The Secret Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 5), page 5
Jackson jumped the last step onto the third floor where both of our rooms were. I recognized the pattern in the hardwood floors and the burn mark along the edge of the baseboards. We passed a few doors, and I realized that we had separate rooms because we didn’t know we were soulmates when I moved in. Wait, will he even want to share a room with me? The other soulmate couples do. Well, Tegan and Emersyn have their own rooms, but they don’t use them. Or does Deacon use Em’s room?
He was my soulmate. My forever. It seemed silly to have separate rooms. I didn’t want to sleep apart from him, but switching rooms all the time would get annoying.
Do I ask him to mine tonight? Or do I go to his? My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t sure how to handle this. What to say. I still had no idea how I managed to have the courage to ask him for our night together in London—that was so unlike me.
And then Jackson slowed and turned to the left.
To MY room.
He kicked my door open and crossed the room. Then, before I could even speak, he threw me onto my bed. I gasped and bounced into the air. He jumped on the bed and dropped down beside me, his arm wrapping around my waist. I giggled and rolled into him so we were face-to-face. He slid his hand up the side of my body, leaving a trail of fire in its wake, then he cupped my jaw. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. His kiss was soft, but it lit a fire inside me.
When he pulled back, his eyes were shining and his cheeks were flushed. My mood lanterns hanging over his head were pale pink—the color that meant in love.
“I hope you don’t mind I brought us in here… I just wanted to be near you tonight.”
My heart fluttered. I pulled myself closer to him. “I want to be close to you every night.”
He looked down at my lips. “But throwing you into my bed seemed a bit presumptuous.”
“Well, we’ve shared a hotel bed and your bed already.” I licked my lips. “So I guess it was my bed’s turn.”
He grinned and ran his thumb over my jaw. He glanced to the right, and his smile turned crooked. “I heard rumor you and Tegan made your rooms adjoining, with an open doorway—”
I giggled. “Yeah, we did. Fulfilling a childhood dream of ours.”
He shook his head. “Right, well, that doorway gives Tegan far too much invitation to be nosey…and I can’t decide just how worried we should be on that.”
“Oh, very worried. Very indeed.” I laughed and kissed his jaw. Then I kissed the corner of his mouth. “She’s gonna make this weird for us, and I think I have it coming.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh? Do tell.”
I grimaced. “I may have embarrassed her in front of Tenn, Cooper, Em, Deacon, Royce, and Henley. At a time when being with Tenn was highly forbidden.”
He chuckled and pressed his lips to mine. “So revenge could be on the menu?”
“With Tegan? Likely.” I bit my lip and glanced around. Maybe this is my chance to ask. Then I decided to take a leap. This was just Jackson after all. “So, um…guess that means we better not sleep in here every night? We should sleep in your bed?”
His lips curved into a wide, cheek-splitting grin. “You want to share a bed every night?”
My face warmed. Too late to take it back now. I nodded. “Is that okay?”
“Okay?” He sighed, then reached out to tuck my hair behind my ear. “You have bewitched me from that first moment I laid eyes on you, standing on Dean’s sidewalk wearing that adorable dress with your Converses and red beanie. I have done nothing but think of you every day since.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Jackson…”
He cupped my face and stared into my eyes. “I prayed for so long that it would be you. That somehow, it would be you. I have no idea what I did to make my dreams come true, but there’s no bloody chance in hell I’m not going to wake up to your face every morning.”
I fisted his shirt and dragged myself up his body, then took his lips with mine. There were no words inside of me to explain how I felt, to do it justice, so I just needed to show him. As our tongues brushed, I slid his shirt up his chest. He lifted his arms and rolled over me. His body pressed into me, pushing me into the mattress. I hooked my legs around his hips and pulled him flush against me, then dragged my nails down his back.
He pulled back, propping himself on his elbows. “Bettina…I—”
“What’s wrong?”
“I love you,” he whispered fervently.
My heart soared as happiness overflooded my veins. I grinned and took his face in my hands. “I love you, too.”
As he lowered his body back onto me and pressed his lips to mine, every lantern hanging from my ceiling turned a deep, warm, plum purple. But that wasn’t surprising. I was planning on spending all night showing him just how much I loved him.
Chapter Ten
Tennessee
Every time I looked back, the darkness swallowed me. The shadows moved, like they were trying to reach out and grab me. All I heard were footsteps and branches breaking. Daddy said he’d follow us, except it sounded too big to be him.
I reached out for my mother’s hands and called to her, “Momma, wait for me!”
She slid her fingers through mine and squeezed real hard. “I’m right here, baby.”
When we stopped at the edge of the water, she let go of my hand and crouched down. I reached out and gripped the sleeve of her soft white dress, not wanting her to get too far away. Her dress was wet and sticky, but I held on anyway.
“Momma, can we stop running now?”
“I’m sorry, baby, no. We don’t have much time.” She held her palm out, closed her eyes, and began humming. Her yellow hair flew all around her and brushed over my face.
A light flashed. When I looked down, a small wooden boat sat in the dirt at Momma’s bare feet. This didn’t scare me though. I was used to Momma and Daddy creating things that weren’t there before.
Momma’s eyes squeezed shut real tight, but her tears slipped out anyway. Her whole body shook, so I held on tighter so she wouldn’t fall over. “I love you more than a thousand stars. Please forgive me. May the Goddess bless you.”
My heart burned and sounded like thunder in my ears. I stepped close and put my hand on Momma’s shoulder, blinking away my tears. “Momma?” I said, but my voice cracked.
Momma mumbled under her breath, but no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t understand. I gripped her dress a little tighter. Her eyes were full of tears and her lips trembled. My heart pounded in my chest even harder. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My throat was tight, like there was something stuck in it.
“Stay here, love,” Momma said to me, walking into the river.
“Momma?” I shouted. “Momma!”
The ice cold water splashed all the way up to my knees. Momma caught me and wrapped her arms around my body, holding me in place while I screamed. My nose burned, and tears filled my eyes so much I couldn’t see. I opened my mouth and strained to breathe. I cried and wiggled. I needed to get free.
Momma picked me up and carried me back to the dirt. She dropped to her knees so my feet touched and our green eyes were at the same level. Hers were full of tears and kept spilling onto her cheeks like rivers. She slid her hands down to squeeze my fingers. Her hands were warm and soft. “Baby, look at me.”
“Momma, I don’t understand.”
“I know, baby.” She smiled but it looked a little wobbly since her lips were shaking. “You are so strong, so brave. Hope is not lost.”
She reached up and pulled off her favorite necklace, an old key on a leather cord, and looped it over my head. I gasped and stepped back to look at it. The gold metal looked almost black without lights, and it stung like ice against my stomach, even through my shirt.
Momma cleared her throat. “One day this key will help.”
“Where’s Daddy?” I had so many questions. I wanted to talk about Daddy more.
My head was light and fuzzy. Thunder rumbled over my head, and the sky lit up the brightest white I’d ever seen. The ground shook under my feet. I cried out and grabbed onto Momma’s dress. She pulled me up and squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. Her fingers dug into my skin.
Water filled my eyes, and I tried to blink it away but it wouldn’t stop. “Momma? I’m scared.”
“Oh, baby.” She set me back down and cupped my face in her warm, soft hands. “Don’t be. You are so strong. The Goddess will protect you. It’s time we say goodbye now.”
I gasped. “Goodbye? No! I don’t want to leave you.”
“But you must. My time here is done. Before sunrise, I will be with your father.” Her eyebrows scrunched down and her face twisted. She turned away and cried.
Tears poured down my face. Now my lips were shaking too. “But then I’ll be alone.”
She wiped her wet face on her sleeve before turning to look at me. “No, baby. You will never be alone. You must run now and not look back. The Tennessee wilds will protect you. Run through there until you get to Eden. The Goddess will send you guidance.”
“No, Momma, please. Stay with me,” I whispered through the burn in my throat.
Her face twisted. “It’s time now, my love.” She pulled me to her chest and squeezed. Her body was soft and warm and smelled like pine trees. Her chest shook, but I cuddled up closer. “Just know, my love, I will always love you.”
“Momma…” I held her tighter. I wanted her to hold me forever, until Daddy came back and the darkness stopped following us. But then she stepped away, and I turned cold from the inside out.
She placed her right hand over my heart. “If you ever need me, this is where I’ll be. Right here, real close. I will be in your heart forever. All you have to do is look.”
I nodded and gripped her hand with both of mine. My tears wouldn’t stop pouring.
She held her left hand up, and purple smoke swirled around her fingers. Then she pressed it to my cheek. Warmth filled me like I was sitting in front of a fireplace. The purple smoke circled around my face a few times before disappearing. When I looked back to Momma, her green eyes were red and puffy and full of tears.
“Now, my love. Do you remember your name?”
My name? Of course I remembered my name. It was…it was… My heart raced. “No, I don’t. Momma?”
“Then you’re going to be just fine. I will always be proud of you. Now run, and remember, Hope is not lost.” Her voice cracked. “I love you to the moon…”
“And back,” I whispered.
“Now run.”
I spun around and ran in the direction she pointed, toward the Tennessee wilds. I ran, like Momma told me to. I ran until the ground slanted upward and trees covered the sky. I ran until the silence was so loud it buzzed in my ears like bumblebees.
BABE, WAKE UP.
My foot caught on something, and I crashed to the ground.
Sharp pain shot down my spine and into my skull. I coughed and looked up. I was lying facedown on the hardwood floor of my room. I groaned then rolled onto my back. Water dripped into my face. It stung my eyes. I licked my lips. Salty. Sweat. I reached up and pushed my hair back, and sure enough, it was soaking wet.
“TENN? Are you awake now?” Tegan’s voice was soft like a lullaby, and it brought the pace of my runaway pulse down a notch.
“Yeah, I’m awake,” I grumbled and pushed up off the ground. Sweat rolled down my chest and spine. “Just that damn dream again—”
I stopped. She wasn’t in the room with me. I was alone up here in this penthouse suite. Despite the massive fireplace crackling with flames and the sweat covering my body…I was cold to my core.
Come downstairs, my love, Tegan said into my mind.
I sighed and looked down at the crystal glyph on my hand. It was emerald green, which meant my pulse was beating fast enough to alert my other half.
Tenn, please. Just come down. You need to get out of that room right now anyway.
She was right. That damn dream had haunted me for twelve years, yet every time it tore me open all over again, like a scab that couldn’t heal. Most nights it was fuzzy and cut short. But not tonight. Tonight, I saw it with too much clarity. The tears rolling down my mother’s face. The pain in her eyes and in the way she held me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and the memory—my only memory—flashed behind my eyelids.
I saw her face. The green of her eyes that perfectly matched my one. The slim lines of her nose and her full bottom lip. I saw her perfectly manicured eyebrows and high cheekbones. The tan color of her skin matched mine identically. She had pale freckles that dusted the bridge of her nose and over her cheeks. I used to ask her why she had them and I didn’t. I saw the wind rustle through her long blonde hair. It’d been so long since I could remember her so clearly, and I couldn’t handle it. I missed her in a way I couldn’t put words to, yet I couldn’t even remember her.
It didn’t make any sense. Why did she leave me? What happened to my father? Where did SHE go? Why don’t I remember any—
TENN?
I gasped and my eyes flew open. Water dripped onto my cheeks. My eyes burned. I scrubbed at my face. My breaths were rough and ragged. My chest burned.
Tenn, my glyph just turned dark purple.
I frowned and looked down at my right hand. It was dark purple. I blinked and tried to remember what that color meant.
There was a flash of light, and then Tegan stood a few feet away. She spun away from the bed then spotted me sitting on the ground. Her pale eyes widened, and then she dropped to her knees in front of me. She climbed into my lap then wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I buried my face in the crook of her neck and just let her hold me.
“The dream again?” she whispered.
I nodded.
She sighed and squeezed me tighter. “I’m so sorry, Tenn. I promise I’m working on finding answers for you.”
I pulled back—and gasped. We weren’t in my room anymore. We were sitting on the couch in the living room.
She ran her fingers through my wet hair, and the strands dried. “My glyph turned dark purple and it scared me, so I brought you down to me.”
“Dark purple…” I reached up and traced the lines of the glyph on her chest with my fingers. “What does this color mean again?”
Her face fell. “Heartbreak.”
My breath left me in a rush. Heartbreak. That was how I felt. My heart was broken. At least part of it. It had healed a little over the years thanks to Kessler and Cooper, along with my Coven-mates. The wound was still there, but on the outside, it had smoothed over so it didn’t hurt so much. I didn’t think about what I’d lost all the time.
And then Tegan came into my life…and that pain got even lighter. Her love filled in all those cracks and crevices in my heart that used to suffocate me. With her, I knew that pain was there, but I felt strong enough to handle it. And she never judged me for it. She always knew when I needed her to hold the pieces of my broken past together.
“Hey,” she whispered and took my face between her hands. When my eyes met hers, she gave me a small smile. “Hi.”
My lips curved. “Hi.”
She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine, and all the pressure in my heart lifted. Then she pulled back and held my gaze. “Close your eyes. Let rest find you.”
My eyes closed, and I didn’t fight the fatigue drawing me down. I let myself fall into her chest and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Stay with me,” I whispered against her skin.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She squeezed me tighter. “I’m right here. Forever.”
Chapter Eleven
Tegan
The sun was rising, brightening the sky just outside the living room windows. The fireplace was still burning strong and warm. Granted, that was mostly of my doing. I was on the big couch…with Tennessee’s head in my lap.
He was finally sleeping soundly. His heartbeat had smoothed out to a normal beat. I’d held him in my arms, mostly in my lap, for over an hour as he slept until our glyph changed back to the light pink it always was. I hated how much he hurt. I wished I could take that pain away from him, heal him completely. Bentley and I had been researching his past. We wanted to find the answers for him, tell him who he really was. Where he came from. What happened to him.
But I knew even if I gave him those answers, I could never fully heal his hurt.
The damage was already done.
I knew that from experience. It didn’t matter that I understood why I was separated from my twin, my mother, and my brother—it still hurt like hell to know that I missed out on sixteen years with them. As happy as I was now, that scar would always remain.
Just like this would for Tenn.
But I knew that answers would be better than not knowing at all.
And I was pretty sure I knew those answers. Except I couldn’t prove it. I just had a hunch and little clues. Puzzle pieces. Until I had undeniable proof, I couldn’t tell him. If I was wrong, it would only cause him more pain. Just like with Bettina and Jackson. I knew they were soulmates, but until I had that proof, I couldn’t give her false hope then watch her heart shatter.
I smiled just remembering their faces when they saw each other a few hours ago. I was so happy for them. Bettina had always been a sister to me, and despite our childhood plans to marry brothers so we could officially be family, I couldn’t have been happier for her and Jackson.
Tenn arched his back and stretched his arms and legs out. I got so distracted watching his abs tighten and flex that I didn’t realize he’d kicked one of my books off the armrest until it crashed on the ground, knocking over three other books with it. I cringed and waited for him to wake up, but he just sighed and flipped to his other side. His vintage key necklace tangled in his hair, so I began to unwind the long black strands as he slept.
