The weird part was…these people didn’t look normal. Their clothing and hairstyles were off— I gasped and spun in circles. The hotel lobby was chaos with all the people, but the truth of what I’d just thought hit me like a Mack truck. They weren’t from modern day. I’d been in the balefire for…well, I wasn’t sure how long, but Jackson and my friends had looked the same exact age as when I’d left. These other people were in all different styles.
There was a guy in a toga, for Goddess’ sake. Though I was praying that was a bad Halloween costume and not that he was from ancient Rome. I didn’t think I could handle that. I shivered and moved off the main walkway.
Mona, the Cups Leader, flew down the hallway with two huge bags hanging off her shoulders. A woman with auburn hair that seriously needed to be brushed raced after her carrying a tray of vials and jars.
The three people to my left looked about my age, but they were speaking…Greek?
A loud, ear-piercing whistle cut through the madness.
I turned toward the sound and found a tall good-looking blond guy standing next to Constance. He wiggled his fingers, and red mist coiled around his hands. Everyone in the lobby froze. Silence fell over us except for the heavy pounding of our hearts. Or maybe that was just mine.
Constance cleared her throat. She held a wand up to her mouth, then said in a very calm tone, “We know you are confused and scared. I promise we will talk to each of you. Now, if you went into the Old Lands after 2015, please step forward.”
“2015?” a young girl in a long gown shrieked. “What does that mean?”
“The year 2015,” Constance said softly.
The girl cried out and leaned against the wall. “This is year 2015?”
Constance shook her head. “No, it is 2018—”
The entire lobby groaned.
“I know, I know.” Constance raised the wand back to her throat. “Time works differently in the Old Lands. We can tell some of you were lost in there for quite a long time. We are going to talk to each and every one of you and try to help you. If you went in after 2015, then you can come forward, and Deacon here will let you use his phone to call your families.”
The room fell into silence. Thick, heavy silence.
Not a single person stepped forward.
Constance sighed. “I was afraid of that.”
The girl in the gown made a squeak. “I took a walk! It was 1820!”
The guy, Deacon, raised his hands. “Everyone stay calm and just breathe.”
I frowned and started to protest when the thought vanished from my mind. My anxiety eased. I looked at Deacon, and then I spotted it. The Mark on his arm. The Mark of the Devil peeking out from under his long sleeve. Oh, tricky. But I wasn’t mad. Calm was good.
Constance nodded then stepped forward. “This is a hotel. We are going to give all of you a room free of charge. If you are hurt in any way, or if you do not feel well, please walk down the hallway then turn left. Shelly, with the red glasses, is going to guide you to the infirmary we’ve set up here. If you’re feeling okay for right now, please have a seat. Someone wearing a gray uniform that says Eden Hotel is going to help you get to a room.”
“What do we do then?” a middle-aged man grumbled.
“Wait there. Food will be sent to you.” Constance took a deep breath and looked around. “The Coven will be by to each room to talk to you.”
The lobby erupted into chaos again, although significantly less than it had been a moment ago. A few dozen people hobbled down the hall, and I assumed they were going to the infirmary. Everyone else sat on the ground or on furniture. Then it hit me. I went in after 2015. I’d been so caught up in the moment and confusion, I forgot to listen.
I hurried over to where Constance was talking to someone at the counter. “Excuse me, Constance?”
She spun with wide eyes…and then she spotted me. She sighed and smiled. “Warner. Thank the Goddess. I’ve been looking for you.”
That made me smile. “You have?”
“Of course. We’ve been so worried about you.” She chuckled and squeezed my arm. “They went back in for you and came out with…oh, I don’t know, two hundred other people.”
I blinked. I didn’t know what to say to that.
I just felt so lost.
“Warner?”
I shook myself. “Sorry, I just… What am I supposed to do? Stay here in the hotel with the others, or do I go back to my dorm? Wait, do I still have a dorm?”
She smiled. “Today is Thanksgiving. You haven’t been gone a month even. Of course you still have a dorm. You may return to it, or you may stay here if you feel more comfortable. It is entirely up to you.”
I nodded. “I think…yeah, I think I’d like to go to my dorm.”
“Of course. Go right ahead.” She gestured toward the front door. “I’m sure your friends are already looking for you. And you know where to find us if you need anything.”
Someone called for her behind me. She glanced over my shoulder and nodded, then gave me a wink before walking off.
I stood there for several minutes just staring at the ground. It’s Thanksgiving. It had been a few days before Halloween when we went into the Old Lands. I was both relieved and horribly shook. A few weeks wasn’t that long, but at the same time, it was.
I sighed and looked out the door at the sun shining low in the sky. Night would be there soon enough, and if there was one thing I knew for certain…I had no interest in being in the darkness anymore.
Chapter Nine
BETTINA
I had a lot of things to be thankful for this year.
And as I sat beside Lennox in the grand hall at school for the massive Thanksgiving feast, I tried to run through the list of things in my head. But none of the good things floated to the surface. Instead, I had nothing but questions.
What happened to Tegan?
Who put angelic runes in my magic?
Why did they do it? And what do they mean?
How does it relate to Jackson and the Old Lands?
When is Archangel Michael coming for him?
Who is his soulmate?
I groaned and scrubbed my face with my palms. I didn’t know how to shut my brain off, so it just kept looping.
Lennox was intentionally giving me space. I knew it by the sharp look in her eyes whenever she glanced over. But at least she wasn’t pestering me. Everyone else was too absorbed in the grand feast spread before them to care.
And I wasn’t hungry. Even a little bit.
Which was a damn crying shame.
This feast was Hogwarts worthy.
Movement out of the corner of my eye made me look up—then I smiled. Cooper Bishop stood in the archway, leaning against the column. He gave me a crooked smile and waved me over.
Lennox hissed and smacked my leg under the table. “Yes, girl. Go catch some stars, if ya’ know what I mean.”
I didn’t, or at least not literally. I rolled my eyes, but I was already getting to my feet. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay, Lenny?”
She wagged her eyebrows and flicked her indigo hair over her shoulder. “Get it, girl. I won’t wait up.”
My first instinct was to scoff…but then I remembered she was right. Cooper was really hot. And sweet. A real great guy. And not someone’s soulmate. I was trying to like him.
It was that last thought that had me grinning as I walked up to the Star Card. “Hey, Cooper, what brings you here?”
His smile widened. “Wanted to check on you…and Tegan asked for you, so I decided I’d come get you.”
I gasped. “Is she awake?”
He pursed his lips and shrugged. “She was for a minute, then fell back under. But I figure it’d be good if you were there already the next time she woke.”
“Yes. Definitely.”
Cooper held out his elbow and bowed. He was being goofy, and it was adorable. I slid my hand through the crook of his elbow and let him lead down the hall.
“That was
really incredible, you know, that dream you sent them on the fly like that.”
His cheeks flushed a soft pink. “Oh, thanks. I’ve never tried that before, but my sister has everyone pushing their gifts to the max so I figured it was worth a shot.”
I chuckled. “Tegan is usually right.”
“Don’t tell her that,” he said with a laugh. “I’m just glad they got it in time.”
“Me too.”
He looked down at me with warm eyes and a soft smile. “You’re handling this all really well. You know that, right?”
My cheeks burned.
“I mean it. I can’t imagine learning about all this the way you have.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m impressed.”
“Thanks, Cooper.” I smiled. But in that moment everything got too real, too close. I wanted to like him, but I didn’t want to lead him on. There needed to be a playbook for this. I cleared my throat and changed the subject. “So, get any texts from Saffie while we were gone?”
“Oh, Goddess, yes.” He shook his head and chuckled. “She discovered Game of Thrones.”
“Shut up. No.”
He groaned. “Yeah, it’s been interesting…”
I grinned and let the warmth of Cooper’s voice chase away the anxiety that had been gnawing away at me. He wasn’t Jackson, but I truly liked him. There was something about him that was just so calming and comforting. I didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t matter. I listened in silence as we headed toward Headquarters and he relayed the colorful story of their friend Saffie and her misunderstandings with fictional television.
For a few brief moments, my mind was quiet.
Chapter Ten
JACKSON
I raised my hand to knock on the front door of Coven Headquarters when I remembered that I was a Coven-member now. I didn’t have to knock. I wasn’t an outsider anymore. I was supposed to be there. In fact, I was probably late.
Sure enough, when I walked inside, several heads snapped toward me.
They smiled and waved.
Kessler stepped out from the living room and approached me. “Jackson, there you are. We were wondering where you ran off to.”
I sighed and shrugged. “Constance told everyone to go home…so I went back to my dorm when I remembered I’m not supposed to live there anymore. Right?”
“Oh.” Kessler nodded. “Right. That happened real quick. Yes, you’re supposed to move in here now. Did no one give you a room?”
I shook my head.
He cursed. “Sorry about that. Let’s get you in one now. Come on.” He waved for me to follow him up the stairs.
“How many rooms are in here anyway?” I’d been in here a few times, but I’d never stopped to take a look around.
“Too many.” He chuckled. “Technically, we’re supposed to always have open rooms for anyone in need of shelter. Those are on the lower level here—mostly because they’re never used here, just a formality. The top floor was supposed to be two master bedrooms for the two Coven Leaders. However, both Constance and Timothy had rooms already before they were made Leader, and neither wanted to change. So Constance is on the second floor with Daniel. And Timothy’s was on the third floor. But Tennessee had no problems taking the penthouse when Tegan insisted he should.”
I frowned. “Is she living up there with him?”
“If you ask her parents, no.” He laughed and paused on the landing for the second floor. “But yeah. I mean, she’s in his bed right now resting instead of what’s supposed to be her own on the floor below him.”
“Hunter and Devon are okay with that?”
“They’re soulmates. There’s not much point fighting it.” He shrugged then gestured down the hall. “So we’ve got open rooms on both the second and third floors—”
“Who decides who we room with?” I eyed the hall, wondering if I’d end up with someone rowdy like Royce or Easton. I’d much rather dorm with Braison or Cooper. At least they were more the quiet and calm types.
“Oh, no. We don’t do roommates in The Coven unless you want one. Which, let’s be honest, is usually only the case for children and couples.”
Oh. Nice. “So, I just get to pick my room, or you assign it?”
Kessler chuckled and shook his head. “Jackson, it’s a whole new world for you now. The Coven don’t live by rules like that. Especially when you’re sixteen. You’re essentially an adult in our books, so you get to do what you want for the most part.”
I opened my mouth then shut it. This was uncharted territory.
Kessler gripped my shoulder and squeezed, and it reminded me of my father. “Let me give you the rundown. On each floor, the rooms on the left face the Old Lands and have beautiful mountain views. Rooms on the right get more natural sunlight and face the school and the rest of Eden.”
“So…whose room is where?”
“Well, Henley and Royce are on the third on the left. Deacon is on the right, across from them and next to Emersyn. Tegan’s is technically next to Henley’s, though I suspect it’s going to be for show for now.” He sighed and pointed to his left, my right. “Um, Hunter and Devon are down there. Along with Bentley, Willow, Chutney, and Paulina. Evaline lived in Salem, but her room used to be on the second floor.”
I pointed to my left. “And down there?”
“Constance and Daniel. Easton and Lily. Braison’s is there, and unless you love dogs, I’d steer clear of that wing. His mastiff will be returning to Eden shortly.” He chuckled and shook his head. “My room is on the third next to Timothy’s, Cooper’s, and what used to be Tennessee’s.”
“And Kenneth’s is in the library.”
“Exactly. He’s been in there for decades.”
My heart sank. It was hard to talk about Kenneth. He was still alive, but barely. I wanted to have hope he’d make it through, but I really was terrified.
“Hey,” Kessler said softly and squeezed my shoulder again. “Kenneth is tough. Don’t give up hope just yet, okay?”
I sighed and tried to pretend like my stomach wasn’t in knots.
Just then, the door closest to the stairs opened, and Hunter walked out with little Bentley right behind him. The two guys with matching golden eyes and warm smiles stopped and greeted us.
Hunter glanced between Kessler and me then smiled. Golden light brushed over me, and the tension slipped away.
Hunter smiled. “We were wondering where you went. Back to your dorm?”
I ran my hand through my hair. “I forgot.”
“The third floor is much quieter,” Bentley said suddenly. We all must’ve made a face because he shrugged. “He’s picking his room. Constance paces a lot. Daniel gets a million phone calls. Willow and Chutney are noisy, lots of boy band music and blow-dryers. Also the smell of nail polish.”
I chuckled. “Why haven’t you moved to the third floor, then?”
He pursed his lips and held his locket up in the air. “Hierophants before me have warned that we are naturally drawn to be recluses. We must force ourselves to live surrounded by people and noise for our own good.”
I blinked. “Bloody hell, kid. How old are you?”
“Nine.” He grinned.
Hunter chuckled and ruffled his hair. “He’s making excellent points though. Natural selection has divided us between the noisy on the second floor and the quiet up on third.”
“Where you two headed?” Kessler asked.
“To the hotel to help with the rescues,” Bentley said then frowned. “I think Mona is over there.”
The rescues. I hadn’t realized where they’d taken them, but the hotel made sense. It hit me then that perhaps that was where Warner had gone. I’d looked for him, but everything was so chaotic he’d slipped away.
“Yeah, she is. I’ll go over with you.” Kessler turned to me and smiled. “Why don’t you cruise around, take your time, and check out the available rooms, then pick whichever one you want?”
“Okay, I’ll do that.” I cleared my throat. “But can you see
if Warner is over there? He wasn’t in our dorm, and I can’t find him. I’m actually worried about him after being in there…”
“We’ll talk to him, make sure he’s all right.” Bentley nodded and gave me a thumbs-up, then he headed down the stairs.
I should be the one talking to him. Maybe I should just go with them. I’m his best friend. Picking my bloody bedroom can wait.
“Jackson.” Hunter’s voice was low and soft. “Sometimes people need a minute to process before they surround themselves with the people they care about. You haven’t had much chance to breathe, either, so let yourself.”
Breathe. Right. I can do that. I sure as hell hadn’t tried to relax in weeks, maybe even years. The truth was, I couldn’t remember a time I felt at ease and stress free. Michael’s return loomed over me like a black cloud my entire life.
There were just too many things on my plate emotionally, and I hadn’t had a chance to work through any of them. It was too much. I didn’t know where or how to start. It made me wish Michael would just show up right now so I could get one thing off my list.
“Jackson.”
I jumped and looked around…only to find I was alone in the hallway. I frowned then spotted Kessler a few steps down the stairs.
He smirked. “Go pick a room. One step at a time.” He nodded then disappeared down the staircase.
I sighed. Pick a room. It was easy enough. Without thinking about it too long, I turned and headed up to the third floor. There was no chance I wasn’t picking the quieter floor. It didn’t feel like home yet, but maybe with time, it would. I hoped. There was no reason for it to not feel like home. It wasn’t like my dorm ever had. At least here I was surrounded by The Coven, who somehow already felt more like family to me than my own did. I still worried about Warner. Especially now that I couldn’t live in our dorm with him.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I found a text from Deacon. Warner left the hotel. He was pretty shaken up. Think he headed for his dorm.
My stomach tightened into a ball of knots. Thanks, Deacon. I’ll go look for him.
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 55