The Empire Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  I licked my lips then repeated the spell. The flames on my sword flashed bright and then a crystal sat in the palm of my hand with a gold chain hanging from it. My eyes widened and my heart fluttered. “Oh…wow. That’s all you do?”

  Tegan shrugged. “Yup. Whenever you want to change it into something else, just picture it in your head and say the spell.”

  I slipped the gold chain around my neck and chuckled. “I’m so much like you now.”

  “Lucky you.” She winked. “So, Babe, what do you want to do?”

  “Let’s go to Salem, take a look around for ourselves.” Tenn glanced back and forth between Deacon and me. “You two going to be okay if we leave?”

  Deacon stood up straight and stretched. “Yeah, man. We’ll be all right. Our friends are all waiting for us – hey, why don’t you two stick around for the ball drop since you’re here? It’s only a few minutes away at this point.”

  Tegan’s eyes sparkled. “Oh. Oh, I’d like that. Babe, we’ll go to Salem right after midnight, okay?”

  He chuckled and nodded.

  “Ummm…” I looked down at myself and frowned. “I’m covered in blood.”

  Tegan pursed her lips and wiggled her fingers. Every single drop of blood floated off of my body then fell to the ground. Water poured out of her palm, washing the blood from the snow. She smiled. “There, all gone. Now let’s go watch the ball drop.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Emersyn

  “Fifteen…fourteen…thirteen…”

  Butterflies danced in my stomach as I stared up at the giant blue ball sticking way up into the clouds, four-hundred-seventy-two feet above the street. Or at least, that was what I’d heard Ryan Seacrest announce to the crowd. The ball itself was made up of triangle-shaped crystals that changed colors every other second. Below the ball was a giant screen with a clock on it, those arms just waiting to hit midnight. Underneath that, another screen with neon lights counted down.

  “Twelve…eleven…”

  The temperature was bitter cold but there were so many human bodies crammed into this narrow block that there was at least no wind. Almost every single person in the crowd held their cellphones up in the air with the cameras running. Bright colored fireworks shot out from the side of the screen counting down.

  “TEN…NINE…EIGHT…” the entire crowd shouted each number in perfect unison. “SEVEN…SIX…”

  My heart fluttered with excitement. This was by far one of the coolest experiences I’d ever had. I couldn’t believe how loud the crowd was, we had to be heard from Eden. I grinned up at the screens and the crystal ball that was sinking lower with every second. Deacon wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me to his chest. I leaned back and rested my head on his shoulder.

  “FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

  The crowd went nuts. The ball was gone, but in its place was a giant neon sets of numbers – 2019. Fireworks streamed out and burst into neon colored sparkles. The screaming around us was deafening. My throat burned as I threw my hands up and joined right along with them. Confetti exploded from the clouds and rained down on us like a monsoon. Little square pieces of colored paper filled the sky so thick I could barely see my sister and Tennessee kissing beside me.

  Deacon’s hands gripped my shoulders and spun me around. He pulled me close and grinned. “Happy new year, Butterberry!”

  My heart was pounding. I giggled. “Happy new year, taco!”

  He cupped my face and pulled my mouth up to his just as I pushed up on my tip-toes. Our lips crashed together and the whole world melted away. In the back of my mind I heard the cheering and laughing of the crowd and I felt the confetti hitting me…but all I knew was Deacon.

  This year had been crazy and life-changing. I was no longer the person I was last New Year’s Eve. There were a lot of things about my life now that I loved, but the very best part was my soulmate. I couldn’t believe I’d almost lost him right when I’d found him. The weight of all of this crashed down on me right at that moment. My heart was full and ready to burst.

  His tongue brushed over mine and heat exploded inside of me. My entire body felt like it was burning from the inside-out. I was melting into a sloppy puddle in his hands and for the first time I didn’t want to stop. All of my fears and reservations were gone. I wanted him. I wanted all of him. I wanted to know what that felt like, to give yourself so completely to the person you loved.

  And I wanted it now.

  We’d made it to midnight. We’d made it to the new year.

  Now it was our time just for us.

  I sank my teeth into his bottom lip and pulled. We both groaned. He leaned into me and took my mouth like I was a waterfall in the middle of a desert.

  Deacon gasped and pulled back from me. I would’ve known by the pink flush of his cheeks or the red puffiness of his lips that he wanted what I did, but it was the fire in his violet eyes that told me he was as thirsty for this as I was. I fisted his jacket and pulled his mouth back to mine. He kissed me stupid for several long moments before he pulled back again.

  His lips were parted as he sucked in oxygen. He blinked and shook his head. “Em…”

  I bit my lip and dragged his body against mine. “Deacon.”

  He opened his mouth like he was going to say something when he frowned. I kept my eyes locked on his. I’d never been more sure of anything in my life. He cocked his head to the side and then I felt his magic wash over me. It brushed over mine and tingled with little bolts of electricity. He was using his gift to check my desires, to feel what I wanted and what I was feeling. I licked my lips then dragged my teeth over my bottom lip.

  His jaw dropped. For a moment, he stared at me in shock.

  But then a wave of hot energy slammed into me like a tsunami and I barely had time to take a breath before his tongue was sliding into my mouth. I groaned and fisted his jacket, pulling him closer until I was bent backward. I didn’t care, I needed more. We stumbled back until I crashed into the strangers in front of us.

  I gasped and broke away from him, then sprinted to my right for the sidewalk. We needed to get out of here. Now. Deacon grabbed my hand and a little giggle slipped out of my mouth. My heart was pounding. I felt light on my feet, giddy with excitement. Red smoke shot out in front of me on the ground and the thick crowd parted just enough for us to slip through.

  Just as my boots hit the sidewalk on 7th Avenue, Deacon tugged my hand and spun me around. As his lips devoured mine, he pushed me backwards until I hit the side of whatever building was there then pressed his body into mine. I groaned and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hand gripped my waist then slid a scorching path down to my hip. With his other hand he fisted my hair, angling my head to deepen our kiss.

  I didn’t know if anyone was watching us, but I didn’t give a flying shit.

  This was New York, no one paid any attention.

  I wrapped my leg around his and he pulled back with a groan. He looked down at my body and cursed, then took my hand and dragged me toward the corner. He glanced over his shoulder at me and cursed some more. I felt his heart pounding right along with mine. A wild gust of wind ripped up 42nd street and slammed into us. Suddenly we were sliding across the sidewalk. White light flashed — and then we were in Deacon’s apartment. In the foyer, right outside the golden gilded elevators.

  Tegan.

  In the back of my mind I knew I should have been a little embarrassed that my twin realized what we were thinking and sent us home…but right now all I knew was his bedroom was right up those stairs.

  I giggled and sprinted for the grand staircase with Deacon hot on my heels. Our steps thundered. Halfway up, he gripped my hips and spun me around. We dove for each other. My body was on fire. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and I snapped. All of my self-control vanished. I gripped the lapels of his jacket and pulled his body down on top of mine. I slid my tongue into his mouth. He groaned and fisted my hair, pulling my head back so he could deepe
n our kiss. I threw my arms around his neck, and we stumbled backward. Air rushed by me and I didn’t realize we were falling until my back hit the railing.

  He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me off the ground. I hooked my leg around his hip as he carried me up the rest of the stairs in a panicked kind of dash. We needed his room. We needed privacy. Before his tongue made me combust right there in his hallway. When my back slammed into a wall, I gasped against his mouth. His tongue brushed mine and a noise I’d never heard came out of me.

  I knew we were moving, in the back of my mind I felt my legs carrying us backwards but my brain was mush. My heart was beating faster than hummingbird wings. All I knew was the heat of his skin burning through his clothes and the feel of his tongue sliding against mine. My chest burned. My body ached. I gasped against his lips. I’d kissed him before, but never like this.

  Deacon cursed against my mouth and then I heard the creaking of a door. But he cupped my jaw and deepened our kiss before I could register where we were. His lips were hot and relentless, driving me to the edge. Then we were stumbling backwards again until my legs hit something hard. I fisted his shirt and pulled him closer, letting the weight of his body push us down onto whatever I’d crashed into. But it wasn’t enough. I needed all of him. I slid my hands down to his jacket then pushed the sleeves off his shoulders and down his arms.

  I pulled the bottom of his shirt out from his pants then gripped the hem and yanked the silky material open. His big warm hands slid down my throat then under my jacket and over my shoulders. Cool air rushed over my skin and then I heard a thud as my leather jacket dropped to the floor. I nibbled on his jaw as he reached and unfastened the strap behind my neck.

  To my horror, he stepped back. Then, with a wild grin, he tugged on my dress and it fell straight to the floor, pooling at my feet. Cold air rushed over my topless, mostly naked body and his eyes flashed. He groaned and his face scrunched up – and then his mouth was on mine again. I fisted my hands in his hair and held him in place. His hands slid down my body, melting me from the inside out. He gripped my ass and lifted me up, sitting me down on what I was assuming was his dresser.

  I didn’t care what we were on. I needed him. I gripped his ripped shirt and pushed it all the way down his arms and off his body. Then I dove for his belt and yanked it off. He slid his hand down my thighs and under my knee, then hiked my leg up. One at a time, he pulled my boots off of my feet then tossed them aside.

  He kicked his shoes off then stepped between my legs and heat exploded inside of me. My stomach tightened but in a way that excited me. As his mouth reclaimed mine, I reached down and unbuttoned his pants then pushed the material toward the floor. He groaned and leaned into me, his hands everywhere all at once. I threw my leg around his hips and moaned as the bare skin of his thighs touched mine.

  My teeth sank into his lip and growled. He wasn’t wearing boxers. I felt all of him pressed against me, pushing me onto the top of the dresser. Every nerve ending in my body was screaming for more of him. The scorching heat of his skin blazed a path over my entire body. More. More. MORE. I felt each and every one of his fingertips graze over my bare skin and it made my heart flutter.

  He cursed against my mouth then gripped my knees then slid his hands up my thighs…and then all the way up over my bare hip. His fingertips pressed into the soft skin of my ass, and it made my heart flutter. I wrapped my arms around his neck and nibbled on his jaw. And then cold air rushed over my back and we were moving. I felt every single inch of him between my legs and it made me ache in ways I had never knew existed.

  We fell backwards then he landed on top of me, with his big, heavy body pressing me into his mattress. I felt every growing inch of him. The heat radiating off of our bodies was making me sweat already. I arched my back and pressed my body up into him, trying desperately to get his body where I wanted him.

  He moved his hips slightly and my toes curled. I fisted his hair and tried to pull his mouth back to mine, but he licked a trail down my throat to the base of my neck. His teeth sank into my throat and I gasped. I needed him now. All of him. I reached between us and took all of him in my hands. He threw his head back and moaned. When he leaned back down over me, my body ignited. I groaned against his lips, nipping at him with my teeth.

  I knew what I wanted. I knew he wanted it, too. And I was going to let us have it.

  He cursed and ripped my lace underwear right off my body. And then he was everywhere all at once. Our bare-naked bodies were pressed tight together, rubbing in all the right ways so I was about to lose my mind. I dug my fingernails into his back and dragged them down his soft skin then sank them into his ass. He twitched and trembled under my touch.

  “Deacon, please” I whispered, begging him to give us what we wanted.

  When he didn’t, I shifted under him, pushing my body against him. I wrapped one leg around his, pinning him flush to me. He groaned against my lips, mumbling my name, and it lit a fire inside of me. I rolled my hips and we both cursed. We were right there, all he had to do was— he thrust inside of me and I screamed.

  It hurt like hell but it was glorious at the same time.

  He lifted himself up on his hands and pulled his hips back and I felt my eyes roll back to my skull. He thrust himself forward again and I threw my head back, gasping. I clawed at his lower back, trying to hold on as he rolled his hips over and over but my body was trembling. I heard myself moan his name deep in my throat and then he buried his face in the crook of my neck. His teeth grazed my skin. I tangled my hands in his hair and held him tight.

  His hips rolled against me. There was nothing between us but sweat and the frictionless slide of our bodies melding into one. It was just us, and nothing else mattered. It was only me and him, exploring each other, connecting on a level I never knew existed. Then he hooked my leg over his shoulder and rolled his hips…and the world exploded around me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Emersyn

  Waves rushed over my feet up to my knees, then rolled away.

  I lay there on the warm sand soaking in all the sunshine as the ocean crashed on the shore all around me. The air smelled like salt and coconut and I couldn’t breathe enough of it in. In the distance, I heard rhythmic music thumping from the tiki bar down the beach. It sounded like fun, but I had no interest in moving. I just wanted to sit for days without any interruption.

  Seagulls squawked and flew over my head, begging me to throw scraps from the food I didn’t have. I sighed and dug my fingers into the sand, feeling each grain rub against my skin. The air was hot, nearing triple digits, but that breeze rushing in with the waves was cool and refreshing. Besides, the heat never bothered me. Not when I had fire in my veins.

  I lay there, soaking in the peace of the moment at last. Months of stress and hard work, of heartache and pain…and now I just get to — lightning cracked across the sky and I flinched. The ground trembled under me, then sand exploded up into the sky. Waves rolled back into the ocean and towered twenty feet over me. The whole world was shaking. I tried to get up but it was sucking me down, pulling me in.

  I gasped and jumped up — and woke up in the middle of Deacon’s bed. My heart was pounding and sweat dripped down the side of my face.

  “Hey, you all right?” Deacon whispered into my ear. “Your pulse is going nuts, woke me up.”

  It was, but that wasn’t what he felt. I put my hand to my chest. “That was not my heart, Deacon.”

  He frowned. “What was it?”

  I opened my mouth when I felt the world rock and tremble. “Whoaaa…”

  “Okay, I felt that.” Deacon slid out of bed and stumbled over to the window. “I don’t see anything.”

  I do.

  Wait, focus.

  I looked away from Deacon’s very undressed body and knew my face had to be bright red. “I felt it. Something happened.”

  Someone slammed on our door over and over. “GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!”

 
; I cursed and dove for Deacon’s white t-shirt lying on the floor as I hopped over to the door. Once I was covered, I yanked the door open only to find Amelia on the other side pulling on her hair.

  I frowned. “Amelia?”

  “SOMA IS UNDER ATTACK!”

  Chapter Twenty

  Deacon

  Emersyn was hanging on to the door handle as Stedman flew across the city faster than our sedan had any business going. She was ready to jump and run. So was I. My legs were bouncing and my hands were twitching. I leaned over Stedman’s shoulder for the hundredth time to check his speedometer. It wasn’t his fault we lived across town from the school.

  It wasn’t his fault we weren’t Tegan and couldn’t portal.

  I should have insisted they stay the night.

  But how could I know?

  We still had no idea the scale of the attack or who it was. We couldn’t get anyone at the school on the phone. It was New Year’s Day, and everyone had partied last night. I just prayed people were awake enough to keep themselves safe and get out of danger. Whatever the danger was. The school had magical alarms that would send alerts to all the Majors, Minors, Aces, and Pages.

  But my parents were definitely trashed and nowhere to be seen.

  Amelia and Landy had gotten an urgent call from Maddox, Landy’s brother, saying the school was under attack and to stay where they were – and to get us. That call had come in thirty seconds before the alarm went off in my parents’ office. Amelia had received that one, too. Emersyn and I were out the door in less than thirty seconds.

  And we were almost there.

  We’d taken the road through Central Park and I could see the edge of the trees, where the concrete jungle took over. I saw the pedestrians in the crosswalk scurry to the sidewalk, then watched the traffic light change from red to green. Stedman floored it and zipped through the intersection, then sped and swerved around the slow drivers. I leaned forward and looked through the front windshield. The school was just two avenues up. I could already make out the building from the others.