The Broken Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  Then I realized what he was saying. Stop. He was following through on my request the day before to stop me from doing bad things. I groaned and bent over. My lungs burned from how heavy I was breathing. My throat felt tight and constricted, like I couldn’t get enough oxygen. All those weeks of training and I was still embarrassingly out of shape. Then again, the only person not struggling along with me was Tennessee.

  Paulina stumbled up to the demon and stared. Then she sighed. “It’s dead.”

  “Then why is it still here?” Willow asked from somewhere behind me. She sounded as out of breath as I was.

  When we killed demons, they went back to their own realm or hellish dimension. All we usually got were piles of ash or the occasional tooth left over. But this blob was just lying there like a beached whale.

  “That’s what I wanna know,” I said.

  Something warm, wet, and sticky dripped down my throat, but I didn’t know if it was sweat or blood—mine or the demon’s. The entire park around us reeked of that awful maple syrup smell, so it was hard to say if I had some actually on me. I may never eat pancakes again.

  “Maybe someone with Heaven’s core should try stabbing it,” Cooper said with a growl. “Or use his super special sword.”

  “Maybe someone should grow up,” I mumbled and rolled my eyes at my brother…who was still acting like a jerk. Apparently he wasn’t ready to make nice with Tennessee about the whole soulmate thing with Tegan. Which meant I couldn’t let him know about me and Deacon. Cooper wouldn’t even turn to look at Tennessee, or use his name. In fact, the tension may have been getting worse.

  Tennessee stomped forward. The ground shook under his feet with each step, so I knew he was pissed. His long black sword was gripped tightly in his hand. He raised the blade then sliced it right through the demon’s neck—or general neck area. The demon disintegrated into a little puddle of goop.

  Tennessee turned around to face the rest of us, and I wanted to smack him. He wasn’t even sweaty. He looked the same as always. Calm on the outside, with raging power lurking beneath the surface, radiating like a forcefield. He glared at my brother. He opened his mouth, and I braced myself for another fight between them. I hadn’t been present for either physical confrontation, but things tended to happen in threes, so I was expecting it.

  But then Tennessee sighed and pushed his long black hair out of his face. “I have no idea.”

  “Why did your sword work?” Deacon asked with a frown. “Did I miss something about this super special sword thing?”

  Easton shook his head. “Some shit went down before Tegan and Em arrived, before we lost Cassandra. I’ll fill you in later.”

  “The more important question is why we’ve now killed sixteen demons in the last twenty-four hours.” Paulina crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s not normal.”

  No, it’s not. I was afraid to ask the reason behind it. I was afraid it was Tegan.

  Tennessee pulled his cell phone out and hit a few buttons, then he held it to his ear. He jerked his head and scowled. “Who is this? Where’s my father?”

  I shivered at the tone in his voice. It was downright lethal. My pulse quickened.

  “Healer?” Tennessee’s face fell, and he went pale. “What-what happened? Is he okay?”

  Silence fell upon the group. I held my breath, waiting to hear the news.

  “I’m on my way,” Tenn growled into the phone, then hung up. He took off in a sprint toward his car.

  I raced after him. If Tennessee was running, I was running. In pretty much any situation. My heart pounded in my chest and the cut on my leg screamed in agony, but I pushed through it. Uncle Kessler was obviously injured if he was at the infirmary and incapable of getting on the phone with his son. I’d never seen that expression on Tenn’s face before. It made my stomach tighten into knots and my anxiety shoot through the roof. It was fear, and I wasn’t used to seeing it from him. He was supposed to be the calm one for us to rely on in times of stress.

  His speed was unreal. He was in his Jeep backing out of his parking spot before I was even halfway across the park. His Jeep flew backwards, headed straight for me. I gasped and slid to a stop. But then his brake lights flashed bright red a few feet in front of me. The top of his Jeep was off, so I climbed up and over the edge onto the back seat. Deacon jumped in beside me. Cooper hurled himself over and landed in the passenger seat. Tennessee threw the car in drive and sped off down the street. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the rest of our gang sprinting toward their cars.

  No one spoke as we sped through town. Tenn’s knuckles were white from how hard he gripped the steering wheel. He drove like a mad man, weaving around cars. I wasn’t sure if he ran those red lights intentionally or if he was too locked in fear to even notice. Cooper was hunched forward, taking turns between biting his nails and scrubbing his face.

  We hit a speed bump going way over the limit, and I flew out of my seat. My body became airborne for a matter of seconds. Deacon threw his arm out and blocked me from raising too high. The heat of his skin tingled against mine. My cheeks lit on fire, and I knew I was blushing.

  Tennessee pulled the Jeep up along the curb out front of the infirmary and parked. He yanked the keys out of the ignition and jumped straight into the air. Next thing I know he landed a few feet away on the pathway leading to the front door. Cooper, Deacon, and I scrambled to follow after him. By the time we caught up to him, he stood frozen in the foyer of the infirmary, just inside the door. We slid to a stop. My stomach dropped.

  It was complete madness inside. Healers dashed in and out of view with their aprons covered in red blood and what I assumed was demon blood. The rooms must’ve all been full because there were people lined up in the hallways, sitting on the floor everywhere you looked. Potion bottles and candles floated through the house.

  One of the new healers, the youngest one named Gin with a wild mane of red hair, scurried into the foyer. She had bandages, bottles, and all kinds of objects I’d never seen overflowing from her arms.

  She saw us, and her amber eyes widened. “Emperor!”

  “Where’s my father?” Tennessee snapped, skipping right over niceties.

  “Is he okay?” Cooper asked.

  I frowned and glanced around. This is not normal. The infirmary was usually a calm, serene place. “What’s going on here?”

  “Seriously, what happened?” Deacon echoed my concern.

  Gin sighed and shook her head. “Demons attacked the elementary school. No one was… Well, everyone is alive. But there were many injuries. Your father included. Top of the stairs, room on the left.”

  Tennessee was up the staircase before she was finished speaking, with Cooper hot on his heels. I hobbled after them, but my wound slowed me down a lot. My brother gasped.

  “Tennessee? Cooper?” Uncle Kessler said. His voice was way too weak.

  “Are you okay?” Tennessee said in a rush.

  Deacon wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me up the last few steps. I tried to ignore the way my pulse skipped a beat and my skin got all flushed. Uncle Kessler was injured. I needed to focus. Except when I stepped into the room, my fears were not met.

  Uncle Kessler dwarfed the little twin-sized infirmary bed so bad it was almost comical. Fresh blood was splattered on his face, neck, and hands. His jeans and gray shirt were torn and burned in a few places. There was a thick white bandage wrapped around his forehead, but I didn’t see any major sign of injury.

  He raised both hands in the air and winced. “I’m injured, but I’m going to be fine.”

  Tennessee made this noise that was part laugh, part strangled cry. He scrubbed his face with his palms and collapsed in the seat beside the bed. When he pulled his hands away, his skin was flushed and his eyes wild.

  “Promise?” he whispered.

  “Don’t sugarcoat it,” Cooper said softly.

  “I promise.” Uncle Kessler shook his head. “Just outnumbered for a bit— Wait, are you okay? I smel
l the demon blood on you. What happened?”

  Deacon chuckled, but there was nothing humorous in his tone. “Guess that makes it eighteen demon attacks in twenty-four hours?”

  Cooper cursed and scratched the back of his neck. “Uncle Kessler, what’s going on here? This isn’t normal.”

  “No, it’s not.” Uncle Kessler leaned back against the bed and propped his feet up. He looked utterly exhausted. “I’m afraid it’s not going to get better from here until Samhain, assuming we succeed in the end.”

  I frowned. That was not an answer I wanted to hear. We couldn’t keep this up. There wasn’t enough of us. “How are we supposed to succeed like this?”

  “We can’t.” Tennessee met his father’s eyes. “Not alone.”

  Uncle Kessler cocked his head to the side. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Constance, Timothy, and Kenneth.” Tennessee shrugged. “I know Evaline can’t leave Salem, but at least with three more Cards, we’ll be stronger. We promised we’d tell them if we needed help. Well…we need help.”

  Easton barged through the door and slid to a stop. He was breathing heavy and still had demon blood dripping down his cheek. His blue eyes were wide as he looked around. “Everyone alive here?”

  “I’ll be okay,” Uncle Kessler assured him, though he didn’t make an effort to move at all.

  “Good, good.” Easton cursed and wiped sweat off his brow.

  Tennessee opened his mouth to speak, then frowned. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He slid the bar and hit a button. “Where are you?”

  “Hidden Kingdom,” Royce half yelled through the speakerphone. “I followed Tegan and my sister here… Man, they’re planning something. It’s not gonna be pretty. I do not like how close they are to the Gap. You gotta get over here. Fast.”

  Uncle Kessler cursed. Like…he said an actual swear word. Three of them to be exact. I’d never heard him swear before, and I didn’t like it.

  He shook his head. “Tenn, get everyone over there. You’ll have to take lead on this one. I’m not in fighting shape. I’ll call Eden.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Tennessee

  I didn’t bother keeping up the charade of parking in a designated spot or location. I pulled my Jeep up on the sidewalk right outside the front gate of the Hidden Kingdom theme park and climbed out. If the cops wanted to have me towed, then so be it. I only cared about what was happening on the other side of the fence. I had to get to Tegan. I couldn’t feel her yet, but I knew she was there.

  Cooper was a ball of icy energy beside me. Deacon and Emersyn were right behind us. Headlights flashed, and when I glanced back, I recognized all three cars. Our Coven-mates poured out of their cars and sprinted to catch up to us with their weapons drawn. My heart soared with pride. None of them had any idea what was about to happen, but they were charging into battle anyway.

  Emersyn pushed between me and Cooper and hobbled up to the black iron gate. Her blonde hair flew behind her in the breeze, whipping around like the strands were little snakes. She held her hand out, and light filled her palm. Within a second, her entire arm was glowing like a full moon. Her magic shot out, the energy hot and angry. The metal fence shrieked in protest then snapped apart. She turned to face me and nodded.

  Well, that’s helpful. I nodded in return then waved everyone along. That injured leg of hers needed attention, but I knew she wouldn’t stop to get help if her sister was up to no good. The thought sent a wave of pain through my chest. I didn’t understand how we lost Tegan so fast, without any warning.

  Focus, Tenn. She’s going to be in there. I have to be ready.

  “Willow, hide us,” I yelled over my shoulder and sprinted into the park.

  The air in front of me pulsed and turned a slight shade of blue, like looking through colored sunglasses. I led our little gang up the main street and around the bend until we were just outside of the courtyard. Royce was ducked under the short wall by one of the restaurants. The fairy fountain towered over everything off to our left. To our right, the Fantasy Forest was a dark, silent menace of temptation. Between the two had to be a dozen spider demons, maybe more. Henley stood at the front of all of them with her back to us.

  I dropped to my knees beside Royce and peered over the wall. “What’s happening?”

  Deacon cursed. “I do not like the looks of this.”

  Royce shook his head. His eyes were wide, his energy a tangled mess. “When I called, the demons weren’t here. They just showed up like a second ago. I don’t even know where from.”

  “They’re about to do something.” Deacon narrowed his eyes. “I can feel her—its—desire for this plan to work.”

  Fire spread through my chest like a bomb had gone off. I clenched my teeth and breathed through the pain. Tegan. Royce was still talking, but I couldn’t hear him over the roar in my ears. I narrowed me eyes on the courtyard, searching for her, but she was nowhere in sight.

  “The good news is I don’t think they know we’re here,” Royce whispered.

  “They do now.” My voice came out super low and gravelly from the pain soaring in my chest.

  Easton moved closer. “Why do you think that?”

  “Yeah, my illusion is hiding us,” Willow said with a frown.

  “Because Tegan can feel it.” Emersyn met my eyes with a strange expression I couldn’t read.

  “You think she can feel us?” Willow asked.

  “No, not us,” Deacon said softly.

  Just then the demons hissed and scurried apart. A person emerged from within the sea of monsters. Tegan. Her black hair blended in with the night, but her pale green eyes sparkled brighter than the North Star. The dark lines of the glyph wrapping all the way down to her elbow were on full display in her tank top. I still wasn’t used to seeing our secret out for the world to see. The heart crystal center of our soulmate connection shimmered with pink luminescent light. It pulsed like it had its own heartbeat, or maybe that was her heart beat. Dressed in her usual all black, she looked tall and terrible. And painfully beautiful. Her aura brushed over me in a strong, but gentle, caress, like she’d ran her fingers through my hair.

  Her head snapped in my direction and her eyes narrowed.

  Henley turned and followed her gaze. Her red eyes scanned the area, but she clearly couldn’t see us through Willow’s illusion.

  I feel you, Tegan whispered into my mind. An evil, devious grin spread across her face. “I know you’re here, babe. Come out and play,” she yelled.

  Cooper cursed.

  My heartrate went into overdrive. I couldn’t take my eyes off my soulmate. Babe. I’d loved when she called me that, but now it was a slap in the face. A knife to the heart. How did this happen? I didn’t understand how she went from saving the world one day to helping destroy it the next. It hurt to think about, which of course was all I did anymore. I couldn’t stop wondering if I had been the reason, or if I was so caught up in my feelings for her that I missed the red flags.

  Royce cursed. “I forgot soulmates could feel each other. I should’ve told you to stay away.”

  “We should’ve used you as a decoy,” Cooper grumbled.

  Dammit. Why didn’t I think of that? Because I heard her name and reacted. I panicked, desperate to get my eyes on her. “We still can.”

  “No.” Deacon’s voice was firm as he put his hand on my shoulder and held me down. “We can’t ask that of you.”

  Easton scoffed and pointed to me. “Why the hell not? He’s our best weapon.”

  Deacon scowled and shook his head. “Not against his soulmate. We cannot ask him to put himself in a position where he might have to hurt her.”

  My stomach turned at the mere idea of it. The few times I’d tried to train her to fight, I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t be the reason she got hurt.

  “Oh my God…” Cooper turned and met my gaze. “That’s why you couldn’t train her, isn’t it?”

  I stared at him for a
long moment before I finally nodded. If I couldn’t handle the idea of accidentally injuring her during a training session, there was absolutely no way I could fight her for real. She was no damsel in distress kind of princess—she was the High Priestess. A badass who was fully capable of defending herself… I just couldn’t be the thing she was fighting. The question was why did Deacon understand that before I did?

  “But maybe we can use him as a distraction.” Deacon glanced over the wall to where Tegan stood watching the courtyard surrounding her. He turned back to face us with that Devil smirk. “If Tenn is the only one of us who doesn’t charge at them, then maybe she’ll be waiting for him.”

  My eyes widened. “You want to go in there—with all those demons and that shadow monster—without me? You can’t assume she won’t attack you.”

  “Oh, she’s going to attack. That’s why we’re putting baby in the corner. She might be distracted awaiting your arrival, and it might give us a few moments to do some damage on the demons.” Deacon looked around at the group then nodded. “I’m gonna go in alone first. I want to try something. But be ready to charge in.”

  Without waiting for more discussion, Deacon jumped up and over the short brick wall. Tegan’s eyes lit up. She arched one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. Deacon strolled into the courtyard with his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets like this was no big deal.

  My pulse quickened. I hated that it wasn’t me going in there. About halfway across, Deacon’s hair rustled, and I realized his jeans weren’t blue. They were white. Willow’s illusion. But Tegan had already seen him, which meant she could see through it. Did she see me?

  “Tenn, you clearly know her better than we realized, and better than we do, so we’ll wait for your signal to go in.”

  I arched my eyebrows and glanced over to Cooper. It was the nicest and most normal thing he’d said to me in days. I licked my lips and nodded. “Be ready. She can see through the illusion.”