The Light Calling

 

Here you’ll find the chapters of THE LIGHT CALLING that were already posted in my newsletter.

 

 

Chapter 1

 

In the early mornings and evenings, the inside of the coffee shop looked like a rainbow—each person shining a different color, a different shade, and forever changing. But now, fifteen minutes to closing time, there were only a handful of auras inside the dimly lit place.

I saw a guy shining green and the girl with him hinting at a pink, an older man glinting a soft blue, and behind the counter, Piper shining a bright yellow.

She caught my eye and smiled at me before returning to work. She often worked night shifts at this shitty coffee shop in this shitty town in the middle of nowhere Mississippi, and as her best friend and roommate, I came to stay with her. Even though she had a car to drive herself across town back to campus, I didn’t like to leave her in this shady neighborhood alone.

As usual, I had taken a side booth from where I could see the front door and the back counter, and had my books spread over the table. I took advantage of this time to work on my school projects and study.

I saw the glow of her aura approaching me before I actually saw her. Smiling, Piper rested a tray with a caramel latte in front of me and took the seat across the table.

“It’s decaf,” she said.

The corner of my lips curled up. “Thank you.” I picked up the mug with both hands and brought it to my face, inhaling the sweet scent deeply. Caramel and I had a problem. I was addicted to anything caramel.

She chuckled. “One could say that mug is your boyfriend.”

“It might as well be,” I said, losing my smile. I was twenty years old and had only kissed a guy once—and I had been eighteen then. I had gone out on dates with two other guys since, but nothing had come of it.

Because I wouldn’t allow it to become more.

I couldn’t.

“Sadie,” Piper snapped, reprimand in her tone. Whenever she pretended to be mad at me, it was actually really funny. Piper was a beautiful brunette with thick eyebrows and full hair that went down to her shoulders and in perfect coils. She looked tough, but she was actually the sweetest person I had ever met. Not that I had gotten close to many people. “You’re beautiful. You could get any guy you want.” She leaned over the table and glanced at the couple on the other side of the coffee shop. “Whenever she’s not looking, that guy keeps stealing glances at you,” she whispered.

What? “He did not.”

“I’m telling you!”

But … his aura was green, the color of jealousy, among other things. By the way he seemed upset, I thought he was jealous of his girlfriend. Unless I was misreading the color …

I wasn’t blind. I knew I wasn’t ugly, though I sure wasn’t the most beautiful out there as Piper made it sound. My long, light-brown hair was too frizzy and often messy, my fair skin made me look like a ghost most of the time, and the many freckles across my thin nose bothered me sometimes.

But whether I was beautiful or not wasn’t the problem. The problem was much bigger than that. And this problem was actually a secret I kept hidden all my life. A secret I wanted to share with Piper, but I was afraid of her reaction.

I was sure she would call me a freak, like others had, and avoid me. Or worse.

I glanced at my phone over the table. “Only ten more minutes,” I said.

“If they ever leave.” I knew she meant the couple and the older man.

“We’ll make them leave.”

She smiled. “I would like to see that.” She sighed and stood. “Time to go back to work. Or pretend at least.”

Piper went back to the bar, grabbed a rag, and began wiping the counters again. I didn’t understand why she worked here, in this hole on the wall. There were so many coffee shops and restaurants near campus, I was sure she could find a job there, but she insisted on staying here. Despite the time it took to drive here, it didn’t pay much more than those other jobs would. She could save on time and gas, but she always said the same thing: a sweet, old woman owned the coffeeshop and Piper felt bad for her. The woman always sent her home with leftovers, which were delicious, or some extra money, and treated Piper like a dear granddaughter.

Still, she would have to leave someday, even if it was only after graduation.

Finally, five minutes later, the couple and the older man left. And a minute later, a man entered the coffee shop, his aura a mix of brown and gray.

I frowned as he walked past my table, bumped into the booth across the corridor, knocked the caddy with napkins and plastic utensils over, and kept walking as if nothing had happened.

On instinct, magic ran down my arm and my hand shot out. The caddy froze mid-air. Panic rushed through me as I realized what I had done, and quickly picked up the thing and placed it over the table. I scanned around, but apparently Piper and the man hadn’t seen anything.

My heart racing, I sat back down on my booth.

I tried focusing on my books, but the gleam of the man’s aura caught my eye. As he talked to Piper, who smiled at him like she always did with all customers, it was gradually darkening.

I didn’t like that.

His words came out in a rush, a mix of groans and snarls I couldn’t quite make out. His aura darkened some more. Piper’s smile faded, and her aura gained a few blue sparks.

I rose to my feet just as he pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket and pointed it at Piper. My heart lurched into my throat as Piper froze, her face going pale, and her aura turning dark blue—fear.

“Now!” he yelled, pushing the gun to her face. Piper didn’t move and her aura pulsated with her fear. “Do it, or I’ll shoot!”

The man pulled the safety and cocked the gun. His aura was pitch black now.

He was going to shoot.

He was going to kill Piper.

Time slowed and I saw as his finger flexed over the trigger. Magic coursed through my body, filling me with pure power, more power than I had ever felt before. A scream ripped from my throat as my arm shot out, releasing my power.

A wave of magic washed over the coffeeshop. The man was pushed to the ceiling and the gun fell on the ground.

“What?” he stuttered, his aura gaining a few black swirls. “What’s this?”

“You piece of shit!” I waved my hand to the side, and the man flew toward the front window. The glass exploded in a million tiny pieces and flew in all directions as the man landed in the middle of the street.

The man didn’t move.

The coffeeshop went silent.

The adrenaline and magic inside me died.

Shit, what had I done?

Slowly, I turned toward Piper.

And she stared at me with wide, scared eyes. “Who-who are you?”

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Piper’s question cut through me and I lost my voice, my words. I didn’t know how to answer her. What was I?

In truth, I didn’t know. Wasn’t I a person? A human? Just with some weird ability? Maybe I was a witch? That was always the first thing that came to mind. At least witch was better than alien or demon or several other options that I could think of.

But that wasn’t why I couldn’t answer her question.

I couldn’t answer her question because … what did she mean? I was me, Sadie Smith, her roommate for the last eighteen months, her best friend. She knew me, my person, my personality, my principles, even if she hadn’t known about my magic.

My magic wasn’t something I completely accepted either, so how could I explain it to her?

How could I expect her to accept it?

Before I could find words, Piper moved and grabbed her cell phone. With shaking hands, she dialed 911. In less than ten minutes, a dispatch had arrived and was questioning us about what had happened.

“I don’t know what happened,” I said, my own voice a little shaky. I guess the adrenaline and despair of the moment, and having shown off my powers to Piper had messed with me. “When he pointed the gun at us, both of us ducked down behind the counter,” I lied. Piper was still in shock, and besides her question to me and her brief call to 911, she hadn’t uttered any other word. “Then we heard the glass breaking. When we checked it out, the man was lying in the middle of the street.”

For a moment there, I had been afraid I had killed him. I still didn’t know my own strength, the true measure of my power, and I didn’t rule out being able to kill someone without meaning to. But then the police arrived and one of the officers helped the man up. He was dizzy and uttering words like freak, flying, power. I wanted to erase this day and curl in my bed …

The man was now inside an ambulance, about to be taken to a local hospital to be checked, then he would be charged for armed robbery.

The officer glanced around the coffee shop. “There are no cameras.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered it anyway. “No, sir. The owner is old-fashioned and she thinks recording people in her shop is like invading their privacy.”

He nodded and wrote something down on the pad in his hands.

He asked a few more questions about us: who we were, where did we study, if we had seen that man before, if he knew the owner … but so far it looked like a random robbery.

Soon after, the owner Mrs. Clark arrived. She rushed to Piper and embraced her tight. “Oh, dear Piper. What a nightmare.” Piper let out a sob. “I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Mrs. Clark whispered.

Holding on to Piper, Mrs. Clark answered a few of the officer’s questions, then while they examined the place, she said, “You two should go home now. I can take over from here.”

“But—”

“No buts,” the old woman cut Piper off. “You’ve already spent a lot of hours here, now this. I can deal with it and you can go home and rest. I know you have classes tomorrow morning.” Piper shook her head. “Piper, I’m not asking, I’m telling you. Go home.” She glanced at me with a soft smile. “Please, Sadie, take her home.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I reached for Piper but she jerked away. The pain inside my chest only increased.

If Mrs. Clark noticed it, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she pushed Piper in my direction. “Go now.”

I stepped away, for Piper’s sake. After another push, Piper finally moved and we both walked around the shop to her car which was parked in the back.

When we turned into the parking lot behind the building, I halted. “I can … I can take the bus back to campus if—”

“Just get in,” Piper snapped. Her aura was a mix of blue and orange.

“No, it’s fine. I see you need space right now.”

She stared at me with hard eyes. “I might be a little confused right now, but I’m not about to let you walk two blocks to the bus stop in a neighborhood like this, especially after being robbed.”

It was a relief to know she still cared, but I really didn’t want to push my luck here. “Are you sure?”

She rolled her eyes and slipped inside the car. I hurried after her before she changed her mind and left me here.

Half of the drive was in tense silence. Piper stared straight ahead at all times and held on to the wheel with hard arms. It was a miracle she could make turns at all.

We were less than ten minutes from the dorm building, and the worry about what came next started eating me alive. Would she continue to ignore me? Would she kick me out? Where would I go? I didn’t have anyone …

And now I was about to lose my only friend.

I glanced out to the dark streets. I tried emptying my mind, thinking about the gloomy weather outside, the fact that fall was in full swing, bringing a chill wind and cloudy skies, but nothing held my attention. I could only think of Piper’s reaction.

“That’s why I never told you before,” I broke down. “I wanted to, believe me, I did, but I was sure you wouldn’t take it well. I knew you would shut me off and push me away.” I paused. “Just like you’re doing now.”

My entire life had been lonely, and when I finally found a friend who seemed to want to keep me by her side, I worked so hard to please her, to not give her any reason to abandon me like everyone else had.

I was just under a year old when I was abandoned at a hospital’s entrance. I had been in a thin white dress and barefoot in the harsh cold winter. Other than that, I only had a large necklace around my neck and a piece of paper with my first name on it. Social services was called, but they couldn’t find any relatives of mine. They didn’t even know where to look. I was placed in an orphanage, and that’s where I had gotten my common last name, Smith.

I was five years old, living in my first foster home when I found out I had magic. Like moving objects and conjuring small light bolts. At that time, I hadn’t had control over it, and my foster family saw when I was upset and made all the items in my bedroom float around in a tornado. They called me a freak and immediately sent me back to the system. They told the social worker I had mental problems and because of that, I was sent into a mental institution to be evaluated. I stayed there for over six months, being prodded and poked and studied, but out of desperation, I learned to control my magic, at least enough to hide it. I was able to pretend there was nothing wrong with me, and after a few more tests, I was discharged. But that little pit stop didn’t look pretty on my record. Any chance I had to be adopted flew out the window. I ended up going from one foster home to another. Some were bad. Some were worse.

I had been alone all my life.

Until I started college—with my little savings from working every summer since I was thirteen and a handsome scholarship—and met Piper on my first week. We had been best friends ever since.

And now that was also gone.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t know what to think.” She let out a long breath. “Just … give me some time to think this through.”

We drove the rest of the way in silence. We parked the car in silence. We walked from the parking lot to the dorm building in silence. We entered our room in silence.

I stopped by the door and looked at Piper as she moved around the room with awkward gestures. She glanced around and touched things randomly, then dropped them. She seemed lost about what to do next.

She had said she needed time. Maybe she needed some space too.

Praying the RA wouldn’t find me, I grabbed my pillow and blanket. “I’ll sleep in the common room tonight.”

I rushed out of the room before Piper could say anything.

The common room was like a large entertainment room on the first floor with lots of sofas and low tables, a big TV, video games, some desks and chairs, and a large bookshelf filled with books.

By a miracle, the gamers who stayed up playing all night weren’t here, and I was able to lie down on one of the best preserved sofas. I hugged my pillow and tried to push back the tears that burned behind my eyes but couldn’t.

I touched the necklace around my neck. I didn’t know why I still wore that thing. It was ugly and heavy, with a thick chain and a flat locket with an odd drawing that didn’t open … but it was the only thing I had from before. From my mother.

I wanted to hate her for having abandoned me, but I couldn’t do even that.

I had tried so hard to hide what I was, what I could do from the world, because only then I could pretend to be normal. But I had failed.

Now, I was all alone again.

 

 

 

Chapter 3

 

“Sadie.”

I blinked, trying to wake up. “Yes?”

“It’s me.”

Piper.

The events of the previous night flashed in my mind. The robbery, the magic, the cold reaction, the sleeping on the sofa.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep off my eyes. “Hm, hi. What happened?”

Seated at the couch beside me, Piper tilted her head at me. “Your eyes are puffy. Did you cry last night?”

I shrugged and averted my gaze. “What if I did?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry.”

I snapped my head back to her. “What?”

“I didn’t sleep well, thinking about you all night.” She paused. Her aura was a mix of baby pink and soft blue. “I was scared at first, yes. I mean, who wouldn’t be? You simply moved your hand and that man flew away.”

I put my finger over my lips. “Shhh.”

“Sorry.” She lowered her voice as she went on, “But I thought a lot about it. I understand why you didn’t tell me before. I don’t like it, I wished you had told me, but I get it. As much as I hate to admit it, I would probably do the same.”

A sliver of hope bloomed in my chest. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’m not scared anymore.” She offered me a small smile. “I’ll confess it’ll take some time for me to get used to whatever you are and—” She frowned. “What are you?”

The corner of my lips pulled up at her curiosity. “I don’t know. I’m guessing a witch of sorts?”

“You think this came from your parents?” she asked, her tone careful, slow.

Piper knew all about how and where I was found, and where I had been. The only missing piece she didn’t know was the magic part. Until now.

I shrugged. “There’s no way to know for sure, but I would say yes. I think.”

Her brows curled down and she reached for my hand. “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“For my reaction yesterday,” she said. “And for how lonely it must have been. You had this huge thing going on with you and no one to talk to.” She gasped. “You told me you spent six months in a mental institution, but you didn’t know why …”

“Yes, well, I had to lie about that. Sorry for that. But the truth is, when magic first manifested itself, I didn’t have good control of it, and my foster family saw me using magic. They called me a freak and sent me back, saying I had serious mental problems.”

“And that’s how you ended up in an asylum.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

She squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. It’s not your fault.”

“But I feel for you. I can’t imagine being a little kid and going through it all alone.” Her eyes filled with tears. Piper came from a loving family. She had both her parents and four younger siblings. They all had to work hard to be able to make ends meet, but they were all happy and loved each other. I had always envied her for that. She squeezed my hand again. The pink in her aura intensified. “I’m here for you now.”

My eyes also filled with tears and emotion clogged my throat. “Thank you,” I croaked.

She let go of my hand and wiped at her eyes. “Okay, now let’s go before the resident advisor finds you sleeping here.”

I jumped off the couch. “I’m ready.”

Chuckling, she stood and hooked her arm in mine. “Then let’s go make some mean breakfast because after last night, we deserve it.”

I went along with Piper, with a skip in my step and a little warmth around my heart.

Perhaps I wouldn’t be alone again.

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I muttered as Piper parked her car along the crowded street. It seemed everyone’s cars were parking here.

She turned the engine off and smiled at me. “Ah, come on. It was a great idea.” She ran a hand over her newly bright green hair.

I chuckled as I flipped the visor down and looked at myself on the small mirror, at my hot pink hair. I still didn’t know how this dye stayed in my light brown hair—maybe because it was cheap and was probably doing immense damage. Well, but at least it had worked, even if only for one night.

I exited the car and put on my witch hat. Only Piper would come up with our costumes’ theme for this Halloween: bright witches. We were both dressed in similar little black dresses, black stockings, boots, and the same hat we had bought at a dollar store.

“If only people knew,” I whispered as we walked from her car to the house outside of campus holding what was supposed to be the biggest Halloween party in town.

Piper linked her arm to mine. “That’s the whole point. Tonight, if you say you’re a witch, you won’t be lying.”

I frowned. I didn’t even know if I could call myself a witch. What if I was something else entirely? But what else? Because if witches and ghosts—oh, I knew about ghosts—existed, then other things existed too, right? Like vampires, werewolves, fairies?

I shook my head, sending those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to worry about that. Finally, Piper seemed more comfortable with me and my magic, though I tried avoiding using it in front of her. There was no need to spook her more. Still, she hadn’t shunned me anymore, and that was all I could ask for.

A chilly breeze blew by and I shivered. Whose idea was it to wear a sleeveless dress at the end of October? Mississippi wasn’t too cold, but sometimes the weather could surprise us. I glanced up, to the pretty stars in the endless night sky and smiled. For some reason, I felt a connection to the night, to the moon.

From outside the house, we could hear the loud music and see the many people mingling around through the long and wide windows. Once we went in, the scent of alcohol, smoke, and cheap perfume assaulted my senses. But worse than that was the amount of auras blinding me. Many shades of greens, blues, and yellows, though the pinks and reds won by far—love and passion. Anyone here had a mind of hooking up, if they weren’t already. Here and there, I saw a darker aura, indicating someone who was sad or angry.

I did my best to ignore so many auras in such a tight space. That was one of the reasons I avoided crowded spaces. Even on campus and in my classes, there weren’t these many students squeezed together. It was easier to manage.

I took deep breaths and tried my best to see past the auras, to focus on the people within them instead of their bright shine.

As Piper and I walked by the sea of colors, trying to find familiar faces, I noticed people casting glances at us, probably wondering what characters we were tonight. Well, no specific characters here. Just green witch and pink witch!

Piper found some girls from biology class near the kitchen and we headed to them. We had hung out with them at other parties, but I wasn’t as keen on them as Piper was. Truth be told, I wasn’t much keen on anyone other than Piper. After my life of misery, it was hard for me to trust anyone.

Soon, Piper and I were lost in the party. We had red cups with cheap beer in our hands, a low buzz in our veins, lots of acquaintances around us dancing to the beat of the music, and most important of all, the glow of everyone’s auras was now slightly blurred, making it easier for me to ignore it.

A guy from my literature class danced by my side and tried making small talk, but it was hard to hear him with so many noises around us, unless we leaned into each other, and even though I could see he was flirting with me, I wasn’t very interested. My last couple of experiences had left me with a sour taste in my mouth. It was hard being what I was and letting someone get too close.

A sudden sadness hit me hard in the chest. I didn’t want to blame myself for being born the way I was, because I knew it wasn’t my fault, but damn, why me?

“Excuse me,” I muttered, my words getting lost in the cacophony of the sounds around me. I pushed away from the guy, Piper, and our acquaintances, and went to the closest bathroom.

I dumped the rest of my beer in the sink and washed my hands. If I hadn’t been wearing five pounds of make up, I would’ve splashed water in my face. Instead, I leaned against the door opposite to the counter and mirror and took deep breaths.

It was okay, I told myself. It was what it was, I couldn’t change it, but I could make it work.

Somehow.

In some way.

Hopefully someday I would meet a guy who didn’t care if I was a witch or a demon or whatever, and I wouldn’t have to hide from him too. The problem was … how did I find a guy who was willing to accept me the way I was without fully exposing myself and risking scaring him for life?

Damn, this was hard.

Just like me, walking on eggshells around Piper, it was too hard.

I exhaled, shaking my shoulders and arms and trying to also shake off my frustration and sorrow.

A cold air swirled around my legs and up my spine. Goosebumps spread through my arms, and I held my breath. I stilled, staring at myself in the mirror. I knew this feeling. Slowly, I opened up my senses and pushed them out with magic.

And I found it.

A ghost in the attic of this house.

The moment my magic found it, the air turned colder and the lights flickered twice. The people in the house thought it was a cool trick and yelled in delight.

But I knew better.

This wasn’t the first time I felt a ghost—I had even seen them before. I assumed this was part of my abilities, just like seeing auras or moving small things. However, I couldn’t get rid of the fear that overtook me whenever I sensed or saw one. Once, just once, I had tried putting on my big girl pants and talking to the ghost, ask what it wanted, how I could help, but the damn ghost only chased me away. For two weeks, I could barely sleep because every time I closed my eyes, I had nightmares about the ghost becoming corporeal and killing me in gruesome ways. So I never tried again.

I wanted to put on my big girl pants right now, but the cold increased, the shiver came back, stronger, and when I sent out my senses again, I found the ghost on the second floor and getting closer.

Holy shit, no. I couldn’t do this.

I dashed out of the bathroom and made a beeline toward Piper. I found her leaning against the guy who had just been flirting with me, batting her eyelashes at him, and he kept staring at the not-so-subtle cleavage of her dress. If I had been interested in the guy, I would have been upset. Though, who cared about that when there was a freaking ghost in this house?

I halted beside Piper, and the feeling that I was alone in the middle of a crowd came back with a full force, robbing me of air. How I wished I was a simple human, with no special powers, with no abilities. Then I wouldn’t be able to sense the ghost and be scared out of my mind right now. Then maybe my entire life would have been different.

I couldn’t dwell on that, not now.

I patted Piper’s arm and she turned to me. The moment she saw me, her smile faded. “What happened?”

I pressed a hand on my stomach. “I’m not feeling well. I think whatever I ate didn’t mix well with the alcohol,” I lied, feeling like the worst friend ever. “I think I should go back home.”

She frowned. “Are you sure? You want me to come with you?”

I shook my head. “No, no. I don’t need a babysitter. I’ll just make some tea and go to bed.”

The lights flickered twice again. The people around me screamed and cheered.

Piper laughed. “Isn’t this crazy? The house owner is going all out.”

“Sure,” I mumbled.

I felt so bad about leaving her here with a ghost, but it had happened before. I had seen ghosts before and left, and nothing had happened to the people who had stayed. Ghosts were mostly harmless, from what I had noticed so far. But I didn’t like the way they came to me, the way they looked at me, as if they knew I could sense and see them, and they wanted me to acknowledge them. I liked to think I was a brave girl, but there was only so much I could endure. I had tried before, but I couldn’t act normal with a ghost hovering around me.

When the cheers settled down again, Piper asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

I shook my head and offered her a reassuring smile. “Stay, have fun.”

“If you say so,” she said, looking rather relieved. “Text me if you need anything.”

I nodded, waved goodbye, and weaved my way toward the door. I could feel the cold air, the magical figure descending the stairs like a floating cloud, coming toward me.

Holding my breath, I tried maintaining my composure until I was at the door. But once I stepped out of the house, I lost it. I ran down the driveway until I was at the sidewalk, several yards from the door.

As if teasing me, the ghost passed through the closed door—a figure of an older man with ripped clothes and a disfigured face. However this person had died, it hadn’t been pretty.

Bile rose to my throat and my legs trembled, but I didn’t move. I stayed there, glued to the sidewalk, trying to run, but failing. I expected the ghost to come to me, to chase me, but it didn’t move, as if it was linked to the house.

Good for me.

I inhaled some of the chilly night air, which helped with the nausea, and forced my feet to move. One after the other.

I stopped again two houses away, fished out my phone, and ordered an Uber. I wouldn’t walk the several blocks to the dorm alone in the middle of the night, even if I had magic to defend myself.

As I waited for the Uber, I closed my eyes and fought back tears. Once more I had lied to Piper about me and what was happening. And once more I was fleeing from my own life … all because of my magic.

Would I ever be able to live like a normal person?

Like a human?

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

Usually, Piper had Friday nights off so we could go out and party on campus, even if half the time, we ended up back in bed by eleven. And sometimes we didn’t even sleep. We just watched a movie, or bought a bottle of wine using a fake ID, and talked and laughed while drinking.

But this Friday, only two days after Halloween, the coffee shop owner had called her and said the usual barista had an urgent family matter and couldn’t find anyone to cover for her. Of course, the righteous Piper said she would close it.

Which was a relief, to be honest. Since the Halloween party and the damn ghost, I had slept very poorly and wasn’t ready to go out to another party just yet. I still felt like a coward for running away and leaving Piper behind, but as I expected, she had come back to our dorm room safe and sound.

On Fridays, I had class until five and my first idea was to go to our dorm and chill by myself. But for someone who was always alone, I was terrified of being actually alone. So, I took a quick shower, put on some jeans and thin sweater and boots, grabbed my jacket, and took the bus to the coffeeshop.

It was past six in the evening when I got down to the bus stop two blocks from the coffee shop. The sun had just set and the chill of the night started to build up.

A streetlamp flickered and went out. A cold breeze, colder than before, swept over me, and a shiver went down my spine.

Something was wrong.

It wasn’t another ghost, was it?

I measured my next steps, waiting for something to happen.

But when it did, I wasn’t ready.

Three men with pitch-black auras jumped at me and dragged me to a narrow alley between two buildings.

My first instinct was to scream, but one of the men put his hand over my mouth and his knife on my neck. My heart beat faster, my breathing grew shallow. What was happening here?

My second instinct was to call my magic. I opened my arms and channeled my power.

The man pressed the blade to my skin. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

My eyes bugged. “D-do what?”

“Use your magic,” another one said, grinning and revealing two gold teeth. Other than small details like that, the three of them looked the same with black clothes and heavy red cloaks over their shoulders, and holding knives like daggers. If I stopped to think about it, I would laugh at the absurdity of this scene. Was this some fantasy movie?

But it wasn’t a movie, and it wasn’t fantasy.

“How …?”

“How did we know you’re a witch?” the third man asked. He had a scar running across his face. “Because we are big fans of witches.”

The man holding me laughed out loud like this was a joke.

A chill went down my spine.

“Even though, this is fun, we don’t have a lot of time to waste,” Gold Teeth said. “Pauline stole something from us. Where is it?”

I blinked. “Pauline? I don’t know any Pauline.”

The blade pressed against my neck some more, and I stilled. “Don’t play around with us, little witch. Just answer the questions and this will be much easier.”

“B-but I don’t know any Pauline, I swear.”

Scar Face frowned. “You don’t know your own mother?”

I gasped. My heart stopped. “What … I don’t … mother?”

Gold Teeth laughed. “She doesn’t know her mother’s name!”

“I don’t care about that,” Scar Face snapped. “As long as she can find the crystal, I don’t care if she knows her mother or not.”

“Where’s the crystal?” the man holding me whispered in my ear. I did my best not to recoil from him and cut myself on his dagger. “Tell us!”

“I don’t know!” I cried, as a mix of rage and fear filled my chest. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The dagger over my neck loosened a little and I could breathe again.

“I don’t think she knows about it,” Gold Teeth said.

“Then we take her with us,” Scar Face said.

The fear inside me pushed the rage down and went into full panic mode. Not knowing any other way, I channeled more of my power.

“No—”

I pushed my magic out and two light bolts zipped to Gold Teeth and Scar Face. The bolts exploded on their chests, pushing them back. Distracted by the scene, the third man loosened his grip on me, enough for me to push his arm away and twirl out of range.

“Hey, you b—”

“Shut up!” I threw a bigger bolt at him. He flew back and hit the wall with a loud thud. He fell down and didn’t get up. Bile rose to my throat. He couldn’t be dead, right? I had just stunned him.

Before I had time to consider it some more, the other two men were coming at me again. Like I had done with the unconscious man, I conjured more of my magic and sent two bigger bolts at them. Two seconds later, they were down too.

It took a moment for my feet to synch with the commands of my brain, but soon I was running out of the alley—my breathing and heartbeat fast and hard.

Out of breath, I skidded to a stop on the first corner.

What now? If I went back to the coffee shop, I could be drawing those men there … but if they were friends with that first guy, they probably knew about the coffee shop. They would go there eventually. And Piper was all alone in there.

My guts split in two as indecision coursed through me.

What to do? What to do?

Protecting Piper was more important, so I swallowed my fear and turned toward the coffeeshop.

Thankfully, Piper was busy when I arrived and she didn’t take a good look at me. I took a corner booth, from where I could look out through the window and still had a good view of the front door in case someone unwelcomed came in.

But would I see them? They had been dressed in all black, except for the dark red cloaks which were easily lost in the night, and even their auras were all black—so heavy, so deep. And I hadn’t even seen them until they were right in my face. I blamed the fact that it had been very dark when it all happened.

I shuddered, remembering it all.

Holy crap …

Their words came to mind. They had said I was a witch, that my mother was named Pauline, and apparently she had been a witch like me. And what was that about a crystal?

I shook my mind, feeling a headache coming.

I touched the necklace under my sweater, my gaze on the street, my mind on how messy everything was turning out to be. I was so focused on watching the window and door and completely lost inside my own mind that I jumped off my seat when Piper showed up with my favorite coffee.

“It’s just me,” she said with a chuckle. Then her gaze fixed on my neck and her eyes widened. “What happened?”

“What?” I touched my neck, then lowered my hands. There was a little blood on my fingers. As if the injury had been turned on, a burning pain throbbed through my neck and down my shoulders. “Shit.”

She took the seat beside me and held out my chin. “What happened?”

“I …” What the hell would I tell her? That I had just been attacked by three men in red cloaks and that I had come to hide in here? She had just accepted me as a person with magic, a witch as the men had called me. How would she feel about it if now there were strangers hunting me? I touched my neck again. I had no idea how the wound looked, but I had to tell her something. “I scratched myself.” With a smile, I lifted my hand to her and showed her my long nails.

She was still frowning when he let go of my face. “Whatever.” Her aura changed from blue to red as she stood and went back to the bar.

And with each step she took, my heart wilted away. She had been the first real friend I had, my best friend, but even that seemed to have numbered days.

As I had learned pretty early, nothing lasted forever in this life.

 

 

Chapter 6

 

The man pushed the dagger into my gut.

I sat up in my bed, drenched in sweat.

I glanced around, trying to calm down my racing heart and ragged breathing. I was in my dorm room, in my bed. Piper’s bed was already made, the sign that she had left early for her eight o’clock class. I didn’t have class Monday mornings, so I took advantage of that time to sleep in—ever since being attacked by those men three nights ago, my sleep had been restless and filled with nightmares of them killing me in the most horrible ways.

The first night, they tied chains around me and threw me in a river.

The second night, they tied me to a wooden post and cut me to pieces before lighting a bonfire at my feet.

And last night, they stabbed me three hundred times, but kept me alive and conscious through it all, so I could experience the pain and agony over and over again.

A shudder rolled down my back and I jumped out of bed, eager to get busy and forget about these damn nightmares. But I didn’t have anything to do before my lunch date with Piper and my first class of the day at two in the afternoon. Still, I had to burn this pent-up energy. I wanted to get tired so my brain was all mush and it couldn’t conjure so many horrible images.

I changed my pajamas for sweatpants and thermal tee and sneakers, pulled my pink hair into a tight ponytail, and went running. I didn’t do it as often as I should, but it was always a good way to clear my mind. There was a running track three buildings over, so I walked briskly until I got there, as a warm up, then I joined the dozens of other students exercising or training on the track.

I turned on the music on my earphones and ran, focusing on each of my steps, on the loud beat of the music.

But no matter what I did, that night and those men’s faces, those men’s words, came back to my mind and filled my veins with dread. With fear.

Witch.

Mother.

Crystal.

After thirty minutes of running, I was spent. I dragged my feet back to the dorm and enjoyed a warm shower—the showers in the common bathroom weren’t that good, but I used my magic to increase the pressure and make the water hotter. I even created a soundproof bubble around me to fade away the sounds of others in the bathroom.

I didn’t blow dry my long, fading pink hair before leaving to meet with Piper—and with the cold wind and humidity in the air, I was sure my waves would become unruly and messy in ten seconds flat.

I twisted my hair into a knot, pulled the hood of my jacket up, and increased my pace toward the main dining hall.

I had just started crossing one of the campus’ open squares when something tugged in my mind. The wind ceased, then rushed through me, colder than before. I snapped my head forty-five degrees to the right.

A guy dressed in light jeans and a white shirt stood across the square, his hands folded behind him, and his eyes on me. His aura was a bright red—it could mean power, strength, anger, or passion.

Fear snaked up my arms. Was he another one of those men? Was he here to get to me? To fight me? To kill me? To kidnap me?

I turned my face away and increased my speed slightly, but the pull was still there. I glanced his way three more times, and he still stood in the same spot, with his imposing stance, and staring openly at me.

If he was one of those men, would he come at me right here? In front of everyone?

I doubted it.

I hoped not.

But who knew?

I practically ran inside the dining hall and hid at a corner table. When Piper arrived, I asked her to order my food for me, because I didn’t want to get out of my hiding hole.

When she came back, she dropped the tray in front of me and took the seat across the table.

She frowned. “What’s the matter?”

I looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been on edge for a couple of days now, since Friday night, actually, and you won’t tell me what’s going on.”

Though now Piper knew about my magic, there were still things I wasn’t too sure I should share. Like being attacked by strange men. That had never happened before. It was all new to me too. What if I told her, what if I involved her in my mess without meaning to? I was glad I had the weight of my secret lifted off my shoulders, but the less she knew, the safer she would be.

“It’s nothing,” I lied, knowing very well that she was aware I was lying to her.

Her frown increased and she shoved food into her mouth—her way of not talking to me. I had upset her, and now she would spend the rest of the day, the rest of the week, avoiding me.

Right then, I realized that maybe Piper knowing about my magic might not be that great after all.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

I wasn’t stupid, but I sure felt it like now.

When I had come to the town’s public library, it had still been early, around four in the afternoon. Even though the sun had been hiding under the clouds, the day was bright enough. But I had forgotten the sun set right before six and after working on my damn project for over three hours, the night was in full swing.

Why the hell didn’t the college library have the books I needed? Of course it didn’t. I had to come twenty minutes away to downtown on a Thursday night … but it was the only time and day I could before the project was due.

As I stood just outside the library doors and watched the dark stairs in front of me, the near-empty and poorly lit streets, I was sure I was stupid.

Why did I have to come here? I should have stayed on campus. Ordered the books online, even though I didn’t have money to spend on things like that. Borrowed the books from someone. Researched more online. I didn’t know. Anything but being here alone at this time.

But what was I supposed to do? Stop living just because I was a witch, or something like that? Because some men were after me? If I stopped to think about it, I wouldn’t leave my bed each morning.

And that wasn’t living.

I inhaled a deep breath and started down the stairs. My heart hammered with each step I took, and I jumped at each noise or crack or rustling sound from the streets, but I kept pushing it. There was a bus stop just a block away. I could get to it and be on campus in no time.

My heart stopped when the lights of the entire block flickered and died.

A cold wind swept through the street, and it brought more than just the chilly air with it. I took a sharp inhale, ready to run, but didn’t move a muscle as I was suddenly surrounded.

My stomach sank as I spun around, taking in all the men in red cloaks forming a wide circle around me. Twelve. There were a dozen men around me this time, and like the first three, these men had pure black auras around them.

“W-who are you?” I asked, trying to be brave, but the shrill in my voice betrayed me. I clenched my hands, trying to stop them from shaking so hard.

A man with an eye patch stepped forward, closer. By his stance and the elaborate details on his cloak, I was sure he was the leader. “Surrender and come to us.”

I frowned. Did he really think I would just let them take me? “Or what?” I was stalling. Pretending to be brave and face them off while my brain worked overtime trying to come up with a plan. But how would I defeat twelve men? I wasn’t sure I was that powerful.

“Or we’ll make you.” Eye Patch pulled out a dagger from the scabbard at his waist. “You’re outmatched. See this blade? It’s enchanted. Once I pierce it through you, you won’t have any magic, and we’ll be able to take you.”

Panic rushed through me. I might not have any hope of succeeding, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight. But with that enchanted dagger, I might not even be able to fight.

The man’s lips curled up in a snarl.

Before he could act, I did. I channeled my magic and flung my power out. A thin white wave washed over half of them, pushing them back a few feet. I got ready to send another wave, push them back more, creating more space so I could run past them and away, but as I lifted my arm, the men behind me advanced.

The swoosh of a blade cut through the air just one inch from my neck and I gasped, leaning back. They came at me with all they had, their daggers pointed at my chest.

I threw my magic out as dozens of little balls that pushed them back and exploded upon contact, but all it did was to delay the inevitable.

Panic swam freely inside me. They were too many. I couldn’t fight them all.

I would lose.

A man jumped at me from behind, capturing me in a neck lock, the dagger pointed at my stomach. “Stop or you’re done for.”

I stilled.

“Well done,” Eye Patch said, approaching. “Let’s take her.”

No, no, no. This couldn’t be it. I wouldn’t allow it.

I closed my eyes and channeled my magic—I felt it growing, expanding inside me—and then I let it out like a bomb. White light exploded from me. The man lost his grip and fell to the ground, unconscious. All the others were pushed back. They landed several feet out, visibly dizzy.

I ran.

Until something cut through my shoulder. I screamed as burning pain exploded down my arm, and I was pushed forward. I tripped on my own feet and tumbled down on the concrete.

The pain spread and a coldness filled me.

I blinked, trying to push the dizziness and the pain away, but I could only gasp, as if I was out of air.

Eye Patch leaned over me. “Stupid girl. If only you had surrendered.” He pulled the dagger out of my shoulder. I screamed again as the pain increased, making me dazed. Eye Patch glanced at one of his men. “Pick her up. Let’s move out.”

The man knelt beside me and scooped me up in his arms. I tried jerking, protesting, screaming, using my magic—nothing worked. I was a rag doll being carted away by strangers.

“Not so fast,” someone said.

I blinked, turning my face toward the new voice.

A man dressed in all white stood a few feet away. “You should give her to me.”

 

 

Chapter 8

 

I blinked a couple more times, but my vision only improved a little.

Still, I was sure there was a tall man wearing white clothing standing up to the group carrying me away.

Eye Patch stepped forward and snarled. “She’s ours now. Retreat and we won’t have to kill you.”

The all-in-white man tsked. “I have to disagree with that.” Suddenly a long white and silver weapon appeared in his hand. A bo staff? A spear? In my daze, I wasn’t sure.

“Take her away,” the leader said to his man. Then he pointed his dagger at the all-in-white man. “You’re dead.”

“You wish.”

The all-in-white man jumped at the leader.

The man carrying me turned around and took off and I didn’t see more of the fight, though I heard the clash of metal and the grunts of effort. Until we turned a corner and all the sounds faded but the rapid footsteps of the men following us.

I focused, trying to find my magic inside me, but this shit was powerful. Whatever had been on that blade was really blocking my magic. So instead I focused on pushing away the dizziness and my blurred vision.

At first, I thought I would be sick, but then my head cleared up considerably. I still could only sense my magic, as if it was locked out behind a cell door, but at least I wasn’t too dizzy.

“Hurry,” a man said.

“He’s coming,” another said.

“I know,” the man carrying me said.

Who was coming? The leader?

Shit, I didn’t know how long I had until my last window to get free of them closed, but I was sure it wasn’t too long.

As fast as I could, I pulled my arm in, then pushed it out, punching my elbow hard into the throat of the man carrying me. He gasped and slowed. So I did it again.

I fell on the hard ground. Pain shot up my ass and back, but I bit it down and scooted away.

The other three men advanced on me.

On instinct, I raised my arm, calling for magic, but only a flicker answered.

One of the men reached for me.

A spear shot out from inside his chest.

The man’s eyes rolled back, and he fell forward.

Screaming, I scooted back and the man’s body hit the ground where I had been a second ago.

The all-in-white man stepped on the man’s back and pulled his spear out. He twirled the spear around and turned to the others. “Who’s next?”

With wide eyes, the other two men ran away.

Then, the all-in-white man knelt in front of me.

I lifted my hand again and called on my magic. A white spark came to life, but died two seconds later.

“You can still channel magic after that enchantment?” His brow cocked up. “Impressive.” As if he had pressed a button, his spear retracted into what looked like a silver baton. Then he offered me his hand. “We should leave. Come on.”

I retreated some more. “Stay away from me.”

“If I wanted to harm you, I would already have done so.” He gestured behind us. “Besides, didn’t you see I just saved you?”

“That doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“Good point.” He pressed his lips into a thin line.

That was when I recognized him. He was the guy watching me across the campus square the other day. The blood drained from my face. “You … you were watching me.” I scooted back. “You’re a stalker.”

He groaned. “Look, I’m here to protect you, okay? Let me help you. We should leave, and I need to take a look at the wound.”

I glanced at my shoulder, but other than a lot of dark red staining my sweater, I didn’t see much. But I felt it. With each passing minute, the pain increased tenfold. “I can deal with it myself.” I pushed up to my feet.

The world spun.

“Right,” the man said, hooking his arms under my knees and arms. “The adrenaline is wearing off and you’re losing too much blood.”

“No, I’m not,” I said, pushing him away.

But I didn’t have any strength left.

I opened my mouth to tell him to let me go, but then the world went dark.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

The first thing I was aware of was my skull pounding. Then I remembered I had fainted in the arms of a stranger.

My eyes shot open to a near-dark room, and I sat up. And immediately laid back down, groaning in pain.

“Slow there.”

That voice.

The all-in-white man was standing in front of my bed.

I scooted as far as I could and lifted my hand, palm out to him. “Stay back,” I said, channeling my magic. This time, it answered, but it was still not the same. That damn dagger had done a good number on me.

The dagger. The cut. My wound.

With a gasp, I glanced at my shoulder. My sweater had been cut around my shoulder and the wound was covered with a thick bandage. I turned on the lamp over my nightstand, but the dim light did little to illuminate the room.

“I applied some healing salve,” the man said. His aura was a mix of red and black—pure strength and power. “It’ll heal faster, but I’m afraid that without a healing witch, it’ll leave a scar.”

“Healing witch?” I shook my head, focusing on what was important. “Who are you? What do you want?” I glanced around my dorm room. “And how the hell did you know where I lived?”

“I’m Fynn Lockwood, captain of the Light Order. The Lightgrove coven council sensed a big outburst of magic coming from this town and sent me to check it out. Of course, I found the Brotherhood of Purity was already here.” He tilted his head. “But I’m guessing that doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

“Light Order? Lightgrove? Brotherhood?” All those terms created a tight knot inside my brain. “No, it doesn’t.”

“You’re a witch,” he said, simply. “You’re a light witch, to be exact. There are also dark witches out there, and other kinds of witches, actually, and the Brotherhood, who hunts any kind of witch.”

“Light … dark …”

“Typically, light witches are good witches, and dark witches are bad, but that’s not always the case. But the Brotherhood of Purity doesn’t care about that. To them, a witch is a witch, doesn’t matter what kind of magic they have.”

I put two fingers to my temple to suppress the pain spreading through my head. “This is crazy,” I whispered.

“The Lightgrove coven is the biggest and most powerful coven of light witches,” he went on. “They created the Light Order. Basically, we train in combat and use enchanted weapons to protect light witches.”

I raised my hand, but this time I just wanted him to shut up. “Okay, this is too much.”

“Didn’t you know you’re a witch?”

I pressed my lips tight. Why should I answer him? Why should I indulge him in anything? I should be kicking him out of my dorm room and spelling the door so he couldn’t cross the threshold anymore. But even if for a moment he sounded insane, wasn’t the fact that I had magic also insane? If that was possible, then why wasn’t the rest?

It just wasn’t easy to accept.

“I never knew what to call myself, though witch was always the first thing to come to mind.”

He nodded. “What’s your affinity?”

“What do you mean?”

“Besides being able to cast some basic spells, witches receive a special gift, their affinity.”

I frowned, thinking. Everything I could do seemed like a gift. “I see ghosts sometimes.” I shuddered just remembering it.

“No, seeing ghosts is common for witches. In fact, most of them held the ghosts to cross over. It has to be something else. If it helps, the affinity usually appears before your sixteenth birthday”

My powers didn’t just show up one day, but my abilities came in little bursts every couple of months, and the last one had been when I was about to turn sixteen. “Does being able to see auras count?”

One corner of his lips curled up. “It sure does.”

He sat down at the edge of the bed and I pulled my legs under me, as if I could get even farther away from him. But now the light from the lamp inundated his face with a warm yellow and I sucked in a sharp breath. He was handsome. No, handsome was too weak of a word. The rough angles of his face went really well with his pucker lips and near black eyes and long lashes. His hair, also black, was cut short, with only a few strands falling over his eyes. His white armor was smudged with dirt along his arms and chest—and damn if it wasn’t tight, showing off he was fit. Too damn tight.

I averted my eyes and cleared my throat. “So … the council sent you here?”

“Yes. I’m guessing you used magic when the robber pointed the gun at your friend.”

My eyes went wide. “How do you know that?”

“Investigating is also part of my job.”

“That’s how you knew which college I go to, where I live? By investigating me?”

“Like I said, it’s part of my job.” He paused. “For example, I know you were working at the college’s bookstore until a while ago, but couldn’t conciliate that with your classes anymore, so you quit about a month ago. Now, you’ve applied for several other jobs around campus that would be more agreeable with your schedule and you’re waiting to hear on them.”

I gasped. How could he know all that? Annoyance snaked inside my chest. “Well, you’ve done your job, right? You’ve found out who caused that outburst of magic, and you even saved me from those men, the Brotherhood of Purity, you said, right? Then I’m guessing you can go now.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think you understand.”

“What don’t I understand?”

“Your magic … it’s raw, it’s powerful. As far as I can tell, you can do spells without reciting them.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Only older and more powerful light witches can do that. Younger, less experienced witches need to recite the spells in Latin, otherwise their magic won’t obey them,” he explained. “And yet, you can do that without having any lesson before.”

I shrugged. “It’s not that hard.”

“To you. It’s amazing, to be honest, but that makes you an even bigger target.”

“Target?”

“For the Brotherhood. They won’t stop until they get you.”

I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“But it does. You’re powerful and you’re here alone. You’re an easy target. They will come back for you, and next time they will bring even more men, and more tricks.” He paused. “You’re not safe out here. Your friend, Piper, isn’t safe while you’re here.”

Rage filled my veins. “Leave Piper out of this!” Oh my God, Piper! I glanced at the alarm clock over the nightstand. It was already past ten. She was probably on her way back now.

“Only you can do that. By living next to her, you’re only exposing her to harm. It’s only a matter of time before she gets hurt, or worse.”

“What do you suggest then? Run away? Hide?”

He shook his head once. “Not exactly. I’m here to take you to the Lightgrove coven. There you can join the initiate program and later join the coven, if you want, or the council can relocate you to another smaller coven who will be able to protect you.”

The room suddenly felt stuffy and I jumped from the bed, needing space, needing fresh air. “I … I’m going for a walk.”

As I walked past him, Fynn shot up and grabbed my wrist. “Don’t go.” I looked up and my eyes locked on his. The intensity of his stare took my breath away. “If you keep going out by yourself, especially in the middle of the night … it won’t end well.”

I jerked my arm free from his grip. “You can’t tell me what to do!”

“If you need space, then I’ll leave.” He took a step toward the door, his eyes still on mine. “I know you need time to think about all I said. I also know you won’t stay put inside your room for long, but please, don’t wander around alone.”

I didn’t know what to say to him. Why should I listen to him? Why did it matter? I didn’t even know him. He could be lying to me. What if he was one of the bad guys and was spinning this tale to take me away? I wouldn’t trust him this easily.

“Then leave.”

He lowered his head, but remained quiet. He grabbed a long, leather jacket from my bed’s footboard—I hadn’t noticed it before—and put that over his white leather armor. After a last, brief look at me, he spun around and opened the door.

Keys in hand, Piper yelped and jumped back. “What the hell?” She glanced from Fynn to me, and back to Fynn. “Who are you?” Her eyes ran the length of his long body. “And what the hell are you wearing?” Fynn didn’t say anything. He barely even glanced at her as he stepped out and away. Piper glared at his retreating back. “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

It was past ten thirty at night. We couldn’t cause a scene in the hallway, so I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside our room.

“Lower your voice,” I told her as I closed the door.

“Who was that guy?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Do you have a boyfriend that I don’t know about?”

I choked. “B-boyfriend? No! Of course not!”

“Then who is he?”

What should I tell her? Piper already knew too much. Even I hadn’t wrapped my head around all the craziness Fynn had told me, how could I unload all of that on her? I still wasn’t sure about having revealed I was a … witch. Now I had a word for it. Now I was sure of that word.

I was a witch.

I sucked in a sharp breath and averted my gaze. “No one.”

 

 

Chapter 10

 

Even though the campus library didn’t have all the books I needed, I didn’t feel confident to go out and around anymore. Thankfully, Piper hadn’t had to go to the coffee shop in the last three days. Mrs. Clark had forced her into a tiny vacation. It was good too since midterms were coming and we had to study.

While I stayed in the dorm or the library studying and finishing my projects, Piper spent half of the time partying. Last night, she had gone to a party at a frat house. She had insisted I go with her, but I didn’t even want to consider it. After she left, I felt bad about it, and a little scared too. What if the bad guys were out there and came for her? But it wasn’t her they were after. It was me.

Thankfully, nothing happened and she came back to our dorm in the middle of the night. Hence why it was almost noon on a Sunday and she was still in bed.

During the last three days, I had seen Fynn around campus a few times. Like the first time I had seen him, he kept his distance, but the intensity of his stare never wavered. Out in public like that, he wore light jeans and white sweater. Everything close to white. Because of the Light Order.

I shook my head, pushing away those thoughts, and focused back on the books spread in front of me. Why couldn’t we simply go online and search for answers? Everything was on the internet nowadays. But no, some professors needed to be a pain in the butt and forced us to go to an actual library and flip through books.

I stared at the words on the pages, but they were all jumbled. I couldn’t even focus on reading them. Instead, I pulled out only one inch of the book I had underneath them all and took a peek at it.

A Latin dictionary.

Fynn had mentioned younger or weaker witches recited the spells in Latin before they had some control over their magic. I had never done that, maybe because I was self-taught, but I was curious about certain words, certain commands. I wondered if to make a door open, I just had to say “open” in Latin.

The chair across the table was pulled back and I glanced up—at Fynn as he sat down on the chair and stared at me. He looked fresh and clean with his light jeans and light gray sweater.

I gaped at him. “What are you doing?”

One corner of his lips curled up. “I should be asking you that.” His gaze flickered to the book peeking from under the others. “It seems you’re curious about it, and yet, you haven’t approached me once to ask me about it.”

I quickly pushed the book away. “I have nothing to ask about.”

He crossed his arms and leaned over the table. “Are you sure?” Even with the table in between us, I could feel the power emanating from his body. This guy wasn’t a cute frat boy flirting with me. He was a freaking warrior. He wore leather armor and wielded a real spear. And he was here on a mission.

I gulped. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but let me study.”

Fynn pushed away from the table and leaned back on the chair, his eyes on me.

I squirmed under his stare, but focused back on the books in front of me. Or tried to. Because with a goddamned warrior just a few feet away, how could I? But I wouldn’t give up so easily. I shifted my weight on my chair and tried again.

I read the words.

I read them once more.

I read them again.

And again.

And they still didn’t sink in.

With a loud sigh, I closed the books.

“Are you done?” Fynn asked. Though his tone was casual, his posture, his gaze, the heavy set of his brows weren’t. This guy, this man, was battle ready, even if he wasn’t in his warrior’s clothes.

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I stood up, put the books away, put my own books inside my tote, and started for the door. As I suspected, he followed me out. What would I do with this guy on my heels?

It was almost lunch time and I was hungry. My first thought was to go to the main dining hall, but then Fynn would sit down with me, and having him eat lunch with me would be too weird. I could cook something at the dorm, but my compact fridge was practically empty. Maybe I could stop by the grocery store, grab something, and come back to the dorm, cook, and eat.

And since I wouldn’t invite Fynn inside, he wouldn’t have lunch with me.

But the stoic warrior did follow me to the grocery store.

“Are you going to babysit me like that? Until when?” I asked as I grabbed a packet of pasta from the shelf and put it in the basket hanging from my arm.

“Until you accept going to the Lightgrove coven with me.”

I sighed. “And if I never go?”

“You will.”

I groaned and tuned him out while I finished shopping—better than the alternative: arguing with him about his ridiculous idea. As I was paying for my groceries, Fynn grabbed the grocery bags before I could reach for them.

“I can carry them,” I protested.

“I know.”

He marched out the grocery store, and I had to rush to follow his long steps.

Thankfully, he was quiet for the first four blocks towards campus. But he wasn’t the first one to crack.

It was me.

I stopped in my tracks as a cold chill surrounded me. “I feel something.”

Fynn halted by my side, his brows down. “What is it?”

“I …” Then I saw it. Them. Dark auras coming in our direction. I couldn’t see the people they belonged to yet, but I could see and feel their auras. This had never happened before. I could only see auras of people around me, not from far away. I could only guess the owners of these auras, these black and tainted auras, were very, very powerful. Just like the men who had attacked me before. “The Brotherhood. They are coming this way.”

“How many?”

I quickly counted them. “Fifteen.”

“Shit,” Fynn murmured. He passed all grocery bags to one hand and used to other one to grab my arm. “Come on.” He pulled us into a narrow alley beside a shop, then into a small entryway, behind a thick brick column. He pushed me against a wooden door and pressed his body against mine, as if he was trying to melt into me and make us both disappear.

I gulped. He was all serious and warrior like, with his body tense and ready for action, and completely unaware of the effect he was having over me right now. What did he want me to do? His powerful legs pushed against mine, his hard stomach was right by my chest, his collarbone and neck only one inch from my face, his strong arms on each side of me, cradling me in. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I felt heat spreading over my cheeks.

I looked up. Fynn had his face turned to the side as he watched the narrow alley, but it was also leaned down a bit. If I stood in tiptoes and reached up, I could easily run my tongue over his jaw, around his chin, and—

“They are here,” he whispered, pressing himself harder against me. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Focus and channel your magic. If they come this way, conjure a wall to shield us from view.”

Focus? Channel magic? Call a wall? Was he kidding me?

I may not be the most beautiful girl out there, but wasn’t he aware of my legs rubbing on his, of my breasts smashed against his chest?

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply—his woodsy scent invaded my nostrils and I cursed under my breath. I exhaled and tried not to breathe while channeling my magic.

This was going so, so wrong …

The auras were getting closer and closer. They were searching every nook and cranny in the area, looking for me. I invoked my magic and focused on Fynn’s words. “Conjure a wall,” he had said. I had never done something like that before, but the trust in his tone, the way he seemed to have no doubts I could do it, gave me strength.

The auras entered the corridor.

A magic shield slammed in front of the entryway, giving the impression that the wall continued all along the corridor, as if there were no entryways or doors here.

Three of the Brotherhood men advanced.

I held my breath and Fynn lowered his head, stilling against me.

The men walked up and down the corridor.

“There’s no one here,” one of them said.

“But she was here.”

“She was, but now she’s gone.”

“Damn it. Keep searching. She’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

They rushed out of the corridor. I could see their auras strutting down the street, going from door to door, alleyway to alleyway, searching for me in every square inch.

I let out a long breath and the wall faded.

But Fynn didn’t move.

I tilted my head up slightly and his face was right there, only one inch from me, his eyes on me. With his gaze now locked on mine, Fynn dropped one of his hands to my back. I gasped as his fingers curled around my skin.

His gaze flicked to my lips. I went up on tiptoes.

A scratching sound echoed through the corridor. In a flash, Fynn spun around, his spear out. Heart racing, I channeled my magic back.

A cat jumped from the roof. He looked at us as if bored, meowed loudly, then scratched its nails on the brick walls.

“Holy crap,” I muttered, my hand over my chest. “I almost had a heart attack.”

The cat licked its paw, clearly mocking us.

“Point to the cat and say Revelare,” Fynn said, still holding his spear out.

“What? Why?”

“Because it could be a familiar.”

I frowned. “A familiar?”

“Just do it.”

Not sure of what I was doing, I pointed my finger to the cat and said, “Revelare.”

The cat simply strolled away.

“It’s not a familiar,” Fynn said. He kept his back to me as he straightened and put his spear away.

“What’s a familiar?”

Fynn turned to me, his eyes meeting mine. And all of a sudden, the butterflies were back, but only because now I was embarrassed.

“A familiar is an animal linked to a witch, and usually they can shapeshift into a human. They can be any animal, but usually they are cats.”

I glanced down the corridor, where the cat had disappeared. “And if it had been a familiar?”

“Then I would think it was here for some other witch who was keeping tabs on you.”

My heart stopped. I knew I had just tested it and the cat wasn’t a familiar, but my mind took off anyway. A witch who wanted to keep tabs on me? If that had been true, who could have wanted that?

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. There was no one to keep tabs on me.

Fynn crossed his arms and faced me, his eyes hard. “See? The Brotherhood is still after you. They won’t stop. You have to come with me.”

Come with me …

Again my mind went in a different direction than it should. He didn’t mean it like that! He meant taking me to the Lightgrove coven, where it sounded like I would become a slave, or at least a pawn, in the hands of more powerful witches.

No, thank you.

“I’ll be more careful.” I started walking out of the entryway.

Fynn grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Don’t you get it? You’re in danger here, Sadie. You’re putting everyone in danger here.”

Why didn’t he get it? I wouldn’t give up everything I fought so hard to achieve just like that. I was finally free of foster families. I was finally in college by myself. I finally had a way to live how I wanted. I finally could become whatever I wanted to be. I finally had a friend.

It wasn’t easy to let all that go.

I jerked free of his grip. “I don’t care!”

I marched away.

Fynn followed me from a few feet behind, always a shadow over me, until I went inside my dorm building. I quickly grabbed the grocery bags from him and slammed the door in his face, making sure he got the message loud and clear.

I wasn’t going anywhere, and there was nothing that could change that.

 

 

Chapter 11

 

Tuesday afternoons, Piper didn’t have any classes, so she worked at the coffee shop until late evening. I felt uneasy about letting her go all the way across town alone, but since I had two classes, I couldn’t go with her.

At least she wasn’t supposed to come back late.

When I got back to the dorm at six in the evening, I took a quick shower, then knowing Piper should be arriving at any minute, I prepared a quick spaghetti and meatballs dinner.

The food was ready and Piper hadn’t arrived yet.

I glanced at the time on my cell phone. It was just past seven.

I went to the window and glanced out. It was already dark, so I couldn’t see much, other than students walking in and out of the building, going to and from the parking lot and the path leading to the main campus. But no sign of Piper and her car.

I pressed the speed dial and called her.

The phone rang and rang, and she didn’t pick up. That only happened when she was busy at work or talking to her boss. But since she was supposed to be at least on her way back, I started getting worried.

If she had been driving, she would have picked up the call.

But she didn’t.

I paced the length of the room and called her again.

Nothing.

I bit my nails.

Where the hell was she?

An idea popped in my mind and I quickly followed it: I called the coffeeshop. Leila, one of the other baristas, answered the phone.

“Hey, Leila, it’s Sadie. Is Piper there?”

“Hm, no. She left about an hour ago.”

My heart stopped. One hour ago? She should have been home for a while. Why wasn’t she? I tried not overthinking this, but it was hard. Of course, she could have gone to the grocery store, or stopped by the campus bookstore and grabbed something she needed, or whatever—but no matter what, she should have picked up her phone when I called.

A knock on the door sent my heart into overdrive. I frowned, wondering who could it be? Piper had her own keys. She would never knock. Unless she had lost her keys.

I rushed to the door and opened it in a haste. A girl from another floor, whose name never stuck in my brain, stood behind it.

“Hey.” She extended her arm to me, handing me a small white envelope. “This was at the reception for you.”

I took the simple envelope. “Who is it from?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It was just there, over the counter. The resident advisor asked me to give it to you.” She retreated, ready to go.

So I let her. “Thank you.”

She nodded before turning and walking away. I closed the door and slowly made my way to my bed, where I sat and stayed frozen, all the while staring at the envelope.

What the hell was this?

My hands shook as I opened the envelope and pulled out a note and a photograph.

We have your friend. If you want her to live, come to us alone.

The picture was of Piper tied to a chair, with a fabric gag over her mouth.

No, no, no. It couldn’t be.

My hands shook more, my breath caught, my eyes filled with tears.

Holy crap, they had Piper. The Brotherhood had Piper. And they wanted me to go to them alone.

This was a trap. I knew this was a trap. I would go there, they would let Piper go, and then I would be taken by them. I didn’t like where this was going. I couldn’t even imagine handing myself over to those men, but what other choice did I have? I couldn’t leave my best friend in their hands.

And they did say to come alone …

Even if I wanted to ask Fynn for help, I couldn’t. It was too damn risky, and I wouldn’t play with Piper’s life.

There was an address scribbled on the bottom of the note. I had no idea where this place was, but a phone’s GPS could easily find it.

I glanced at the window.

Was Fynn out there? Was he watching over me right now? Crap, I hoped not, otherwise, how would I go to find Piper alone?

All right, time for action. I pushed all thoughts from my mind and focused on one thing: save Piper. Even if it meant handing myself over.

I changed my comfy clothes for my fave leggings, a long-sleeve tee and jacket, and boots. I pulled my hair into a ponytail. I grabbed my wallet and my phone, stashed them into my jacket pockets.

I was ready.

Feeling like a half-assed witch-ninja, I went to the back of the dorm building and slowly crept out, sure Fynn would jump on my path at any moment. But if he was watching over me right now, he was probably in the front of the building, observing my room window—I left the lights on—and the main door.

I ran for three blocks before hopping in an Uber I had called. I rattled the address to the Uber driver, but a couple of numbers off, so he wouldn’t see the Brotherhood and they wouldn’t hurt him.

He glanced back at me. “That’s … that’s at South End. Are you sure?”

Of course it would be in the worst neighborhood in town. Why not?

I swallowed down my fear, as if that could make it disappear. “I’m sure. Step on it.”

 

 

Chapter 12

 

The Uber driver didn’t want to drop me off at the location. He argued I was a pretty young woman and someone would rob me, or worse, while I was there alone. I had to use my magic to make him more agreeable.

He resisted it, but in the end I won and he let me go without a peep.

I glanced around the place: a parking lot of an abandoned shopping district. Lots of half-built buildings that were never finished. If I narrowed my eyes, I could see this place buzzing with people going in and out of Starbucks, Target, Subway, Michael’s, PetSmart, and so on.

But as it was now, it looked like the perfect place for ghosts to haunt.

Even though there were dozens of buildings here, I didn’t have to search for the Brotherhood of Purity. Now that I knew what to look for, it was easy to see them—their black auras shone from across the parking lot. There were twenty of them, about two hundred yards from where I was, probably in a building behind the one in front of me, but there were three others patrolling the place, probably looking for me.

I wasn’t here to hide. I was here to show myself and make a trade. So I walked to the nearest moving aura.

The Brotherhood man seemed startled when he saw me coming to him.

“I’m here,” I said, pushing down the fear threatening to overcome me. I had no way of not being afraid, but I would be damned if I let them see it. “Now show me my friend.” The man made a move to grab me, but I stepped back. “No. I’m here willingly. You don’t need to pull me around or tie me. Just lead the way.”

He frowned at me, but thankfully, he didn’t protest or try grabbing me again. Instead, he started marching away. And I followed him closely.

He took me to a sizable building that could have housed a large home goods store, with long windows in the front, but plain walls on the sides and the back. In the dark, I couldn’t see much past the window, but once we crossed the front entrance—there were no doors—I saw them all. A dim light shone from the back of the place, illuminating the silhouettes of the twenty-plus men dressed in red cloaks, spread out in a wide circle, and the girl in the rickety chair in the middle.

“Piper,” I whispered, going to her. I rushed past the men and knelt in front of her. “Piper?” I called her, shaking her legs. Her head hung forward as if she was either asleep or had fainted. Her hair was a mess around her face, her clothes looked dirty, and the ropes around her chest, arms and ankles were too tight, cutting into her skin. I cupped her face. “Piper? Wake up.” She moaned, but didn’t open her eyes or make any effort to hold her head up. Shaking with both fear and rage, I stood up and faced the men, “I’m here. Now let her go.”

One of the men, a tall one with blond hair and a skull tattoo over his neck, stepped forward. “Let her go? Do you think we’re stupid?”

I clenched my fists. “You promised.”

“To a witch? You’re the lowest of the low.” Blond Skull spat at my feet. “We can lie and promise whatever we want.”

I knew I would have to fight my way out of here—because really, even though I came expecting a trap, I wouldn’t go down without a fight—but I hadn’t thought I would have to fight to free Piper too. For some reason, I thought the Brotherhood would at least release her like they promised.

Calling to my magic, I glanced around, formulating a plan. It wouldn’t be easy, but I had no other option.

A man with a thick black mustache approached me from the other side. “Don’t even think about it,” he said. “You can’t defeat us.”

“I can try.”

Black Mustache hooked an arm around Piper’s waist and quickly hauled her back several feet. A gasp erupted from me as I rushed at them. Then I felt it. The power in my veins slipping from me, dying the moment it left my fingertips, leaving me weak. My knees buckled and I knelt, suddenly dizzy.

“No, you can’t,” Black Mustache said, with Piper draped over his shoulder.

“What is this?” I croaked, my voice low and raspy, hurting my throat.

Blond Skull approached and rubbed the toe of his boots on the concrete. Under the dust, a thick, black mark was drawn. “It’s a witch’s circle. You’re trapped.”

Witch’s circle? Trapped?

I felt so stupid, so powerless. Not only because this damn circle drained me of my power, but because I didn’t know enough. If my mother hadn’t left me, if she hadn’t abandoned me, she would have taught me everything about magic. I would have hidden it before. I would know about reciting spells. I would know about the Brotherhood and witch’s circles.

Blond Skull knelt down, just outside the circle. “Tell us about Pauline.”

I shook my head. “Who?”

“Stop playing around and answer,” he snapped. “If you answer my questions, then I’ll consider letting your friend go.”

“But I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Pauline Coran, your mother,” he said. That again. “She had an object, a crystal she was trying to hide. What is it? Where is it?”

I shook my head again. What the hell was he talking about? Didn’t he get the memo? I knew nothing about my biological mother. If she was hiding an object, I had no idea what it was and where it would be.

Unless …

My eyes widened for a brief second, but I quickly smoothed my features. I focused on the weakness, on the dizziness, on the pain. Better than them realizing I did have something from her. And it was right here. The damn necklace around my neck. Could that be the object they were looking for?

Well, I wouldn’t tell them about it.

“She left me at a hospital when I was one year old,” I muttered. “I don’t even remember her face. Her voice. Do you think I’ll remember a crystal?”

Blond Skull glared at me. “It doesn’t matter. Now that we have you, it’ll be easier to find it.” He stood. “Take her.”

Hands closed around my wrists, pulling my arms back. I was pushed down on my stomach as my ankles and wrists were bound.

“To make sure you won’t do anything stupid,” someone said before a little prickle burned on my forearm. He had pierced my skin with the tip of that enchanted dagger, not enough to bleed me out, but enough for its magic to take effect.

As if I had been plugged into a suction vacuum, the magic in my veins faded into nothingness.

Then someone picked me up like a potato sack and threw me over his shoulder.

I couldn’t see much more than the dirty floor and his boots as he walked away with me, but I did see when Black Mustache dropped Piper and turned away from her.

“No!” I screamed. “You can’t leave her there.”

“Why? You want us to take her too?” Black Mustache asked, laughing.

No. Yes. I didn’t know. But Piper was tied up and hurt. If she was left here alone, and I didn’t make it back … I didn’t want to think about the consequences.

“Just let me call someone to come pick her up,” I begged. “Please.”

“You think we’re stupid?” Black Mustache asked. He was right beside me. “The moment we hand you a phone, you’ll call for help.”

“No, I won’t,” I promised. “Please, please, let me call someone to come pick her up. Please.”

“Make her shut up!” Blond Skull yelled.

“You heard the boss,” Black Mustache said.

A fist landed on my cheek. Pain exploded in my face and my vision went dark.

No, no, no, I tried screaming. Speaking. Whispering.

But I could barely think through the pain and dizziness, much less speak. This was all going downhill. I was being taken. My friend was going to be left to rot. Both of us were going to die soon, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I fought against the dizziness and paid attention, as much as my addled brain could process. We left the building. Whoever was carrying me stopped. I heard the engine of a car. I was folded down and pushed inside the car. I fell back into the seat.

Then there was nothing.

 

 

Chapter 13

 

The fog inside my head dragged on. I felt like I was drowning in thick, black oil. The more I moved, the more I tried flapping my arms and swim, the faster I sank.

“Sadie,” a silky voice called. It was death, I was sure of it. Right now, death sounded sexy. I bet that it would soon appear in front of me like a sexy man too. “Sadie, hang on.”

Death pinched my shoulder, but even that had been silky. Sexy.

Until it was not.

Pain quickly spread through my arm and I gasped, as if I had emerged from the thick oil and needed to fill my lungs with air. The next thing I noticed was the sounds—grunts, snaps, yelps, and the slash of metal against metal.

I blinked, forcing my vision to come back.

Slowly, I made out the shape of people moving outside the car. Moving. No, fighting. A wave of vertigo assaulted me as I scooted closer to the door, and I had to stop and take a deep breath before fully peeking out.

My heart skipped at what I found.

It was Fynn, fighting the entire Brotherhood of Purity by himself. And, from all the bodies lying across the ground around him, I gathered he was winning.

“Feeling better?” he asked me. The next second, he pierced his spear through Black Mustache’s stomach.

Bile rose to my throat and I closed my eyes before I threw up on my own feet. “No,” I croaked.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Fynn shoot me a lopsided smile. Then he spun and kicked another Brotherhood man in the chest.

“I gave you something to neutralize their spell,” Fynn said in between moves. “You should be able to use your magic now.”

The way I still felt dizzy and weak, I doubted I could even call on my magic, even if I still had it, but because he seemed to be fighting ten men at once, I did it. I channeled my magic, and to my surprise, it answered. It didn’t feel as strong as it usually was, but it should be enough.

A man Fynn had just thrown away came running back at him, a dagger poised for Fynn’s back. But Fynn was too busy fighting the other men. Gritting my teeth, I acted. With one hand on the car’s door for balance, I lifted my free hand and sent a bolt of light toward the man. The bolt exploded in his chest and sent him flying several feet back. The man landed on his back and didn’t get up.

“Nice,” Fynn said.

His compliment gave me assurance. I repeated the spell on three other men until there was only Blond Skull left in front of Fynn.

Blond Skull brandished his dagger with lethal precision, taunting Fynn and waiting for an opening. But Fynn wasn’t stupid. He knew how to fight. He twisted his spear in his hand and used it to parry most of Blond Skull’s attacks.

I kept my magic at my fingertips, waiting for an opening so I could blast Blond Skull myself. But he seemed to know that, because he made sure to keep Fynn between us.

After a few hard blows, Blond Skull feinted right. Fynn went with him. He spun around, going for Blond Skull’s ribs, but Blond Skull moved the opposite way … and faced me.

He threw the dagger at me.

“No!” Fynn yelled.

Half a second of panic and shock, then I raised my hand, and using magic, pushed the dagger to the side.

I met Fynn’s wide eyes. When he saw I was okay, he turned back to Blond Skull, who was ready with another dagger in his hand. He swiped that dagger wide. Surprised, Fynn jumped back, but not fast enough. The dagger cut across his collarbone.

My stomach dropped.

Fynn didn’t miss a beat, though. He leaned back farther, twisted in an arc, then spun to the side, bringing his spear high. And piercing Blond Skull right through his chest.

Blond Skull’s eyes gaped in surprise. He glanced at me. “This isn’t over.”

But it was.

Fynn pulled the spear out and Blond Skull’s body fell to the floor.

I raced to Fynn and reached out to the cut on his collarbone. “Are you okay?” The cut wasn’t too bad. It was more like an angry scratch and a few drops of blood. What a relief.

He nodded, slightly out of breath. “I’ll be okay.”

Then I remembered. There was someone else here who might not be okay.

Panic propelled my legs, and I ran inside the building. Piper was still in the same position on the floor. I slid to my knees and stopped beside her.

“Piper?” I placed two fingers on her wrist and waited for it. There. The strong beat of her heart. “She’s alive.”

“I’ll take her,” Fynn said, scooping her from the floor. He groaned with the effort.

“Your cut.”

He tsked. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

He grunted. “Just … let’s go.”

He marched out of the building and I followed him, glad to be leaving this place behind.

 

 

Chapter 14

 

Piper woke up on the way back to the dorm. Seeing Fynn with his gear and blood smeared all over us, she started panicking again. So Fynn handed me what he called an ibuprofen on steroids—it would help with pain if she was hurt anywhere, and it would make her sleepy. She resisted at first, but I convinced her to take it.

And, by the time we got to the parking lot of our building, she was sleeping again. After I made sure there was no one in the lobby and hallways, Fynn brought Piper inside and put her down in her bed. I took off her shoes, checked to see if she was comfortable, and pulled her blanket over her. She was wearing the same clothes from earlier, only dirty, but I wouldn’t be able to fix that right now.

I stepped back and watched her. It was almost too easy to pretend nothing had happened. To pretend she had gotten home, eaten dinner with me, we had watched a movie or talked about boys, or both, and then she went to sleep.

Almost.

Fynn stood behind me, looking at her over my shoulder. “She’ll be okay.”

Would she? What if it happened again? What if the Brotherhood tortured her next time? Killed her?

I wasn’t ready for that. I would never be ready for that.

Sighing, I turned around and came face-to-face with the wound on Fynn’s collarbone.

I pushed him back until he sat on my bed. “Wait here.” I grabbed the shoe box with the first aid kit from the kitchen, then sat beside him. “Do you have some salve I can use here, or should I just do it the normal way?”

He glanced down at his torn armor. “It’s fine. I can do it.” He reached for the gauze in my hand.

I pulled it back. “I’m feeling like a completely useless worm right now, so please let me do something,” I snapped.

He locked his eyes with mine. Then, he surprised me. He pulled the top part of his armor over his head, exposing his entire stomach and chest. I lost the battle with my eyes and glanced down at the many muscles adorning his body. Holy shit … the guy was ripped.

Shaking my head, I focused on the wound across his collarbone. The blood on the armor made it look worse than it actually was. The angry red scratch was about four inches long, and the parts where it was cut had already stopped bleeding.

I wetted the gauze with antiseptic and began cleaning his wound. He hissed at the first contact.

“Do you know Pauline Coran?”

Fynn’s brows curled down. “Yes.”

“The Brotherhood said she’s my mother,” I whispered. Fynn sucked in a sharp breath. “What do you know about her?”

“She was a powerful Lightgrove witch and she had good standing with the council. Some people believed she would eventually become part of the council.” He paused. “I was little when it happened, but I heard the stories. Pauline betrayed the Lightgrove. She allied herself with the Brotherhood to spy on the council. She stole something important from the council, but she was found out. So she grabbed her baby daughter and ran.”

My heart stopped. Baby daughter. That was me. “And?”

“The rest is just speculation. She was betrayed by the Brotherhood and killed. Until now, everyone thought her daughter had been killed too.”

Tears burned my eyes. “I was abandoned at a hospital right before I turned one year old.”

“Then perhaps she knew what would happen to her, and decided to save you.”

Could it be? She had been a bad witch, but she still had loved me enough to save me? I swallowed the tears, not sure I wanted to cry for a woman I didn’t really know.

“What about my father? Do you know him?”

“No,” he said too quickly.

I leaned back. “What? You know something. Tell me.”

“I don’t think this is the time—”

“Fynn. Tell me,” I insisted. He averted his gaze. “Please, Fynn. You just told me my mother betrayed the good witches. Nothing can be worse than that.”

“You would be surprised,” he muttered.

“Then surprise me. Please.”

He stared at me for a long time. I thought I would have to do some more groveling before he gave in, but he finally said, “From the rumors I heard while growing up, Pauline fell in love with a member of the Brotherhood of Purity. That’s how she got involved with them and ended up helping them.”

The air fled my lungs. “And in the end, they killed her.”

Fynn placed his hand over mine, pressing it against his heart. Its beat was strong, steady. “I’m sorry.”

I stared at our hands for a moment, then lifted my gaze to his face. Even now, with his hair messy and his face marred by red welts, he looked so stoic, so powerful, so handsome.

I felt a pull toward him. Perhaps it was just my need to escape this reality, perhaps it was just because he was too damn hot and right beside me, perhaps it was all of that and more, but I gave in to the deep need blooming in my chest.

I leaned into him and brushed my lips on his jaw, just the way I had imagined when we had been hiding at that entryway.

Fynn let out a shaky breath, but he stilled.

I licked his jaw, then grazed my teeth on it. And still he didn’t move.

Shame replaced the desire, and I suddenly wished a hole would appear on the floor so I could jump in and hide. I pulled back, intent on sprinting across the room, and without facing him again, sending him out.

But then his aura went from red to dark pink. His hands snaked around my back, pulling me to him, and he turned his face toward mine. He stared into my eyes for one brief second before crushing his mouth to mine.

His lips moved against mine hard and fast, as if he had to taste all of me right now or the world would end. He leaned over me, and before I knew it, I was lying down on my bed and he was on top of me, with his strong, powerful body pressed against mine.

He nicked at my lower lip before dragging his mouth down my neck. He gently placed a peck at the scratch there, then moved on to assault my skin, grazing his teeth and sending fire down my body with the tip of his tongue. My mind was halfway lost in desire, but I needed more of him. I greedily dragged my hands over his stomach, chest, and shoulders, trying to commit every muscle to memory. Dear Lord, this man was impossibly ripped and I wanted to kiss all of him.

Fynn returned his lips to mine, taking my breath away. He moved his hips, showing exactly how aroused he was. I shimmied my own hips, hoping the friction made him even harder. Crazier. Sexier.

Then … my gut twisted when I remembered we weren’t alone.

Shit. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. “Wait, wait,” I muttered, hating to stop now. “I can’t. Not with my roommate right there.”

Fynn glanced at the other bed. “Right. I had forgotten about her.”

“For a moment, me too.”

He returned his eyes to mine. “Are you okay?”

I ran my hands up and down his arms. “I will be.”

Fynn lowered his head, resting his forehead on mine. “Do you understand now why you have to come with me?”

A small smile spread over my lips. “So we can finish this?” I moved my leg, rubbing my thigh on his crotch.

Fynn hissed. “That too.” He pulled back and locked his gaze on mine. “But you get it now, right?”

I nodded. “I do.” I stared at the girl sound asleep on the bed across the room. If I didn’t go, if I kept on being stubborn and stayed here, I would only put her in more danger. It seemed the Brotherhood wouldn’t leave me in peace, and I wasn’t willing to play with Piper’s safety. “I know. I have to go with you.”

His eyes widened. “That’s it? I won’t have to launch on a huge speech to convince you?”

“After what happened a couple of hours ago? No. I’m all convinced.”

Fynn sat up, then reached for me and helped me sit up too. To my delight, he didn’t let go of my hand. “I hate to be such a douche, but the sooner we go, the—”

“The better it’ll be, I know.”

He squeezed my hand. “You’re doing the right thing.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I’m worried, though.”

“About?”

“My mother was a bad witch who betrayed the Lightgrove coven. Won’t they arrest me the moment I step foot in there?”

One corner of Fynn’s lips curled up. “If they try that, I’ll kick their asses.” His smile faded. “The council is very fair. They won’t hold your mother’s crimes against you, I’m sure of it.”

I nodded.

I stared at Piper for a couple more minutes. She had been my first friend, my best friend, my only friend. I couldn’t believe I was leaving her, but I couldn’t do this to her. I couldn’t be this stubborn and stay just because I wanted to. She would be in danger. Everyone around me would be in danger. It wasn’t fair.

I hadn’t asked to be born with this power, but there was nothing I could do about that now. I could either live in oblivion, and probably in hiding, or I could accept it and live the way I was supposed to.

I wiped the tears brimming in my eyes and took a deep breath.

Here was to a new adventure.

I turned to Fynn. “Help me pack?”

He offered me a grin. “My pleasure.”