“Jackson Lancaster?”
I jumped and spun to find Tennessee and the entire Coven standing right in front of me. My stomach turned and flipped. “Yes?”
“Welcome to The Coven.” Tennessee held his left hand out. When I took it and shook, he smiled. “We have to initiate you. Now.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Jackson
I paused with my hand on the bathroom door handle and took another look at myself in the mirror…and I could not believe my own reflection. Of all the things that could’ve happened to me, this was the one I never imagined. Being Marked for The Coven was the highest honor in the entire supernatural world. Yet the Goddess wanted me, a son of the House of Lancaster—the family who betrayed the archangel Michael and was stripped of their magic. I didn’t feel worthy.
If it wasn’t for the black XXI on my left arm, I might’ve not believed it. I wasn’t going to tell anyone else, but I actually scrubbed my arm to see if it would come off. It didn’t. I knew it wouldn’t, but this was all too shocking.
Easton, the Lovers Card, had given me one of his extra ceremonial sheaths to wear. Only the Cards of The Coven wore these sheaths. This has to be a bloody dream. It can’t be real. I glanced down at myself then back up to my reflection. The material was soft cotton and surprisingly airy. I felt powerful. I felt important. I felt like I could actually make a difference.
Quit stalling, mate.
The Coven was waiting for me, and I didn’t want to annoy them from the start. I rushed down the stairs then stopped short. Bettina was sitting on the bench right by the front door, directly across from the stairs. Her blue eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. Her golden hair looked like a halo. She smiled up at me, and it took my breath away.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. My heart thundered through my veins. I wanted to go to her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her tight…to feel the warmth of her skin, soak in her floral scent, and taste the Heaven in her lips. I reached out and gripped the railing of the stairs to stop myself from doing any of it. How is this real? It didn’t make any sense. I didn’t understand how I could feel this way about her, and yet someone else was my soulmate. It wasn’t fair. I wished all of these feelings would’ve vanished the moment the mark had seared into my chest. Just thinking about it made it burn. I rubbed over the spot and cursed my luck.
Finally, she glanced away. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. She cleared her throat. “Um…you…uh…look good in your ceremonial sheath.”
“Thank you,” I heard myself whisper.
She chuckled and shook her head while pushing her hair back. “I can’t believe you’re in The Coven now.”
I smiled but it felt wobbly. “Me either.” Goddess, is that MY voice? It had no right sounding like that.
“I…um…” She sighed and fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. “I wanted to see if you were okay. I know…uh…a lot has happened in the last few days…and uh—”
“I’m not sure how I am, to be honest.” I tapped on my chest. “I keep thinking about this, and— Bloody hell. I’m sorry. I wish I’d known. At least then I wouldn’t have let something start between us—”
“Don’t.” She stood and then pressed her fingers to my mouth. “Regardless of how it ended, it was nice to know for those brief moments that I wasn’t alone in the way I felt.”
I groaned. “I’m so damned sorry—”
“It’s not your fault, Lancelot.” She smirked. “We aren’t the first people to have this happen, and I doubt we’ll be the last. I just want you to know this isn’t your fault, and you couldn’t help it. This is just how it’s supposed to be. And even though I can’t be with you, I’m still here for you. I wanted you to know that.”
Something inside me broke a little. “Bettina…”
Her smile wobbled, and tears filled her eyes. She shook her head and sniffled. “No more on that. This is such a special day for you. And I know Timothy would be so proud of you right now. You’re bringing your family the honor it deserves.”
Bloody hell. She wouldn’t look at me. She wasn’t smiling. She stared at the ground with heavy blue eyes, her face pale. I knew how she felt all too well. I felt hollowed out and empty.
A door opened and closed behind me somewhere, and then heavy footsteps thundered closer. “Jackson, it’s time.”
I glanced over my shoulder and found Tennessee towering in the doorway, dressed the same as I was. I nodded.
“Congrats, Jackson. Good luck with your initiation.”
I spun back around to say bye, but she’d already slipped out the front door. My heart sank as I watched my “what could have been” disappear out of sight. Surely it wasn’t supposed to be like this. The guilt. The pain. The confusion.
Tennessee cleared his throat. When I turned, he nodded his head toward the back of the house. “Come on. It’s time for your initiation.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Jackson
The Coven waited just inside the holy ground. They were all smiling at me like this was the coolest thing. Actually…it was the first time I’d seen them all looking so happy. I didn’t know what to do or say since this was all new territory for me.
Tennessee led us right up to where Tegan stood at the front of the group. “All right, Kitten, he’s all yours.”
“Thanks, babe.” She grinned and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “You know where to go.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek then marched across the open field. The two of them were so happy together. It gave me hope that whoever my soulmate was, maybe we could one day have that.
“Nervous, Lancaster?”
I frowned and looked down at Tegan. My pulse quickened. “Should I be?”
She smiled and opened her mouth…then shut it. “You know, maybe.”
My face fell. “Say what, now?”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got you.” She winked then turned to face the others. “Willow, you’re up!”
Willow nodded and rubbed her hands together. Pink and orange flames flickered around her hands, and then blue lines shot out over the field.
I cleared my throat. “So how does this go?”
“Some magic will happen, you might feel a little something…and then it’ll be over. At least in theory, things have been a tad weird lately.”
I frowned. “That’s not really comforting. You know that, right?”
“You say that until weird shit goes down, and you think you’re the crazy one.” She chuckled and pointed in front of her. “All right, go stand in the center of the pentagram. All you gotta do is open your magic up, and we’ll do the rest.”
Center of the pentagram? I frowned and followed her point, and my jaw dropped. Black lines shot across the field in the shape of a pentacle and a circle around it. Oh. Okay. I didn’t want them waiting on me, nor did I want to look like a fool, so I hurried over to the center like Tegan had instructed. Once there, everyone else began to move into place. Tegan stood at the top point. Bentley was on my right, and Constance was on my left. Behind me on the two bottom points stood Emersyn and Tennessee. Everyone else spread out around the circle.
No one spoke as Bentley flipped through the book in his hands. A cool breeze swept through the clearing, brushing over my skin and through my hair. I frowned and glanced around. It was November. Autumn had long since begun. The trees around us were in various shades of orange, red, and yellow. The air was crisp and cold. We were barefoot in sleeveless sheaths. We should’ve been freezing. Yet, not a single one of them looked cold. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t cold. Even the dirt under my feet was warm, so much so that I hadn’t realized this until now.
I looked around at The Coven. Which one of you is doing this?
A few squirrels ran by me and over to Chutney’s feet. She giggled and crouched down to pet them. “We’re about to do a ritual. Can you show me after?” She cocked her head to the side like she was listening. Th
en she nodded and waved…and the squirrels ran off.
“Mom?”
Devon nodded. The air around her shimmered, and then there were two of her standing there. I gasped and turned to ask what was going on, only to find there were about a dozen of her. Blue mist rose up from the ground around the outside of the circle then shot up into the air, to the tips of the trees far above our heads. Something moved in my peripheral vision, and when I looked, I found the moon sinking lower and growing fuller. Stars that hadn’t been there suddenly twinkled in the midday blue sky.
Tegan made a humming noise. “Lily?”
“On it.” Lily raised her left hand up, and I saw her XIX Mark, the Sun Card. Bright yellow light shot out of her palm. A second later, the sun slid behind a huge cluster of clouds, and the clearing got a little less intensely bright. She smiled and flicked her long black hair over her shoulder. “Better?”
Tegan sighed. “Yes. Much. Royce, as we discussed, please.”
“Yes, lady boss.” Royce wiggled his fingers toward me. “Just for you, dah-ling.”
I frowned and looked down just as a sea of red roses shot up from the ground around my feet, filling the pentagram circle and surrounding me. When I glanced up, Royce winked at me and gave me a thumbs-up. Ah. He either knew what my rose tattoo meant, or he’d simply assumed I liked them.
“Tegan, may I?” Emersyn flicked her wrists, and two balls of fire appeared in her palms. Whatever her question was, she must’ve gotten a yes because she flung her hands and shot her fire to the ground just outside the circle. Flames flickered all around us. She sighed. “Can’t be too careful right now.”
Tegan dropped to one knee and pressed her palm flat to the grass. A cloud of rainbow mist billowed out from under her fingers, and then bright white light flashed.
I blinked then looked down. My eyes widened. Ice slithered out from her hand, covering every inch of the black lines of the pentagram.
Once the pentagram was completely frozen, Tegan stood and smiled. “For Timothy.”
It was in that moment I realized I was way out of my league. Ever since I enrolled in Edenburg, I’d excelled at everything I did. Sometimes because I was naturally skilled, but most of the time because I had to work my ass off. Mediocre wasn’t an option for me, not with Michael coming. That was how I became Sword Major at twelve years old, a record young age. I was just good at what I did.
But I was nothing compared to The Coven.
I didn’t understand how I was supposed to be one of them. My Mark had shown up, and it had hurt…but I didn’t feel any different. I didn’t feel like I had any more magic than I had this morning.
Bentley shouted in the ancient language, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy wondering if they knew I was an imposter. I wondered if they’d strip my rank and magic once they discovered I had civilian-level power.
Wait a tick. Bentley wasn’t just speaking the ancient language—he was speaking the oldest dialect of it. A dialect Mr. Ruth had insisted was lost and forgotten. He’d said no one alive still spoke it. People could recognize it, spot it, yet not read it. This was the dialect of the originals, the first witches, the ones who’d been too powerful. Only the founding bloodlines still knew of this dialect, which was why I knew it. The Lancasters were one of those bloodlines.
But I didn’t speak the dialect, at least not more than a few phrases. Does Bentley speak it? Does the entire Coven?
Just then Bentley’s shouting grew louder, and sharp pain shot down my spine. I gasped. My legs gave out from under me and my knees slammed into the ground. Every single muscle in my body tightened. My pulse hammered in my veins.
The clouds above us roared. They flashed then lightning sliced through the sky and slammed right into my chest. My lungs made an awful hissing sound. My bones rattled. My back arched until I was almost parallel to the ground. I was helpless to stop it. Neon blue light flashed in my eyes, glowing like a full moon on a cloudless night. Darkness crept in at the edge of my vision, threatening to suck me in.
There was a pop, and then it was gone.
My back slammed into the ground. I coughed and choked, then gasped for air. It took a few seconds to get oxygen in, and once I did, I just lay there breathing. The ground rumbled beneath me and the air pulsed. I frowned and braced myself for another impact…but then Tegan and Tennessee’s faces appeared above me. Followed by Bentley, Constance, and Emersyn.
“Aren’t ya’ glad I warned ya’ about the weird shit?” Tegan grinned.
She wiggled her fingers over me, and then I was floating into the air. When I was upright, standing on my own feet, she wagged her eyebrows. I groaned and swayed, then shook my head. The entire Coven rushed toward me, but Tennessee held them back a few feet like I was going to somehow hurt them.
“Jackson?” Constance’s voice was soft but pressing. “You feel okay?”
Do I feel okay? I frowned and opened my mouth to say, ‘Of course not. I just got struck by lightning’ then stopped short. I’d been struck by lightning, right in the chest…yet…I felt fine. Perfectly normal— No. No, that’s not true. I felt amazing. I felt lighter on my feet than I ever had before. The air around me was sharp and tingling with energy, without me even trying. Without looking, I felt each Card’s magic and where they stood. Off to my left, there was a pulsing warm sensation in a tight little ball.
You’re feeling the presence of other witches. That ball of energy is the school, Tegan whispered in my head.
Something gripped my shoulder and I jumped, but when I looked, it was only Tennessee.
He ducked to meet my eyes. “Why don’t you turn that down before you hurt someone?”
“What?” I looked down—and gasped. Little blue flames coiled around my fingers and hands. I jumped back a step. “Whoa!”
“Yeah, dude, simmer down now,” Easton said with a laugh.
“I…I…I…” I shook my head, still staring at my hands. “I don’t know how.”
Golden light washed over me, and my nerves calmed instantly.
Then Hunter was in front of me, that golden light shining from his hands. “Take a deep breath.”
“Give the man some space.” Deacon chuckled and wrapped his arm around Emersyn’s shoulders. He met my eyes and shook his head. “They don’t get it, dude. They’ve all been this powerful since they were in diapers. When you go from civilian to Card at our age, it’s a bit of a power shock. Give it a couple hours, and you’ll get used to the upgrade.”
My jaw dropped. This was how they felt? This was the kind of magic they had? I knew I hadn’t been close to their level, but now I knew firsthand. This felt incredible. My entire body was buzzing with energy. It was sensory overload.
The Coven—my Coven—cheered and slapped me on the back. I got high fives and big smiles. They laughed and teased each other…but I couldn’t quite focus. Every time someone spoke, the air around them shimmered, and then a small rune made of little blue flames appeared on their chins. It flashed for a second then vanished. I opened my mouth then shut it. I knew that rune. It roughly translated to mean truth.
And then it hit me. The moment Evaline had arrived in Eden…and how they’d been waiting for her to prove Bettina’s innocence. Because she was a lie detector.
Bloody hell. Brilliant.
Someone cleared their throat pointedly, and we all spun.
Bentley stood there with his arms behind his back. There was something off about the look in his eyes. It was sharp but calm. It reminded me a lot of Myrtle, the Lead Crone. “Not to ruin the moment, but—”
Tennessee cursed. Everyone else groaned. I frowned. What did I miss?
“Show us,” Tennessee grumbled and waved his hand.
Bentley grimaced then held his left arm out. There on his thin arm, under his V Mark, were lines of words written in elegant black script. He shrugged. “You know I can’t control it.”
I leaned down and read the words, “Forged anew, their blood has spoken, seek the petal of rosen token. Cr
imson, scarlet, ruby, and wine, binding runes fall on the line.”
This time, every single person turned to Tegan.
She held both palms up. “Don’t speak. I need to think.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Jackson
“Dude, I can’t believe you’re in The Coven now.” Trey gave me a high five. “So sick.”
I summoned my new magic, and blue flames wrapped around my fingers.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Warner’s face when he finds out,” Gen said with a wink.
“I’m happy for you, but so jealous, too.” Harlan laughed and tied his hair back. “I would love to be in The Coven.”
Both of them had glowing blue runes on their chins when they spoke. I’d known this one was for truth, but I’d yet to see a lie. Which was great for trust, terrible for learning.
“Be careful what you wish for,” Bettina said softly without turning around. She hadn’t looked at me once since before my initiation. “The Coven have dangerous lives.”
Trey groaned. “Tina, don’t rain on our parade.”
“Unless everyone’s wearing white, then it’s one giant wet T-shirt contest.” Easton wagged his eyebrows and laughed. “Amiright?”
I looked over to Lily sitting in the grass beside him. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I love him, I love him, I love him,” she whispered.
I was sitting on a huge rock just trying to keep myself calm. My adrenaline was pumping, making my legs bounce and my fingers tremble. I just wanted to get in the Old Lands and get my best friend back. I felt more powerful than I ever had before, and I took that as a good sign. We were going to get him back.
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 48