Wait, where’s Bettina? Without stopping fighting, I scanned the clearing for her. I saw a dark object shooting across with a glow. Rainbow mist exploded like fireworks left and right. Tennegan. I didn’t need to see them to know they were there. Red lightning ripped through the clearing. Orange flames roared up to the sky. Okay, there’s Em and Deacon. Where’s Bettina?
“POISON ROYCY!”
Thick green vines with little flowers pierced through demons like shish kebab.
“STOP TELLING THEM WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO!” Henley screamed.
“HEY! Sibling fight later,” Cooper growled and tossed a flailing demon into Royce’s arms. “Demon fight, now.
Damn it, Bettina, where are you? I turned back and sliced the heads off three demons in a line. Over Warner’s shoulder, I saw Lennox shooting wild magic out of her wand. Balls of ice flew— Balls of ice! Then I spotted her…surrounded by demons. She moved like a veteran Knight with a sword in each hand. Ice shot out of her in every direction and covered the ground under her feet.
Demons were dropping left and right. The shadow-men fell beside them. We were The Coven. This was what we’d trained for. This was the kind of magic we had. There were only a few of them left. Joseph was going to need a new tactic.
Then Joseph threw his left hand in the air, and a whole new stream of venom-dripping demons came pouring in from the forest. But before we could even register what was left to kill, the world rocked, and then two massive snake-like demons the size of school buses slid in.
My jaw dropped and my steps faltered. “What in the bloody hell—”
Timothy cursed. “MORPHERS!”
Chapter Sixty-One
Bettina
Morpher demons?
NOW?
You’ve got to be bloody kidding me! I looked up, and my heart sank. These demons were giant dinosaur-snakes, like something straight out of an Avengers movie. If only one of the Avengers had ice magic, then I’d know how to take one of these down. Think, Bettina. Everything has a weak spot! I gripped my swords tighter. Haven’s black sword pulsed with energy and power, shooting hot tingles up my arm. It was a little uncomfortable, but this was an emergency, so I had to suck it up.
The two morpher demons were on opposite sides of the clearing. I charged for the one closest to me just as it twitched and changed into a giant wolf-like beast. Shit. I had no idea what my plan of attack was. I just knew I had to do something.
It shrieked and flew up into the air. Its body pulsed and twitched—and then it was a dragon, spitting green fire from its mouth. I hissed as venom splashed onto my arms, burning through my clothes to my skin. Both morphers hovered over our heads. And then they began to spin in circles. I frowned and looked to my left—and found Tegan standing between them with both arms raised to the sky.
Tegan screamed a vicious battle cry then slammed her palms together.
The morphers shot to the middle of the clearing then crashed into each other. They shrieked and wiggled, and then their two bodies melded into one massive blob.
GO! Tegan screamed into my mind. YOU TWO, GO! TO JOSEPH!
I jumped and glanced down at her, but she was watching the morpher.
Magic poured out of her into the demon above us. I GOT THIS! FINISH HIM!
I looked across the clearing and found my brother watching her, too. And then his eyes met mine. He nodded once. Butterflies exploded in my stomach, and I nodded back. I slammed my foot into the ground and focused my thoughts on Haven. Let’s end this. Together.
Red and white lightning flashed over my head.
Haven twirled Michael’s sword then raised it up. I turned and sprinted toward the trees, to where Joseph was lurking just outside the fight like the coward he was.
Bright golden sunshine shot across the clearing, but I didn’t look. I had to focus. Black objects moved all through my peripheral vision. I heard metal clashing with metal and smelled the metallic scent of human blood. Magic of every color exploded around me. I wanted to look for Jackson, to make sure he was okay, but I had to keep my eyes on my target. Besides, I felt Jackson’s strong, heavy pulse pounding through my right arm.
There was a loud shriek then warm, thick liquid splashed the side of my body. The smell of maple syrup invaded my senses. It was so hard not to stop and help my Coven-mates, except I had no choice. The demons were just a distraction. Joseph was our enemy.
The man who killed my parents.
Vengeance was ours.
Golden light flashed in my peripheral vision, and then the air pulsed with raw power. I pushed off my feet and jumped straight up. Haven plucked me out of the air by the back of my shirt—just like we’d done a thousand times as little kids.
Joseph’s eyes widened as we flew over the battle straight toward him. For a brief moment, I saw fear fill his beady eyes, and it made me grin like a movie villain.
“Now,” Haven whispered in my ear.
I nodded and tightened my grip on my swords.
He dove for the ground. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. And then he dropped me from ten feet up. I dropped like a torpedo. My feet slammed into the grass, and ice exploded out from under me. It shot across the clearing in a twenty-foot radius. I immediately flicked my wrists, shooting ice right at Joseph. He cursed and tried to vanish—but I was faster. My ice wrapped around his ankles then covered his feet, freezing him to the ground.
Hurricane-force winds blasted him in the face. Haven hovered a few feet away from me, his golden wings flapping behind his back. He held Michael’s glowing sword in one hand and held the other straight out in front of him. The gusts of wind leaving his palm were so thick they were actually white.
Joseph shouted in rage and pushed against our power. Dark magic burst out of him in dense black smoke. It crashed into me, pushing me back a foot, yet Haven was unaffected.
I cursed and slammed my opal blade into the ground. Shield me! A shimmering pink dome popped up, blocking the dark magic from hitting me. I just had to get the spell out, then this man would be nothing against us. He’d be absolutely nothing against my brother. I just had to get it out.
But Joseph was stronger than I anticipated. His feet were frozen in place, yet he kept turning the rest of him to shadow. He pushed and pulled against our magic, trying to break free.
“Not today, Satan,” I growled between clenched teeth.
I reached over and sliced my finger on Haven’s black sword blade. Blood rushed to the surface— Joseph screamed and one of his feet broke free. The ice shattered. I cursed and dropped Haven’s sword, then thrust both palms out to Joseph. We couldn’t mess around. This wasn’t the time for mercy. This man deserved none. He was a murderer and he had to pay.
My ice shot up his body all the way to his hips. But I had to keep pushing. He was a damn shadow, and a resilient one. If I pulled back even a smidge, he started to break free. My arms trembled as I held on to my power, forcing it around him. Haven pummeled him with wind and rain relentlessly.
C’mon, Bettina. Just draw the rune, I yelled at myself. Blood was already dripping from my finger. I just needed a second to draw the rune on the ground. I pulled my right hand back, but the second I released my connection, Joseph thrashed against the ice.
“Damn it.” I clenched my teeth and doubled down on him. “Haven! You have to—”
A gust of Christmassy-scented air rushed over my face.
And then Jackson slid between Haven and me on his knees. He sliced his finger open on his sword, then slammed his bloodied finger to the ground. He drew that awful demonic rune into the dirt in his own blood, then looked up to Joseph and shouted the spell.
Joseph screamed and thrashed harder with every word Jackson chanted.
YES!
Joseph’s shadowy form changed to a human body in the blink of an eye. Haven dropped to the ground, and his magic vanished. My brother’s black sword flew into my palm. Haven swung Michael’s sword through the air. Joseph’s eyes widened in surprise, but even then, I
saw no remorse in them.
Haven slammed Michael’s glowing sword into Joseph’s stomach. He let out a blood-curdling scream as his now human body went up in golden flames. Heaven’s power was consuming him. I lunged forward with my weapon raised.
For Mom and Dad.
For everyone you killed.
I swung my brother’s sword as hard as I could, with everything I had in me. The long black blade sliced through Heaven’s flames and into Joseph’s neck. His eyes met mine for the briefest moment before his head rolled to the ground.
Heaven’s flames consumed every last inch of him.
And then he was gone, leaving only a burnt piece of ground in his wake.
“YES!” Royce shouted. “Now THAT’S how you kill a guy!”
Haven let out a deep breath. He turned. “Oh shit.”
I spun to see what he saw, and my eyes widened. Tegan was on one knee with her arms stretched to the sky, but they were shaking and her energy was fading. Rainbow magic poured out of her palms—still holding the morpher demons. They hovered fifteen feet in the air, pulsing and writhing. An arm shot out to the left, and then three different spiked tails dropped. It was trying to morph into something else, but Tegan was holding it in place.
Can’t…hold…AND…kill… Even Tegan’s telepathy was struggling.
Haven cursed and leapt forward. Then he planted his feet and swung Michael’s sword like a baseball bat—and let go. The glowing six-foot-long weapon of Heaven shot into the air and slammed into the morpher demon’s side. It exploded into white and gold Heavenly flames instantly then vanished. Michael’s sword flew like the scariest boomerang ever right back into Haven’s open and waiting hand.
He nodded to Tegan. “You okay?”
“Never better, babe.” She grinned and dropped onto her ass with a thumbs-up.
Haven sighed and pushed his hair back. He looked around. “Everyone okay? Anyone hurt? Roll call.”
One by one, my Coven-mates—and Warner and Lennox—yelled they were okay. At a quick glance, I noticed some of them were battle worn with bleeding wounds, yet nothing seemed life threatening. Everyone was on their feet and smiling. Thank the Goddess.
Willow squealed and flicked her fingers up to the clouds. Neon fireworks lit up the now dark sky like the Fourth of July. Warner scooped Lennox into his arms and spun in a circle while she giggled. My Coven-mates cheered and clapped. They hugged and high-fived all around.
I reached down and squeezed Jackson’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Bloody brilliant, love.”
Easton sprinted over to where Jackson and I stood. He bent over and inspected the demonic rune drawn in Jackson’s blood, then looked to the scarred earth where Joseph had been. Then he straightened and spun back to face the others. “Ding dong, the witch is dead, my dudes!”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Bettina
My Coven-mates hugged and cheered. They shouted and hollered in celebration of our victory. And it was a victory. We would walk out of this triumphant. The bad guys were dead and gone. The good shadows had been healed of this curse and were on the road to recovery. The traitor got what he deserved.
I got my vengeance.
Yet…I felt…unsatisfied. I wanted to feel what my Coven-mates were feeling, but as I stood there staring at the demonic rune drawn in Jackson’s blood, all I felt was—
“Bettina?”
I jumped and spun around to find Jackson standing there. The front of his sweater was ripped halfway down and covered in black demon blood. I reached out and pulled the pieces apart to check for an injury, but all I found was one dark blue soulmate glyph. I frowned and ran my fingers over it—then gasped. The glyph on the back of my right hand was the same shade of dark blue.
Jackson covered my hand with his, then with his free hand, tipped my face up so our eyes met. He frowned. “Why are you sad?”
I blinked. “Does dark blue mean sad?”
He nodded. “I asked Tegan before I walked over here.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know… I should be happy right now—and I am. But…I don’t know.”
“A lot of people died today,” he said softly, then pulled me closer. “But we didn’t. Look around. No one on our side was lost. In fact, we got Timothy back.”
“I know. And I am so happy about that. It’s just…all of this…” I shook my head. “My mom could have fixed this twelve years ago if she’d just been given the chance. If Julian hadn’t—”
“Don’t.”
I looked to my right and found Emersyn standing there, watching me with sad eyes. “Don’t what?”
She flicked her hand out to the side, and Joseph’s body went up in flames. Then she turned those golden eyes back to me. “I know a little bit of what you’re feeling. I know what it’s like to wish things had happened differently. I know what it’s like to be angry and sad that a life you should have had was robbed from you by the stupid actions of another.”
My chest grew tight and my throat burned like I was about to cry.
Emersyn stepped closer. “But I also know that lingering on those thoughts will rob you of the life you have now. Nothing will ever bring your parents back. Nothing will give you your childhood back with your brother and your uncle…but you have them now. And you have us. And a soulmate, a British soulmate. I mean, not every girl gets that.” She smiled and winked.
Jackson chuckled and squeezed my hand.
“You know what I think is really wonderful?” Tegan whispered from suddenly right behind me. She held her hand out to the side…and then Haven was there beside her.
I shook my head. “No, what?”
She smiled at me then at Haven who was staring at the ground. “You cleared your parents’ name, their reputation. Gave them their honor back.”
I let out a deep breath. “You’re right. We did. They’re not the bad guys anymore.”
“And we spoke to her,” Haven said softly. He looked up to me and gave me a small smile. “Really, she’s the one who made all this happen. Even dead, she gave us us back. She led us where we needed to go. Without her help through that Ouija board, Hope may have been lost forever. And that is a victory I’ll celebrate.”
That did it. The dam holding my tears back bust open. As they fell onto my cheeks, I went to my brother and pulled him in for a hug. “Haven.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me tight.
“Are we okay over here?” Uncle Timothy said in a soft, raspy voice.
I pulled back and looked over to him. He was a mess, with demon and human blood smeared all over him. There were a few cuts on his arms and one on his cheek—but he was alive and breathing and standing there. Back from the dead.
“Yeah,” I said, but my voice came out weak.
At the same time, Haven and I rushed over to him. He smiled and held his arms out then pulled us both in. As I stood there holding on to my brother and my uncle, who should have died in my arms weeks ago, I realized Emersyn was right. I was lucky as hell, and I had plenty of things to celebrate. I had my family back, and because of that, I had an even bigger extended family. I had a home now, and from now on, it would actually feel right.
I didn’t know how long we stood there clinging to each other, but when we finally stepped back, I found our Coven-mates standing in front of a bonfire at the other side of the clearing.
I sniffled and wiped the tears from my face. “What are they doing?”
Uncle Timothy smiled, his eyes red. “I asked them to clean up the deceased and to give them a funeral pyre.” He scratched the back of his neck and looked to Haven. “I know I’m not Coven Leader anymore. Hell, I’m not even in The Coven anymore, but I didn’t want either of you to have to see all of that anymore…and I thought those souls lost to Joseph deserved to be forgiven, since we failed them.”
Haven groaned. “You know I didn’t want to be Leader, right? All these years, I never wanted to take yo
ur job.”
“I never wanted the job. I took it because I had to. Because you were six years old. Because Hunter and Kessler had more important jobs to do—and because Kenneth was too gentle to make the tough calls.” Uncle Timothy shook his head, then turned sad eyes to my brother. “But Tenn, my toughness on you—my attitude—was all in self-preservation. Your mother’s glamour that blinded you from everyone else did not work on me, because your mother wanted someone to know. I pushed you away all these years because it was too hard to be near you and not tell you.”
“I know that now, and I understand.” Haven nodded and scrubbed his face. “But please, call me Haven.”
“And I’m Hope.” My cheeks warmed. “At least for you two.”
Uncle Timothy grinned so wide his jaw popped. “Okay. Haven and Hope, I’m happy with that.”
“Wait a second.” Haven frowned. “Did you just say I was six?”
“Well…yeah. Your birthday is August fourteenth. You became Tennessee Wildes two days before your sixth birthday.” Uncle Timothy pointed at him. “And I’d like to point out that I was there for your actual birthday. For the record.”
Haven’s jaw dropped. He looked over Uncle Tim’s shoulder and yelled, “Tegan!”
She appeared in front of us a split second later. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m eighteen. Not seventeen.” Haven chuckled. “My real birthday is August fourteenth, and I was about to turn six.”
“So we are both August-Leo babies! The first and the fourteenth. I like it.” Tegan grinned. She spun around to face our Coven-mates who were watching us from the bonfire. “GUYS, I’M JAILBAIT!”
Uncle Tim laughed and shook his head. “Poor Hunter.”
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 135