“His face? Did you see Tenn’s?” Easton leaned across the table to fist-bump our Leader. “That was some high quality acting.”
“A bunch of wankers,” I said with a sigh and shook my head. My heart was still racing. “Dirty game.”
Warner leaned against Bentley’s chair and laughed. “So wicked.”
Deacon high-fived himself dramatically. His grin was devious. “That game never gets old. Thank you all for your immediate willingness.”
“Yes, thank you,” I growled. “Bloody heart attack.”
Kessler stood and walked over to me. He squeezed my shoulder and gave me a little shake. “It’s safe to say our sense of humor has gotten twisted over the years. Why don’t you guys go ahead and take a seat. We just started eating.”
Warner sighed and slid into the open seat next to Bentley at the center of the table. He grinned and shook his head. “Thanks for letting me join you.”
“Thanks for letting us scare the shit out of you,” Easton said between chuckles. “Royce, send me that video.”
I glanced down at Tennessee and narrowed my eyes. “Strapped yourself to the chair for a joke? That’s commitment.”
Tennessee’s smile vanished. He turned and glowered at his father. “I was already like this.”
Kessler shrugged and popped a grape into his mouth. “I gave you the option to eat willingly. You refused.”
Tennessee narrowed his eyes into slits. “I will have my vengeance.”
“Jackson, there’s an open seat down here,” Constance said in a chipper voice.
I was too busy trying to rein in my chaotic pulse that I didn’t realize the problem with this open seat until I was already in it.
Bettina sat directly in front of me…with Cooper on her right side. My breath left me in a rush like I’d been sucker punched. I hadn’t even realized she was here, let alone with him. And they were sitting too close to each other. I meant to look away. I meant to pretend she wasn’t even there. But there I sat with my gaze locked on her beautiful face and my heart in a vise grip.
She peeked up, and her cheeks flushed.
My heart fluttered and I cursed. This wasn’t good. I wasn’t supposed to be relieved when she looked at me like that. It wasn’t fair to her, to me, to anyone. I couldn’t like her attention on me so much.
I couldn’t hate Cooper’s attention on her so much.
Yet, there I was, silently picturing stabbing him with my fork.
I should’ve stayed at the school’s dinner.
Tennessee groaned loud enough to pull my attention away. “Dad. How can I eat with my hands strapped down?”
“Son, you’ve got plenty of tricks. I think you could figure it out.” Kessler picked up his glass and started to take a sip when the deep red liquid floated up and splashed him in the face. He threw his head back and laughed.
Tennessee raised both eyebrows and lifted his fingers off the armrest. Dinner rolls, chunks of turkey, and orbs of gravy floated above the table. “I can do this all day.”
“All right, Captain America.” Devon laughed and snatched a roll out of the air. She looked to Kessler and pointed. “Don’t make me call Mona.”
“Ohhhhh!” half the table shouted.
Royce raised his hand and snapped his fingers. “Yo, Tenn, you need a spoon feeder?”
“That job position was filled months ago, Royce.”
Everyone gasped and turned toward the sound of Tegan’s voice.
And then we just stared.
She was dressed in her usual all-black attire, but her hair was snow white and shimmering. Her eyes weren’t green but white with gold rims around what should’ve been irises. It was the most unsettling thing I’d ever seen. Beautiful, but unsettling. There was just something not human about it.
She pushed off from the wall she’d been leaning on and started to move toward us.
“Babe,” Tennessee whispered. He thrashed against the metal straps like a caged tiger.
Two of the pieces snapped off and he tried to stand up, but Tegan placed her hand on his shoulder and the metal coiled around him even tighter. He gasped and his eyes widened.
She grinned and slid onto his lap, then traced the metal with her fingers. “Why didn’t I think to tie you down?”
Cooper groaned and plugged his ears. “COME ON.”
Bettina chuckled and the sound made all the other noise in the room disappear. I looked to her before I could stop myself. Her eyes were already on me, shining the most breathtaking royal blue.
There was an echo of vibrations and little chirping noises.
Everyone dug into their pockets and pulled out cell phones.
I frowned. “What is it? Is something wrong? Is it Joseph?”
Willow giggled and dropped her head to the table.
“No, it’s Saffie.” Henley shook her head. “She wants to know what a Black Friday is and if it’s contagious.”
“Easton, love, isn’t that your area of expertise?” Lily arched one black eyebrow.
He shook his head. “I deserved that one.”
Tegan snuggled into Tennessee’s chest. “What happened with Joseph? Where we at?”
“Him and his shadows are gone for now,” Hunter said and wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Once you’re feeling better, we’ll have you put up a new barrier spell.”
Tegan frowned and it looked freaky with her white and gold eyes. “Is there one up now?”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. When I glanced down, I found a text from Warner that said, Home girl’s been staring at you since we walked in. You better move in before Star-boy does.
My heart sank. She’s not my soulmate, Warner.
“I burned a bunch of them to dust,” Emersyn said with a grin as she cut up some turkey. “Henley and Lennox did some crazy spell. But we need you.”
Does she know that? Warner texted back.
Tenn sighed. “Can I please have my hands back?”
Chapter Fourteen
BETTINA
Normally on Black Friday, Tegan and I spent the day at the mall basking in the ambiance of complete and total panic. Now, that no longer seemed fun. Because the panic around us was real.
The entire Edenburg school was on lockdown. No one was allowed outside. But knowing The Coven had its perks. I wrapped my coat around me tighter and hurried down the sidewalk toward the training center. There was another battle coming and I wanted to be ready, so that meant I needed to keep training.
Something moved out of the corner of my eye, but when I looked over, it was just Devon. She was patrolling the border by means of astral projection. Which wasn’t creepy at all. There were only a few dozen of her within sight. Standing beside each and every one of her non-corporeal forms was one or more spirit. As in, an actual shining spirit. Ghosts. I shivered and focused on the sidewalk ahead of me and not the scene from The Gathering replaying right here in Eden.
Paulina was out here somewhere controlling them. Because that was what The Coven did. They did their parts to keep us safe. I knew the others were nearby, ready for action in a split-second. If anything went down, they’d come running with their guns loaded. They might’ve been full of laughs and jokes last night, but they were always ready and downright lethal.
I hated feeling so helpless. I wanted to help. I wanted to fight.
Sure, I’d managed a few cool tricks with my magic, except the problem was I had no idea how I did them. So it wasn’t much help. My power still felt restrained, like Tennessee being strapped to that chair last night. No matter how hard I pushed, I never got far.
I slipped inside the doors of the Swords training center and let the silence and smell of rubber mats seep into my bones. The outside world was terrifying, but in here, I was strong. I was confident. I knew who I was in here and what I could do. Which was an absolutely bizarre turn of events.
The door behind me opened, and my heart stopped.
Oh, God. Jackson.
Now what do I do?
; Quick, think of a reason to leave!
Heavy footsteps echoed through the massive room, or maybe that was just my pulse. I licked my lips and took a deep breath, then spun around.
My breath left me in a rush.
“Hey, Bettina.”
It was Tennessee. Never in my life did I expect to be relieved it was only Tennessee. I smiled and prayed it looked at least somewhat normal. He strolled toward me. On the outside, for anyone who didn’t know him, he was always the picture of terrifying confidence. Like a black leopard prowling through the jungle in search of his next meal. But I’d learned to see through that enough to notice the way he balled his fists then opened them, then balled them again. Or the way his sharp gaze bounced around, watching and expecting an attack from anywhere.
And then I realized what had just happened. My body froze. The entire school and Eden were on lockdown. Yet there I was in the training center alone…and my Coven Leader just caught me red-handed.
My heart fluttered with a tinge of fear. “Um, hi. So…I was just… I was…um…”
He stopped in front of me and raised both eyebrows.
“Um…right… So…you see…I just was looking for…um…” God, Bettina. Smooth. You need to work on your lying skills.
Tennessee chuckled and shook his head. “You’re a terrible liar.”
I groaned and threw my hands up. “I know. That was always Tegan’s job.”
His grin turned absolutely wicked. “Yeah, she is rather devious like that.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
He shrugged. “Not anymore. Not when it has single-handedly saved our lives more than once.”
“Right. I heard about that.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “What are you doing here?”
I grimaced. “I was anxious and nervous, and I don’t know…couldn’t sit still or calm down. So I came here to train. I need to be ready for when Joseph comes back, and how much trouble am I in for being out right now?”
He watched me for a moment, like he was trying to decide my punishment. “I’ll tell you what…I’ll vouch for you and say you came here with me, if you’ll vouch for me and tell my father you saw me eat a huge and well-balanced lunch.”
A wide smile spread across my face. I chuckled and shook my head. “You really should eat, Tenn.”
He sighed. “I’m not hungry, okay? There’s a lot on my plate right now, and Tegan being bedridden is not helping. I got kicked out. Apparently my nervous energy wasn’t helping.”
“So you came here.”
He smirked. “Guess I’m not the only one. So, what do you say?”
“I am a terrible liar, so there’s a good chance Kessler won’t believe me…but you’re Coven Leader, so it really is not in my best interest to not take your deal.”
“That’s the spirit.” He chuckled then pointed to my sword hanging from my hip. “So, what did you come here for? Most people come here to destroy some punching bags and work out their frustrations. But you brought a sword.”
My cheeks warmed. “I may have frustrations to work out, but I need to be a better fighter.”
“So you came here to train.” He nodded and held his left hand out. There was a rush of warm energy, and then his dagger flew out of his boot and slammed into his open palm. He smirked. “Let’s train you, then.”
Chapter Fifteen
BETTINA
Tegan was terrifying.
And I was damn glad she was my best friend.
It was Sunday afternoon, and Tegan was about to pull off some serious magic. She was back to her full self again. Finally. Her long black hair whipped around her waist, flying in the breeze. The purple tips looked like magic. Tennessee still hovered, but I thought it was adorable.
Cooper, on the other hand, thought it was nauseating.
He groaned beside me. “How long does this phase even last?”
Lennox giggled. “Star-boy, I don’t think this is a phase.”
He snarled. “I need a vacation from them and their kissy-faces.”
“Or maybe you need to get yourself a girl.” Lennox stepped forward and winked at Cooper, then wagged her eyebrows at me. She walked backward while tapping her temple. “Sorry, I’ve been summoned.”
My cheeks were burning. I felt Cooper’s eyes on me, but I kept my gaze on Lennox’s bright indigo hair as she sprinted to Tegan’s side. I liked Cooper, but things needed to progress naturally. Not with meddling.
Cooper cleared his throat. “So, Tenn tells me he’s given you a few training sessions…”
I sighed with relief. Subject change for the win. “Yeah, um, just three little sessions. One per day so far.”
“How’s that going?” Cooper chuckled. “Tenn is…a force of nature. Most people are terrified by him. Most of our Coven-mates hate training with him.”
I frowned and looked up into his pale green eyes. “Really? I mean, I guess I get that. I am scared of him, to a degree. But if I want to be the best fighter I can, then being trained by the best is the way to go. Ya’ know?”
He smiled and nodded. “I do. Jackson says you’ve got incredible raw talent and you’ve progressed far past anyone’s expectations thus far.”
My heart fluttered. A fire filled my cheeks. Unable to stop myself, I looked over to that familiar head of golden-bronze hair, and my chest tightened. I’d been purposely avoiding looking in his direction because every time it felt like a sucker punch. “He said that?”
Ew, that was NOT my voice. It was far too breathy.
“Yeah, he told Tenn he was impressed by you.”
Well, bloody freaking hell.
Jackson stood next to Tennessee with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked good. He looked really good. Those aquamarine eyes sparkled like the Caribbean ocean in the sunlight. He reached up and scratched his jaw, and my gaze latched on to the red rose tattoo on his thumb. I bit my cheek to stop myself from making a single noise. Jackson Lancaster was too pretty for my own good. And he wasn’t mine, couldn’t ever be mine. But Cooper could, and swooning over the guy I could never have wasn’t going to help me in any way with Cooper.
I cleared my throat and forced myself to look back up at Cooper. “Well, he’s a good friend. And everything I’ve learned so far I learned from him. Maybe he was just complimenting himself.” I winked.
Cooper frowned and shook his head. “Nah, Lancaster is a good guy. Not the type to pat himself on the back, even with his sword skills.”
Thanks. Not helping, Cooper.
I needed a subject change. We needed to talk about something else. This is where Lennox would tell me to flirt with him. But I had no idea how. I bit my bottom lip and stared at his handsome profile. Maybe I should tell him he’s cute? No, no. God, no. That’s too forward. I’m not ready for that yet.
But a simple compliment might be okay, right? Yeah. Totally. Everyone loves compliments. Okay, now what were we just talking about? Oh, right. Skills. Okay. I got this.
“You’ve got some serious skills, too, ya’ know,” I said before I could reconsider my plan. When his green eyes looked down at me, I shrugged. My cheeks warmed.
“Thanks.” He chuckled and his cheeks flushed. It was absolutely adorable. “I don’t try to be the showstopper like Tenn. I like to be the guy in the back making sure we’re going in the right direction.”
“Like a compass.”
“Yeah, pretty much.” He shrugged. “There if ya’ need me.”
I grinned. “Sooo…you’re like the North Star?”
He opened his mouth then shut it. Then he chuckled. “I never thought of it like that.”
I laughed and shook my head. “What’s your Card again?”
“Shut up,” he said with a laugh, his cheeks flushed. He pushed my shoulder.
I wobbled then nudged him with my shoulder. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.” My eyes widened. I did not just say that. Oh God.
“So that’s the trick.” He threw his hands up. “Now someone
tells me.”
He winked down at me, and I had to look away. There was a beat of silence, then we both burst into laughter. I covered my mouth with my hand. It felt good to laugh, so I let myself. But then I felt a wave of heat brush over my face. When I looked up, I found Jackson glaring at me, and my breathing grew tight.
Lennox laughed and gave Tegan a high five. Then she turned and jogged back over to stand next to me with a grin. Tegan’s up to something. I knew it in my gut. But after sixteen years, I’d learned it’s easier just to go with Tegan’s plans. They very rarely went wrong.
I stood straight and refocused my attention on Tegan. She looked tall and terrible, and every bit the stereotype witch you’d find in an occult store.
She held her arms out to the side and wiggled her pale fingers. Silver and gold rings glistened in the sunlight. They were each adorned with little crystals, and I knew without asking they served a purpose. Rainbow magic poured out of her palms then swirled around in balls. Little flicks of magic coiled around her hands and wrists. She waved her arms around, and the orbs grew bigger and bigger. Her feet lifted off the ground, and she hovered a few inches in the air. She threw her head back and chanted in the ancient language. The ground beneath my feet trembled and warmed. The air around me pulsed. Tegan threw her arms back then flicked them forward. The two rainbow-colored orbs shot out in front of her.
A golden glittery line sparkled in front of her. When her rainbow magic hit it, it slammed into an invisible wall then shot up to the sky. I gasped and looked up. The blue sky was drowned out by vibrant rainbow magic. I blinked a few times, and then it was gone. Just the cloudless blue sky looked down at me.
“Wicked,” Lennox mumbled.
I nodded. She wasn’t wrong.
Tegan turned to face the group and smiled. It was a relief to see her back on her feet. “That’ll do it.”
Cooper sighed. “Now what?”
As she approached the group, the others moved in unison until we were all standing in a circle.
Tegan slid the rings off her fingers then held them out to Constance. “Thanks. These helped.”
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 57