The Secret Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 5), page 28
Trey frowned. He looked back and forth between Tenn and the remnants of the glowing orb at his feet that looked like a shattered Christmas ornament. “What the hell?”
Bettina jumped up and swung Tenn’s black sword into the air…then slammed it right through Trey’s spine.
He gasped and his eyes widened as the black blade sliced through his heart and out his chest. Blood gushed from his chest and was already pooling behind him as he sank to his knees. That black smoke vanished all at once. Deacon, Lennox, Henley, Jackson, and Timothy jumped to their feet and sprinted toward us.
“YES! HOPE! I KNEW IT!” Tennessee cheered. “HELL YEAH!”
“HOLY SHIT, DID YOU SEE THAT?!” Easton yelled.
Bettina smiled and yanked Tenn’s black sword out of Trey’s body. She looked to the dome and held her free hand up…and her sword popped out of the ground and flew into her palm. Her dome disappeared and we all charged for them.
Everyone was freaking out and losing their minds over what Bettina just did.
Bettina spun and ran for Jackson. He caught her in the air like they were Patrick Swayze and Baby.
“He’s dead, right?” Willow shouted.
Bright orange flames shot up, when I turned toward it I found Emersyn standing over Trey’s body…and then she dropped the fire onto his lifeless form. “Oh, he’s dead.”
Holy shit, Trey is dead. I didn’t know how to feel about it. He was one of my best friends of a decade, and now he was gone. Part of me was devastated still, but I was also overwhelmingly relieved. It was conflicting and confusing. I looked up to Jackson to see if felt the same but him and Bettina were too occupied inspecting each other for injuries. That made me smile.
“Is everyone all right?” I looked to the others who’d been doing the dark magic spell. “You hurt? Timothy? Deacon? Lennox or Henley? Anyone?”
They all shook their heads and assured us they were fine.
“DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE DID?!” Easton cheered, his eyes sparkling. “That was BOSS!”
“HOPE,” Tennessee called out to her. He let go of Tegan, then skipped closer to Bettina with happiness just oozing out of him. “YES.”
Tegan smiled and leaned against her father. Her hair was already turning black again.
“Did you know you could do that?” Henley said, shaking her head and smiling.
Bettina ran over to Tenn and hugged him. When he set her down, she laughed. “No, but he can so I figured I could, too.”
“Glad to see you two haven’t changed.” Timothy grinned and wrapped both of them in a big bear hug. “Bettina, that was incredible. I’m so proud of you.”
She blushed. “Call me Hope, please.”
“Hope.” He pulled her in for another hug, still laughing and shaking his head. He looked to Tenn. “She always insisted on doing whatever you did.”
Tenn grinned and shrugged. “And I told y’all just to let her try, didn’t I?”
Tim threw his head back and laughed. “Shit. Yes. Yes, you did.”
Chutney cleared her throat and raised her hand in the air. “Um, not to rain on our parade, but I feel like sitting ducks out here right now. Can we re-try the spell so we can leave?”
Deacon grinned from over Emersyn’s head. “Nah, girl. I finished that.”
Royce gasped. He glanced back and forth between Henley and Deacon. “You did?”
Lennox chuckled. “Barely, but yeah.”
Deacon scoffed. “Finished is finished, ‘kay?” He winked at her.
I sighed and leaned down with my hands on my knees. “Man, my emotions went through the ringer today. Damn.”
Tennessee cupped Tegan’s face and looked her over. “You feeling okay?”
She smiled up at him, but it looked a little loopy. She snapped her fingers and her white portal box opened up. “Good enough to get us home.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Bettina
We stepped through the portal and into the courtyard of Edenburg. I sighed in relief and tried to shake off the lingering tension. We still had quite a job to do, but at least for now we were safe. Thanks to my mom, Eden was now untouchable. I didn’t have words to explain how good that felt.
I took a deep breath and looked around – and frowned.
The sun was setting, but something was very much off. It was usually a combination or reds, pinks, and purples, yet right now it was gray and black.
Deacon whistled softly and shook his head. “That didn’t take long.”
Royce frowned. “What didn’t?”
“That.” Deacon pointed to the sky. “That’s Joseph.”
I gasped. Duh! “He’s trying to hit us with dark magic.”
Easton grinned. “Well, you did just kill his son.”
“He deserved it,” Emersyn said with a snarl.
“Come on, let’s share the good news,” Haven said as he started for the Great Hall.
Everyone hurried after him but I hung back.
Jackson stopped in front of me. “You okay?”
“I wanted to ask you the same.”
He looked down at his body. “Yeah, I’m fine. No marks or anything.”
I smiled. “That’s good, but…um…not what I meant.”
“Oh?” He frowned then his face fell. “Oh.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “Your friend just died, how are you feeling?”
He sighed long and hard. “My friend died the day he tried to kill Tegan. I mourned him then, now…I’m…numb.”
“But you were pretty upset outside my house—”
“Because he attacked you.” He tipped my chin up, forcing my eyes to meet his. “I refuse to lose you. Anyone who tries to challenge that will suffer.”
I grinned. “I love you.”
He pressed his lips to mine in a quick kiss that ended far, far too soon. “I love you, too.”
“But you’re okay? It’s all right if you’re not.”
He tucked my hair behind my ears. “None of this is easy. And honestly, I’m not sure if I would have been able to do the deed. To remove him from the situation. So, I’m grateful you were able to do that for me.”
“I’d do anything for you.”
His lips curved up in a wide smile that dimpled his cheeks. “And I for you.” He pulled me into his chest then wrapped his arms around me tight.
I sighed and snuggled in closer, reveling in the warmth radiating off his body and that glorious Christmassy scent. We stood there like that for several minutes, just holding on to each other. We didn’t speak or kiss. I just needed to hold him.
When we finally separated and joined our Coven-mates inside Great Hall, we found all of the good shadows gathered around listening to Tegan and Haven speak.
“…we have the reversal spell, but it’s very dark magic.” Tegan held her hands up to ward off questions. “I need to review it to make sure what we’re dealing with. I want to be as careful with your lives as possible. But we’ll be back to start trying it.”
Haven nodded. “Any questions?”
One of the good shadows in the front raised his hand. “So…Trey is really dead? For real?”
“Yes. Trey is dead.”
Hands shot up around the room – shadowy hands.
Haven placed his hand on the small of Tegan’s back. “Tegan will answer your questions, I’ll be right back.” Then he turned and gestured for us to follow him outside.
When we got out there, Easton cracked his knuckles. “What’s the game plan, boss?”
“Go back and rest. Eat. Sleep. Take a hot shower.”
“Wait, what?” Warner asked with a frown. “Don’t we need to go kick Joseph’s ass?”
Haven sighed. “Yes, but not like this. At least not for those of us who were hit with Lilith’s magic. We can’t take any chances, so we need to recoup a little bit. Besides, this fight isn’t going to be pretty. We all need to be at our best.”
Uncle Timothy frowned. He pointed toward Great Hall. “Okay, but that means you two actually need to rest.”
“We will, I promise.”
Constance smiled and turned to the rest of us. “All right, you heard him. To headquarters we go.”
A loud growl ripped through the courtyard and we all jumped.
“Oops.” Chutney blushed bright red and gripped her stomach. “I’m starving.”
There was an echo of, “Me too.”
“OH!” Lennox snapped her fingers. “I have a witch friend in N’orleans who owns a restaurant and can magically deliver —”
“YES,” Easton practically yelled. “Just yes. Do that.”
Lennox giggled and led the way back to headquarters while she read off menu items.
When it was just a couple of us left, Kessler squeezed Haven’s shoulder. “Son, you better be following behind us soon. I will come carry your ass back.”
He grinned. “As tempting as that is, I’ll be right behind you.”
Tegan appeared right next to him. “Hi.”
“Oh, hi.” Haven frowned and pointed toward Great Hall. “Did they have any more questions for me?”
She shook her head. “Well, yeah, probably. But I assured them that we’re going to work on the spell to heal them so they are pretty content with that. Although, Mona was rather insistent on Kessler getting his happy ass back inside.”
Kessler cursed and sprinted inside.
Tegan chuckled. “Everyone else go home?”
“Yeah,” Uncle Timothy said with his deep, scruffy voice. “Now time for the rest of us.”
“Yes, you three get going—”
“Three?” Uncle Timothy shook his head. “You two need to—”
“Portal to pick up Katherine so she’s here when we do this spell? Yeah, I thought so, too. Good idea.” She winked at him. “I promise, we’ll be there very soon.”
“You should pick up Dean, too.” I smiled, remembering him at my house before. “We may need an extra set of magical hands to help and I know he’d like to.”
Haven nodded. “Yeah, I like that idea. We’ll get them then meet you back at Headquarters.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Bettina
I’d never, ever, ever been a morning person, yet on the day I needed as much sleep as possible, I woke up with the sun. And my nerves had been going nuts since my eyes opened. Unfortunately, my anxiety woke Jackson up. But fortunately, I had company to watch the sunrise.
Half an hour later, I was dressed and ready.
For revenge.
Joseph stole my life from me and I had every intention of repaying the favor.
“Hey, Tegan, is Bettina in here?” Jackson said from behind me.
I frowned and spun around to find my soulmate leaning against my open door. I was alone in my room – well, my joint room with Tegan. Wait. I had black hair now – again – and he saw me from behind. I cocked my head to the side. “Did you think I was Tegan just now?”
Jackson chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. His navy sweater and dark jeans combo really made his ocean colored eyes sparkle. “No, but you could see how I might, right?” He looked me up and down with a wild grin.
I glanced down at myself and my cheeks warmed. He was right. It made sense. I was wearing all black and black combat boots – Tegan’s uniform. I met his gaze and tucked my hair behind my ears. “I just…I don’t know…I’m nervous? Guess I hoped maybe if I dressed like her today I might magically absorb some of her courage.”
His face fell. He crossed the room then took my face between his hands. “You’re allowed to be nervous and scared. This is a big deal. This is dangerous. There are too many lives on the line. But you are incredible—”
“Jackson—”
“I mean it, love.” He smiled. “You are the granddaughter of an archangel. Of Michael, to be exact. You are more suited for this role than you realize. Heaven is in your veins. I have been impressed by you since your first day in Swords class. The second the action starts you don’t hesitate, you act. And now you have more magic than you know. You’ll be amazing.”
Warmth spread through my body. “I love your faith in me.”
He grinned and shrugged. “I love you, Moonshine.”
I groaned and buried my face in his chest. “Stop. You’re gonna make me cry and I have to be a badass today.”
He laughed so hard his whole body vibrated. He kissed my forehead, then stepped back from me. “I don’t know, crying while being a badass might be even more intimidating.”
“I think that only works if you’re Haven.”
He took my hand and dragged me out of my room, which was really just my closet at this point. “Your brother is the single most intimidating person in the entire bloody world, love. Crying or not.”
“You know what’s funny? When my memory was blocked and I met him as a stranger, I felt like that around him, too.” I grinned and shook my head as we headed down the stairs. “But the second my memory came back that was gone.”
“Really?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Easton and Lily were behind us a few steps. “Yes, really.”
Easton scoffed. “I call BS. Brother or not, that dude is scary.”
A million memories of our childhood ran through my mind in a flash. I smiled. “If you only knew.”
And then I realized something. When Haven and I were kids, granted we were only four and five when we were separated, but back then Haven was always smiling. He was a happy kid. I was the sassy troublemaker. He was calm and steady, always kind to everyone. Even when he had the right to be angry or upset, he never was. I couldn’t picture a single memory of him frowning.
All of the frowning memories were of Tennessee. Not Haven.
Haven was happy. Tennessee was haunted.
Tortured.
Confused.
Hurting.
My chest tightened and my eyes burned. He really got the rotten deal of the two of us. The saying was true, ignorance was bliss. I had no idea, but he did. I thought back to that night at The Gathering, then when he showed up at my house in Charleston, and again when I met him last month…it seemed he was always glaring at someone. Scowling and radiating energy. It was no wonder everyone was so scared of him.
It made me want to hug him real hard.
Jackson squeezed my hand and I let him comfort me, even if he wasn’t aware of what was actually bothering me. Focus, Bettina. You have to be a badass today, remember? I took a deep breath and pushed my shoulders back.
When we got to the first floor, we rounded the corner and found Bentley and Emersyn sitting in the loveseat looking at a massive book in his lap. Cooper sat in the chair beside them, eating cereal and staring into space. Deacon strolled in from the kitchen carrying a bag of potato chips. He winked at us, then slid in beside Em.
The living room was a mess. There were books everywhere. Stacked on the floor and coffee table, some open with random objects holding pages down. It had Tegan’s name written all over it. I frowned and opened my mouth to ask where my best friend was when Deacon pointed to the couch in front of him. I walked into the room and around the side of the couch…and found her and my brother sound asleep, all cuddled up on the couch. Black hair everywhere.
His black sword and his dagger were lying on the floor beside them.
I sighed. “How long have they been sleeping here?”
“About three hours and fifty-nine minutes,” Uncle Timothy said as he strolled into the room with two steaming cups of coffee. He smiled at me. His watch lit up and an alarm beeped. He sat the cups down on the coffee table, then shut his alarm off. “Make that four hours.”
“Only four hours?” Lily groaned. “That’s not enough. They needed more.”
“Agreed, but we’re lucky we got that much in them. They’ve been buried in all this all night.” Uncle Tim shrugged. He bent down and pressed his palm to Haven’s shoulder. “Haven.”
He shot up instantly, his eyes sharp and searching for danger. His hair was wildly disheveled, like it always was. Mom was always brushing it. I smiled at the memory.
“Easy, killer. Just me,” Uncle Tim said with a chuckle.
“Thanks.” His voice was all scratchy sounding. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Then he reached down and shook Tegan gently. “Babe.”
Tegan’s eyes flew open. She glanced up at everyone. “Damn it.”
Uncle Tim shook his head. “I tried to tell you. Here, there’s coffee on the table for you.” He pointed to the two steaming cups he’d just sat down.
“Coffee coffee, or like…” Tegan narrowed her eyes on the cup. “Katherine coffee?”
“Katherine coffee.” Uncle Tim grinned. “She taught me how to make it back in Salem.”
Tegan sat up and practically dove for the cup. As she took a sip her eyes widened. “Oh, I made a mess.”
Haven slid to the edge of the couch and reached for his cup. He glanced around the room. “All right. Let’s get everyone else down here and get to work.”
I frowned. “Don’t you want to go take a shower or something?”
He lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. Then shrugged. “Nah, I smell fine.”
“Tegan?” I arched one eyebrow at her.
She glanced over to him, then back to me. Then she lifted her own arm and sniffed. “I’m good, too.”
“Bloody hell,” Jackson said with a chuckle. “These two.”
Deacon jumped up and went over to the base of the stairs…and whistled.
I cringed and covered my ears. “Damn, mandrake. Easy.”
Tegan spit her coffee then covered her mouth. She laughed. “MANDRAKE. Shit.”
Emersyn threw her head back and laughed.
Jackson chuckled. “You and your pop culture references.”
“You mean like, what the hell kind of Middle Earth bullshit is this?” Cooper said between laughs. “That was my personal favorite.”
As they all laughed and joked about all the ridiculous things I’d said over the months, I walked over and sat next to Tegan on the couch. Haven was on the other side of her, chugging his coffee. Footsteps thundered above us, and then the rest of our Coven came rushing down the steps. Next thing I knew, we were all gathered in the living room.
