The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series

by Chandelle LaVaun

  “Did you actually think you could outrun me?” a deep, male voice bellowed from behind us.

  We all jumped and spun around.

  Then I saw him. I knew who he was in an instant. And not only by the Emperor’s Mark on his left arm. I knew it by the hate in his eyes as he looked down at the woman who was supposed to be the love of his life. I knew just in this image of him that he had never gotten over her, and now he was going to make her pay the price.

  Ruth got to her feet. “Julian, please—”

  “PLEASE?” he screamed and waved his arms. The river shot up then slammed into Ruth and into the ground. “HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR MERCY AFTER WHAT YOU’VE DONE!”

  Ruth cried and shook her head. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to—”

  “TIMOTHY WARNED YOU! I know he did. He TOLD me he did. WHY COULDN’T YOU JUST LISTEN?” He thrust his palms forward, and a tornado of brown dirt wrapped around her. “You are not an angel. You are a murderer. And now you will suffer the same fate you placed on them…just like your husband.”

  Ruth sobbed and gripped her chest. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

  Green magic shot out Julian’s hands and slammed into Ruth. She screamed and flew back. He fired his magic at her again and again, without pause or mercy. Blood spilled from gashes on her face and arms. Her white gown was stained red.

  The ground trembled under us so hard it knocked us off our feet. We all fell down. Thunder rolled over our heads and lightning flashed. Dirt hovered five feet in the air. The river had rapids so severe fish were flying above the surface. I strained and pushed myself back up—and my jaw dropped.

  Tennessee’s entire body was rattling.

  Tegan had her arms wrapped around his waist. The golden bands on his left arm shimmered like glitter. His body lit up like a neon Las Vegas sign. Golden wings popped out of his back and flapped.

  Kessler’s eyes widened. He gasped and dove for him. He wrapped his thick, muscle-corded arms around Tenn’s shoulders like a boa constrictor and held Tennessee down.

  But he still lifted a few inches off the ground.

  The magic rushing out of him felt like a category five hurricane.

  Oh God. Tenn. He was watching his mother’s murder and couldn’t stop it. I summoned my magic into my hand then slammed my palm into the ground. Pink magic raced across the dirt like a snake. I narrowed my eyes on the stream and pushed it up. It coiled around Tenn’s ankles and slithered up his legs. I curled my fingers and pulled, and Tenn’s knees hit the ground.

  Ruth shrieked and threw her hands up. Golden magic crashed into Julian, and he flipped into the air. She gasped and dropped down to all fours. She coughed and blood spilled onto the ground.

  Julian screamed and punched the ground. A crevice split the earth in two, and Ruth fell into his valley. She scrambled and tried to pull herself out, but she didn’t have much strength. He thrust his arms forward, and the ground re-sealed itself around her, trapping her under the earth from the thighs down.

  “Where are your children, Ruth?” he bellowed and stood tall like he’d already won. “No matter where you hid them, I WILL find them.”

  Ruth snarled, “You will never lay eyes on my children again. They are innocent.”

  “So was my sister and nephew. So were they all!”

  “They chose to try and help me,” Ruth cried. “They wanted to—”

  “DIE? Is that what you were going to say? They wanted to die?” He stomped toward her. “That my sister and my nephew WANTED to die?”

  “They weren’t supposed to be there!” Ruth screamed back while trying to wiggle herself free. “I changed the spell after Timothy warned me. I changed it! It should have worked—”"

  “IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU.” Julian froze, his gaze looking off in the distance. Then his amber eyes sparkled, and a smirk pulled at his lips. He pointed to the edge of the forest to where Little-Tenn’s head was just barely visible. Julian grinned. “Oh, he’s a fast one. Must get that from your father.”

  Ruth’s face paled. “No. NO. Leave him be!”

  Julian’s eyes went dark with hate. “You should’ve thought about that this morning. Now you will watch as I take everything from you. I took that bastard Micah, and now I take HIM.”

  “NO!” Ruth screamed and scrambled to get free, but her legs were pinned.

  Julian pulled his sword from his sheath and charged after Little-Tenn. My heart caught in my throat. Adrenaline and fear raced through my veins. Which didn’t make sense because I knew Julian didn’t get him. I could see grown-up Tennessee right in front of me. But I was lost to this moment.

  Fresh tears rained down Ruth’s ashen face. Blood dripped from all over her. She trembled and pushed at the earth, but it wouldn’t budge…because she didn’t have close to the amount of power as the Emperor. And she knew it. I saw in her eyes she knew Julian would kill her son if she didn’t do something. I saw the wheels turning in her head.

  She squeezed her eyes closed and looked up at the sky. “Please, Michael. Please. Just once. Let me save him! I’ll take it. I’ll take it. Just PLEASE.”

  I frowned. Michael? As in the archangel Michael? What the hell is going on?

  Lightning flashed then struck her in the chest. Bright golden magic filled her body. She gasped and her back arched. Golden wings just like Tenn’s popped out of her back, and she shot out of the ground.

  Julian spun around and screamed. He sprinted back toward her.

  Ruth pulled a dagger out of her satchel and thrust it up over her head. She cried in that unfamiliar language that sounded like a spell then dropped straight down. She screamed and slammed her dagger into the dirt, and golden magic exploded out from her in a giant golden dome. It hit Julian like a tsunami, and he lit up in flames as white as snow. He screamed and the fire consumed him whole. Green magic sparked from under the flames on his left arm—and then he was gone.

  Vanished.

  No body, no blood. Just gone.

  Ruth screamed out in pain and sank to her knees. Those same white flames covered the lower half of her body. Her hair and eyes turned white, then her wings changed to clouds. She gasped and fell forward, her palms landing in the dirt. Those flames climbed up her back and over her head, yet she kept her eyes on the tree line.

  “Run, Haven, run,” she whispered. Tears still poured from her eyes, but she looked to be resigned to her fate. I knew what she was waiting for. The second Little-Tenn disappeared between the trees, Ruth sighed and dropped to the ground. “I’m sorry.”

  The flames rushed over her body. There was a flash of bright golden light, and then she was gone.

  The hologram faded away, and it was suddenly just us again.

  For a long, long time, there was only silence. No one moved. No one spoke. We were all lying in the dirt, looking worse for the wear. Kessler’s hair was pushed back, and his face was red like he’d gotten a sunburn. Tegan sank into Tenn. Her long black hair was disheveled and her clothes covered in dirt. Tears dropped from her face down to the ground.

  Tennessee was absolutely destroyed.

  “She took your memories right here,” Tegan whispered and summoned the Book of Shadows to her hands. It flipped to a page without her speaking. She looked down, and her eyes darted over the page. Then she nodded. “Let’s see if I can get your memories back.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Bettina

  “Tenn?” Tegan shook his shoulder. “Tenn, is that okay? Can I try?”

  He stared at the ground, at the place his mother died. He didn’t move. I didn’t think he was even breathing. Tears slid down his cheeks. Kessler squeezed his shoulder.

  Tegan pressed her palm to his chest. “May I?”

  He nodded his head barely and only once.

  Tegan closed her eyes and cringed. She kissed his cheek then jumped to her feet. Her soulmate glyph was just barely visible over the V-neck collar of her shirt, but it was out enough to see it was dark purple. I
didn’t specifically know what it meant, but I knew it meant pain.

  I glanced around to my Coven-mates, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the group. We’d all just broken with him. It was torture to watch something awful happening and know there wasn’t a damn thing you could do. I reached out beside me without looking until I felt Jackson’s arm. I gripped him tight, needing to feel the steady beat of his heart to keep me together.

  Why does this hurt so much? It’s not even me.

  Tegan walked to the spot where Ruth had placed her spell on Little-Tenn, then she sank to her knees. The Book of Shadows landed on the dirt in front of her, and the pages flipped. When they finally stopped, Tegan leaned down and ran her fingers over the page. She closed her eyes. Rainbow magic billowed from under her palms. She chanted a spell, but it was in that same language Ruth had used so I didn’t understand a word of it.

  Light flashed from the book and shined into her face. Her hair turned sheet white. She opened her eyes, and they were white and gold. I felt her magic pull energy toward her, and then light exploded around us.

  My feet lifted off the ground. A wall of cold magic slammed into me, knocking my breath out of my lungs. Gold and rainbow mist clouded my vision. I hit the ground then rolled. When my vision finally cleared and the magic settled, I scrambled back up to my hands and knees. My Coven-mates had been thrown aside. They were all facedown in the dirt and several feet away. Even Tegan was over by me now.

  I looked around for Tenn—then spotted him. He hadn’t moved. He was still on his knees by the river staring blankly at the ground.

  Tegan cursed and pushed up on her hands. When she looked up, her eyes had gone back to green, but her hair was still fading back to black. She spun toward Tenn then disappeared in a cloud.

  Kessler groaned and climbed back to his feet. The others were just starting to move.

  Tegan reappeared next to her soulmate. “Tenn?”

  He just stared.

  She stepped closer. “Tennessee?”

  Nothing.

  “Haven?”

  He flinched then looked up, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  Tegan licked her lips. “Are you Haven?”

  He nodded.

  My pulse quickened. Holy shit. Oh my GOD.

  He’s Haven.

  He IS Haven.

  Tennessee IS Haven.

  Oh my God. I knew it. I’d said it. But hearing him confirm it rocked my world.

  He’s Timothy’s nephew.

  Tennessee’s gaze snapped up to me. His face fell and then his eyes watered.

  Oh, shit. I said that out loud. My eyes widened. “S-sorry,” I said but it was barely even a whisper.

  Heat bloomed in my chest, and then Jackson took my hand and squeezed.

  Tegan sighed and the sound was full of pain. She ran her fingers through his hair. “How do you feel?”

  He sank back on his heels, and his eyes glazed over. His mind seemed a million miles away.

  “Babe?” Tegan said softly then crouched down in front of him. She placed her palm on his cheek, and his tears dried. “Look at me.”

  His mismatched eyes moved to her face, and the pain radiating out of them was heartbreaking.

  “You don’t need to talk about this.” Tegan slid her hand down to over his heart. “I just need to know that my spell didn’t hurt you.”

  “I remember everything,” he whispered.

  Tegan said something to him, but it was too quiet to hear. Then she kissed his forehead and stood. She spun away from him and cringed. I knew she was feeling everything he was. She wiped at her tear-stained face, and her fingers trembled. None of us were affected by this personally, but we all broke inside right along with him.

  I hated that I had to watch, but I was thankful he didn’t have to be alone.

  He might have lost his entire biological family, but we were his family, too.

  Tegan tried to rein her emotions in without him seeing. I knew my best friend well enough. I knew she would try to stay strong for him, except this was too much for anyone alone. I walked over to her and squeezed her hand, pushing some of my magic into her. She gave me a small smile and squeezed back.

  She cleared her throat and flicked her wrist, and a white portal box opened a few feet over. “We need to get back to Headquarters before Joseph realizes we’re…not there. Go ahead through,” she said softly.

  Tennessee jumped to his feet and stormed toward the portal—and then walked past it. He raced up the little hill, heading for the edge of the forest. Dirt hovered all around him. With every one of his steps, the ground trembled. The waves in the river followed after him like a loyal puppy.

  “Tenn? Babe, where are you going?”

  “Home.”

  Easton pointed at Tegan’s portal. “Boss, we’ve got a portal…?”

  “Man, where you going?” Royce called after him.

  “Home,” Kessler said with a sigh and a grimace. “He’s going home.”

  Tegan cursed then pushed her hair back.

  “I don’t understand,” I heard myself say.

  Kessler hung his head and cursed. “He’s going to his house, from before. Where he grew up. He’s going home.”

  OH.

  “Shit,” I breathed. “Who lives there now?”

  “No one.” Kessler shook his head. “We didn’t have the strength to let anyone touch it, and neither did Timothy. I don’t think anyone’s been in that house since…since we found Micah’s body.”

  Hunter closed his eyes and gripped Kessler’s shoulder. “He’s going to need you now more than ever.”

  Devon shuddered then wiped tears off her face. “It doesn’t make sense. How did none of us recognize him?”

  “All this time,” Constance cried, her whole body shaking. “Timothy…”

  Kessler cursed and scrubbed his face roughly. Then he charged forward, following Tenn who had just disappeared through the trees.

  Kessler stopped after a few feet and spun around. “Listen, I know you all want to be there for him right now…and he’ll need that…but this… Damn it…he doesn’t need an audience for this next moment—”

  “No. Oh Goddess, no.” Constance shuddered. She pointed to the portal. “Everyone go back to Headquarters. Now.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tennessee

  I stood in front of a house that was both foreign to me and utterly familiar at the same time. But as I looked up at the turquoise wooden door, I was five years old again. I was taller now, and changed, yet it felt like it had happened yesterday.

  Hope and I had picked this color.

  Uncle Tim had taken us to Home Depot and let us choose any color from the wall of options painted on little cards. He’d wanted us to be as human as possible, to not use magic for everything. It’d been important to him. And as Hope and I discussed every single color available for well over an hour, he’d just leaned against that orange pillar watching us and laughing.

  I remembered the sparkle in his dark eyes and the dimple in his left cheek. I remembered that damn red and black flannel shirt he was wearing with the front pocket we’d ripped during our wrestling session over breakfast. It was his favorite shirt. He wore it all the time.

  He was wearing it the last time I saw him…in Salem.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned. This was too much. For twelve years, I’d prayed and prayed that my memories would come back. Now that they were here, I didn’t want them. They hurt too much. Because even though I remembered my family now, they were still gone. I was still alone. At least before, I didn’t know how numb I was. This pain was going to leave a mark.

  Because that morning of happiness with my sister and uncle had been our last morning together.

  That was the day everything changed forever.

  I opened my eyes and stared up at the life that had been stolen from me. Now I remembered every detail.

  After we’d picked our paint color, Uncle Tim had brought us home and helped Hope and me p
aint it ourselves. Hope had yelled at me because I was doing it too sloppy. I’d then chased her with my paintbrush until she tripped and knocked the gallon bucket over on the front sidewalk.

  I looked down at my feet to where that turquoise puddle still stained the brick pathway. No one had had the chance to clean it up. Uncle Tim had said he would, but then Julian called him. There’d been some kind of major demon attack in Asheville, and they had to go. We’d spent the next hour at Ellis’s house watching Blue’s Clues and eating grilled cheeses. Blue’s clues had led to a kite, because she’d wanted to fly one. Ellis’s mom then tried to make a kite for us, but my parents had shown up too soon. I remembered Ellis now; he was our closest friend back then.

  They’d picked us up and drove deep into the mountains. When we got to that clearing in the forest, there’d been a ton of other people there. Everyone had been waiting for us. I remembered it all vividly. Joseph had been there.

  “I gathered a few more than we’d discussed,” he’d said to my mother and gestured around at the crowd. “But they all want to help. We want to save them.”

  I shuddered. Hope and I hadn’t thought anything of it. Mom conjured up a couple kites, and Dad taught us how to fly them until Mom called him over to help her.

  And then it happened.

  One of the worst moments in our species’ very ancient history.

  And my parents caused it.

  Hope had dropped her kite and cried. She was only four, so I pushed my golden wings out and picked her up. We’d chased that kite into the sky, far above the tops of the trees. We’d been a few feet away from it when there was an explosion under us.

  And then there was screaming.

  I never forgot the screaming.

  Even when my memories were stolen, those screams had haunted me. They’d crept into the edges of my dreams like shadows.

  Shadows.

  Like Joseph and the others had become.

  Not that anybody knew that. Although in hindsight, it was there.