The Broken Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  “No.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Not happening.”

  Everyone shouted at once.

  “Pity,” Tegan sighed. She turned back to Tennessee. “How about you, babe?”

  “Babe?” Cooper growled and aimed laser targets with his eyes at Tennessee’s back.

  Tegan chuckled at her brother’s wild response. “Guess you didn’t tell him about the Garden of Eden, did ya’, babe?”

  I felt like the little ball in a pinball machine as I watched.

  Hunter scowled. “What happened in the Garden of Eden?”

  “Nothing,” Tegan and Tennessee answered at the exact same time.

  Tegan giggled. “Well, babe, what do ya’ say? Join me?”

  Tennessee balled his hands into fists at his sides. “I can’t do that.”

  Tegan sighed. “Well, if you change your mind…”

  “I won’t.”

  “We’ll see.” She winked and walked around him toward Bentley. “Now… By First Quarter Moon’s last striking hour, Mend the pieces to reclaim the power. But only the souls with Heaven’s core, May seek the shells of familiar shores. Fascinating.”

  “Tegan, you have to come back,” Chutney cried. “We need you. It says so.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” She turned away from her little brother and looked up at Tennessee. “Do you think Heaven would still approve of my core?”

  I covered my mouth to hide my laugh. Damn. Did she just ask what I think she did?

  “Dude…” Cooper growled again.

  Hunter scowled so hard his eyebrows practically covered his eyes. He glanced back and forth between his daughter and our Emperor.

  “I wouldn’t know,” Tennessee said with a low voice.

  Tegan’s grin widened. “Like I said…we’ll see.” She started backing away toward the water.

  “Wait, Tegan, please.” Emersyn scrambled to her feet and ran toward her twin. “Please, just talk to us.”

  “What was I just doing, singing?” She winked. “Sorry, twin, I got what I needed. Now I gotta bounce.”

  Without another word, she spun on her toes and dashed toward the water. Tennessee cursed and leapt toward her. The waves crashing on the sand shot up to the sky, forming a wall like a skyscraper. Tegan slid to a stop. Tennessee landed two feet behind her. His power radiated out of him, but Tegan didn’t buckle. She grinned then jumped to her left, but Tennessee was faster. He blocked her path. Sand shot out from the ground like snakes. Tennessee raised his hand, and they coiled around Tegan’s hands and ankles, holding her in place.

  She froze and arched one eyebrow at him.

  “What the hell is going on, Tegan?” he shouted at her. His cheeks were flushed and his muscles flexed. “Give me something to work with!”

  She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Anything?”

  “Tenn…” I warned him. This feels like a trick.

  Her energy smelled like roses. I knew it well. I smelled it with every girl I’d ever been with. She wanted him. She could say whatever she wanted, but her aura told me all I needed to know. She came here for him.

  “Careful,” I said.

  “Anything,” he whispered back and stepped closer to her. “Something.”

  She smirked. Her eyes sparkled dangerously, like a tiger on the hunt. “Okay.”

  She grabbed the key dangling from his necklace and yanked his mouth down to hers. Gasps echoed all around me. Cooper cursed violently. Hunter made a sickened groan sound. Devon whispered her daughter’s name. But none of that mattered. I was sure Tegan didn’t notice any of it. She gripped his face and pulled him down closer to her. I watched in amazement. This girl had courage of steel. She kissed the ever-loving shit out of him with her entire Coven watching, including her parents.

  It was a tactic I’d used before…and it was entirely about manipulation.

  Tennessee’s posture relaxed. His arms hung loose at his sides. His hands were no longer in fists, but gripping his jeans—like he was trying not to touch her. His aura went from terrifying witch to a puddle of mush. Their kiss was intimate and passionate, and I, too, wondered how I’d missed this between them. The signs had been there loud and clear.

  It seemed like minutes went by, though I knew it was probably only a matter of seconds before she pulled away and stepped back from him. He gasped for air, like a fish out of water. She reached out and wiped her red lipstick off his mouth with her thumb.

  She pulled her arm back, and her entire body turned to water and disappeared. One second she was a living, breathing person, and the next she was bubbles of water vanishing into thin air.

  “What the hell?” Cooper shouted.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Tennessee

  I was halfway to the cafeteria for lunch when the hairs on my arms stood tall. My magic tickled down my spine and into my fingers. I summoned a gust of wind, and it carried the sickening sweet scent of maple syrup. Demon blood.

  I cursed and sprinted forward, dodging Sapien students left and right. With every step I took, my magic screamed at me. It wanted out; it wanted to be used. It’d been twenty-eight hours since Tegan turned herself into a puddle and vanished from the beach…and there hadn’t been any demon activity or sightings since. I’d known it was coming. I’d felt it in the bitterness of the air, and the rumble of the earth.

  Ten feet away from the cafeteria, I heard shrieks of terror and shouting. I pushed my magic and slammed the doors open. Students were jumping over each other and tables, scrambling to get out of the cafeteria. I knew their Sapien minds would’ve made up a feasible excuse for what they saw, but regardless, there was going to be a stampede if something wasn’t done.

  “Tennessee!” Willow screamed as three of the football team linebackers crashed into her, knocking her to the ground.

  I used all of that non-human speed Royce teased me about and raced to her side. I threw my shoulder into the guy about to stomp her, and he flew back. Willow was not a damsel in distress, just a pint-sized witch afraid to use her magic in front of Sapiens and hurt them. She grabbed my arm and pulled herself back to her feet.

  “What is it? Where?” There was so much madness I couldn’t see very far.

  “DINO!” she screamed and pointed to the other end of the cafeteria. “By the side doors.”

  Dino? I cursed. I had no idea what the hell a dino demon was doing on a high school campus in the middle of the day. The little voice in the back of my mind whispered “Tegan,” but I refused to accept it. She may have gone to the dark side but intentionally endangering Sapiens? It didn’t feel like her. Then again, I wasn’t sure I knew her anymore.

  The demon roared, and the windows rattled. All demons had an official name. My father lectured us on it constantly, but we liked to call them by more obvious names. A dino demon looked like a damn dinosaur. It had razor-sharp teeth, thick, scaly skin, long tails, and massive talons. This particular one had spikes on the tip of its tail and along its spine.

  It reared back and roared. A ball of fire shot out of its mouth and slammed into the wall on the far side. I summoned water from inside the drinking fountain and put out the flames. But they popped up one after another. There wasn’t enough water in the fountain to put them out, unless I wanted to bust the pipe in the walls. Which I didn’t.

  A blonde head popped above the crowd. Emersyn. She ran across the top of the lunch table and plucked one of the fireballs right out of the air. It vanished into smoke in her hands. Yes! But then a few students jumped over the table she was on, and it sent her flying into the crowd. I threw my hand out and pushed a gust of wind toward her, then carried her away from the chaos. She looked around, not in a panic but for me.

  When she finally spotted me, she gave me two thumbs-up. “Keep me up!”

  I nodded and channeled my magic through my hand. The dino demon kept spitting fire balls, and Emersyn sucked them into her. It was incredible, but it wasn’t going to hold up.

&nbs
p; “What do I make them see?” Willow screamed over the chaos. “A big dog failed.”

  I looked around, searching for inspiration. The idea that came was madness. It was exactly the kind of thing Tegan would’ve suggested. Her absence made my heart sink. Shake it off, Tenn. We’ve got demons here.

  I turned to Willow. “Food fight.”

  Her eyes widened and so did her smile. She rubbed her palms together and turned to the crowd. I couldn’t see what they saw, but within seconds, the humans stopped running. They ducked down close to the ground and looked up in amazement. Willow’s illusion was working.

  Deacon jumped up on a chair with a cheeseburger gripped in his hand. Thanks to his tall height, he was visible over everyone else. “FOOD FIGHT!” he shouted. The air around him pulsed with power. He threw the beefy sandwich across the cafeteria…right at Emersyn.

  All at once, every student within earshot of Deacon’s power of persuasion jumped to their feet and began tossing food in one giant free-for-all. The problem was, the Sapiens were still in danger—and they didn’t even know it.

  The demon shrieked so loud the windows behind it shattered to pieces. The students laughed and giggled. They ran right in front of the monster.

  “Willow, can you make them see a wall around the dino?”

  “Oh, Goddess.” She cursed and fumbled around. She raised her other hand and grunted. “I don’t know how long I can hold both!”

  “Just buy me some time!” I turned my attention back to Emersyn, who was still playing fire catcher. “EM! Push it back!”

  Her golden eyes widened for a moment, but then she snapped into action. She twirled her wrists in a circle, and two massive flames shot into her palms. I carried her over the crowd toward the demon while she blasted it with its own medicine. A fireball hit its side and it hissed. It stumbled back a few feet but not far enough. Emersyn attacked as viciously as the demon, firing one flame after another. The demon was so distraught it couldn’t fire back. This was good news for the Sapiens, except we needed the knockout.

  “Deacon!” I waited for his purple gaze to find mine then I shouted, “Catch!”

  Thankfully, he understood what I was saying immediately. I threw Emersyn across the cafeteria like a football. She didn’t even care. With every fight we found ourselves in, our Empress grew a little stronger and bolder. Deacon braced himself and caught her in his arms. I nodded and sprinted toward the demon. As I got closer, I spotted Larissa, Chutney, and Paulina. They were standing guard between the demon and Sapiens. Easton and Lily were on the other side, doing the same.

  “Lily, blind him! Easton, suit up. We gotta push him out!”

  “On it!” Lily turned toward the window on the other side of the cafeteria and raised her hands. She narrowed her eyes and pulled with her magic. The sunlight that was just grazing the glass shot across the room in one glorious arch right into the demon’s eyes.

  Easton ran by, covered head to toe in shimmering silver metal body armor. He charged straight at the demon. “Dude, push me!”

  I summoned a gust of wind from behind me and shoved it right at Easton’s back. Our Lovers Card turned into a rocket as he slammed into the demon’s chest. Its sharp claws scratched down Easton’s back, leaving deep gouges that would’ve been skin if not for his armor. The demon threw its head back and roared, spitting fire like a fountain. Emersyn was out of my line of sight, but within seconds, so were the flames.

  I glanced left and right to my friends. Cooper, Braison, and Royce were missing, but I couldn’t focus on that. We needed to get the monster outdoors where we could kill it without concern.

  “Guys, on three, charge at it!” I waited for each of them to nod. “One. Two. THREE!”

  As one, we ran at the monster. I pushed with my magic, giving us an extra boost. Dino demons weren’t intelligent, but they were heavy as a house. It slid back inch by inch, wailing and thrashing around. Massive talons ripped bricks off the wall and tore away half of the doorframe, but we finally managed to push it out of the building. It shrieked and crashed into the trees.

  “WHOA!” Cooper shouted from out of nowhere.

  Something screeched off to my side. I spun and choked on a gasp. There was a second dino demon terrorizing Cooper, Royce, and Braison outside the cafeteria. Guess I know where they are now. I didn’t have time to celebrate finding my other friends since we had not one but two demons to kill before anything got too far out of control.

  I needed to think fast. A memory popped into my mind of Royce tangling Lonan’s massive dragon body in vines, and these dinos were not even half Lonan’s size.

  I held my right hand out and called for my sword. “Royce, tie them down.”

  “I love when you talk dirty,” Royce grumbled. He dropped to his knees and placed both palms against the grass. The long oak tree branches swooped low and wrapped around the demon’s bodies, trapping them in place. “What now, boss?”

  “Everyone, shoot your magic into them NOW!”

  All eleven of them turned their attention and magic to the two demons thrashing in their oak tree confinements. Lightning of various colors shot into the demons. I smiled at the familiar tingle in my palm right before my sword landed in my hand. I tightened my grip and moved into position. But then I froze. My eyes widened.

  Emersyn stood on the far side of the group about a foot away from the two pinned-down demons. She had her hands raised and her fingers curled in. The energy pouring out of her was so hot it melted the leaves and grass around it. Her magic pushed at the demons. They writhed in pain, wailing and roaring. The fire they’d been spitting at us was trapped inside their mouths. Brown, sludgy demon blood poured onto the grass and filled the air with that awful sweet scent. Their tails twitched, and their talons dug valleys into the dirt.

  My stomach turned. I looked back up to Emersyn. I had no idea what she was doing…or why. I could kill it, easily. We didn’t need to do this. Torture was never the name of my game. I had no idea where this side of Emersyn had come from. It bordered on evil.

  Heat filled my chest like I’d swallowed lava. I gasped and took a step back. Tegan. I knew what this pain meant. I recognized it more than the back of my hand. Where is she? I glanced around in a panic until I finally spotted her off to my left, leaning against the building.

  Fabulous, isn’t she? Tegan said into my mind. She winked and turned to smoke.

  Then she was gone.

  Chapter Thirty

  Deacon

  The demons were tied to the ground, unable to get away. But they weren’t dead yet. Why aren’t they dead yet?

  I looked over to where I’d last seen Tennessee and frowned. He just stood there, staring off in the opposite direction. What the hell? What is he doing? Why isn’t he killing them? He’d told us to shoot our magic into them, and then he’d called his sword to his hand…and then nothing.

  Turn around, Devil boy. Look at your girl, Tegan’s voice whispered into my mind.

  In an instant, I understood Tennessee’s pause. His soulmate was obviously nearby—

  Wait, what did she say? I frowned and looked over to Emersyn…and my jaw dropped. Her golden eyes burned like the fire blazing from her hands. The orange and red reflecting in her irises made her look demon-ish herself. Her lip was pulled up in a nasty snarl. The energy pouring out of her was nothing but fear and hate and anger.

  “Emersyn, stop!” I yelled. It felt weird to defend a demon we were trying to kill, but I just didn’t see why we needed to torture them. Maybe I was the worst Devil Card, but I couldn’t watch that. “Emersyn!”

  She either ignored me, or couldn’t hear me over the rage pouring out of her.

  Look at all that darkness, Devil. Tegan’s evil laugh echoed in my mind. You better hurry and stop her, lover boy…or she’s mine…

  I gasped. Not a chance in hell was I losing Emersyn to darkness. I turned my magic on her and blasted her with my power. “EMERSYN!”

  She jumped and spun toward my voice with wide ey
es. I dropped my magic. I refused to use it on her any more than that. I glanced over to the demons. They sank down low to the ground in utter agony, but at least the wailing had stopped.

  “Tennessee!” I shouted and looked to our Emperor, ready to use my magic again.

  It wasn’t necessary. He rolled to the balls of his feet, then sprinted straight at the demons. With a move more graceful than I could ever muster, he leapt high into the air and swung his sword. His magic shot out of him like pure electricity. The hair on my arms stood tall. The power radiating out of him froze me in place. I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to. His massive black sword had blue and green mist coiling around it. He sliced the black blade through the demon’s thick scales like he was cutting paper.

  By the time his knees hit the ground, the demons were nothing but a pile of ash.

  “Goddess…” Royce sighed. “I love when he gets all freaky like that.”

  “Who?” Tennessee frowned and looked around. His eyes widened. “Oh, me?”

  Easton rolled his sky-blue eyes. His metal armor vanished. “No, the other guy who just jumped twenty feet in the air and hovered.”

  Guess you win this round, Tegan said into my mind.

  I spun around until I spotted her fifty feet away leaning against a tree. I didn’t like the way she’d said “this round.” What was she even waiting for? If she wanted Emersyn to succumb to darkness and join her, then why warn me to stop her? If it was a game, I didn’t like it.

  She covered her bright-red lips with one finger and shook her head. Curious, Devil? She arched one eyebrow at me and nodded toward the building behind her. Then she turned and walked away.

  Everyone else around us was busy freaking out over the demons, wondering what they were doing out in the middle of the day and what brought them to our school. I had a feeling the reason was strolling down the sidewalk away from us. I jumped over to where Emersyn stood and took her by the wrist.