The Maze (The Coven, Book 2)

by Erica Stevens

  “Hmm,” Karen grunted. “Are you sure it can’t be her? I’d really like to see that girl get her ass kicked.”

  “Me too,” Avery admitted.

  “Her pretending to be your friend to get at Reid proves she’s a conniving bitch; maybe she does have magic and she’s hiding it,” Tina suggested.

  “I think if she did, she would have revealed it in the maze to protect herself,” Avery said. “But even if she managed to keep it hidden, she still had no idea where the skull was located, and she never would have been able to find it.”

  The elf rested her hand on Reid’s arm and tossed her hair flirtatiously back as she released a laugh that set Avery’s teeth on edge. The two of them would be at this dance together if she hadn’t created this rift between them, but it still took everything she had not to send a bolt of electricity into every girl standing around him.

  Then, Reid looked up and their eyes locked. Goose bumps broke out on Avery’s arms as her heart leapt in her chest. It was the first time he’d looked at her and hadn’t shifted his eyes immediately away. The first time he seemed to actually see her as his face softened and love shone in his eyes.

  Avery yearned to run across the gym and throw her arms around him. To hug him and tell him she was sorry, but her feet remained planted where they were. She had no idea what he would do if she went to him, and if Regan decided to spring another trap on them tomorrow, then she needed to keep Reid pissed at her.

  Reid stared at her until Talia gripped his shoulder and she rose on her tiptoes. Reid’s eyes left Avery’s and he bent to hear whatever Talia whispered in his ear. He nodded before setting his cup down and the two of them made their way out to the dance floor.

  “Are they together now?” Tina asked incredulously.

  “I… I don’t know,” Avery stammered.

  She hadn’t heard anything like that, but then most people stopped talking the second she came anywhere near them. When they made it to the dance floor, Talia moved closer to Reid, and though he didn’t hold her against him, he didn’t push her away either. His movements were stiff and awkward, but they were still dancing together.

  Tingles raced over her arms, and she realized her power was swelling toward the surface. She couldn’t stand there and watch the two of them dancing together; she might lose control if she did.

  “Let’s go,” she muttered.

  She didn’t wait for them as she turned and stalked toward the exit. It took a couple of seconds, but they eventually caught up to her. Avery’s vision narrowed until all she could see were the open doors beckoning to her.

  Then she was outside and free of the wariness of the other students; free of having to watch Talia grinning like she’d gotten everything she ever wanted. And if Reid and Talia were together, then she’d gotten exactly what she wanted, and Avery had handed him to her.

  The cool air caressing her skin did nothing to ease the fury and sorrow battling within her as she strode across the lawn. Needing a second to get control of her emotions before she burst into tears or returned to the gym and turned Talia into the snake she was, Avery paused to lean against a large maple with red and gold leaves.

  “Are you okay?” Tina asked.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered.

  “Avery—”

  “Really, I’m fine.”

  Across the parking lot, Avery spotted Eric and Mario slinking through the shadows toward the school. Eric was dressed as a ninja while Mario had come as Wolverine. They carried two bags with them as they made their way to the back of the school. She recalled Mario saying that Halloween was his and Eric’s holiday, and she could only imagine the trouble they would create tonight and tomorrow.

  Watching them, she knew where to start piecing the coven back together. Granted, the two of them didn’t present the same challenge as the rest of the coven, but they were a starting point. If she could get Eric and Mario to go with her to speak with the others, it might help. There was strength in numbers.

  “They’re going to get caught,” Karen said.

  “They’ll use their powers to take out the cameras,” Avery said as she stepped away from the tree. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  She was exhausted, and she had a feeling, things were only going to get worse before they got better. Trying to reunite the coven was going to be one of the biggest challenges of her life, but she would. She’d been hiding from Reid, the coven, and the students for too long; she refused to do it anymore.

  She didn’t care what it took; she would find out who was leaving her the death threats and stop them, but her first priority was reuniting the coven.

  She only hoped she’d be able to do it before Regan came after them again.

  THE END

  The 3rd and final book, Dream Walker, is now available for pre-order!

  Read on for an exclusive excerpt from Dream Walker.

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  Excerpt from Dream Walker

  CHAPTER 1

  Landon tilted her head back to gaze at the Halloween decorations in the gym. She loved Halloween, not because she was a witch, but because it was the one day where she could be someone else. Over the years, she’d chosen many different costumes, but this year, a fairy sounded like fun when Rosie suggested it.

  And she was in the mood for some fun. Lately, she’d been feeling awful and out of sorts but dressed up, and at the school Halloween dance, she felt alive again.

  She still couldn’t forget that everything with the coven was a mess. Reid was distant, moody, and angry. He barely talked to her anymore, and the late-night conversations they once shared were a thing of the past. Landon had gone to his room a couple of times to talk, but his door was always locked, and he refused to answer it.

  She knew why he was unhappy, and it hurt her to see him in so much pain, but she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t talk to her about it. They’d been together since their creation, and they’d always shared everything.

  A part of her understood why Avery broke up with Reid, even if she was infuriated with Avery for hurting him. No matter what Avery said her reasons for the breakup were, Landon knew she was trying to protect Reid from Regan, but she despised seeing her twin in such pain.

  Landon sighed miserably and looked back at the dance floor. She’d spent a lot of time with the dance committee, planning for this night, but she was beginning to wish she’d never come. A cup of chamomile tea and her bed were calling her name. However, she couldn’t leave Reid. He may be acting like he was having a good time here, but he didn’t fool her.

  Landon’s thoughts wandered to last Halloween when she stayed up and partied all night with the coven. Since becoming witches, Halloween had become more important to them, but even before they knew the truth of their ancestry, the coven spent every Halloween together from the time they were old enough to trick-or-treat. Mario, Eric, Shawn, Alex, and Reid stole pumpkins, toilet-papered trees, and shaving creamed their parents while the rest of them trailed behind, laughing and eating candy.

  When they got older and learned what they were, they started throwing parties for the coven on the beach. They would dress up, light a bonfire, and celebrate the holiday well into the next day. Last year, Mario and Eric stole a bunch of pumpkins and slipped M-80s into them.

  The unexpected explosion almost caused Landon to piss herself as pumpkin guts splattered her and everyone else in the coven. She’d been certain Sandra was going to kill them both, but they managed to evade her, though they didn’t come out of their houses for two days afterward.

  A stab of longing shot through her, and she wondered if the coven would ever celebrate another Halloween together. They all barely spoke to each other anymore, but was there enough distrust and anger between them to keep them apart forever?

  The possibility caused tears to fill her eyes, and she bli
nked them back; she refused to think about it. They may all be angry, mad, and confused right now but they would all talk again.

  “Hey, Landon!” Rosie greeted. “What are you doing?”

  Landon forced a smile as Rosie walked over to stand beside her. Deciding to come dressed as Cupid was the perfect costume for Rosie as pink was her color in the coven, and she radiated an aura of warmth and love. Blue eyeshadow emphasized the striking color of her large, sky blue eyes. Her short, strawberry blonde hair bounced against her shoulders as she shifted from one foot to the other while surveying the crowd.

  “Not much,” Landon replied, and her forced smile vanished when Talia joined them. Talia had been dancing with Reid, but now he was dancing with Dottie.

  “Hi,” Talia greeted. Her Little Red Riding Hood costume emphasized the paleness of her wheat blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes.

  Landon fought the urge to roll her eyes at Talia. When Avery first started bringing Talia around, Landon hadn’t minded the girl, but she’d grown to dislike her. Talia used Avery to get close to Reid, and now that they were broken up, she followed him everywhere in the hopes he might show her some attention.

  Reid was nice to the girl but not interested. Talia didn’t seem to notice or, if she did notice, she didn’t care about his disinterest. Still, no matter how much he loved Avery, Landon worried he might decide Talia would make a good rebound girlfriend.

  “Hey,” Landon greeted.

  Rosie clamped her lips together, folded her arms over voluptuous chest and became fascinated by the wall. Landon had never seen Rosie dislike anyone, but she didn’t even try to play nice with Talia.

  “Do you want to dance?”

  Landon’s attention was diverted from Talia when Ben Walker appeared before her. With his brown hair and blue eyes, he was handsome in his black ninja costume. She’d always thought him cute, but she’d been with Alex since they were kids. This reminder was like a knife to her heart. She still loved Alex, she always would, but it was over, and time to move on.

  It doesn’t have to be over, a small voice whispered in her head. It might not have to be over if one of them would apologize, but they were both too stubborn for that. So instead, she was suffering because she couldn’t bring herself to admit she’d been wrong.

  Alex had a point when he told her that Avery did the right thing by breaking up with Reid. He claimed Avery was trying to protect them all from Regan, and maybe she was, but Landon didn’t want anyone sticking up for the woman who’d broken her twin’s heart.

  Of course, she’d cut off her nose to spite her face by telling Alex to get out and not come back. She’d been angry, confused, and frightened by the fact the coven was crumpling, Regan had returned, and Reid was suffering. In her anger, she lashed out at Alex and broken her heart too.

  Just tell him you were wrong.

  It was the only option, and she was wrong even though she hated to admit it. She’d acted like an idiot when she kicked him out of her house. They’d been friends since birth, started dating when they were twelve, been together for almost six years, and she’d tossed it aside.

  Tomorrow she would try to fix it and hopefully he would forgive her and take her back, but tonight she might as well try to have some fun.

  “Do you want to dance?” Ben asked again.

  “Sure,” she said and slipped her arm into the one Ben offered her.

  Landon walked with him out to the floor, and when he turned to face her, she slipped her arms around his neck. The band started playing a slow song.

  “You look good tonight,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Thanks. So do you.”

  The band was too loud to do much talking so they moved gracefully through a few songs before she grew tired and thirsty. “I need to get something to drink.”

  He looked a little disappointed, but nodded. “All right. Let me know if you want to dance again.”

  “I will,” she promised though she wouldn’t.

  He reluctantly released her, and she strolled off the dance floor. Returning the friendly hellos she received, it took her longer to reach the refreshment table than she anticipated. She his her impatience when she was stopped by a few people who wanted to talk.

  Finally, she broke free of the crowd and grabbed a glass of punch off the table. She walked over to lean against the wall and survey the crowded gym. The candle in the jack-o-lantern beside her cast a flickering shadow across the floor, and she felt the warmth of it against her skin.

  The other jack-o-lanterns in the room emphasized the bright array of costumes the students strolling by her wore. Landon felt a stab of envy as she watched them. They all looked so happy that she silently envied them their carefree lives. They didn’t have to worry about an unhappy twin brother, a destroyed coven, and a spirit from Hell bent on twisting them to his side.

  At the thought of Regan, she cringed involuntarily and clutched the plastic cup tighter. It was Halloween, Samhain, the night when the veil between the worlds was thinnest. If Regan were going to do anything, it would be tonight, and there wasn’t anything the coven could do to stop him. They couldn’t even deal with each other, let alone Regan.

  Landon had pondered the idea of getting the coven together tonight, just in case Regan did make an appearance tomorrow for Halloween. But most of them wouldn’t have come, and if they had, she didn’t know what she would have done with them.

  She didn’t have the energy, or the strength, left to fight with them anymore. She hated herself for this weakness, but she couldn’t help it. This past month had done nothing but batter her down.

  It had battered them all down.

  Landon finished her drink and stepped away from the wall. It was time to go home.

  “Landon!”

  She jumped in surprise as the voice ripped through her melancholy thoughts. Turning to see who called to her, she was surprised to find a group of students gathered behind her. One of them held a candle from another pumpkin; the flickering flame cast eerie shadows across his face. A chill of apprehension ran through her, but she didn’t back away from the malice emanating from them.

  “Yes?” she asked warily.

  “Time to burn witch,” the boy holding the candle said.

  “What?” Landon gasped.

  Did I hear him right? No, she couldn’t have. She knew everyone in this group. Some of them were her friends. Just as she was beginning to curse herself for hearing things, he threw the candle on her.

  Landon jumped in surprise; her eyes darted to the soft flame as it sputtered and caught on her thin, muslin dress. Shock held her immobile as the flames surged up her skirt. The heat licked against her flesh; blisters broke out as the fire consumed her dress. It took a moment for the pain to register; when it finally did, she snapped out of her stunned stupor.

  She stumbled back as the students chanted, “Burn, witch, burn! Burn, witch, burn!”

  Landon beat at the flames licking up her skirt while laughter swelled around her. She wrapped the dress around her legs to smother the fire but it didn’t work. When the fire wrapped around her palms like a snake choking the life from its victim, a wild scream tore from her, and she flung herself backward.

  A sudden jolt woke Landon; she cried out as she found herself entangled in something. Kicking at whatever clung to her legs, it took her a few panicked seconds to realize it wasn’t flames but her blankets clinging to her legs.

  Chest heaving with her rapid breaths, Landon stared blindly into the darkness as she tried to piece together her surroundings. Finally, she registered the fact she was in her room and had fallen out of bed.

  “Stupid nightmare,” she mumbled. “Just a stupid nightmare.”

  Landon placed her hands beneath her and winced as pain shot through her palms. “What the…”

  Jumping to her feet, she fumbled desperately with the lamp on her bedside table. She ignored the discomfort the motion created as she switched on the light. Dawning horror enveloped her as she gazed at
her red palms and the blisters forming on her delicate skin.

  She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight as full-blown panic hit her. This can’t be real; it just can’t be!

  Then the cloying stench of smoke, and burnt flesh seared into her nostrils and she knew it was real.

  Now available for pre-order!

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Erica Stevens is the author of the Captive Series, Coven Series, Kindred Series, Fire & Ice Series, Ravening Series, and the Survivor Chronicles. She enjoys writing young adult and new adult romance, horror, and science fiction. She also writes adult paranormal romance and historical romance under the pen name, Brenda K. Davies. When not out with friends and family, she is at home with her husband, son, dog, cat, and horse.