“Thank you, Katherine,” Tegan whispered as our Lead Healer from back home left us alone in the room.
A heavy, tense silence filled the room around us. I knew where all of their thoughts were. We’d already seen what Witch’s Shock could do to Tegan, and she was the Aether Witch, the most powerful witch in the world in centuries, or longer. Kenneth was strong, but he wasn’t that strong. None of us were. And we’d already lost too many people this year. Cassandra. Libby. Larissa. Timothy.
I cursed. “All right, guys, we’re not helping him heal being in here like this.”
“What do you want us to do, boss?” Royce asked softly as he stared at Kenneth.
“Go to Coven Headquarters. Find a bed, get in it, then sleep.” I took a deep breath then exhaled. “I’ll have new plans for us in the morning.”
Constance smiled and squeezed my arm supportively, then she moved toward the door. “Come on, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
My Coven-mates followed her out in a quiet, single-file line. My father and Tegan didn’t budge. Then again, neither had I.
The door swung open silently, and a woman came rushing in carrying a tray of crystals and powders. She set the tray on the nightstand then turned toward us. Her blonde hair hung straight down past her shoulders, and her brown eyes had huge slices of purple in them. She wore ripped-up blue jeans and a worn-out-looking Queen graphic T-shirt.
She was on my side of the bed, so when she turned, she gave me a big warm smile and held out her left hand. “Hello, Emperor. I’m Mona White.”
“Please, call me Tennessee.” I shook her hand and nodded toward my soulmate. “This is Tegan—”
“High Priestess, so nice to meet you,” Mona said with a blush. “When you have a chance, I would love to talk to you about some potions.”
Tegan grinned and shook her hand. “I’d love to.”
I chuckled and gestured to my right. “Mona, this is my father, Kessler Bishop.”
She smiled and turned toward him—and her eyes widened. She gasped and her cheeks flushed a deep pink. I glanced up at my father only to find his face a little pale and his amber eyes wide and shocked. I frowned and glanced back and forth between him and Mona. Do they know each other? I was sorting through my memories of important people in our race when my father reached up and rubbed his chest.
My jaw dropped. I looked over my shoulder to see if Tegan saw what I did. Her mouth hung open, but as I watched, it morphed into a big shit-eating grin. Her pale eyes sparkled. She threw her hand over her mouth.
BABE. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?
I nodded.
She giggled in my head. Okay, but is it weird for us to be here?
I nodded. It was. Quite weird. I opened my mouth to say something—anything—to break up the awkwardness in the room, when Mona seemed to have caught herself.
She cleared her throat and tucked her blonde strands behind her ears. “It was nice meeting you.” Then she bowed and scurried for the door. She paused halfway out and stared at my father. She bit her lip and disappeared from sight.
I must’ve made some kind of crazy face because my father cleared his throat. “You all right, son?”
Changing the subject that quick? Yeah, you don’t want to talk about it. I looked over to him and shrugged. All right was a complicated question. “I guess so? Honestly, it’s weird for me to be in charge and not you.”
He rubbed his chest and gave me a smile. “No one expects you to be perfect or to know all the answers, son. I’m right here. If you want to order everyone to listen to me, then do it, but you’re so damn good at this already. I’m proud of you.”
My cheeks warmed and I knew I was blushing, but it was only him and Tegan in here so I didn’t care. “Thanks, Dad. I’m going to need your help. I know that much. Both of you, actually. And I had an idea, don’t know if it’s good, but I think it is.”
“Tell us,” they both said at the same time.
“I know we let in a sickening amount of demons, and we should be out hunting them down…but…” I glanced around to make sure we were alone and out of earshot. “I’m overwhelmed by the panic here in Eden.”
Tegan sighed. “I feel it, too.”
My father nodded and pursed his lips while still rubbing at his chest. “I was thinking the same. What’s your gut telling you?”
I rolled my neck. “Everyone here is freaked out. First the demons, and now Timothy? We know a little more than they do, but it’s more unsettling. I think The Coven needs to stick here for a bit.”
“Strengthen home base. I think that’s a great idea, son.”
Pressure instantly lifted off my shoulders. “Yeah? I want everyone to know we’re here for them. We’re a team. I think they need that, so we need to stay in Eden.”
Tegan’s eyes flashed with excitement, and I felt her pulse quicken through my glyph. “I think The Coven needs to attend Edenburg…and I’m going to all the classes.”
I chuckled and pulled her into my chest, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “I think that’s a brilliant idea, my love.”
My phone rang. It was a text message—I knew by the ringtone. But when I pulled my phone out of my pocket and eyed the notification, I found it was a number I didn’t know.
“Oh, by the way…” Tegan giggled. “I bought Saffie a cell phone and showed her how to text. Soooo, I’m sorry?”
Chapter Fifteen
Bettina
“So, what is this assembly for exactly?” Lennox asked as we slipped inside the auditorium doors. “Like, it’s just to clear your name?”
I shrugged and pulled my black cloak tighter around my body. “Tennessee said he needed to talk to the students anyway.”
“That boy is all kinds of fine.” Lennox fanned herself. Then she nudged my arm. Her turquoise cloak made her eyes look a little greener today. “Even if he’s not your type.”
I groaned. “Please, I can’t talk about my type right now—” I choked on a gasp and froze in place. Heat rushed through my entire body. “Jackson.”
Jackson stood right in front of us. I’d been so lost in my own head I hadn’t seen him step in front of us. But I saw him now. I sighed. The sight of him made my heart hurt. He was too pretty for his own good. Those golden bronze locks were looking distractingly tousled, and he had the lightest layer of scruff on his jaw. Those aquamarine eyes were bright and intense. My heart fluttered. I licked my lips, and he looked down to my mouth.
His gaze lingered on my lips.
“Jackson, hi,” Lennox said in a cheerful voice. “We were just talking about you.”
My cheeks lit on fire, and I elbowed her. He narrowed his eyes at her, then moved his attention back to me. Each time his eyes were on me, I felt beams of energy brushing over my face.
He stared at my mouth for a moment longer then shook himself and looked away. “Get seated,” he grumbled then practically ran away from me.
I groaned and hung my head. “I can’t handle this.”
Lennox wrapped her arm around mine then led me around the corner. “I have no appropriate, PG-13-level answer for you.”
Someone in a black Swords cloak was leaning against the wall, and when we approached, they pushed off and moved toward us. When they reached up and slid their hood down, I recognized a familiar buzz cut on a petite face. Genevieve wrung her hands together. Her eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags under them.
She cringed. “Bettina, I’m sorry. Apologizing like this doesn’t feel sufficient, but I don’t know how else to do it. I believed you. I tried to defend you, but I don’t think I did enough and—”
“Gen,” I whispered and reached out to grab her hands. “Thank you. The thought means more to me than you know.”
She sighed and her shoulders dropped, then she smiled and squeezed my hands. “You’re a much better friend than I am, not sure I would’ve forgiven me so easily.”
“I’m not sure I would’ve reacted any differently than you did if our roles were rev
ersed. Besides, I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to get themselves in trouble for me.” I shrugged and dropped her hands. “And you’re a good friend, I’m sure Erin would agree — oh, Goddess, how is Erin?”
All of the happiness in Gen’s face vanished. “The same.”
My stomach turned. The same wasn’t good. “I’ll talk to Tegan, see if they can help her at all.”
“Oh, right. You’re besties with the High Priestess. Trey told me.” She chuckled and shook her head. “That’s cool. But maybe we better get inside before the Emperor starts.”
Lennox wagged her eyebrows. “Let’s go drool over Tennessee.”
I rolled my eyes and let her lead us to the main doors. “I am not going to drool over my best friend’s boyfriend. No, scratch that, her soulmate.” I knew what their matching glyphs meant. I’d seen them on Constance and Daniel. Besides, Tegan had told me so herself. In hindsight, she’d been telling me more than I realized.
“Fine. I’ll look at Tennessee. You can ogle—”
“Lennox!” I hissed under my breath. I didn’t need everyone on campus to know.
Gen hooked her arm around my other one. “Best to stick together.”
My stomach dropped and turned.
This is a bad idea. But there was no stopping it now.
Gen yanked the doors open, and they crashed against the wall with a bang. Every single Edenburg student in the auditorium turned toward us and gasped. Several hundred pairs of eyes glared at me.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to hold out a huge sign that said I’m innocent so they’d stop looking at me like that. But shouldn’t they have known by now? Everyone saw me at the funeral, standing beside The Coven. I wasn’t in the dungeon anymore. That should’ve been a sign in itself. The Coven wouldn’t have let me out if I was guilty.
Sharp, tense silence closed in around us. It weighed down on me, suffocating me until I felt like I was drowning. I cleared my throat and shifted my weight around, yet they still stared at me. I looked down at my hands, and though I’d scrubbed them several times, I still saw Timothy’s blood.
“Well, this is awkward,” Lennox grumbled. “Let’s just find a seat.”
Gen pointed to the right, at a section of seats halfway down the auditorium and on the side. “Over there.”
Without another word, my two friends dragged me forward…and right down the center aisle. I tried to keep my chin up and my eyes forward, but the crowd’s angry gazes felt like ice on my spine. This was one of those precise moments where I wished I was shorter. Both Gen and Lennox were average height, so if I was just a few inches shorter, I could’ve hid between them. But at five foot ten, I’d always been taller than any other girl I’d met. So as they practically carried me up the center aisle, there was nothing to block the crowd’s view.
They all watched me like I was a ticking time bomb.
“Just breathe,” Tegan said.
I jumped at the sound of my best friend’s voice and looked up. I glanced over my shoulders and around me, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Her voice had sounded so close, like she was standing beside me.
“Relax, I’m not in there,” she said, like she was watching me search for her.
What in the actual hell. I frowned and scanned the rows of students closest to me. “Did you hear that?”
“Did I hear what?” Lennox asked in a chipper voice like nothing about this was weird.
“Just keep moving,” Gen whispered.
But I’d just heard Tegan’s voice. Twice. I refused to think I was losing my mind.
“Oh, and by the way, I’m telepathic,” Tegan said, still invisible from sight.
I felt the blood leave my face as my jaw dropped. WHAT?
In case I forgot to mention that. Tegan giggled and the sound bounced around my head.
Yeah, she’d forgotten to mention that little detail.
So no one else can hear me speaking to you, just so you know. Her voice was soft in my head. Sorry, I probably should’ve warned you.
I shook my head and bit my cheek to stop myself from smiling. Apparently my best friend had more secrets than I even realized. She and I needed to have a conversation soon.
And no, I can’t hear your thoughts. Which just pisses me off, because wouldn’t that be just TOO convenient, Tegan grumbled in my head, and it sounded exactly like she was standing next to me. Anyhoooo…not to be creepy, but I’m watching you. And you should see how funny it looks to see two short girls drag your giant ass.
I closed my eyes to stop myself from rolling them.
Tennessee is going to clear your name in a few minutes, so just sit down and try to stay calm. Her mental voice was as strong as her regular one. I’m right here, okay? If anyone so much as sneezes too close to you, I will straight up fry their asses.
At that, I smiled. Despite all this weird craziness, she still sounded like my best friend. Like the person I’d grown up with my entire life. A huge part of me was worried about that. She was this big badass witch, the High Priestess of The Coven. The Aether Witch. The Emperor and Coven Leader’s soulmate. She was uber important…and I was no one.
Actually, I was worse than no one. I was the murderer. Sure, she’d said Tennessee was going to clear my name, but I worried the looks I was seeing in their eyes were never going to leave. I’d fallen from grace. I was the fallen witch…and I feared I always would be.
We finally turned off the center aisle and slipped into the first row of the side section. But even after we were seated, the crowd kept staring. Watching. They didn’t trust me. The worst part was I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t think I’d trust me if the roles were reversed.
Oh, one more thing. When this is over, I’m gonna have some Coven shit to do. So just go to class like normal. When I’m done, I’ll come find you.
I nodded and chuckled. That was weird.
Constance and Headmaster Daniel walked onto the stage. They both wore their school cloaks that were currently white. I frowned and looked down. My own cloak was white. Damn, I missed it. Our cloaks had some kind of enchantment on them so whenever we entered a ceremonial situation, they automatically turned white. I liked to watch that part happen.
“Hello, everyone,” Constance said, cutting into the bitter silence. Her voice carried over the room without her needing to yell, which I assumed was another spell. “Thank you for being here. As you know, we crowned our new Coven Leader yesterday. Today, he’d like to speak with you all. So, I’d like to formally introduce you all to your Emperor and Coven Leader, Tennessee Wildes.”
The air in the auditorium pulsed with electricity, and then a wave of raw energy rolled over us. Constance stepped to the side just as a dark shadow moved onto the stage. I knew who it was. I’d met him several times now. Yet when he walked under the lights, it took everything in me not to duck and hide. Tennessee prowled to the edge of the stage, and I heard an echo of girls sighing. I couldn’t blame them—he was stupid gorgeous. His black hair fell in waves to his shoulders, and with his tanned skin, his mismatched eyes really popped. He’d ditched the ceremonial white sheath and gone back to the same outfit I’d seen him in at the Gathering and at my house—black V-neck T-shirt, ripped-up black jeans, beaten black combat boots. The pink crystal heart in the center of his chest was on full display.
When girls said they liked bad boys, they meant Tennessee Wildes.
I hadn’t been lying to Lennox. Tennessee wasn’t my type. He looked like rebellion. Like the kind of guy who’d show you a wicked great time but get you in trouble in the process, the kind of guy who made up his own rules. That just made me anxious as hell. But I wasn’t blind. He was gorgeous. I’d even thought so when I met him before.
Tennessee scanned the crowd then inclined his head. “Hello. I’m sorry for the interruption to your usual schedule, but there are a few things I need to talk to you about.”
Lennox groaned. “That is not what his voice sounds like.”
“Firstly, I want to thank you for your
support yesterday. Especially for Timothy’s funeral.” Tennessee sighed and rubbed the spot over his glyph. “Secondly, I know that rumors spread fast here, and that you all were aware that your fellow classmate Bettina Blair was the main suspect in his death. But I’m here to tell you that Bettina is innocent.”
Several hundred pairs of eyes turned to me in an instant.
Stay calm.
“One of our Coven members is blessed with the gift of lie detection. We investigated and discovered that Bettina was telling the truth and is one hundred percent innocent.” Tennessee put his hands on his hips and glared at the crowd. “So this means if any of you even attempt to harm her in any way, you will report straight to The Coven.”
“Say it again for the people in the back!” Gen shouted before I could smack her to stop.
“Damn, he’s sexy up there being all sexy and defending you.” Lennox leaned back against her seat and fanned herself.
“Now, other business.” He rolled his neck. “As a side effect of the job we had to do in Salem, hundreds of thousands of demons escaped into our realm. We are working on this, but I want to urge you all to proceed with caution. Try to remain in Eden, but if you must go out, please be on guard and ready for an attack.”
My stomach dropped. I did not like the sound of that at all.
“Lastly, The Coven will be remaining here in Eden for an extended period of time. Those of us who are of school age will be enrolling here at Edenburg and joining you. But before they can do that, they must be sorted into their Suits.” He held his left arm out to the side, showing off the IV Mark in black on his skin. He gestured toward the side staircase leading up to the stage. “If the four Suit Majors would please join me.”
Tennessee took a few steps back then stopped. He flexed his fingers, and the floor opened up at his command. The crystal ball slid up and into view, sitting pretty on an ancient-looking column.
Marcia Landry, with her bouncy brown curls and rosy cheeks, was the first one up on stage. The Cups Major skipped over to take her spot right next to Tennessee. He didn’t even glance down at her. He just turned and disappeared behind the wall. Cheryl Cole, Pentacles Major, hurried over to her spot. Her blonde hair was tied up on top of her head as usual, but the pouty, pursed lips were new for her. Harlan was all smiles and thumbs-up as he crossed the stage to stand between the two girls.
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 32