How do you disappear and reappear thousands of miles apart? The snarky thought had my eyes narrowing, and the multitude of paint splatters on my shirt made me determined to at least get some paint on Vincent’s spotlessly black outfit.
White paint.
I grinned and without thinking about it jerked my arm. Vincent attempted to deflect, but a huge white ring of paint covered the front of his shirt. He glanced down disbelieving and I jumped up and down.
“Yes! That wasn’t hard at all.” I crowed, grinning broadly.
“That’s my girl.” Dane said, high fiving me.
Vincent shook his head, but let me have my moment.
“You did that easily. Now, use the same process to deflect my spell.” His words were my only warning, but I understood what needed to happen this time. I lifted my hand, fingers spread, and felt the spell hit, but this time it bounced back and hit Vincent.
A pink glob of paint mixed with the white on his chest, and this time when he looked down it was with pride and not disbelief.
“Nice twist.” He told me admiringly. “I hadn’t considered sending the spell back on its maker, but that’s good.”
He glanced at Dane and said, “Your turn.” A quick look at me and when he turned back to Dane he added, “Do the same as your girl. Send a spell toward me and I’ll try to deflect it.”
Dane caught on immediately, maybe because he’d watched me but more likely he understood better having been around witches his entire life. Vincent deflected the first one, but not the second. When they reversed roles, it was the same. One hit and one miss.
“Good, I think you both have the hang of it. And there’s no use teaching you a spell. You have a better handle on magic than anyone I’ve ever seen. It comes easily to you, like an extra limb.”
“I don’t know if an extra limb would be that easy to use.” I mentioned, thinking about it. “Seems like it would be in the way.” Vincent rubbed his hand over his mouth to hide his smile and Dane bumped my hip.
“Not so literal, darling.” He winked at me and I elbowed him.
“I know that.”
“Mmhmm.” He hummed and dodged out of my way when I came at him. “Grandma, are we doing the locator spell today?” Glancing outside I realized it was dark. The day had flown by, in turns chaotic and sad, and everything I’d learned threatened to overwhelm me. She shook her head.
“Not tonight. We’ve all been through a lot today. There’s a new moon rising tomorrow. It’ll be a better time to try the spell. We can start fresh in the morning.” Tori looked like she wanted to protest, but Peter distracted her with a question. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be an equally long day.”
Chapter Eleven
The next morning dawned bright and clear, a cheerful start for what would turn out to be a violent day. Dane held me close, and his even breaths told me he was still asleep. We’d went up to bed not long after Gloria had dismissed us, neither in the mood for company. The day had been so crazy we hadn’t had time to stop and process Margaret’s death. It still felt a little surreal. With my parents’ I’d seen them, known immediately they were gone.
With Margaret it was different. We’d talked to her on the phone the morning before and now she was gone, but there was no closure. No body to see, and none of the familiar actions that happened when someone died. We couldn’t even go to collect her body. Right now, the protection spell Gloria had created only covered the house and even it wasn’t strong enough to stop Mitchell’s coven. We couldn’t take a chance on leaving here, not until we’d found my sisters and had somewhere safe to go.
I heard someone in the bathroom and wondered if it was Tori or Peter. Sometime in the early morning hours I’d heard them come up the stairs together. I didn’t think anything happened between them, but I had the feeling Tori didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts either. She was barely holding it together, and as badly as I wanted to comfort her, I didn’t think I was the right one to do it.
I wanted vengeance. I wanted to destroy the people that had taken my family, taken Margaret, and countless others I didn’t know about. Tori was dealing with similar emotions and I was afraid we’d feed on one another, and we couldn’t afford rash actions right now. As badly as I wanted to watch them burn, I wasn’t strong enough alone. But unlike Tori, I had Dane to temper my emotions, to help me see reason and give me an outlet for the rage I felt.
He’d spent hours talking about his mom the night before, recounting stories and listening as I talked about my parents. He held me when I admitted to the fear that never seemed to leave me, the inadequacy I felt at being one of the chosen, the special trinity, the terror that somehow I would fail and my sisters wouldn’t like me. Stupid thoughts, but powerful nonetheless. Talking hadn’t made those fears disappear, but they’d lessened the power they held. Remembering our parents gave me a strength I didn’t know I had. I would not allow their deaths to be in vain.
A tap on the door brought me from my thoughts.
“Breakfast, you two.”
Gloria kept on going down the hall and I smirked when I heard her say, “Breakfast, you two,” at Tori’s door. There was no fooling Gloria.
I rolled over to see Dane still had his eyes shut. He slept like the dead and since we hadn’t actually gone to sleep until the wee hours I couldn’t blame him for not waking up. A lock of shaggy blonde hair covered his forehead and I brushed it back. His hair was normally a dirty blonde, but the longer than normal length translated to blonde highlights. Small lines formed on his forehead and I rubbed my thumb against them. He was too young to have wrinkles.
“Is my forehead dirty?” His voice rumbled around me, but he kept his eyes shut.
“No, I’m rubbing away the ‘what the fuck’ grooves you have.” His eyes popped open at that and I smiled.
“Time for breakfast.” He groaned and started to stretch before realizing there was no room in the tiny twin bed.
“We need a bigger bed.” He muttered, leaning over the side of the bed as he sat up.
“I’ll let you bring that up with Gloria.” I replied tartly, yanking on a strand of his hair.
“Ouch.” He said reflexively.
“Get dressed. We’re going to find my sisters today.” He studied me, trying to decipher my mood and finally nodded. I grabbed clothes and thought twice about busting into the bathroom, not certain who I’d find, and instead dressed in the bedroom. I dug through the drawer on the nightstand, fishing out a hair tie and dragging my tangled red hair into a sloppy ponytail.
“How do I look?”
“Like a goddess.” I shook my head at his exaggeration and he tilted his. “Actually, I think more like a siren, luring an innocent man to his death with your song.”
“And you would be the innocent man?”
“Yep, and more than willing.”
“To be lured to your death by me?”
“Yep.”
“Good thing I’m not a siren then.”
I leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek and darted away before he could grab me.
“Now, get dressed and get downstairs. I’m not saving you any breakfast.”
I was gone before he could reply, but knew he wouldn’t be far behind.
I skidded to a halt when I came to the door of the kitchen. There were massive stacks of pancakes, mounds of bacon and eggs, hash browns, piles of biscuits, and what appeared to be a boat of gravy.
“How?” I questioned gazing at the bounty before me.
“I couldn’t sleep.” Vincent shrugged. “I worked as a short order cook in college. Nothing like stress eating to make life bearable.” I nodded in agreement, snatching bacon off the pile before fixing a plate.
“It’ll get eaten, possibly entirely by me.” I admitted, still unused to the constant hunger I felt. Granted using magic made it worse and I’d used more magic in the past few days than my entire life. I snorted at my own joke and Vincent gazed at me curiously. I shoved a pancake in my mouth, not willing t
o admit to my own lame joke.
“Damn, Vincent. You outdid yourself.” Dane said as he entered the kitchen.
“Figured there was no lack of appetites and we could use the energy.” He replied, deflecting the compliment. Minutes later the table was full of hungry people demolishing Vincent’s hard work. When we’d all had our fill we leaned back from the table, waiting for Gloria to give the word. She was the coven leader and by rights, decided our next move. The knowledge weighed heavily on her as she gazed at me.
“It’s time. Hopefully the spell will work and we’ll be on our way to your sisters.” She didn’t add that we needed to find them as soon as possible because the spells we had were barely adequate. We weren’t a true coven and nothing we had compared to what Mitchell could do.
We filed outside, Gloria insisting on leaving the dishes on the table, and went to the garden where they’d marked out the circle for me and laid the groundwork for the locator spell.
“We’ll need a drop of your blood, Quinn dear.” I held out my hand and she pricked my finger, squeezing out several drops onto herbs lying on the ground. “That should do. Now stand back while the rest of us work the spell. Dane, stay close to her.” Her anxiety was contagious as I scanned the surrounding area and reached for Dane. It didn’t seem possible Mitchell could have found us, but I had no idea what he was truly capable of.
A caw drew my attention as Gloria and the others began to chant. A raven landed on a branch by me, much closer than I would have assumed for a wild bird. He cawed again, his beady black eye staring at me. Suddenly, Dane jerked me by the arm, shoving me and I stumbled into the protection circle Gloria and the others had cast. Instantly, I felt a rush of static electricity and a flare of blue light as the circle activated with my presence.
Their spell stopped as Dane shouted at them, “Be ready. He’s here.” They glanced up at his shout and formed a loose circle with Dane directly in front of me.
“Stay in the circle, Quinn.” He warned me as his gaze darted around. He knew they were there, but where?
“Dane, are you sure?” Gloria called over and I felt my skin heat. I looked down, knowing what I’d see, as the hot flush of a sunburn formed on my fair skin. Evil surrounded us. We just couldn’t see it.
“They’re here.” I confirmed, my voice shaky instead of firm like I wanted it.
“Such a lovely sight.” They appeared one by one in front of us, and I choked back a cry as I saw how many of them there were. This wasn’t going to be a battle, but a slaughter. “Ah, my youngest daughter, won’t you come give Daddy a hug?”
His words burned my flesh as he spoke to me, each word etched into my skin and I shuddered from the pain.
“Ignore him, Quinn.” Dane crouched in front of me, his body tensed for a fight, whether it was magical or physical. The raven cawed behind me, giving the impression it was on our side.
“You can try, but you see we share the same blood.” His smile, his face, were perfectly bland. He didn’t look like evil incarnate, but my burning skin told me to never underestimate what he was capable of. “You can’t ignore me. I made you.”
“Your mistake.” I bit back, clenching my jaw together. His eyes narrowed. He knew perfectly well what I meant and the malevolence that rolled off of him at my defiance almost brought me to my knees. His eyes took in the seven of us, searching for the one to kill first in punishment. It wouldn’t stop there though.
He was going to kill them all to get to me, I thought desperately. He would take Dane and Gloria, all of these people who choose to risk their lives to keep me safe.
Gone.
Because of me.
I couldn’t let it happen, I wouldn’t let it happen. They’d told me to stay inside the circle, it would protect me. He wasn’t supposed to be able to find me, but he had. He’d shown up with more than a dozen witches to our fewer than ten, and it was only a matter of time before he killed them all.
I could hear their taunts; the promises they were making. That if they handed me over, they wouldn’t destroy the entire coven. I wanted to beg them to do it, to give me to him so they would be safe, but the words wouldn’t come. I was terrified of him. He was the stuff of nightmares, and my skin burned just being near them. Their evil blistered my arms without even touching me, and that fact alone terrified me more than anything.
“Stay inside the circle, Quinn!” Dane’s voice broke through my fear, his sideways glance making sure I was still where he’d put me. He knew me, knew I’d want them to be safe, and might do something rash to protect them all. He’d told me over and over, it was his job to protect me, not the other way around.
I disagreed.
They said I was one of the trinity. A powerful set of three that would change magic. Gloria had known who I was the second she’d seen me. I understood it now. I’d seen the women the night the man had killed my parent’s, I’d transported myself to Dane, but it was him—the man in front of me who oozed evil—that finally convinced me I was one of the all-powerful trinity. He wanted me, and I knew if he succeeded it would be the death of everything I loved.
I glanced around, seeing each of their faces, focused on one singular goal—to save me, to save their beautiful light magic from the likes of him.
A stroke of Mitchell’s arm preceded a flash of light, and Peter jumped in front of Tori. He fell in slow motion as a scream ripped from my throat. He was a good guy, a college student who believed we had to fight to protect our magic. He’d believed I was worth fighting for, and now he’d died for me. I saw the pain flash across Dane’s face before he controlled his expression. They were friends. He’d recruited Peter and I knew he felt responsible for his death, but I was the one responsible. Tori fell to her knees in horror and Vincent flung a spell at a witch about to attack her. Red bloomed on the front of her shirt, but I knew it wasn’t paint this time. The witch fell giving Tori time to get back on her feet and fight.
There was no longer any hesitation as the coven battled for survival. We were outnumbered, but desperation kept us alive. I managed to push back a spell directed at Gloria and watched as the warlock fell, blood bubbling out of his mouth.
We had been trying to locate my sisters. They insisted it was the only way to keep me safe. They said only together would the trinity work; that we could do amazing things, defeat even the most terrible evils, if we worked together. I believed them, but before we could locate one or both of them we’d been interrupted by my father.
Father.
The word sent a shiver down my spine. He was no father of mine. I’d had a father, and he’d been killed, killed by one of the men standing next to the man who told me to call him Daddy. The battle raged, their taunts filling my ears as they toyed with us.
“Ignore them, Quinn. You’re stronger than them. They need you, and they fear you. If you stay in the circle, you’ll be safe.” Dane stood directly in front of me, and I knew he’d die there, protecting me.
I refused to let another person die, but how could I save them? I didn’t know enough magic. I wasn’t powerful enough on my own. Two weeks ago, I’d been an eighteen-year-old who’d just graduated from high school. There was no such thing as magic and witches. Evil was something other people dealt with, not me. I had no idea what a trinity was, much less that I was part of one, and a five-hundred-year-old prophecy.
My fingertips and toes tingled, the first sign I was about to teleport. I fought it, unwilling to transport myself to safety, while they fought for my life. My body reacted to danger, to the evil that had raised red blisters on my arms by fleeing. I’d been practicing control, but I’d never been in danger like this and tried to not teleport. It took all of my strength to stop it.
Dane sent me a quick glance, and hope suddenly crossed his face.
“Jump, Quinn. Go. Save yourself. You can do it.” I shook my head frantically. “You swore, Quinn. I’m telling you to go.” I’d never had any intention of keeping that promise. No way was I leaving him behind. We were bonded, n
ot only by magic but love, and it was impossible for me to leave him. I stretched out my hand, imploring him to take it. Together, it was the only way I would go. He shook his head, and I saw his eyes slide to the others. He wouldn’t leave them, any more than I would leave him.
I wasn’t even sure I could transport both of us far enough. We’d practiced it, and I’d managed it once, but only a short distance. We would need to go miles to get away from my father. That would take a lot of power; power I possessed, but hadn’t really been able to tap into. It scared me honestly, but as I glanced around and saw Peter’s dead body, and the people who fought for me, I knew I had to try.
If I wouldn’t leave Dane, and he wouldn’t leave them, then I had to take everybody.
I focused, remembering the exact feeling of transporting myself, and then pictured the people around me, each of their faces, their smiles and their hopes. My feet were planted on the ground, and the magic swirled through me, glowing brighter and brighter. I could see their forms shimmering.
It was working!
But suddenly it snapped, and I collapsed onto the ground, drained to the point of exhaustion.
“What are you trying to do? It’s too much, Quinn, do you hear me?” Dane’s voice was frantic, seeing me collapse, and I managed to nod at him, to let him know I was okay. “Don’t worry about us. It’s you they want. Get yourself to safety. We’ll be fine.”
“You won’t be fine.” The words dragged out of me. The exhaustion was worse than anything I’d ever felt as I’d pushed my power to its absolute max. “He’ll kill you all, just because he can, to prove a point, to make an example. If I leave you, I’m signing your death sentence.”
Tears streamed from my eyes as I saw the truth of my words on his face.
“I can’t do that.”
Resolve filled me. I would get us out of here. It was working. I just didn’t have enough power on my own. The memory of the women I saw the night my eyes turned blue came back to me.
My sisters.
We were supposed to be the all-powerful trinity. If they could give me power, then maybe it would be enough. But I didn’t know how to reach them. How could I ask for their help when I wasn’t with them?
The Trinity Sisters Page 44