The Secret Circle: The Complete Collection

by L. J. Smith

  With a final shudder, Cassie startled awake. All was still and silent in her room. It was just a bad dream, she thought, but a painful throbbing ran from the tips of her fingers up the length of her wrists.

  Cassie reached over to her lamp on the nightstand and found she could barely grip the switch to turn it on. But when she did, the light revealed an alarming sight: The marks on her hands had deepened to a shocking crimson. And, Cassie noticed, there was a dark red, cruel-looking welt on the inside of her left palm. It was a new mark.

  But the book was locked away—there was no way Cassie could have actually touched it. Could she?

  She ducked under her bed to check for the gunmetal chest. She’d positioned it just so, perfectly aligned with a faint line on the floorboard, so she could easily tell if someone discovered and tampered with it.

  The chest was in place with its lock still fastened. Next, Cassie checked her jewelry box. The key was there, lying innocently beside the chalcedony rose, just as she’d left it.

  But Cassie was sure she’d had the book in her hands—how else could these new marks be explained? And she was positive she’d actually been reading the book. She felt different. A strange energy surged through her veins. It felt like strength, like capability. Like power.

  Cassie woke up the next morning to find her mother pulling open the curtains in her room, filling it with bright sunlight. “You were really in a deep sleep,” her mother said. “You snored right through your alarm.”

  Cassie glanced down at her burned hands and hid them beneath the bedspread.

  “Your friends came by about an hour ago,” her mother continued. “But I sent them home.”

  Cassie sat up and tried to get her bearings. “You sent them home? We were supposed to have a Circle meeting.”

  “You seemed to need your rest more.” Her mother patted Cassie aside and sat next to her. “I went ahead and told your friends about the secret room in the basement. And I already spoke to Faye’s mother and Laurel’s guardians about letting them spend their nights here. Everything’s all set. That’s one less thing for you to worry about.”

  Cassie’s mouth was dry and her mind was still groggy, but she was awake enough to understand that her mother was supporting her in a whole new way. She had basically sat in on Cassie’s Circle meeting for her and single-handedly accomplished everything on the agenda. Her mother, the same woman who had refused to even utter the word witchcraft one year earlier. “And another thing,” her mom said. “You and your friends are going to the spring dance. It’s been decided.”

  For a second Cassie thought she might be dreaming again, but then she noticed her mother’s sly smile. “Really,” Cassie said. “The Circle decided that. And I’m sure you played no part in convincing them.”

  “Guilty as charged.” Her mother raised up her hands, defenseless. “I think you all deserve a break. And it’ll be a good reminder that you’re in high school—these are supposed to be the best years of your life.”

  True, Cassie thought. She was in high school, but she also had people’s lives in her hands. Not to mention her own.

  “Are you hungry?” her mother asked, changing the subject before Cassie could protest the dance. “You must be, it’s already lunchtime. I’ll fix us something to eat.”

  She was already through the door headed for the kitchen when Cassie called out to her. “Mom—thank you.” Cassie knew just how lucky she was, not only to have a mother—unlike most of her friends—but to have her mother.

  “Mmhmm,” her mother replied modestly, like it was nothing at all.

  Cassie let her head drop back onto her pillow. Her mind immediately began to spin. She needed to tell Adam about the dream she had had last night, if it had been a dream at all. Even now, as exhausted as she felt, Cassie had the urge to grab the book and search its pages for anything resembling the witch-hunter curse.

  Cassie reached for her cell phone to quickly text Adam:

  What are you up to? Can you come over?

  He instantly wrote back:

  Can’t. Taking Grandma to doctor, remember? But I’ll see you tonight.

  That’s right. She knew Adam was busy today, but they’d made plans to have the evening to themselves. Where was her head? The restless night had left her brain foggy and confused.

  A night alone with Adam was exactly what Cassie needed. In addition to everything about the book and the dream, there was something even more overwhelming weighing on Cassie’s mind: She had to talk to Adam about the cord she’d seen connecting Adam to Scarlett on the night Scarlett left town. Whether or not Adam had seen it, and whether or not talking about it would be like throwing a hammer through the glass window of their relationship, it had to be addressed tonight. There could be no more secrets between them.

  Cassie crawled out of bed and headed toward the sweet smells wafting from the kitchen. She’d better eat; she’d need her strength later.

  Faye and Laurel appeared at Cassie’s front door that afternoon with suitcases in tow. “Pop the champagne,” Faye said sarcastically as she stepped inside. “We’re here to prepare for our extended slumber party.”

  Laurel sped past her and asked where the secret room was. She obviously didn’t want to waste any time with small talk.

  “Follow me,” Cassie said. She was still feeling shaken up from her nightmare and had hoped the doorbell would be Adam arriving early, but for Faye’s and Laurel’s sake she tried to sound pleasant. She also did her best to keep her burns covered, though that was becoming more and more challenging. The sleeves of her shirts were getting stretched out from constantly pulling them down over her hands.

  “This feels like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe story,” Faye said as Cassie led them downstairs and through the basement. “Wasn’t he a fan of burying people alive?”

  Laurel nodded. “In catacombs. Subterranean receptacles of the dead.”

  “I think you’ll have a change of heart when you see it,” Cassie said.

  When they reached the bookcase, Cassie explained how it worked as a secret door. Then she closed her eyes, focused her energy on the wall of books, and recited the words her mother had used: “Enchanted threshold, door untold, reveal to me what you conceal.”

  Surprise flashed across Faye’s and Laurel’s faces the moment the doorway appeared in the bookshelf.

  “Your grandmother was a sneaky lady,” Faye said. “A woman of my own kind.”

  Laurel stepped inside the room and picked up a plush throw pillow from the sofa. “It’s like Victorian England in here.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” Cassie smiled. “I want you both to be comfortable.”

  “It certainly has less of a bomb-shelter feel than I expected,” said Faye. Cassie knew that was the closest thing to a compliment she was going to get.

  Faye claimed her side of the room and immediately began taking things out of her suitcase and spreading them around—some candles and perfume bottles, her makeup case, her favorite jewelry.

  “What we should be doing,” Faye said, as she arranged her nail polishes and lipsticks upon the dresser by color, “is taking action against Max and his dad. I don’t understand what we’re waiting for.”

  “We are taking action.” Cassie tried to sound patient but firm. “But it’s important for you two to keep under the radar as best you can.”

  “It’s not fair,” Laurel blurted out. She was standing over her closed suitcase, not as quick to settle in as Faye.

  “I know,” Cassie said, as sympathetically as she could. “But I promise you, Laurel, we’ll do what we have to do. In the meantime, keeping close to the Circle is the best way to truly be safe.”

  “I still want to go to the Spring Fling tomorrow night,” Faye said, without looking up from her tincture collection. The tiny vials ranged from innocuous-looking browns to malicious purples. “The rest of the Circle will be there. There’s no reason Laurel and I should have to miss it.”

  Cassie didn’t bat an eye.
“You’re free to go to the dance if you want to. But Mr. Boylan and Max will be there, too, and there’ll only be a handful of chaperones guarding an endless number of dark hallways. Need I remind you of Jeffrey Lovejoy hanging dead in the boiler room the night of the homecoming dance last year? Is that what you want to happen to you, Faye?”

  Cassie didn’t realize until a moment too late that she’d been yelling. Her face and neck felt flushed and she’d broken into a sweat.

  Faye was so caught off guard by Cassie’s eruption, her only response was stunned silence. Laurel backed away from her, awestruck.

  Cassie’s hands were balled into fists. When she released them, the burns on her skin tingled.

  “Cassie’s right,” Laurel said, still eyeing Faye with an expression of alarm. “Forget the stupid dance. We’ll hang out here and watch a movie. Your pick.”

  Faye simply nodded, which was a more agreeable gesture than Cassie thought she was capable of. It wasn’t like Faye to let anyone off easy, and Cassie was grateful for it.

  “I’m sorry,” Cassie said, trying to inject a new calm into her voice. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”

  Faye returned to her suitcase and resumed unpacking, but she refused to look Cassie in the eye.

  “Faye,” Cassie said, softening her voice further. “I don’t know what came over me. I think I’m just on edge with everything going on.”

  It was the best she could do for a peace offering, but Faye wasn’t taking the bait.

  “It’s okay, Cassie,” Laurel said. She’d finally opened her suitcase and had begun removing her things, laying them out neatly on the dresser. “None of us feel like ourselves these days.”

  Faye sprayed her neck and wrists with perfume and then rubbed them together. “I feel just fine,” she said, as the air around her grew heavy with the perfume’s invigorating scent. “Better than fine, in fact. Unlike some people, I’m in complete control of myself.”

  She glanced at Cassie at last, as if she were deciding to pursue an argument or let it go.

  “I guess you’re a stronger person than I am,” Cassie said, knowing that was the one thing she could say to make Faye feel better.

  And it did. After a few seconds, Faye’s eyebrows relaxed and she said, “At least you’re willing to admit that.”

  Then she moved to her bed, opened her laptop, and asked, “Can we at least get Wi-Fi down here?”

  Cassie smiled. “I think that’s the least I can do.” And just like that, she’d been forgiven for her outburst.

  Chapter 6

  “I know we said this would be our evening alone, but Raj has been suffering from some major separation anxiety lately.” Adam was on Cassie’s doorstep with a pizza box in one hand and a dog leash in the other.

  “It’s okay.” Cassie bent down to give the shaggy dog a loving pat. “We’re not completely alone with Jekyll and Hyde downstairs anyway. At least Raj can’t order me around like a maidservant.”

  Adam’s eyes softened. “Has it gotten that bad already?” he asked, nodding in the direction of Faye and Laurel in the basement.

  “Let’s just say I’d love to take this pizza to go.”

  “A picnic on the bluff. That’s a great idea. Let’s do it.” Adam tugged on Raj’s leash and the dog sniffed and snorted, almost too excited for Adam to keep hold of him.

  Cassie grabbed a jacket and followed Adam out the door. Of course it was impossible for Faye and Laurel to hear her, but Cassie still couldn’t bring herself to open up to Adam about her nightmare or the cord with her friends so close by. Whether it was pure paranoia or not, having a heart-to-heart with Adam out in the fresh air on the bluff seemed like a far superior option.

  Adam kept Raj in check as he and Cassie made their way along Crowhaven Road, arm in arm, savoring the beautiful night. Cassie felt safe and protected with Adam, but she couldn’t help surveying the surrounding area, scanning every tree and shadow, alert to any movement or sound. She knew Scarlett or a hunter could be behind any one of the many crooked mailboxes or lopsided lampposts along their way.

  The bluff was tranquil, a rocky fort of solitude. The night was quiet in a way that usually made Cassie feel calm, but tonight she wanted to scream as loud as she could and shatter it.

  Adam instructed Raj to lie down, then opened up the pizza box and handed Cassie a drooping, dripping slice. “I got your favorite. Hawaiian.”

  Cassie accepted the slice from him and took a small bite before diving right into what she’d been waiting to say. “I have to tell you something,” Cassie said. Her words echoed into the night. “I had a dream last night.”

  “By the tone of your voice,” Adam said while chewing, “I’m guessing it wasn’t a good one.”

  Cassie shook her head. “And it was so real. I’m not sure if it actually happened.”

  “If it was a dream, Cassie, of course it didn’t happen. Are you saying you had another vision? Was it Scarlett?”

  “No. This was something else.” Cassie looked down from the sloping cliff to the lapping water below. “In the dream I was reading my father’s Book of Shadows, absorbing all of its energy. And then when I woke up my hands had been burned. See this?”

  Cassie set her slice of pizza down and lifted her shirtsleeve to show Adam the new burn on the inside of her hand. “That wasn’t there before I went to bed.”

  Adam closely examined the mark. “Okay, that’s weird,” he said. “Do you think you were reading the book in your sleep?”

  Cassie pulled her sleeve back down and picked at a pineapple bit on top of her pizza. “I don’t know. When I woke up, I found it locked away just as I’d left it before I went to bed. It really doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Have you told anyone else about this?”

  “No, just you. And I want to keep it that way.”

  Adam’s face took on an air of seriousness as his eyes wandered across the bluff. Cassie could tell he was trying to come up with some explanation or solution, but not finding any.

  “We have to find out more about that book,” he said. “It’s time for us to learn how dark magic works.”

  Cassie stiffened at the words dark magic. It wasn’t something she wanted to be associated with, especially in Adam’s mind. But Adam was right.

  “I want to try to open the book,” Cassie said. “With you at my side. I know for sure the witch-hunter curse my father used is in there and I want us to research it together.”

  “I think that’s a good idea.” Adam put aside his half-eaten slice of pizza and held Cassie by the shoulders. “I understand your fears about telling the rest of the Circle about this, but they might be able to help. Diana’s Book of Shadows has a lot of information in it. We should at least tell her, if not the others.”

  Cassie shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Diana’s not going to judge you,” Adam said. “You know that.”

  “There’s more to it than that, Adam.”

  Cassie could see how strongly Adam disagreed with her, so she had to remain firm. “This is a private matter,” she said. “A family matter. It’s not for you to decide who should and shouldn’t know about it.”

  “Fine.” Adam exhaled loudly. “When you’re ready then.”

  For a few seconds his frustration was palpable. He got quiet and picked a pebble off the ground, worrying it between his fingers.

  But soon enough he lobbed the pebble into the water and refocused on Cassie. “I’m with you on this,” he said. “I need you to know that.”

  Cassie reached out to pull Adam closer. She buried her head in his chest and he rested his chin on her hair. Raj barked and jumped with jealousy. He nosed at their legs and pawed at their feet until Cassie gave in and bent down to give him a pat on the head. Adam laughed and stroked the dog’s disheveled coat.

  “I think Raj is right,” Adam said. “We’ve had enough serious talk for one night.” He returned to his pizza and bit off a mouthful.

  “Actually, there’s one m
ore thing.” Cassie looked down at the dewy ground. As much as she wanted to forget all her troubles and enjoy her time with Adam, she knew she couldn’t keep the cord a secret from him any longer.

  “More bad news?” Adam said with a smile. “Have you been saving it all up for this one walk?”

  “Kind of.” Cassie couldn’t bear to fake levity. “I’ve kept this inside for a while now.”

  Adam commanded Raj to sit and tried to read Cassie’s expression. “What is it?”

  “I saw something,” Cassie said, in a barely audible voice. “That night in Cape Cod. When I was in your arms. I saw the cord, our cord.”

  “Okay.”

  “But I also saw a second cord. Going from you to Scarlett.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re telling me,” Adam said, but Cassie knew he must have perfectly understood what she was saying.

  “It looked just like ours,” Cassie explained. “But it was between the two of you. What do you think that means?”

  Adam shook his head. “I didn’t see anything like that.”

  Cassie didn’t want this to turn into an argument, but denying it wouldn’t help any. They couldn’t just pretend this away. “I saw it with my own eyes,” she said. “I could almost reach out and touch it.”

  “Cassie.” Adam took Cassie’s face into his hands and made her look him in the eye. “Whatever conclusion your mind is racing to right now, stop it. You were close to dying when you think you saw that cord. You must have been hallucinating in the smoke.”

  “Adam …” Cassie started to say, but he interrupted.

  “The silver cord is just between us. That’s how soul mates work.”

  “What if you have more than one soul mate? That’s what I’m asking.”

  “I don’t even think that’s possible.” Adam wrapped his arms around Cassie’s torso. “And any cord aside, I love you, Cassie. Only you. With everything I have.”