I was halfway through the chorus when something crashed through a window far above our heads. Glass shattered and rained down. A few feet above us the glass shards hit a rainbow-colored light and came out as dust on the other side. Tegan. I glanced over and found her grinning like a movie villain and it made the hairs on my arms stand tall. When I looked back up I realized it was just the tail end of a demon hanging out the window. I whistled louder, pumping my magic into each note.
It’s head crashed through another window then it slithered out and down the side of a building like a forty foot snake.
“It’s play time.” Tegan waved her wand and Emersyn lifted off the ground, then slid across the pavement next to her. Then she wiggled her fingers and the air around us turned colder. “I’ve cloaked y’all, so stay here and it won’t see you. D, make it follow me!”
She turned and sprinted down the middle of Times Square, her long black hair whipped around in her wake. The now-snake demon shot across the ground behind her. She glanced over her shoulder then disappeared into this air, then reappeared a few feet over on the other side. She vanished into bubbles then reappeared a bit ahead. The snake-demon followed without hesitation, slithering in a zig-zag in a blind dash for her.
Just when the snake-demon was about to strike with its fangs Tegan leapt straight into the air. She flew up high above the ground. The demon chased after her, whipping its tail back and forth. Tennessee jumped up and snagged the tail then let it flip him up into the air. He shifted his body at an angle then dove straight down. The demon didn’t even see him. I could barely see him. But I felt his aura like the sun on a summer day. As he dove, he drove his sword into the demon’s spine and dragged it down to the ground.
Tenn landed in a perfect kneel. The demon shrieked and writhed in suspension of the air. But then the energy around it pulsed and it dropped three dozen smaller wingless demons to the ground around him. Tenn jumped and dove, slicing and dicing his weapons through our enemy with every step he took. He flipped up and over a whole line of demons. Tegan fired her rainbow lightning at them.
These smaller demons were no match for the non-human humans. They turned and tried to flee but they didn’t make it far. Tegan threw her hands out and water poured out of her palms. It raced out like a tsunami – and then Tenn was there holding it back. He held his weapons up and the water raced up like a wall right in front of him. Demons crashed into it, but Tenn didn’t waste a second. He rolled the water back down on top of the demons. They splashed and squirmed for a way to get out.
Deacon, zap them now!
I threw my hands out and shot my lightning into the water. It lit up in red flashes. Each demon I hit twitched and flipped. They scrambled for a way out but neither Tenn nor Tegan were letting them breathe. Tenn crouched down then blasted into the sky and out of sight.
Em, get ready!
Emersyn raced over. She twirled her wrists and flames danced in her palms. She rolled to the balls of her feet, ready and waiting for action. Tenn emerged from the darkness, flying toward the ground like a meteor. He held his hands out in front of him then pushed. The bowl of drowning demons dropped from the sky and slammed into the cement. The water shot straight up like a wall. Tennessee somehow flipped from flying face-first to landing on one knee. He thrust his palm to the ground and an earthquake ripped through Times Square.
EM NOW!
Em didn’t hesitate. She threw two thick streams of fire right into the demons. They tried to run away but none of them could stay on their feet long enough to move. Tegan held one hand out to the side. Brown dirt and mud slammed the demons. With her free hand, Tegan flicked her wrists and bursts of rainbow magic bounced from one side of Times Square to another. Emersyn’s fire burned raw and hot.
What are they doing? It didn’t make any sense. They were drowning the demon while setting it on fire and covering it in dirt — I gasped. Water, Fire, and Earth. That’s three elements. That was how they were going to kill it, by combining all five elements.
Tegan turned into bubbles then reappeared right in the middle of the three dozen demons. She held both palms up and pushed. Her fingers were flexed wide and straining. One-by-one each demon froze in place. Their bodies had locked down but their eyes looked wide with panic.
Emersyn, ring ‘em in!
My soulmate jumped forward with her arms out wide. Flames shot out to the side then wrapped around them all in a huge circle. She took a deep breath then inched the flame-circle closer and closer. The demons hissed and tried to wiggle free of Tegan’s hold. Their bodies struggled and pulsed. They were sucked to the center of the circle, slamming into each other as they got there. There was water around their feet, dirt covering their hair, and fire pushing them right where we wanted them.
There was a flash of light and then it was that same massive demon we saw before. A gust of wind slammed into the demon’s back. Water, Earth, Fire, Air…we’re still missing one. I felt the tremor of Tenn’s magic in the air. But all I saw was a flash of bright white light then the black tip of Tenn’s dagger protruding from the demon’s chest.
The demon exploded into black mist.
Tenn slid through the dusty remains of the demon then stopped. He flipped his dagger in his hand and nodded. “Spirit.”
There it is!
“Is it dead?” Emersyn shouted, still pushing flames all around her.
Tegan grinned and held her hand out. All of Em’s fire shot right over to Tegan’s palm.
Tennessee looked right to me and nodded. “Now it’s dead.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
EMERSYN
“You sure it’s dead this time?”
Tenn glanced over his shoulder to me and smiled. “I’m sure.”
I sighed then sprinted over to Deacon. When I got to him I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close.
“Where is your infirmary?” Tegan asked in a clipped tone.
“What? Are you hurt?” I jumped away from Deacon and scanned both Tegan and Tenn’s bodies but I didn’t see a single scratch. “What’s wrong?”
Tegan shook her head. She walked by me with a deep frown on her face. When I turned my heart sank. Caroline. I’d completely forgotten Caroline hadn’t gotten hurt. Now, she was cradled in her father’s lap looking paler than fresh snow. Tegan crouched down and pressed her fingers to Caroline’s forehead.
She sighed. “She doesn’t have much time. You need to get to an infirmary, can I portal you to one?”
Marshall’s face turned a sickly green shade as he stared down at his daughter in horror.
“Yes. Please. Please, this is our – our – our daughter,” Claudia said while clinging to both her husband and daughter.
Tegan put her hands on their shoulders – and then they were gone. Nothing but a flash of white. It was only then that I actually took the second to notice who’d followed us. Both Deacon’s parents of course, and the Knights of New York. I saw a bunch of them that I recognized from the gala and Deacon’s informative lessons on what Minors and Aces did. But I was shocked to see Olivia, Oliver, and Noah. My mind replayed Liam’s last moments in slow motion. I shook my head to clear the thoughts.
I cleared my throat. “Where’s Scarlett?”
Olivia’s eyes filled with tears. She buried her face in her brother’s shoulder. Oliver wrapped his arms around her and shook his head. “She…she didn’t make it.”
My breath left me in a rush. “What? When? How?”
Noah groaned and stomped his foot. His eyes were red rimmed. “Scarlett and Liam are gone! All because we didn’t know how to fight these things! How were we supposed to live?!”
There was a flash of white light and then Tegan reappeared. She moved to stand beside me, then faced the group. “I brought them to our healer in Tampa. She’s one of the best Lead Healers in the world. Your friend is in as good of hands as she can get.”
“Is it Katherine?” Thomas, the Ace who sat
at my table earlier, asked in a soft whisper. When Tegan nodded, he sighed. “Good. Caroline has a chance then.”
There was a moment of silence and then each of the two dozen witches in front of us started shouting questions. They didn’t even give us a chance to answer one before they yelled another, and forget actually hearing their concerns. Red mist wrapped around each of their ankles and they all stopped talking. They stood straight and stared at us.
“Thanks, D.” Tennessee stepped up beside us and rubbed his hands together. “It’s been a long night, you’ve all done very well.”
My mother raised her hand like she was in school. “Emperor, what would you like us to do now?”
There was a day not long ago when Tenn cringed under the pressure for him to lead us, but the guy in front of me now was almost a different person. He stood calm and confident, his eyes clear. Whatever reservations he’d had before, well, they were gone now. He slid his sword back in the holster on his hip. “Knights, walk of the city, make sure there’s nothing else waiting to attack. Aces, go around and make sure we don’t have any panic or mass hysteria after these incidents. Minors, let’s cover all this up. Heather, check in on the rest of your society up here. Make sure everyone is safe.”
They scattered like bugs when you turned on the lights. The only people left were Deacon’s friends, and a few other random adults I’d seen for brief moments at the gala.
“Everyone else, please go home.”
Noah stomped up to the four of us. “Where’d you take Caroline?”
“Yeah, is she alive?” Oliver asked from behind him.
Olivia cried. “She has to be! We can’t lose her too…”
I knew they were talking about Liam and Scarlett, but in my mind all I saw was Libby and Larissa, and Cassandra, even though I’d never met her. We’d lost so many already. Although Libby’s death brought me my soulmate, I hated that she’d had to go. It was terrible knowing that any day could be our last. Life in The Coven was dangerous, unexpected casualties was now…well…expected.
Tegan grabbed Noah’s arm and scribbled something on his skin. “This is the phone number for the infirmary in Tampa. Go ahead and give them a call. Caroline was alive when I left her, and she’s in excellent hands. But please, for tonight, go home. Rest. Grieve.”
The others turned and headed down the street.
To my surprise, Noah walked up to me and wrapped me in a tight hug. When he pulled back he had fresh tears in his eyes that he tried to rub away before I saw. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for being such a dick to you. That wasn’t cool…but you, you’re pretty badass. What you did tonight…I know you tried to save them. I just want you to know we know you tried.”
My throat burned with the need to cry. “Thank you, Noah,” I whispered.
He nodded. “Take care of D for us.”
I took his hand in mine then smiled up at him. “I will.”
Without another word, Noah spun and sprinted to catch up to his two friends. And then it was just the four of us.
“He’s right,” I heard myself say.
Tennessee frowned and looked to me. “How so?”
“They had no idea how to fight, how to use magic to fight.” I sighed and shook my head at the memories of their attempts. “They tried but they didn’t know what to do. They weren’t trained for this.”
Tennessee nodded. “The theory is they shouldn’t have to. That’s what the Knights are for. That’s what we’re for.”
“But we let in thousands of demons on Samhain.” Tegan shuddered. “We may not be enough anymore.”
“We’re not,” Deacon said with a scruffy voice. He rubbed his face with his hand. “These civilians here, man, they have no idea what it’s like in the real world. This was the first time they’d ever seen a demon. There’s no way they could be expected to fight one. And no one knows how to get ahold of The Coven. I only knew because of Royce and Henley…but no one else does.”
“Why won’t they go to Edenburg?” Tegan frowned. “I mean, that’s what it’s for, right?”
Deacon threw his hands up. “There are many reasons, but mostly they don’t want to leave home for a boarding school.”
“They need more Edenburg campuses.”
Deacon’s eyes lit up. “That’s a brilliant idea!”
“Smaller academies for voluntary enrollment.” Tennessee nodded. “They can learn how to fight and stuff.”
Tegan tapped her finger on Tenn’s chest. “In all the major hub cities. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Vegas, Paris…so many untrained witches.”
“It would make our lives easier, too.” Tenn pushed his hair back off his face. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll talk to the Leaders, if they approve I’ll start with New York. Heather and Sebastien could help us get this —”
A loud, shrill sound blared from Tenn’s pocket. He cursed and dug into his jacket then pulled out a cellphone. He frowned. “Constance? I better take this…” He stepped away and answered the phone with his usual gruffy tone.
I sighed. This was a good step in the right direction. I’d be proud to be part of The Coven that started something like this. Someone cleared their throat and we all three jumped. Except it was just Heather. Her sapphire eyes were dark and weary. Her ice blonde hair a royal hot mess.
She looked down at her feet while twirling her wedding ring. When she looked back up at me I had the sudden urge to run. “Emersyn, I was wondering if I may have a word with you in private?”
“Anything you have to say can be said in front of my soulmate and my twin.” I held my chin high and stood my ground. She hadn’t deserved and niceness yet.
Tegan, bless her soul, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Heather.
Heather glanced to Tegan then looked away in a rush. She took a deep breath. “I wanted to say that…I am sorry.”
My eyes widened. “Pardon me?”
Heather’s shoulders dropped. She shook her head. “My behavior this weekend was deplorable. I know there is no excuse that is excusable, but I just wanted you to know that my actions had nothing to do with you. Thing is…I have my own issues regarding my son and I took it out on you. That’s not okay, and yet you handled it with grace and class. So I am sorry, and also, thank you for being the bigger person.”
“Mom…”
“I’m serious.” She took my hands and squeezed. “You were amazing this whole trip and I am so very happy knowing my son is in good hands.”
“Thank you, Heather.” I licked my lips. “Thank you.”
Heather smiled then stood up on her toes and kissed Deacon on the cheek. When she pulled back she arched one eyebrow at him. “Now, I’m going to check on Amelia and everyone else. Don’t you leave New York without telling me.”
A smile pulled on my lips. I turned toward my sister and found her glaring at Heather’s back. I smacked her arm. “Tegan, you can stop now. She apologized.”
Tegan shrugged. “She’s gonna be sorry if she pulls that shit again.”
I chuckled and slid her leather jacket off, then handed it out to her. “Here, it feels weird wearing this.”
“Fine. Deacon, give her your jacket. Don’t let my twin freeze.” She winked then backed away. “I’m gonna check on Tenn.”
“I don’t think I can freeze, I’ve got all this fire.” I laughed more and turned toward my soulmate. “But I wouldn’t turn down your jacket.”
Deacon grinned so wide his jaw popped. He pointed to my right arm then ran his fingers along my skin. “It grew!”
I glanced down and sure enough, our soulmate glyph had grown. It now stretched down to my right elbow. I smiled. “Well look at that.”
“Uh oh…I think you like me,” Deacon said with a chuckle.
My face fell. Like him? That wasn’t right. I could’ve just left it alone. I could’ve pretended it wasn’t said at all. But then…it was time he knew. If I’d learned anything from his near death it was how short life really was.
; I looked up into his violet eyes. “I love you, Deacon.”
His whole face lit up. His eyes sparkled. “I love you, too.”
I fisted his shirt and pulled his lips down to mine. For a moment, everything was right in the world. Kissing Deacon was the best feeling in the world. I felt light yet strong. I felt like I could rule the world and destroy it all at the same time. His lips were soft against mine. I let myself enjoy the strength and heat from his body, then pulled away.
“I always wondered, and I know others have as well, as to why you were chosen as our Devil.” I bit down on my bottom lip and fixed his shirt buttons. “But now I know. I see it.”
He frowned, but there was still a smile plastered to his face. “See what?”
“You see the darkness in other people, yet you don’t judge them for it. You were Marked because I needed you. I needed you to make me good.”
Deacon smiled and cupped my face. “Your heart burns with a fiery passion, but even in your darkest, weakest moments you act only in the name of love.”
“Oh, Deacon…” I leaned into his chest to hide the blush burning against my cheeks.
“I love you, Butterberry.”
I chuckled. “I love you, Devil boy.”
“Tenn? What’s wrong?”
Deacon and I spun at the sound of Tegan’s voice, it was way too sharp.
Tenn stared at the ground. “The Coven is needed in Eden. Now.”
I hope you loved The Coven: Elemental Magic series as much as I loved writing it!
But don’t worry, there is plenty more coming for The Coven in Season Two: The Coven: Practical Magic Series. You’ll still see the characters you love, but you’ll also get to meet a few more!
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The Fire Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 7) Page 18