The Rebel Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  “Tennessee?” I yelled and spun in circles, searching for any sign he was alive. “Tenn!”

  My chest ignited with searing hot pain. I gasped. Tears rushed to my eyes. Tennessee. If my glyph burned, then he couldn’t have been far. It hadn’t burned when I first got out of the plane, which meant he was moving closer. I turned in a slow circle, scanning for any sign of him. It was too hard in the dark to tell which way we’d come from, and he could’ve landed anywhere. Come on, where are you?

  Something moved in the distance. I spun toward it. I wasn’t sure how I even noticed it, but somehow it stood out.

  “Tennessee?” I shouted. It could’ve been a demon, but I moved toward it all the same. I had Tennessee’s sword gripped tightly in my hand. Uncle Kessler had trained us for just this situation, fighting without magic.

  A little white light illuminated the darkness. The lit-up box raised in the air until it illuminated a sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and the most beautiful pair of lips I’d ever seen.

  “Tennessee!” I cried out and sprinted toward him. My chest burned hotter with every step I took. Tears threatened to pour, but I held them in.

  I smelled his fresh rain scent a few steps before I made it to him. He opened his mouth to speak, still only lit up by his phone, but I didn’t wait. I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me.

  “Tegan,” he half whispered, half groaned as he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off my feet. His fingers dug into my skin through my shirt. He buried his face in the crook of my neck. He whispered my name over and over, just loud enough for me to hear. He dropped me to my feet and pulled back.

  A strangled cry left my lips, but I didn’t try to stop it. He was alive. He cupped my face in his big, warm hands. I gripped the front of his shirt and yanked him down closer. Our lips crashed together in desperation and relief. There was a plane full of our friends who could report us and have our magic stripped, but in that moment, none of that mattered. My soulmate was living, breathing, and kissing me like I was the oxygen he needed to survive. We stumbled back a few feet, our lips still entangled.

  “Tennessee,” I whispered against his mouth.

  “Tegan.”

  “Tennessee…”

  “Tegan,” he whispered, then pulled back. Even in the dark, his eyes sparkled as he looked down at me. His warm breath brushed over my face. “Are you okay?”

  I didn’t want to move out of his embrace, but I needed to check and make sure he was okay. It was too dark to see, so I slid my hands down his chest then back up. I patted his thick shoulders and biceps. “Are you all right? Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

  “Tegan. Tegan,” he said with a chuckle. His lips brushed against mine again, then again. And again. He dipped my head back and deepened our kiss.

  I melted into him and let his lips chase off all the fear surging to the surface.

  “Tennessee?” Cooper’s voice rang out, slicing through our little bit of Heaven.

  He broke away from my lips then traced his fingers down my throat. In the light off his phone, I saw the grin on his face. “You are amazing.”

  “Me?” I chuckled and shook my head. “You’re the amazing one.”

  He leaned in like he was going to kiss me again. I popped up on my tiptoes.

  “Tennessee, are you out here?” Cooper shouted.

  “TEGAN?” Emersyn screamed. Her voice was a few octaves higher than her panicked voice. “Tegan, where are you?”

  Tennessee groaned softly and pressed his forehead to mine. “We have to answer.”

  I pressed my lips to his once more then stepped back. “We’re here!”

  “I’m okay,” Tennessee yelled.

  By the time we made our way back over to what was left of our plane, the others had climbed their way out. Six cell phone flashlights lit the faces of my extended family. We were sweaty and spotted with blood from that landing, but we were all alive.

  Royce chuckled and shook his head. “Girl, what did you do?”

  I blushed. “I don’t know.”

  “That was amazing, you two non-humans.” Royce sighed and scrubbed his face with his blood-covered hands. “Just wild.”

  Tennessee cleared his throat. “Deacon, man, that was some flying. Nicely done.”

  Emersyn sighed. It was almost a sound of annoyance, but I couldn’t have heard it right. “Yeah, Deacon. That was impressive.”

  I looked over to our Devil who was leaning against the battered plane. “You’ll have to tell us how you learned to fly like that.”

  “How’s Walter?” Tennessee asked.

  Deacon groaned. “He’s breathing, but not very well. I called for an ambulance through the plane’s radio. The local airport spotted us going down and sent help to our location. It should be here any minute.”

  “We need to be gone when it does.”

  Everyone gasped and turned to stare at our Emperor.

  He just shrugged and shook his head. “You know I care, but Walter is beyond our help now. We can’t afford the time it will cost us to get caught up with human emergency services, especially without Kessler here to assist.”

  Reality settled back in. I nodded. “Henley needs us.”

  “We don’t even know where we are,” Emersyn whispered.

  I frowned and looked around us. Sure, everything close by was drenched in darkness, but off in the distance, a soft golden color filled the sky. There was a city just beyond the black area we’d landed in. I squinted my eyes and tried to focus on the silhouette of the buildings.

  “We don’t have a way to get to Eden now,” Willow cried. Soft, sky-blue mist swirled around her face as her magic lit up the night sky. “What are we gonna do, steal a car?”

  “We can’t go straight to Eden tonight. We need to find a safe place nearby here to rest.”

  “Tennessee…”

  “Royce, I know.” Tennessee sighed. “Trust me, I know. But Tegan and I both depleted our energy landing the plane. Deacon is hurting. You’re hurting from your garden attack. Everyone is struggling.”

  “We can’t make the trip to Eden like this,” Cooper whispered. “We need to rest now, not in a few hours from now. Assuming we’re somewhere—”

  I gasped as realization hit me like lightning. I knew where we were. The accident made my eyesight a little blurry, so it took me longer than it should have. I knew that skyline. I knew that salty scent in the air that wasn’t quite fresh. I knew exactly where we were. More importantly, I knew exactly where we could go to rest.

  “I know where we are,” I said to the others. “Follow me.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tegan

  I wasn’t sure exactly how long it took us to walk there, I hadn’t checked the time. But it felt like hours before I stopped in front of an old wooden house. I knew this street. I knew these massive trees stretching over the road like we were in a tunnel. I knew the white shimmer on the leaves wasn’t water or snow, but light spilling off the moon above us. I knew where there were four handprints in the sidewalk and the giddy expression on my Dad’s face when we’d done it. I knew why the street lamp was dented and how if you looked closely, I still had a scar from it on the back of my head. I knew why there was a bow tied to the power cable in between two houses. I knew there was the most wonderful cat named Freddy buried under the oak tree, because we always had to beg him to come out of it.

  I knew every detail of the two houses in front of me. If I closed my eyes, I could picture myself walking inside past the memories printed and hanging on the walls, and the ones we didn’t catch on camera. I knew which doorframe had pencil lines with our names and dates scribbled next to them to mark our growing. I knew exactly which day my father included Bettina. I knew each and every spot the old hardwood floors creaked when you walked on them. I knew how to get onto the roof without killing myself. I knew everything about this place.

  This was home.

  So why didn’t it feel like it anymore?

&
nbsp; A few weeks ago, this was the only home I’d ever known. It was hard to think about who I was then, or what my life was like before I knew the truth. The weird thing was…I didn’t feel sad looking up at my old house. There were countless cherished memories inside, but I couldn’t say I missed it all that much. The only part of my old life I wished I still had was my best friend Bettina. Other than that, this house and this street no longer felt like home. But my new house in Tampa didn’t either. I wondered if I had anything that gave me the comfort that home used to.

  Heat rushed over my right side, and my fingers tingled. Tennessee’s fresh rain scent washed over me. Warmth filled my body and I sighed. I peeked up and found his mismatched eyes watching me. Then it hit me. It was him. Somehow, in such a short amount of time, this handsome boy beside me had become home. He smoothed the cracks in my armor. He soothed the mess inside me. I’d known I was falling in love with him. I just hadn’t realized the falling part was complete.

  He cocked his head to the side and frowned. “You okay?”

  I blinked and peeled my eyes off of him before someone else saw. My mouth was dry and my heart pounded in my chest. Am I okay? No, not at all. Not really. I was madly in love with him, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I wasn’t even sure if I could tell him, or if that was asking for trouble.

  Trouble. I cleared my throat and led my crew up the walkway to the front door. We sounded like an army stomping down the quiet street. I raised my hand and knocked on the front door. It wasn’t even ten o’clock, but I knew there would only be one person awake inside. The old house had such thin walls that I heard the television sound get turned off, then the soft thud of feet walking toward us.

  The front door swung open, and soft golden light spilled out onto the stoop. A tall girl stood in the doorway with blonde hair falling in waves down to her shoulders. She frowned and took a step back. The front door closed a little while her gaze scanned the small army in front of her. Then she spotted me.

  Her eyes widened, and a grin spread across her face. “TEGAN!”

  She pounced on me before I had a chance to react. Her long arms squeezed me like a boa constrictor. A hot mess of a lump formed in my throat, but I smiled through it. I wasn’t going to cry. Everyone would realize how close to falling apart I was.

  “Surprise?” I said.

  Bettina pulled back and wiped a tear off her cheek. “Oh man, I missed you so much.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  “Why didn’t you let yourself in? Don’t you still have a key? Never mind, just come in.” She jumped back and gestured for us to enter. “What are you even doing here?”

  I waved my arm and led them into the living room just inside the house. The walls were still that same strange mauve color I remembered, and the tan leather sofas still didn’t match. I smiled. My Coven-mates were gathered behind me as Bettina joined us.

  “Um, it’s kind of a long story, but we need a place to crash tonight,” I said.

  “Obviously, long story isn’t sufficient for… Wait… Emersyn?” Bettina’s eyes widened. She looked back and forth between me and my sister.

  “Hi, Bettina.” Emersyn waved but her gaze turned to me with uncertainty, like she knew this was not going to go over easily.

  I know, I know. I’ll handle it.

  It was a good thing my twin was an overly friendly person who liked hugs as much as Olaf because Bettina didn’t give her a chance to say no.

  Then Bettina pulled back. “Wait, what? How? We got separated, and now you’re here together? Am I dreaming?”

  “Do you dream about Emersyn often?” I chuckled but my spidey senses were tingling. The questions weren’t going to stop, except I wasn’t sure how I was going to answer them. I cleared my throat and gestured toward my crew. “These are my friends, Cooper, Royce, Deacon, Willow, Chutney, and—”

  “Oh my God, you’re the hot guy!”

  “Bettina!” I whisper-yelled but she didn’t hear me, or chose to ignore me.

  Her face paled. She turned her shocked eyes on me and pointed to Tennessee. “It’s him! The hot guy from The Gathering!”

  “Bettina…”

  “The hot guy?” Cooper all but growled. “You met them?”

  Oh no.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t remember me. He only paid attention to Tegan. Right, Emersyn?”

  My face burned so hot I thought actual flames were going to pop out. Oh my God.

  Emersyn covered her mouth to hide her chuckle and failed. “Um, I mean, considering what was happening and all…”

  “Yeah, being all knight in shining armor and all.” Bettina clapped her hands and laughed. “Tegan! The hot guy is in my living room?”

  “Stop calling him that,” I mumbled and buried my face in my hands.

  This was bad. This was horrifying. This was potentially life-threatening. I’d never admitted out loud to anyone besides Emersyn that I thought Tennessee was good-looking. Sure, Henley assumed it, but I never confirmed it. If Cooper knew I was attracted to him, he might start watching me around Tennessee. Would my own brother tattle on me? Would he let mine and Tenn’s magic be stripped? I chanced a glance up at my brother, and my stomach sank harder than the Titanic. His hands were in fists at his sides. His green eyes were sharp and narrowed on my soulmate’s back.

  I peeked up at Tennessee standing beside me. His eyebrows were raised and his jaw hung open. His cheeks were flushed. It was an expression I’d never seen on his face.

  “I can’t believe what’s happening right now. I’m Bettina, best friend extraordinaire.” She stuck her hand out in front of him and did this little curtsy. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Your Royal Hotness.”

  “Oh my God, who are you right now?” I groaned. My best friend was a shy, quiet girl who never approached guys. Ever. And she most certainly never embarrassed me in front of one.

  Tennessee made this little nervous laugh, and it was entirely adorable yet also mortifying. “I’m Tennessee…”

  Bettina giggled and shook his hand. She looked to me and nodded her head in his direction. “You were right. Even his voice is hot.”

  “Umm…” Tennessee shifted his weight around and rubbed his face with his hand. His cheeks were definitely a solid pink now. “What?”

  “Bettina! He can hear you!” I whispered. My entire face was on fire.

  “Yeah, we all can.” Deacon laughed behind us. “Please do continue.”

  “She has a point.” Royce chuckled. “What else did Tegan say about him back then?”

  “Oh my God,” I whispered and stared at my feet. Please let this end.

  “So you left The Gathering and talked about how hot he was?” Emersyn asked. “Like of all the things to discuss from that night, and you chose that? Did you even know his name?”

  I hissed like a cat. “Emersyn. Seriously?” Whose side are you on right now?

  “No, she didn’t!” Bettina answered for me. “Maybe that’s why the spells didn’t work.”

  “SPELLS?” Everyone behind me repeated in unison.

  “BETTINA,” I yelled through clenched teeth. What is happening right now?

  Tennessee cleared his throat. “Um, I’m sorry…what? You did…spells?”

  I shook my head. “No…”

  “YES.” Bettina rolled her blue eyes. “We tried to find you using these spells we found online, and a few from Tegan’s witchcraft books. Silly stuff. None of it worked—oh my God, is that how you found him? Did you keep doing spells? You always loved that stuff.”

  “Bettina, stop talking!”

  “It’s okay, Tegan. You’re not the only one who thinks he’s hot,” Willow said in a soft voice.

  “Yeah, Cooper, you should be used to it by now,” Chutney added. “You know he’s hot.”

  “Not helping,” I whispered. Hearing other girls call my soulmate hot did not make me feel better about anything. My gaze turned to Tennessee, who was blushing a deep scarlet red and staring at the ground.
/>   Cooper said something in our ancient language, but I had no idea what it meant. I was still learning it.

  “What language is that?” Bettina asked. Her eyes narrowed and watched the rest of my group with suspicion. “I am so confused.”

  “I know…”

  “You show up late at night with a group of strangers, none of whom are your father, needing a place to stay? That’s weird, dude.” She pointed one hand toward Emersyn, the other toward Tenn. “You being with Emersyn again is even weirder. But with Mr. Hottie, too? Dude, that’s too much weird for me.”

  “Bettina, it’s a long story…”

  She scoffed. “Like I care? We’ve apparently got all night.”

  “Excuse me,” Cooper whispered as he passed between me and Emersyn. He walked up to Bettina and stuck his hand out like he wanted to greet her properly. But the second she took it, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted.

  “BETTINA!” I raced forward to catch her, but my brother had already caught her in his arms. “What the hell was that? Is she okay?”

  Cooper placed her gently on the shaggy cream rug right where she’d been standing. “Yes, she’s just asleep.”

  “Asleep?!”

  He sighed and stood back up straight. “Yes, asleep. She was asking too many questions. It’s against Coven law to tell Sapiens the truth, so I put her into REM cycle.”

  Fury surged to the surface. How dare he! I slapped him across the cheek with every ounce of strength I had left after the plane crash. It wasn’t much, but the sound echoed through the room and I left a dark pink mark on his skin.

  Tennessee jumped in between us. Emersyn gripped my wrist and pulled me back, like she knew I might actually hit him again.

  “How dare you!” I snarled. “She’s my best friend since I was five years old. I get to decide how to handle this secret, not you. You’ve had your secrets, darling brother.”