Winter's Fall

by Alessandra Jay

  The second I stop, I cast the plugs out of Ava’s ears and immediately turn to Julian. “Julian Jett, why did Vincent and your captures feel like it was arranged?”

  “It’s a trap. He was supposed to get caught, but I wasn't. I couldn't help myself. I had to get closer to you. The pull is just too hard to push away.” He is being too honest for my liking, but I have to get as many details as I can before the trance wears off, or else I’ll need to sing the other half of the song.

  “A trap? How?” Ava cuts in.

  “Vincent just needed to get into Eden in time for the ceremony. The Anima Partem ceremony that I will never let go on.” His response catches me off guard and it brings anxiety to my mind instantly.

  “Why does he have to be here?” I start to sound shaky.

  “To kidnap you before you bind yourself to Evan.” He spits Evan’s name out with a complete look of disgust on his frowning face.

  “Why, Julian?” Ava asks, as she places her hand on my shoulder for support.

  “If the ceremony happens, Scarlet will become too strong for the Dark Coven to stop. With enough blood, Lenora and the demons she’s to summon are supposed to break us out and crash the wedding. But I have a different plan.

  I am going to scoop Scarlet away before Vincent can, and we are going to run away together, fall in love, have our own binding ceremony.” I can't listen to another word. Taking a deep breath, I turn towards the real lunatic.

  “Vincent, why are you doing this? Why can’t you just leave our people in peace?” I sound desperate. It’s good that his mind is too cloudy to realize it.

  “Because I'm a powerful caster that deserves to be in charge. No matter who lives or dies in the process. I want the power that Ava has, that you now have, too. You are all wrong for not teaching the casters of our world how to cast with blood, regardless of the consequences that come with it. You purposely want to make them weak. I can change that. I will change that.” He sounds robotic.

  His answer leaves me disappointed because it’s so self-serving. He’s doing this for his own selfish agenda. He cannot succeed, or we will all be doomed. Vincent and Julian begin to blink rapidly. When they come to, Vincent grunts loudly in anger.

  “How dare you! What did you do? What did we say?” He now looks frantic, afraid that we got the answers we needed.

  Which we certainly did. I don't want to spend another minute in the same room with them, so I stand to leave, with Ava right behind me. Leaving them wondering what the hell just happened is better torture than anything else I can think up.

  “No! Come back! Answer me!” Now he sounds desperate.

  The moment the door closes behind us, I plaster myself against the dirt-colored wall.

  “This can’t be happening. Why can’t I just have a normal wedding?” I don’t want to make it sound like it’s all about me, but I feel like I have a bullseye on my back.

  “Well, honey, nothing about our world is normal. But it’s better that way. We’ll get through this, especially with the information we just obtained.” Ava stands on my side, pulling me into a side hug.

  “Well, I won’t let anyone dictate when I can or can’t be happy. I don't want to cancel the ceremony.” The truth in my emotions comes out quickly.

  “Then don't. We just have to mix things up a bit, catch them off guard. Now that we know what their plan of action is, it’ll be much easier on our side.”

  “So I don't have to tell Evan it’s off?” Tears I didn't know wanted to escape begin pooling at my lids.

  “No, Scarlet, you don't. Instead, let’s do the part of the ceremony that you need me and the other Elders for tonight. Then tomorrow we move the other part somewhere else outside of Eden entirely.

  Since I can’t leave, it’s best to get the important pieces completed tonight. Then, Hunter can do the other half, since you still need an Elder to officiate. Does that sound okay?” Her loving gesture calms my nerves and, for once, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

  “Yes. Thank you. Now we have some explaining to do with everyone waiting outside.” I press off of the wall to start the walk back outside.

  “Actually, the whole interrogation was recorded. They saw everything. All we have to do is get to the estate so we can get this ceremony started! Woo! I am so excited for you! The first Elder in an incredibly long time to be bound. What a beautiful experience we’re all going to have.” Ava squeezes my shoulders as she gives me her brightest smile.

  I share my nervous one as I come to the realization that everyone outside heard me sing, and they heard everything Julian had to say. Evan must not be very happy. But, like Ava said, with just a little bit of a change, we can still go on with our plans.

  A plan I want so very badly. Even if I’m a mess at times, at least I’ll be a mess with Evan by my side.

  Chapter 39

  The Ceremony Split

  Evan

  Pacing the entrance to the opening of the cave, my hands itch to touch Scarlet. What she did in there proved to us that she is the perfect leader for this coven. The power and intelligence that she wields surprises us more and more each time she lets it out.

  I am unsure if it was the effects of Julian's gift, but my heart melted the second that beautiful song escaped her lips. I knew the song was for me. It was one I’ve never heard before, but is now my favorite.

  My back straightens up as I feel the tingles spark down my spine. The intoxicating sensation brings a shiver down my entire body, causing goosebumps to rise along my arms. She’s almost here and I'm so eager for her that I could run right through the doorway that leads to her. I stand there, with jittery legs and clammy hands, right at the base of the door.

  It slides open, revealing a surprised Ava and a blushing Scarlet. She knew I was standing there, waiting for her. Ava’s cheeks get their own red glow as she sees the look of hunger in my eyes. She walks away, towards the waiting crowd.

  Scarlet steps through, looking down at her feet, her cheeks burning even brighter. Fully aware that her father and uncle are standing just a few feet away, I refrain from deeply kissing her the way I would like to. But I can’t deny how badly I want to feel her lips on mine.

  As gently as I can, I lift her face with my hand under her chin so that I can look into her bright silver eyes. The second our eyes meet, our lips press together like a magnet finding its other half.

  “I love you so damn much, Scar.”

  Pulling away, she gives me a shy smile as she replies aloud.

  “I love you so much more. More than you could ever know.” She hooks her arm in mine as she leads us towards the group.

  Dimitri is the first to approach her. Pulling her in and picking her up off of her feet, he separates our arms, giving her a hug that makes me want to join in. But I don’t, knowing full well I'm going to have my chance alone with her later.

  “Scar, I don't even know where to start. That new gift is INSANE. It’s like nothing I have ever seen before, and I have seen plenty.” He gushes, causing another kind of blush to her cheeks. Rick pushes his brother out of the way as he pulls his daughter in for his own bear hug.

  “Really, honey, that was incredible. You make us all so proud.” Scarlet leans in a little while longer as she melts into her father’s embrace. With one last squeeze, she pulls away and faces everyone that watched the amazing interrogation.

  “I didn't know you guys were watching, but I'm glad you were. Less explaining for us to do.” She laughs at her own honesty, then reaches out her hand for me to take. I gladly do.

  “Obviously, the smart thing to do would be to call off the ceremony. Now that we know that’s their plan of attack, it would be wise for us to use it to our advantage. And we will. But I'm not calling it off. I want to continue the plans.” Scarlet looks up shyly into my eyes as some of our friends shout excitedly in agreement.

  “We do need to make a few changes, though. We won’t be doing the full Anima Partem ceremony in one place. Since Vincent and his
lackeys think that the ceremony will be here in Eden tomorrow, then we have to let them think it’s called off.

  Ava can’t leave Eden because without her, Eden won’t stand a chance if they do show up. To be prepared for anything, we should contact all of the demon hunters to stay and assist in whatever needs to be done here while we’re back in New York. So we’re going to do half of the binding here tonight.” My eyes grow wide as my eyebrows lift high into my forehead. Listening to the oohs and aahs causes a blush to grow on my own face.

  “Ava will do the necessary bindings that she is needed for tonight. Then tomorrow at my dad’s house, in the backyard, we will complete the ceremony. Since it has to be an Elder to officiate, Hunter if you could complete the ceremony, we would really love that.”

  Hunter immediately sheds a tear and nods her answer. I am officially on a cloud of bliss, knowing how much closer we are to sealing our fate together. The group claps and Ava takes Dimitri’s hands in hers.

  “Alright, I will go back in there and tell Vincent that the ceremony is off then slightly unbind his ability to mindspeak in case that’s how he’ll get the message to Lenora. I will do my best to be convincing enough. Rick and Dimitri, you stay behind then follow Belle and I to the meeting room while we let these hard-working casters enjoy a few hours off.

  Sisters, we meet an hour before the first half of this ceremony begins. Hunter, you will spend that hour with Scarlet, getting her ready.” With pride, Hunter salutes our Sister.

  “Just like we did in your other ceremonies.” With a smirk that could make anyone laugh, Hunter wiggles her thick eyebrows to Scarlet, who giggles at the sight.

  As they walk away, the group closes the space that was between us, asking a million questions at a time - mostly around which club did we want to hit in Eden’s Village. To which Scarlet immediately turns down, thankfully.

  “If I'm to be honest, it’s been a crazy last few days and I would rather stay here. There are hundreds of rooms here that we can get lost in. I honestly think the movie room sounds like heaven. Especially with Ava's special touches, considering the chaos that surrounds us.” It sounds perfect and exactly what I want to do as well.

  The moment we get inside of the estate, Hunter snaps her fingers and casts a sloth onesie onto her body. Owen follows instantly, casting himself into a dinosaur one. The rest of the group repeats the casts, sticking to the onesie trend.

  It’s not something I am entirely a fan of, but nothing can bring me down from this cloud. So with my own silly smirk, I cast myself into a penguin. With another shake of my hand, the shiniest globe of hematite appears in my palm.

  “Did you know that penguins search through piles of pebbles and stones to find the most perfectly smooth ones? They present it to their companions as a show of their devotion and endless loyalty.” I offer the hematite stone to Scarlet, whose eyes have glossed over with adoration. Smiling, she takes the stone and clutches it into her hand.

  With her other hand, she snaps her fingers, changing her clothes into the cutest elephant onesie I’ve ever seen. Even if it’s the only elephant onesie I’ve ever seen.

  “I don’t know any cute elephant facts. I just think they're beautiful creatures.”

  Shrugging her shoulders, Scarlet looks around at the group of animals that now fills the hallway and, with a single giggle, takes off towards the movie room. If a race is what she wants, then a race is what she’s going to get. Waving my hand, my board appears and I speed up behind her. I hear the footsteps behind me as everyone else tries to catch up.

  Hunter glides by my side on rollerblades and winks as she starts to pass me. But with a strong kick, I take the lead again. Well, at least I lead the remaining casters; Scarlet is actually the leader of the pack by far. With a few turns, the movie room comes into view, with Scarlet leaning up against the door.

  “Finally! I expected that from the sloth, but not you, Evan.”

  Teasing us, she sticks her tongue out and opens the door. Hunter nudges my arm with her elbow as she tries to reach the room before I do. Apparently she’s having her own race with me.

  But I catch on and, with a single snap of my fingers, I transport right into the room, where I immediately feel ten times more calm. With my arms crossed, I block Hunter’s way as she enters the room looking behind her. She bumps into me and gets red in the face as she gently pushes me.

  “Cheater!” She throws herself onto one of the round loveseats and launches a pillow at me.

  Amused, I toss it back and run towards Scarlet, who has placed herself in the small kitchen. I watch her with a smile stuck to my face. How lucky am I to be able to spend all of eternity with a Goddess like Scar?

  She swings her hands in a beautiful dance as she casts various popcorn toppings. Behind her, she has started heating up the oil for her homemade popcorn, which I'm sure will taste just as delicious as every other delicacy she has created for us.

  Victoria is in her own dance beside Scarlet, preparing several different cocktails for everyone. Chloe and the other Sisters place themselves on the other side of the counter, where they work together to get the popcorn into bowls, and hand them to everyone. Hunter is surrounded by the other guys as they decide on a movie. I'm unsure what we’re going to end up watching with a majority of men helping decide...

  But, everything comes together perfectly. This is my new family and I’m honored to be in their presence. Finally settling into our own spot, Scarlet lays her head on my chest as we eat our caramel-topped popcorn.

  Hunter and the guys decide on a popular movie about kids and teens that get forced into a map to play a deadly game. Their government makes them play to the death. I’ve never seen it before, but it sounds interesting enough. We get lost in our entertainment and this has officially become one of my favorite nights.

  ***

  As if it were perfectly timed, as soon as the movie ended Ava came to let us know that we had an hour until she was to preside over the first half of the ceremony. That was fifty-five minutes ago, and I’ve never felt so jittery. Jittery with excitement and an eagerness that can’t escape me.

  Scarlet looked so nervous as Hunter dragged her away to get ready. And then my nerves went crazy when the group shouted in their own excitement and ran off to get ready, leaving me standing in the hallway by myself. Rick came around the corner and threw his hand on my back in a strong but gentle pat on my shoulder. He had a smile on his face like he knew exactly what I was going through. And I know he did.

  He stayed with me until we had to take our places in the ceremony circle. Traditionally, we would need to hold this down in the forest of Eden, where all of the ceremonies take place. But I figured none of this is really being done in our usual processes anyway, so I asked Ava if we could conduct it in my secret place, knowing full well it will no longer be a secret after tonight. Now as I stand on the rooftop I used to call my own, looking out at the enchanting rainbow-colored treetops, I know it’s the perfect place for this.

  Even under the starry night sky, I can see the vibrant colors of the forest beneath us. I’m getting lost in the trance of our beautiful realm, so I pull myself back into the present. I’m surrounded by an extensive amount of the people we love, who are supporting us in binding our love for eternity. They sit in a circle around where Scarlet and I will soon stand together. Floating lights levitate above us, casting their glow and enclosing us in a ring of our combined love.

  Ava appears by my side with pride and love in her eyes as she takes my hand in hers and squeezes it, showing her excitement. It brings a smile to my face and my stomach does a flip. I know if Ava is here, Scarlet will appear before me at any moment.

  Hunter arrives at the circle and slides in between her fellow Sisters. She has a twinkle in her eye as she gives me her own joyous smile. It looks like at any second she’s going to burst into tears of happiness for us, and it makes me laugh to myself. She’s like the sister I never had.

  Like a rush of adrenaline, tingles flush
my entire body, causing me to feel lightheaded. The feeling is so intense it feels as if I'm floating. Goosebumps rise so fiercely on my arms that it seems as if they're going to escape my body. I feel it everywhere, in every fiber of my being. Because of the power of this ceremony, everyone else can sense our love, as well. Like static electricity, I watch everyone rub their arms as they feel the strength of our Collegati calling to each other.

  Finally, the silhouette of Scarlet’s petite body moves towards us in a slow rhythmic dance. If I wasn't certain that we are standing on land, I would swear we were on water. An all-white flower crown graces the top of her head; her hair is flowing behind her as if she were a mermaid swimming in the bottom of the sea.

  My mouth hangs open as I stare at how divine she looks. A thin silk gown hugs every inch of her body, touching the ground with a train trailing behind her. Her skin sparkles against the light of the moon and her eyes glow with adoration as she hooks her beautiful eyes on mine.

  I'm so hypnotized that when she reaches me, her touch sends a surprising shock down my arm. Jumping halfway out of my skin, I hold on to her for balance.

  “Never thought I’d see Evan White get weak in the knees.”

  Owen whispers to Oliver, snapping me back to reality. Spacing out at this time is unacceptable.

  I want to remember every single second of this wondrous moment. I raise my hand to cup Scarlet’s soft cheek and, with a single look, I can express how much love I hold for her in my heart. Without a word, she responds with her own look of reassurance.

  “Let us begin while the moon is at its brightest.” Ava moves to the center of the circle, where she motions for Scarlet and I to follow.

  “Since we cannot complete the ceremony here tonight, we will do the half that binds your souls. The chain binding will be conducted tonight during which we can set our powers free to secure the bond between Scarlet and Evan. Then tomorrow Hunter will complete the ritual and bind your auras, sealing them completely and forever.”