prices they charge, petty theft is factored in. Besides, is it really moral for them to be charging for what the earth gives freely?”

  Jules knew it was convenient reasoning meant to manipulate her, but she found herself biting the inside of her lip to keep from smiling.

  “I’ve got somewhere I need to be.” He rose. “But let me make it up to you. How about dinner?”

  Jules’s heart skipped a beat, but she managed to reply, “How can I be sure you won’t expect me to dine and dash?”

  He flashed a grin and shrugged. “You don’t.”

  Between learning magic and seeing Kai, Sarah had fallen behind in her classes. She had to buckle down or her grades would fall, and if that happened, there would be hell to pay with her mother.

  Even though it was early evening, she sat at her desk, afraid if she studied on her bed she might fall asleep. Kai had kept her awake pretty late last night. A grin spread across her face just thinking about it.

  “You look how I feel.”

  Sarah glanced up to see Eden. She was about to ask what she meant, when a goofy grin spread across her friend’s face and she put two and two together.

  “Seriously? Last night was the night?”

  Eden looked rapturous as she sank onto Sarah’s bed. “For more than one thing.”

  “Ew,” Sarah said before she could stop herself. “I mean, not ew—two consenting adults and all—but I don’t need specifics.”

  “What?” Eden seemed bemused. “No, nothing like that. I mean I told him. About being a witch.”

  “You’re kidding.” Sarah’s eyes went wide. “Before or after?”

  “After. It just felt like it was the right time.”

  “How did he take it?” Sarah had toyed with the idea of telling Kai, but she hadn’t worked up the courage.

  “Amazing. I couldn’t have written it better.” Eden’s grin was back.

  “Were you nervous? That’s a huge step.” One Sarah would have to take eventually, she knew.

  “I know it is. But I trust him, and I owed him the truth. What about you? Are you planning to tell Kai?”

  Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s not like it comes up in conversation. ‘Hey, honey, do you want pizza or Thai? Oh, by the way, the sorority I belong to is really a secret coven. And Carolyn, the house mother you’re afraid of? Well, she’s our High Priestess.’ She’d head for the hills, and I wouldn’t blame her.”

  “Mhmm…” Eden gave her a knowing look. “That’s a very convincing argument. What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing.” Sarah fiddled with her pen.

  “Sarah?”

  Eden wasn’t going to let it go.

  “It’s just… Some people have pretty conservative beliefs about magic.”

  Eden arched her eyebrows. “And you think Kai is conservative? What gave it away, her Eat the rich t-shirt?”

  “Maybe not Kai. But some people…”

  Eden’s gaze softened. “Sounds like somebody got another care package from home.”

  Sarah went to her nightstand and pulled out a large cross and a book. She tossed the paperback to Eden.

  “How I Got Saved: A Repentant Witch Speaks.” Eden read the cover and then dropped the book into the trashcan. “Kai will not have the same attitude about witchcraft that your parents do. She’s on board with the whole gay thing, right?”

  A small grin crept across Sarah’s face. “It would seem so.”

  “Well, there you go. Your family can’t say that.”

  “Yeah, because they don’t know. I didn’t accidentally leave a book on my gayness at home.”

  Sarah still cursed her stupidity—why had she even brought a book of spells home to begin with? The whole weekend had been a nightmare.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Eden waved a dismissive hand. “Kai cares about you. Finding out you’re a witch isn’t going to change that. Besides, you’re going to have to tell her sometime. How did you explain all the books on magic?” She gestured to the volumes overtaking the shelves.

  “I told her I’m doing a paper on Wiccan studies for my World Religions class. A really comprehensive paper...”

  “Not bad. That should buy you some time.” Eden stood. “I’ve gotta go practice if I have any hope of passing this test on the first try. But think about what I said. The people we’re with deserve to know who we really are.”

  She left, and as much as Sarah loved Eden, she couldn’t help thinking the girl had her faults. One of them being that once she’d decided something was good for her, she thought it was good for everyone. She’d talk your ear off about almond milk and the evils of dairy if you gave her half a chance.

  Except, in this case, she might be right.

  A thought to which Sarah had no argument.

  Chapter 8

  Jules felt foolish for needing such basic guy advice, but she was tired of checking her phone every five minutes just to make sure it was on. It had been two days and no word from Ash.

  “Got a sec?”

  Eden sat cross-legged on her bed, reading.

  “Sure. What’s up?” She set the book aside. “Did you find an awesome spell on the dark…deep…something-or-other web?”

  Eden always made it sound as though she was some kind of hacker, which she wasn’t. But getting shuffled around often meant a lack of friends, which led to lots of hours on the computer. She couldn’t help but get good at finding things.

  She took a seat at Eden’s desk. “No, it’s…something else.”

  Eden leaned forward. “What is it? Is everything okay?”

  “It’s kind of embarrassing.” She stared at her hands.

  “Jules, I almost burned down the house in my sleep. Unless it’s worse than that, talk.”

  She gave a small smile then blurted out, “What does it mean if a guy says he wants to take you out and asks for your number but then never texts?”

  Eden tilted her head. “Maybe he lost your number.”

  “I watched him put it in his phone.” Jules bit her lip.

  Eden’s expression turned grave. “Well, in that case, it could be the other thing.”

  “What’s the other thing?” Jules dreaded the answer but knew it probably had something to do with not really liking her.

  “Sounds like he came down with a case of the stupids. Guys get it all the time—I’m telling you it’s an epidemic.”

  Jules knew it wasn’t the only other explanation but laughed in spite of herself.

  “Do you have his number?” Eden asked.

  “Yeah, but if he didn’t text…”

  “Give me your phone.” Eden held out her hand, but Jules hesitated. “You came to me for help, and I’m gonna help. Give me your phone.”

  Jules
pulled it from her pocket and handed it to her.

  “Name?”

  “Ash, but what—”

  Eden pulled the phone away from Jules’s reach and stood. “Ash is a very sexy name.”

  She scrolled through the contacts and began typing. When she was finished, she read it aloud.

  “Hey—I’m going to a show at the Stone Rose tonight with a couple of friends. Interested?”

  She hit send before Jules could protest.

  “But I’m not going to a show at Stone Rose tonight.”

  “Sure you are. You’ll come with Quinn and me. If Ash comes, it’s a double date. Less pressure.”

  “And if he doesn’t, I’m a third wheel.”

  “Stop. Ooh, he’s texting back!” Eden handed Jules the phone.

  Her pulse quickened as she stared at the dots, waiting for it to become a text. When it finally did, a grin spread across her face, and she read the text to Eden. “Cool. What time?”

  “See? Sometimes a little nudge clears up even a stubborn case of the stupids.”

  As usual, Eden was running late.

  Jules had already popped her head in—positively beaming—to tell her she’d be waiting in the common room.

  Eden brushed her teeth while checking her closet for something clean to wear. Laundry day had come and gone; she really had to learn to prioritize her schedule.

  She hoped inviting Ash wouldn’t backfire. Usually when a guy didn’t text a girl it meant he just wasn’t that into her, but she couldn’t say that to Jules. The problem was that just because he’d said yes, didn’t mean he was into her. She’d learned that lesson the hard way, ending up in more than one pseudo-relationship in high school. They always started the same way—meet a guy, like a guy, get anxious that he hadn’t called, ask him out instead. Every single time, the “relationship” consisted of her making all the effort. When she’d get tired of doing the heavy lifting, said relationship dissolved as if it had never been there. Which, in truth, it hadn’t been.

  At least he offered to drive. That’s a good sign.

  She pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a sweater from the back of a chair. There was a knock at the door and Eden donned the sweater before calling out, “Come in.”