“Your door was open…” She leaned against the door and gave me a small smile, her cheeks flushed. “May I come in?”
I nodded.
She closed the door behind her, then walked toward me, her long legs carrying her across the room in no time. When she stopped in front of me, I looked up and met her gaze. She ran her hand through my hair, pushing the strands off my face. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead to her stomach. I looked down and smiled. She had on gray baggy sweatpants and white fuzzy socks.
I pulled her down to sit beside me, and kept her hand in mine.
She propped her chin on my shoulder and looked up at me under dark eyelashes. “I can’t sleep either.”
I wanted to lean down and press my lips to hers, to get lost in her for a little while. But I didn’t deserve that. I couldn’t let myself be happy when I’d left my best friend behind. I pointed across the room to the empty bed. “Warner is my roommate.”
She groaned and lay down on my bed. Reaching up, she tugged on my shirt and pulled me down with her. I let myself go. When my head hit the pillow, I could’ve sworn I heard my body sigh with relief. My eyes stung and my body burned. I hadn’t realized just how exhausted I was until I lay down.
With her lying beside me, my nerves calmed and my pulse slowed. Which wasn’t normal. Usually when she was around, my body went nuts, but right now she made me feel comfortable. She made me feel all warm and cozy inside. I reached out and brushed her hair off her face. She wiggled closer to me, then gave me a smile that took my breath away. I cupped her face with one hand, brushing my thumb over her high cheekbone over and over.
My other arm was curled under her, pinned between the bed and her warm body. So I pulled her flush against me and let the heat of our skin burn against each other. She slid her hands up my chest then wrapped her arms around my neck. She nestled her face into the crook of my neck, and it was the best feeling in the world. There were plenty of other things I could’ve done with a beautiful girl in my bed. I wasn’t immune to those thoughts…but I just wanted to hold her.
Her warm breath tickled my throat. “We won’t stop looking until we find him. I promise.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled her closer, tighter. My arms coiled around her body, holding her against me. Don’t fall for her. Do not fall for her.
And then sleep claimed me.
Chapter Fifty
JACKSON
It was the next day, much later in the morning than I wanted it to be. But apparently The Coven had been out of commission all morning. Or at least, the ones we needed to speak with. There were only eight Cards who’d gone into the Old Lands, and Kessler had insisted we speak with them. The Hierophant agreed. It was weird to be taking advice from a nine-year-old, but I had to admit after talking to him that he was rather wise for his age.
Willow and Chutney were around, but their cousin Larissa had passed away last night and they were inconsolable for the time being. I didn’t blame them, but it made me worry about Warner even more.
Timothy said we couldn’t go without speaking to them first, though he had gotten a specific, detailed map drawn out by Lonan on where to enter the Old Lands closest to the balefire. Unfortunately, the dragon was adamant that he could not help us, though I didn’t understand the reasons. Then again, that was more reason to wait for The Coven’s response.
About thirty minutes ago, Kessler promised they’d call within the hour, knowing what was at stake. Timothy, Constance, Trey, and I were in the secret level of the library that was actually Kenneth’s home. It felt wrong to be in there without him, while he was clinging to life, but Timothy and Constance insisted it was okay.
The door swung open, and Harlan slid inside. His long, shaggy blond hair was tied up behind his head for the first time ever. “Hey, sorry, am I too late?”
“Oh, Harlan, perfect. No, the others have not arrived yet.” Timothy waved him in. “We’re just waiting for a phone call.”
I frowned and looked to Timothy. “Is Harlan coming with us?”
Harlan cocked his head to the side. “That a problem, bro?”
“No, I mean, I’m just worried. Don’t want to lose anyone else in there.” Which was the truth. I had no issues with Harlan. He was a talented witch I’d be happy to have on my side. I just prayed he’d make it back with us.
Timothy sighed. “I know, but Bentley specifically told me that if we can’t wait for them, then to bring the Wand Major with us. I don’t ignore the Hierophant’s advice.”
I nodded and turned to the Wand Major in question. “This is a rescue mission.”
“Damn right it is. We’re getting Warner back.” Harlan held his wand up. “You do the slicing, I’ll do the spelling.”
A loud ring ripped through the room, and we all jumped. Timothy leapt over tapped a button. The air above the desktop sparkled, and then a white square appeared. It flickered for a second before a guy’s face filled the screen. Behind him was a wall of books.
“Hey, Timothy,” the guy said in a deep voice. “Sorry for the delay. We were tending to Saffie.”
“It’s all right. This is Jackson Lancaster, the Sword Major I told you about.” Timothy glanced over his shoulder to me and pointed to the screen. “Tennessee Wildes. The Emperor.”
My eyes widened. This was our Emperor? I blinked and looked to the guy’s face with new focus. I hadn’t given much thought to what he might look like, but I realized this was not it. Tennessee was a good-looking bloke. He had jet-black hair that fell in waves to his shoulders, sharp jawline, and high cheekbones. His eyes were interesting—one was royal blue while the other was a vibrant emerald green. His gaze was sharp and serious. He may have been extremely attractive, but he was even more intimidating. And he wasn’t even here in person.
“Honor to meet you.” I cleared my throat and bowed my head a little. This guy was the most powerful witch in the race, aside from the Aether Witch, of course. I pointed beside me. “This is Trey, a fellow Sword, and Harlan, the Wand Major.”
The Emperor nodded. “Thank you for getting Lonan. I’m sorry about Warner. I would’ve been back in there already, too, so I apologize for making you wait.”
“It’s okay—”
“It’s not, but thanks.” The Emperor turned his gaze to Timothy and Constance. “I really wish you’d wait for us to go in with you—”
Constance cursed, interrupting the Emperor. She looked up with wide eyes and a pale face. “Tenn, we need to talk. Majors all over are calling me for emergency assistance.”
He groaned. “Already. Naturally. Constance, go back to your office and call my phone. Timothy, don’t take a single person more than necessary and keep it to a handful. Good luck. Call when you get back so you can help us with these demons.”
And then he was gone.
Constance squeezed Timothy’s arm. “Be careful, Tim.” Then she turned and ran out.
“Hello, Timothy?”
We all turned back to the screen at the sound of a girl’s voice. It was the same one who’d portaled Timothy and Constance back last night. The High Priestess. Now that I’d seen both her and the Emperor, I totally understood why the entire school was terrified of them. If you could intimidate me through a video chat, then you had to be scary as hell.
Timothy smiled at her. “Tegan, hey. Where’d your man go?”
She rolled her pale green eyes and smiled. “You know how he is. Anyway, so you’re all that’s going back into the Old Lands? The four of you, right? Tenn says no more than five or six people.”
“We’re waiting for Tina and Gen,” Trey said with a wide grin, like he hadn’t just heard Timothy say your man in regard to the Emperor.
“Okay, perfect, so— Babe, I’ll be right there!” She looked off screen then turned her attention back to us. “Listen, there’s some kind of emergency, so I’m going to hand this off to Henley. But before that, Tim, you can’t do the same binding ritual we did.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“Because they’re civilians, and no insult to their magic, but that spell is too strong for them. Besides,”—she looked off screen again and held up one finger—“that binding spell almost got everyone killed besides me and Tenn. The Old Lands are tricky. There’s all kinds of rules we don’t know about. Henley’s going to guide you through a different kind of spell.”
“All right, thanks, Tegan.”
“Be careful, Tim. Good luck. I hope you find Warner. If my best friend went missing there…” She shook her head, and her eyes flashed. “If anything goes slightly wrong, abort mission, and we’ll go back with you. I mean it, Timothy. Don’t risk yourself stupidly.”
Timothy chuckled. “Right back at ya’, T.”
The door swung open. Bettina stepped through then turned and leaned back into the hall. Tegan winked one green eye then vanished into thin air, leaving the video screen blank with only a wall of books.
“Sorry we’re late.” Bettina stepped into the room with Gen behind her, the wooden floor creaking under them. “We wanted to check on Erin first. What’d we miss?”
Harlan pointed to the screen. “The Emperor and the High Priestess…on video chat.”
Bettina grunted. “That’s the third time I’ve just missed meeting her.”
Gen nodded. “Who else is going with us?”
“No one. The Emperor forbids us to take anyone else.” Trey turned to Timothy with a frown. “Aren’t you Coven Leader? Don’t you get to make the rules? Because I think we need to take a whole squadron of us.”
“I won’t be for much longer.” A ghost of a smile passed over Timothy’s face as he shook his head. “I am only Leader because the Emperor was a toddler when the last male Leader died. But he’s ready to take his place now. I give it a few weeks tops.”
“Don’t hold your breath!”
We all jumped and turned toward the screen. Another girl with jet-black hair sat in front of the video, except she couldn’t have been more different than the High Priestess. She had sapphire blue eyes, bold red lipstick, and porcelain white skin.
She grinned. “You behave yourself and I think your throne is safe until next summer. Tenn’s still in the denial stage.”
Timothy chuckled. “We’ll see. Henley, this is my team that’s going in. Team, this is your Moon Card, Henley Redd.”
She nodded, but cut right to business. “All right, T says no-go on the binding ritual they did. But she and I went through the Book of Shadows before we called, and we found a backup plan for you.”
Bettina frowned and moved closer to the screen. “Do I know you? I swear you look familiar.”
Henley pursed her lips like she was thinking about it. “Gonna say no. My brother may be the only gay one in the family, but I remember pretty girls when I meet them.”
“Um…thanks?” Bettina blushed a deep pink and moved back. “Carry on.”
I definitely understood where Henley was coming from. Bettina was gorgeous. Trey and Warner hadn’t been wrong when they said she belonged on a supermodel runway. There was no way someone would meet her and forget it. I knew I couldn’t.
Henley chuckled. “Okay, so Benny said you’re bringing the Wand Major, right?”
“That’s me,” Harlan said and raised his hand. “Harlan.”
“Oh, sweet tatts.” Henley nodded in approval. “Now, Harlan, you’re gonna need to cut six pieces of rope to tie around all your wrists. Before you put them on, you’re going to put this spell on them. I just texted it to Timothy. Once it’s on, fasten them on each of you. These will serve as a GPS locater. It won’t bind you, but should you get lost, we can find you. Well, not we, but our Aether Witch can.”
Timothy held his phone to Harlan and nodded. “Thanks. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Chapter Fifty-One
BETTINA
Thirty minutes and six rope bracelets later, we were in the parking lot loading up Jackson’s black pickup truck. It would’ve been nice if Lonan had been able to fly us in there, but apparently there was magic involved that I didn’t understand. Though he did say he’d be listening for us in case some bad stuff went down, and that was comforting. He’d also given us specific directions on where to enter the Old Lands to give us minimal risk.
“Shotgun!” Trey yelled.
Gen scoffed. “As if. You’ll have us in Kentucky. I’m shotty, so I can read the map.”
Trey stopped walking and threw his hands up. “Hey!”
Jackson shrugged and kept walking. “She’s not wrong, my friend.”
“But I’m taller than Harlan, so I’m sitting behind Gen,” Trey said as he jogged toward the truck.
Harlan shook his head and frowned. “Half an inch, bruh,” he mumbled.
We got to the truck, and the others started loading up. Harlan stood outside the truck and frowned, like he was trying to figure out how we would all fit. But I knew how. I hopped up into the bed of the truck. It was a short enough ride and through the mountains, so I wasn’t concerned about safety. If demons attacked, it wouldn’t have mattered if I was inside or out. I’d been prepared for this trip and wore one of Lennox’s leather jackets lined with fuzzy material.
Harlan scowled at me, then looked to Timothy and pointed.
Timothy shrugged. “I’ll ride in the back with her. Go ahead and get in.”
I schooled my face to look neutral, or at least I hoped. Timothy climbed in the back and sat down beside me without saying a word. He tapped on the back window and gave a thumbs up.
Within seconds, we were cruising down a gorgeous mountain road. The chilly autumn wind rushed through my hair, and it felt good. My nerves had my body temperature soaring. Okay, and Jackson. Last night, I’d gone over to his room with more courage than I’d ever felt before. We’d cuddled for hours as we slept. But come morning, I was a hot, blubbering mess. I’d avoided him ever since.
“You okay?”
I groaned and leaned my head back. “I just can’t help but feel like I failed Warner.”
“I don’t say this to be condescending, but live in our world a little longer, and you’ll stop blaming yourself for things like this.”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I believed him. But there was something I’d been wondering about.
I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. “Rumor mill says you hate the Emperor, yet I’ve never heard anything to support that from you. Then Trey made that comment today. What’s the deal with all that?”
“It’s complicated.” Timothy stared into the distance. “The Emperor is a really good guy, and one day he’ll make an amazing Leader.”
“So you hate him because he’ll take your spot.”
Timothy scowled and shook his head. “I don’t hate him. Far from it, actually. I will gladly hand over the crown…when he’s ready. But he isn’t ready yet. People think I hate him because I’m hard on him. Harder on him than I am on anyone else.”
“Why?”
“Because he reminds me a bit of the Emperor he replaced.”
I frowned. I thought that was how the Card thing worked. “And that’s a bad thing?”
He stared at the ground for so long I wasn’t sure he was going to respond at all. But then he nodded. “In the end, yes.”
“How so?”
“It’s a crazy story, Bettina.”
I smiled and nudged his arm. “I can handle crazy.”
“The former Emperor was my friend. We grew up together. We all knew Julian was powerful, from a young age. He started at Edenburg before the rest of us. He was a good guy, had a huge heart. Always took care of everyone around him. When he got his Mark, no one was surprised. The Emperor was a good fit, we thought. He continued at school with us like it was no big deal. But then I got Marked, and two of his closest friends, Kessler and Hunter, got Marked. Devon, the badass Sword girl, got Marked. Constance got Marked. At first he was cool about it, then the more of his friends who joined his ranks, the less cool he got. Suddenly he became competitive. He boasted
his power and skill. But still…he was a good guy. We thought it was just a phase he’d grow out of once we left Edenburg.”
My pulse fluttered. This story wasn’t going to end well. “I’m guessing that was wrong.”
“He had a girlfriend named Ruth. She was spectacular. One of the most gifted witches our species had ever known. We called her the Spellmaster because there was nothing she couldn’t do. Julian cherished her. She was the one thing that kept him grounded. They’d been together since they were ten. Well, one day, when we were seventeen, this new guy Micah moved to Eden. Nice guy, real good-looking. Very gifted witch. His parents raised him in Salem. Anyway, Julian makes friends with him and decides to introduce him to Ruth…”
My heart sank. “Oh no…”
“It wasn’t their fault. Or Julian’s. No one could’ve predicted it. But it happened the way it always does when two soulmates meet each other for the first time.”
I gasped. “Ruth and Micah were soulmates?”
Tim nodded sadly. “Yes. It ate Ruth up every day. She loved Julian. She really did. But Micah was her other half. There was nothing they could do. But Julian lost who he was, and he was never the same.”
“What happened?”
“Do you remember when you were at the Gathering, those spirits that were there?”
“I will never forget that night.” I shuddered.
“Well, because of what happened, those souls never found peace—they still haven’t. Ruth and Micah went to the Gathering the year we graduated from Edenburg, and they were traumatized by the pain those spirits were still in. They were hellbent on freeing them. Fast forward ten years or so, and they thought they’d finally found the spell to set them free. I warned them, but they didn’t listen, despite me being a Card. Ruth made a few changes to the spell to fix my concerns, but I told her it wasn’t enough. I told her she’d never had elemental magic, that she had no idea how to control it or use it. It was magic she wasn’t qualified to attempt.”
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 24