The Secret Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 5), page 18
“Rubbish timing,” I said under my breath.
Jackson groaned. “Don’t tease me now.”
I chuckled and threw the rest of my clothes on. “Guess that nap was a bad idea after all.”
“The nap was okay,” Jackson said with a laugh.
“THEY’RE HERE!” Easton shouted from downstairs. “MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!”
“Shit, shit, shit.” I slid my Converses on then raced for the door without tying them.
Jackson opened the door and held my sword out for me. I grabbed the hilt as we leapt into the hall, then we both hightailed it for the stairs. We weren’t even three steps down when we heard the shriek of a demon. The whole house rattled. My feet slipped over the edge of a step, and I slid halfway down the flight of stairs. Jackson caught me by the elbows before I crash-landed.
“THAT ALL YOU GOT, JOJO?!” Easton cheered. “YOU AIN’T SHIT!”
Lily leapt into the stairwell from the second floor, her face white as a sheet. “WHY DO I LOVE HIM? WHO ANTAGONIZES DEMONS FOR GODDESS’S SAKE?” she screamed as she sped down the stairs ahead of us.
“Why did we pick the third floor?” Jackson grumbled as we were halfway to the first floor.
I cursed. “I should’ve made an ice slide! Damn it, rookie move!”
Blue light flashed through all the windows.
“WILLOW, YESSSSS!” Warner bellowed.
“MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! POISON ROYCY ON THE WAY!” Royce shouted and pushed by us. “I’M COMING!”
“Jeebus, how do they move so fast?” I grumbled as I hit the ground floor.
Bright orange light flashed from the back of the house.
“BURN, BABY, BURN!” Lennox cackled. “VIVA LAS EMERSYN!”
“Bloody hell, I’m living for this play-by-play,” Jackson said with a laugh as we sprinted through the living room. “Let’s do this, Moonshine!”
He pushed the back door open, and we leapt outside. Jackson raised his sword and rushed into action, slicing through three wolf-like demons in a row. I jumped over the severed pieces like a track and field Olympian and raced toward the front of the line.
A giant spider-demon dropped from the sky right in front of me. I gasped and slid to a stop. Red lightning struck its back. The demon hissed and trembled, then crumbled in on itself.
“Tell your grandma I said hi!” Deacon grinned, his purple eyes flashing.
I sped around him—and almost tackled Bentley.
My heart dropped. “What are you doing out here?!”
“FIGHTING!”
“Oh, the hell you are!” I swung my sword then slammed the blade into the ground. A pink dome popped up over us. “STAY IN HERE!”
I didn’t wait to listen to Bentley’s protest. I turned and sprinted through the chaos. Bentley was only nine years old, and he wasn’t a Sword. He was a Cup. A healer. The damn Hierophant for Goddess’s sake. He was also my little brother, and I wasn’t about to risk his life for some stupid demons. He could be mad at me all he wanted, but he’d be alive.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jackson move through the fight. His demon-killing spree was probably something to behold, but I couldn’t stop to watch. I was headed for the pillar of fire up ahead.
Emersyn.
Her hair whipped around, the tips pure flames. Smoke coiled around her legs as she shot fire into the demons.
I slid up beside her and fired my magic into the massive oozer-demon charging for us. Its feet froze to solid ice and stuck to the ground. “EM, now!”
She didn’t hesitate. Her flames swallowed the demon in an instant.
Her golden eyes sparkled. “You freeze, I burn?”
“Hell yeah!”
We turned and eyed the next demon. I dropped to one knee and picked these demons off one by one. I froze their feet to the ground then moved to the next. They shrieked and struggled against my magic, but Emersyn didn’t give them a chance to escape. She followed my path with an evil laugh.
I slipped into autopilot. The rest of the world blurred away. My body sang with power. The more I used it, the better I felt. Pink mist filled the air around me. Red lightning flashed, and my sight went red.
“BETTINA, STOP!”
I gasped and jumped back…and my ass hit the cold, hard ground.
Jackson’s face hovered above me.
Deacon appeared next to him, grinning. “That felt good, didn’t it?”
“They’re all dead, love.” Jackson chuckled. “But Bentley would like out.”
“Oh, shit.” I let Jackson pull me to my feet, then I raced over to my pink dome. I yanked my sword out of the ground, and the dome vanished. “Sorry, but not sorry.”
“No, don’t rush back. We handled it,” Kessler said from behind me. “Yes, we’re all fine, son. Finish your leads. We’re good here.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Tennessee
This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. This was the second moon rising, as Myrtle had told us to wait for. The potion had been brewed.
Time to give my sister her memory back.
We were in the backyard of Coven Headquarters on Holy Land. I stood staring at the Goddess’s rune in the ground. It would have been nice if we had found Hope in our searching. It would’ve been nice to have her standing here with me so that when her memory returned I’d have her back.
But we didn’t. She wasn’t here. So I’d still have to wait. And search.
I would do it, though. I would search every person in the world until I found her. My mother had told me she wasn’t lost, that I’d find her, so I had to hold on to the prayer that it wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Babe?” Tegan whispered from behind me. Her hand slid into mine, and then she was right in front of me. “Your hands are shaking.”
Are they? I hadn’t noticed. I looked down at them, but all I saw were Tegan’s fingers wrapped around mine. My pulse was racing. I felt clammy and sticky. Sweat rolled down my spine.
Tegan squeezed my hands and stepped up close to me. She looked up into my eyes and smiled. “Listen, you don’t have to do anything here, okay? I just need your presence. We’re going to do all the work. You just have to sit there. And breathe. That’s your only job, okay?”
I nodded. Breathe. I can do that.
“It’s gonna be all right.” Bentley walked up beside his sister. He gripped his Hierophant’s locket and smiled. “This is going to work. Hope’s memories will come back as soon as we do this.”
My breath left me in a rush. I nodded. My mouth seemed to not be working.
Someone cleared their throat behind me.
“Are we ready?” Henley said softly. “The second moon rising is upon us now.”
Tegan looked up at me.
I nodded.
She smiled and gave me a wink. “All right, Haven, I want you to kneel right here. The rest of us are going to kneel beside you to circle the rune.”
I did as she asked and dropped to my knees. The ground was cold and hard, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were everywhere all at the same time. My vision kept blurring in and out. I saw the flash of Lennox’s indigo hair across from me, and the glow coming from Bentley’s locket beside her. I felt both Tegan’s hand on my left arm and Henley’s magic on my right. I knew they were there, but I couldn’t really see them. Then I felt them both press their palms to mine. Tegan’s magic pulsed through my body like I’d been plugged into an electrical socket.
There was a murmur, hushed voices around me, but my heart was pounding so loud it completely drowned it out.
That golden cauldron floated over on a stream of rainbow mist. It tipped over, and the glowing liquid contents poured like a waterfall. The Goddess’s rune glowed and sparkled brighter with each ounce of the potion upon it. My pulse skipped beats.
Oh God, this is really happening.
Tegan shouted something in the angelic language. I frowned and tried to translate it in my head as glowing runes popped up from the ground around us. I gasped and my entire body began to tremble. My golden wings spread out from my back and flapped in the breeze.
I was trying to listen—I really was. This was my mother’s potion we were reversing. I wanted to hear the words the four of them were chanting, but my breaths were coming too fast, too hard. It sounded like the roar of the wind in a hurricane, and I didn’t know how to stop it. They chanted and chanted. Warm energy rushed through their hands and into mine. My magic sizzled and sparkled all around me.
Bright golden light exploded from within the Goddess’s rune and shot up into the sky like a beam to Heaven itself.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jackson
The energy in the living room was so thick and tense I would’ve needed a chainsaw to cut it. Everyone was nervous for Tennessee, but I knew we were all feeling kind of helpless. We all wanted to find his sister for him, to give something back to him after what he’d been through, but this wasn’t a battle we could fight. There were no demons to slay to fix this.
We couldn’t even all be out there performing this spell.
No one was handling being benched well.
Poor Kessler was wringing his hands so much they were going to start bleeding soon. Mona clung to his back like a monkey. Every few seconds she’d stroke his hair, and I’d see little flashes of magic like she was actively healing him. His brother, Hunter, stood close and was definitely using his gift to keep him calm. I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes. Or any of the adults, for that matter. They all had known Haven since the day he was born…and then they’d known Tennessee for twelve years without being able to see it was him.
I couldn’t fathom that level of guilt.
I’d always known The Coven were super close, like a family. But in this moment right here, I really saw it. This was tearing everyone up, as if it were their issue. They all cared so much, and it was…refreshing.
Aside from how it was upsetting Bettina. Ever since that spell by the riverbank, she’d been messed up over this. And I loved her even more for it. She cared so much for everyone. I counted myself lucky to be able to call her mine. Even if I couldn’t ease her pain right now.
She paced back and forth in front of the fireplace with her arms wrapped tight around her waist. Ice covered her hands and forearms, like her magic was trying to fix it. I felt the turmoil rolling in my soulmate, and there was nothing I could do to ease it for her. I hated it. So I just stood at one end of the fireplace, and each time her pacing brought her near me, I’d squeeze her arm. She’d stop and let me hold her hand for a second, then return to pacing. Like a pit stop in NASCAR.
“So, let me see if I’m confused.” Warner pinched the bridge of his nose. “This spell they’re doing out there is just gonna work even though the girl isn’t here?”
Cooper nodded. “Yes. I don’t know the mechanics of how that works exactly, but Myrtle said so. As did Tegan, Bentley, Henley, and Lennox.”
“I’ve known I was a witch since I was born, and I still don’t understand it.” Warner chuckled and shook his head. Then he looked up at me. “This is why we’re Swords, dude.”
I smirked. “I won’t disagree there.”
Willow sighed and leaned back against the couch. “That’s magic. It’s weird but it works.”
Easton cracked his knuckles. “I just can’t wait to meet this Hope.”
“Right?” Royce popped a Cheeto into his mouth. “She’s gotta be as not human as Tenn. I can’t wait to see that.”
I frowned. “So what exactly is the plan for after they finish this spell?”
Chutney leaned over Deacon and grabbed the bag of Cheetos from Royce. “We meet Hope and get the locket.”
“Right, but how?” I shook my head. “I mean, she was only four years old when this all happened. Sure, her memory will come back, but I don’t see how that actually helps us too much.”
Easton frowned. “How do you figure, bruh?”
I shrugged. “She was a toddler. It’s not like she’s going to suddenly know where to go. Will she even know she was from Eden? Bloody hell, she wasn’t even awake. She won’t even know her parents were killed. Or her uncle.”
Deacon nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that, too.”
“We still have to find her.” Emersyn groaned and the flames went wild. “And we already followed all of our leads—”
Bettina choked on a gasp and stumbled back a few steps.
Everyone froze, their eyes on her.
She clutched her chest and dropped to her knees.
“Bettina!” I ran to her just as she doubled over, gasping for air. “BETTINA!”
But she wasn’t responding. I reached out to touch her when bright golden light exploded out of her like a glitter bomb had gone off. She gasped and threw her head back, her spine arching. I grabbed her hands which were frozen solid. The light was too much to look at, so I turned my face away.
Everyone else called out for her. Mona sprinted toward her, covering her eyes. And then the light faded like it’d never been there at all.
“Bettina, talk to— What the…”
Her pale skin turned a deep tan in the blink of an eye. Everyone was calling out for her, yet still no response. My heart jumped into my throat. I cupped her face in my hands, then tipped her head back—and gasped. One of her eyes was flashing light.
Tears suddenly pooled in her eyes. She jumped to her feet and ran.
I scrambled to my feet and chased after her. “Bettina! Wait!”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tennessee
The golden beam of light exploded into dust that sparkled through the air all around us.
I exhaled a shaky breath.
Lennox glanced around. “Now what?”
“We wait,” Bentley said softly.
Henley frowned. “For what exactly?”
Tegan squeezed my hand and grinned. “Just give it a minute.”
I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant when the back door of the house flew open and slammed into the wall. Bettina leapt out of the house, golden light flashing through her hair. Her arms had patches of ice on them, and there were icicles hanging from the rips in her pale jeans. Her face was snow white and her eyes were wide and sparkling. I jumped to my feet to rush inside to what must have happened—
Tegan grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I glanced back at her, but her eyes were locked on Bettina. She shook her head.
I frowned and looked back to Bettina to find her sprinting toward us. Her long blonde hair was flying in the wind behind her like a cape. She looked different. Her skin looked darker. Is she sick? Did someone put a spell on her? Shit, is it Joseph? Something flashed in her eye. What’s going on? I wanted to ask, but there was something about the look on her face that locked me up.
Something was wrong.
She was sprinting. Full speed. For us.
No, wait. Her eyes were focused on me. My heart fluttered. Did she figure out something about Hope? That must be it! She must have discovered something. She’s brilliant like Tegan.
Tegan gasped.
I glanced back at her and frowned. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
What the hell?
I turned back to Bettina just as glittery golden light exploded like fireworks from her head. My eyes widened. A dark cloud wrapped around her head. I jumped forward. Oh, shit, Joseph— My breath left me in a rush. I froze in place. It wasn’t a cloud or a shadow—it was her hair.
I blinked several times but the sight before me didn’t change.
Her light blonde hair had changed to a dark, rich black.
She slid to a stop a few feet in front of me. Close enough for me to see every strand of raven hair. Magic flashed and sparkled all around her in gold and pink bursts. She looked down at her hands that were suddenly as tan as mine then looked up to me—
I gasped.
One of her eyes was GREEN.
My jaw dropped.
My body trembled like a leaf in a hurricane.
Because I knew that face. I knew those eyes.
They were identical to mine.
A million memories from a long, long time ago flashed through my mind in rapid succession, each one featuring a little smiling face of…of…HOPE?
Tears filled her mismatched eyes.
OH MY GOD. WHAT IS… HOW… WHAT? GODDESS. I…I…I…
I tried to move, to think, to say something. Anything. But I was frozen solid. For a moment, we just stared at each other.
“…HOPE?”
She nodded. “It’s me.” Tears streaked down her face.
And then she was running for me again. She lunged and tackled me, her arms wrapping around my neck tight. I gasped and caught a whiff of a smell I hadn’t smelled in twelve years. She smelled like roses and gardenias, with a hint of jasmine. I know that smell. It’s Hope’s smell. I stumbled back and wrapped my arms around her.
She sniffled in my ear. Her tears dripped onto my back as she trembled. She tapped her fingers on my shoulder, and my heart stopped. My body went cold. It was Morse code. Uncle Tim had taught us. It’d been twelve years since I’d used it, but the memory came flooding back into my mind.
.... .- ...- . -.
Haven.
.... --- .--. .
Hope.
Our names. Over and over. Just like she used to when we were kids. I squeezed her tight, probably too tight. I was right on the edge of losing it. I couldn’t believe this was real. This had to be some sick, twisted dream.
“I told you Blue’s clues led to a picnic,” she cried into my hair. “I called it.”
A strangled cry escaped my lips. My knees hit the ground, and then I fell apart.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Bettina
I am Hope.
I am HOPE.
I…am…Hope.
