“Why don’t you trust her?” Avery asked.
Rosie tugged on a strand of strawberry-colored hair. “She wants Reid.”
Avery blinked before releasing a short burst of laughter. “No, she doesn’t!”
Rosie crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest. “Watch her when she’s around Reid and open your eyes!”
Rosie’s angry words stifled Avery’s laughter.
“Sandra sees it too,” Rosie continued. “I don’t know why nobody else does, but we do!”
“Rosie—”
“You shouldn’t trust her as much as you do. Reid would never do anything with her, but she doesn’t deserve your friendship. You’ve been through enough; we all have.”
“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on her.” Avery believed Rosie was wrong about Talia, but she wasn’t going to blow off Rosie’s concern. When she squeezed Rosie’s arm, Rosie smiled tentatively up at her, but the wariness didn’t leave her eyes. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
Rosie’s lower lip quivered as she glanced at the group by the boulders.
“You can tell me, Rosie, no matter what it is,” Avery said, though she had a feeling she didn’t want to hear this.
A tear slid down Rosie’s face before she bowed her head and wiped it away. “There is more,” Rosie whispered.
Avery tugged at the collar of her shirt as the fresh night air suddenly felt suffocating. Something about Rosie’s demeanor had her instincts yelling at her to run and never look back. But run from what?
And then, unbidden to her, Regan’s face materialized in her mind, and she heard him whisper, boo.
“What is it?” she managed to choke out.
Rosie’s tear-filled eyes met hers as she spoke. “I’ve had some bad dreams.”
Avery had been expecting something like this, but the air still rushed out of her, and a cold sweat trickled down her back.
“About what?” Lila asked.
Avery hadn’t dreamt about Regan since her first day of school; she’d been sure it was all behind her, but Rosie’s misty eyes and dejected expression told her she was wrong. She didn’t know how she could be wrong though. Regan was gone; the coven made sure of it. He couldn’t be back when his spirit was bound to his skull and buried in Canada.
Rosie was only having nightmares. That’s the only thing that made sense.
“I’ve been dreaming about him,” Rosie muttered and straightened her shoulders.
“No,” Avery whispered as Lila gasped and the color drained from her face.
“Regan’s in them, but they’re so strange,” Rosie said. “I know they’re not real, but they’re so real. Do you know what I mean?”
Before Avery could reply, Talia walked over to stand at her side. “What are you doing over here? You’re missing the party.”
Rosie’s face became hard, and her jaw clenched as she gazed disapprovingly at Talia.
“I’ll be right back—”
“No, that’s all right,” Rosie interrupted Avery. “Now’s not the time to discuss this. Are you ready to go, Lila?”
“Ah… yeah,” Lila said.
Stepping away from Talia, Lila gazed at the girl with a furrowed brow before looking questioningly at Avery. “Are you going to be okay, Avery?”
“Why wouldn’t she be?” Talia asked at the same time Avery said, “I’ll be fine.”
“Let’s go, my bed is calling my name,” Rosie said.
Before Avery could say anything more, the two of them turned and walked away.
CHAPTER 7
Avery leaned against Reid’s side as she stared into the fire. His shoulder was warm and comforting beneath her head, but his solid presence didn’t ease the knot in her stomach. She desperately wanted to talk to Rosie and the rest of the coven, but many of them had gone home already. Besides, after Rosie’s revelation, she couldn’t find the words to express the dread clawing at her insides.
He can’t be back. It’s impossible! But after what they’d gone through with Regan before, Avery didn’t think anything was impossible when it came to him.
So what did that mean? Was he back or was Rosie dreaming about him because of the suffering he’d inflicted on them?
It made sense they would all have nightmares about Regan. It would be odd if they didn’t. He had terrorized half the coven and would have tortured the other half too if they hadn’t stopped him.
Were any of the other members of the coven having nightmares too and not telling anyone?
A husky laugh drew her attention away from her dreary contemplations and back to the remaining group. Sitting on a boulder, Sandra leaned forward as she spun a horror story. Her emerald eyes flashed, and her lips curved into a sly smile while she stared at Talia.
Karen sat beside Sandra with her legs tucked beneath her; her wide eyes told Avery she was missing a terrific story. Isla, Mario, and Eric sat on Reid’s left. Isla looked faintly amused, while Mario and Eric chuckled as they watched Talia scramble back.
“It’s just a story,” Sandra drawled.
“That was awful!” Talia cried; her blue eyes landed on Avery before darting to Reid.
Rosie and Sandra’s words floated through Avery’s mind. When she snuggled closer to Reid, he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Closing her eyes, Avery rested her head on his shoulder and inhaled his intrinsic, sandalwood scent as some of the tension eased from her. She would figure Rosie and Talia out tomorrow; for now, she would enjoy tonight.
“What is that?” Talia asked.
Avery opened her eyes and followed Talia’s pointing finger to the fire. A thin gray mist had materialized in the center of the flames, wafting upward. The earth beneath her seemed to drop away as she became mesmerized by the image blossoming within the fire. Avery wanted to leap to her feet, but the sight paralyzed her.
The breath froze in her lungs, and she was sure her heart stopped beating before slamming into her ribs. Reid stiffened against her, and though she could feel his warm body, he felt miles away from her. As the mist continued to pour from the fire, it formed the shape of a man.
“No!” Karen almost fell off the rock she sat on, but Sandra grabbed her arm and jerked her upright before she hit the sand.
The single word lurched Avery back to reality with a disjointed thump as she gazed at Regan floating in the fire. On his transparent form were the disheveled and torn clothes he’d died in when he was buried in the cave with Celia.
The flames hid his feet, but Avery knew battered black boots covered them. A jagged scar marred his left cheekbone, and his badly broken nose curved to the right. Those beautiful, impossibly electric blue eyes met and held hers as a smug smile curled his thick lips.
This isn’t possible! It’s not real! Wake up!
“Boo,” Regan said.
Avery was plunged back into her nightmare as she recalled him saying that to her there too. Her fingers curled into Reid’s shirt as a cold sweat coated her body.
“I told you I was coming for you,” Regan said with a chuckle.
The breath rushed out of her lungs in a loud whoosh. She’d been a fool to convince herself that her dream of him was only a nightmare. He’d really been there, and the nightmare had been more reality than dream. Reid’s fingers clenched around hers, and she could feel the stunned stares of the others as they turned toward her.
“It’s time to play,” Regan said.
With those words, the solid sand beneath her opened like a black hole. Reid was torn away from her as she plummeted into a rushing vortex of air.
CHAPTER 8
What an awful dream, Avery thought as she reached for her blanket to ease the ice encasing her skin. She came up with nothing. Searching blindly with her fingers, she found only cold floor instead of her soft mattress and warm bed. Continuing to grope for her blanket or something familiar, her mind refused to accept the truth of what her body felt. She refused to open her eyes and acknowledge the remote possibility she had not been dreaming.
“Karen,” Avery whispered.
Karen’s eyes opened, and they stared at each other before Karen gasped and sat upright. Her skin paled as she gazed wildly around them. Avery did not want to move or see where they were. As long as she lay here, she could almost pretend that none of this was happening.
But as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t stick her head in the sand and hope it all went away. Gathering her waning courage, Avery’s arms trembled as she pushed herself into a sitting position.
A long hallway, with over a hundred white candles lining it, stretched out before them. The candles’ small flames flickered in their golden holders and highlighted the bloodred walls; they were the only source of illumination in the hall. The scent of wax filled the corridor and a sizzle sounded as a flame touched melting wax.
When a groan came from behind her, Avery tore her attention away from the hall and turned to look at the scattered figures behind her. Reid, Sandra, Talia, Isla, Eric, and Mario lay on the wood floor. Mario and Eric stirred but didn’t wake; the others remained immobile.
Then, Talia whimpered and bolted upright. Her hand flew to her throat as she gazed around the hallway. “What happened?”
“Oh, no! Oh, no!” Karen whispered and lowered her head into her hands. “Not again.”
Just a dream, Avery focused on one of the candles as she attempted to calm her thundering pulse. This can’t be real.
She pinched herself and winced. So what if it hurts? That didn’t mean anything; she could have dreamed the pain too.
It has to be a dream.
“Not a dream,” Reid said, and Avery realized she’d spoken out loud.
Reid sat up and shook his head. He ran a hand through his disheveled chestnut hair, causing it to stand on end. The others were all stirring and starting to rise. They gazed around in disbelief while Sandra looked like she was about to start tearing the hallway apart with her bare hands.
“How is this possible?” Avery inquired in a choked voice. “How is Regan free?”
“Obviously, the binding spell didn’t work,” Mario said as he scowled at the hallway.
“It worked,” Sandra said. “Something else is going on here.”
“What is going on?” Talia whimpered. “And who is Regan?”
“A game is what is going on, my dear,” a melodic voice said from behind her. “And I’m your worst nightmare, Talia, especially since I have no use for you.”
Avery spun to find Regan standing fifty feet away from them in the previously empty hall. When the coven stiffened around her, she sensed their distress and anger on the air. Talia inhaled sharply and edged closer to Reid while Avery scooted protectively closer to Karen and grasped her friend’s arm.
Avery hated to admit it, but Regan was achingly beautiful. In his world, the damage he’d sustained on the mortal plane was gone. His high cheekbones were perfectly carved, no scars marred his face, and his nose was once again straight. His maroon shirt and black pants hugged his tall, broad frame as he glided closer to them.
The power emanating from his body danced over her skin and caused the hair on her arms to rise. Avery had never seen a color that could compare to the electric blue of his eyes or felt power like what he possessed—power that was somehow stronger than when they encountered him before.
No matter how gorgeous he was, or how enticing his power, she would not forget how evil he was again. She hadn’t been prepared for him the first time they met; she was now, and she wouldn’t allow herself to succumb to his influence again. He may be the most powerful being she’d ever encountered, but she would destroy him, and she would never allow him to influence her or kiss her again.
Regan focused on her. “I told you I was coming for you, and now you’re mine to play with.”
“No,” Avery said in a voice far stronger than she felt, but she wouldn’t let him know how much this sudden turn of events rattled her. “No more games. No more nightmares. We will not be your pawns anymore!”
“Avery, darling—”
“Don’t call me that!”
“You have no choice in the matter, darling,” he purred. “You’re my pawns to move about as I see fit.”
Avery’s fingers hooked into claws as she resisted leaping to her feet and charging at him to scratch his eyes out. However, no matter her resolve not to fall under his spell again, she didn’t dare touch him. She wanted nothing to do with him, but his vast power might be able to change that.
“How are you here when we bound you?” Sandra demanded.
“I have my ways, Sandra girl,” Regan said. “It is the fall equinox, after all—a day of celebration and one in which magic is stronger. How do you think I managed to bring you all over this time. ”
“Mabon isn’t until tomorrow,” Mario said.
“It is tomorrow. The clock has struck midnight.”
Mario cursed viciously.
“Easy,” Reid said as he clasped Mario’s arm.
“I hate you,” Avery snarled.
Regan laughed as he tilted his head to the side to inspect her. A prickle at the back of her head alerted her that he was trying to burrow into her mind. She glared at him as she fought the black magic he was trying to push on her.
“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you,” he whispered, but his power retreated. “You’ve grown stronger, my pet.”
Wood bit into her flesh when Avery’s fingers dug into the floor. If it were the last thing she did, one way or another, she would see this bastard burning in Hell where he belonged. “Strong enough to resist you,” she replied.
“We shall see about that,” he murmured as he stroked the signet ring on his right index finger. Two snakes with their mouths open to devour the blue stone in the center of the ring comprised the band.
“What is the game?” Isla asked.
“Oh, it’s not so much a game this time,” Regan said.
When he stepped to the side and snapped his fingers, the tiny flames of the candles blazed like they were doused with gasoline. Avery blinked when everything shifted before her, and she realized that what she’d believed was a straight hallway actually twisted as it curved out of view.
“It’s a maze,” Regan said, “and you have to find your way out of it by midnight.”
“No!” Avery hissed through her teeth.
“And if you don’t find your way out, I win,” Regan continued. “And if I win, I’m keeping all of you.”
“You can’t do that!” Sandra spat.
“Yes, I can,” he purred. “I brought all of you here this time, which means you’re all my prisoners. If I decide to keep you, I will.”
From her last encounter with Regan in his nightmare realm, Avery knew they couldn’t survive on his plane for long. This was not their world, and it would eventually destroy them. Regan probably preferred not to kill them, he wanted them—especially her—to join him, but he would do whatever it took to get his way. And if they didn’t fall in line with his plans, she had no doubt he would destroy them for it.
If they ended up trapped here, he probably believed they would agree to join him rather than die, but Avery would prefer death over joining Regan. What he planned for them was a different kind of death, as he would strip them of everything they were now. He would manipulate and twist them into someone completely different as he had with her great-great-great aunt, Celia.
“And I’ll let you die here if that’s what it takes to get my way,” Regan said.
Talia whimpered and clutched Reid’s arm. He glanced at her before focusing on Regan again.
Avery lifted her chin as she glowered at Regan. “What good would our deaths do you?”
“None,” he admitted. “But I think watching your friends rot here before they die will change your mind about me, darling.”<
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Without thinking, Avery lurched to her feet and took two steps toward him before Karen jumped up behind her and seized her arm. Avery stumbled slightly as Karen’s grip halted her. She heard the others rising around her and then felt Reid against her shoulder.
“I will never change my mind!” she yelled at Regan.
“I think you will. I will win you, or I will win all of you if you lose. And if you lose, it will be your choice if your friends live or die.”
The power boiled up inside her and flashed out in a brilliant blue light as she pictured smashing his face in with it. Moving with inhuman speed, Regan blurred into nothing to avoid it hitting him. The bolt of power shot past him, and when it crashed into the wall with a sizzling bang, smoke coiled from the scorch mark it left.
Talia screamed and threw herself against Reid as Regan reappeared. He leaned against the far wall with his arms folded over his chest and an indolent look on his face. She’d never lost control like that before, but she couldn’t recall ever being this infuriated, and her abilities were growing. As if she’d taken a balloon and rubbed it across her head, her hair rose around her as her power welled within her again.
“Avery, stop,” Reid said as he clasped her other arm.
His touch burned into her skin and soothed some of her rage. The power continued to surge through her, but she managed to clamp down on it. She could spend from now until midnight trying to destroy Regan, and all she’d have to show for it was a torched hallway and burnout from using her powers too much.
Avery didn’t tire as easily as the rest of the coven when she used her abilities, but she eventually tired, as she’d discovered after the spell they cast to bind Regan. She couldn’t risk that happening now when she needed to be as strong as possible in here.
“We just have to find our way out of the maze?” Isla asked.
The Maze (The Coven, Book 2) Page 4