by Weil, J. L.
With a deadly smirk, his fingers plucked pillow stuffing strewn in my hair. “We’ve shared dreams and as you know, they can be very real.”
Umm, you could say that again. I absently played with pieces of stuffing on the bed.
“The person you dreamscape usually has a choice to accept or refuse. Though there are witches with the strength to take the decision out of their hands,” he continued.
Oh God. Was I that kind of witch? Did I force them into my dreams?
He noticed the self-conviction spread over my expression. Putting a finger under my chin, he lifted my eyes to his. “You didn’t force me into your dreams.”
“Well at least that’s comforting,” I muttered. But what about Lukas?
“Bri you are too hard on yourself. Just give it time and you will feel more in control.”
He was probably right. I needed practice, loads of it. Then maybe I might feel relaxed about being a witch. Now would have been the perfect opportunity to explain about Lukas, except my tongue wasn’t cooperating. Try as I might, I couldn’t form the words.
Instead, I chickened out like a pansy. “You’re right. It’s just I’ve never felt so unsure or lost as I do with magic.”
“We’re going to change that.” Always the voice of reason, and he said just what I needed to hear. His confidence was like a shield.
I envied him for it. “This is so much more complicated than I bargained for,” I mumbled.
“It might be, but the pay-off is huge. Plus you get to spend more time with me.” His grin said it all.
“This is serious,” I groaned.
His eyes sobered. “I know. I just don’t like seeing you stressed.”
Tucking my legs underneath me, I turned and faced him. I wondered if there was any chance that the dream and weather thingy was it for me. Was that all the magic I had? “Got any idea what else I can do?” As if dreamscaping and weathercasting weren’t enough.
“Nope, but it should be interesting to figure out. Something tells me that exploring your magic will be anything but dull. It should be downright entertaining.” His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
He must have a warped sense of entertainment. “Great,” I replied, dripping in sarcasm. “I can’t wait.”
Just what kind of witch was I?
And who the hell was going to clean up this mess?
Chapter 4
SATURDAY ARRIVED FAR TOO QUICKLY and not soon enough.
My hands were unsteady, my palms were sweating, and I couldn’t decide how I was feeling. It was like a giant mountain of emotions. Fear. Guilt. Excitement.
Sweet Jesus I was a disaster.
All morning I fought with myself. Do I text him to cancel because I am chicken shit? Or do I grow some ovaries and get the answers I sought? These were the kind of questions that would haunt me. It wasn’t like he was just going to pull a disappearing act. I doubt it worked that way. Nor was I sure I wanted him to disappear. If I was being honest with myself, I wanted to see him.
I just hated that I was keeping it from the people that mattered most. My heart ached thinking about Gavin. Pinpricks of pain.
So why was I?
It was like trying to figure out the meaning of life.
What I did know, was I needed the truth. And Lukas was somehow part of this. I needed to find out how he fit in. If he fit in.
Tossing another crumbled up shirt into the corner of my room, I changed for like the zillionth time. Fed up with my wardrobe, I huffed and sent him a quick text before I changed my mind again. Then I headed for the door.
Well, here went nothing. If anything, I hoped I would at least walk away from this with some kind of understanding of what was going on between us. Then maybe I could move forward to the next problem in line.
University of NC campus was like a maze for a small town girl like me. Even though I had been here before, suddenly it felt like I was being swallowed up. I was Alice, lost in Wonderland.
We were to meet at a place called the Hawk’s Nest, a large dining center on campus. There wasn’t an abundance of students lounging around probably cuz’ it was a Saturday, but it was enough to be comforting. Smoothing the flyaways in my hair, I scanned the sitting area and locked with a pair of emerald eyes I knew far too well. I would have even recognized him in my dreams.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
If I didn’t find some form of humor in all this, I was going to lose my nerve. My legs were like Jell-O, and I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. For reasons I couldn’t explain, this wasn’t like meeting Lukas in my dreams.
This was more…real.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I concentrated on each step. It was his sunny smile that finally set me somewhat at ease. That smile was familiar with those deep dimples. It would warm even the coldest of hearts. I was still anxious about what I would learn, but this was a guy I spent more time with than any other.
This was Lukas. My best friend. The guy who knew all my secrets, every nitty, gritty detail.
It didn’t have to be weird. I just needed to stop thinking about all the dirty laundry he knew, and I needed to stop thinking about the kiss, what it could have meant.
Sliding into the seat across from him I gave him a sheepish grin. “Hey.”
His smile brightened. “You’re nervous,” he commented, hitting the mark on the head.
There he went, reminding me how well he really knew me and how little I knew him. In my dreams, I had never held back. Hmm. Now I was wondering if that had been the wise. “Yeah. I am. Is that weird?”
“In this situation, I don’t think weird cuts it.” He had on a UNC t-shirt looking like just another college boy.
I took a moment to study him, see if there were any differences that I could remember from my dream-version of him. He looked exactly as I could recall. A poster ad for the boy next door: sandy hair, football built and a smile as bright as the sun with the greenest eyes I’d ever seen.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked.
I guess we could get to the heavy stuff in a minute. A cup of coffee just might calm my jittery nerves. “Sure. Carmel Macchiato?”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “You would be one of those girls that drink fancy coffees I can barely pronounce. I’ll be right back.”
I watched him stroll over to the Starbucks stand with carefree swagger. He filled out his jeans in all the right places, and was hard to ignore. I didn’t seem to be the only one who was looking. Girls turned their heads as he walked past.
Who could blame them when he aimed dreamy dimples their way? You would have to be dead to not be affected.
Seriously, I totally shouldn’t be checking out his ass. Averting my gaze back to the table, I mentally scolded myself and fumbled with my fingers. It crossed my mind that not too long ago I was in a coffee shop with Gavin.
The thought weighed heavily on me.
A few minutes later Lukas set a mug in front of me, bringing me back from my trip down memory lane. I was glad to have something else to do with my hands. Wrapping them around the paper cup, I blew off a stream of steam.
Silence stretched between us. Where did I even begin? Lucky for me, he took charge of the matter.
Stirring a cup of black coffee he said, “So you finally figured out you have magic.”
Glancing around the room, I realized that we were strategically placed in a far corner, remote and away from anyone eavesdropping on our conversation. Wouldn’t that have been an epic debacle? “Yep. It only took me seventeen years.” I took a huge gulp of my frothy drink.
Heaven.
He chuckled low.
“How is it that we practically live in the same city and have never run into each other before?” I asked what had to be on both our minds.
Shrugging, he causally stretched his legs out under the table so they just touched mine. I couldn’t tell if it was deliberate or not. “Honesty, I haven’t got a clue. It’s been running through my head since the
market. I knew you were out there, I just–”
“How?” I interrupted. “How did you know that I wasn’t just a dream?”
His eyes danced at my confusion. “Because we have more than just dream sharing in common. I’m like you Brianna – a witch.”
“A witch!” I cried. Christ almighty.
He nodded his pretty boy head. “I thought you would have figured it out.”
He thought wrong. But now that he said it, I should have known. I should have seen the signs. Tingles. Bizarre crap. The fact that he knew more about witchcraft than I did.
Those were pretty big factors. I could thump myself on the forehead. For someone who was so smart, I could be so stupid. To think I wasn’t sure anything could surprise me anymore.
Boy was I dead wrong.
The golden witch, that’s what I saw when I looked him now. It fit. He was as light as Gavin was dark. “Well it makes sense now. So you knew that I was… dreamscaping you?” I tripped a little over the word still foreign to me. Actually, anything witchcraft related felt odd coming from my mouth.
“I did,” he said carefully like it was a trick question. “Is that a bad thing?”
I was feeling sort of cheated here. Why did I always have to be the one who was utterly naïve? Sighing, I replied, “No. I just feel like an idiot.”
“I’m sorry.” His eyes did that puppy thingy. On Lukas it was impossible for your heart not to melt, even a tad.
I turned the cup in circles between my hands. “It’s not your fault. I just wish I had known sooner. Before things suddenly became…hectic.”
“Has something happened?” he asked, alarm instantly breaking out into his face. Leave it to Lukas to go all He-Man on me.
“I’m not really sure yet.” I don’t know why, but I was hesitant to tell him about the hellish dream I’d recently had featuring none other than Morgana Le Fey. It just didn’t seem like the right time. My eyes kept shifting to the other people in the café with us, innocent to the world around them. I used to be that blind. Not anymore.
“Do you want to enchant them?” Lukas teased, noticing my wandering gaze. Well I hoped he was teasing. It was possible this was his way of trying to lighten the mood.
“You’re joking right?” He wanted me to enchant them? That was a laugh. I might be a witch, but I was pretty useless when it came to performing spells. Only recently had I begin to experiment with the energy that lay inside me. The results were often unpredictable. I would have probably ended up conjuring a storm inside the Hawk’s Nest.
His sunny smile widened.
I shook my head. “No, of course not. I was just remembering that I used to be like them. Clueless.”
“And do you think you would be better off clueless?”
I stared at the cooling macchiato. “I don’t know.”
He moved from his seat across the table into the one beside me, closing the space between us. When he spoke his voice held conviction. “What you have is power. Not just any kind of strength. Magic. It’s whatever you want it to be. You have the world at your fingertips now Brianna. Take advantage of it. Don’t run from it.”
Whoa. Who knew the college boy could have such insight.
He leaned in, and all I could think was… Oh shit. He is going to kiss me. His breath warmed my face, but instead his fingers grazed over my necklace. The spot on my throat tingled. Instantly the amethyst illuminated and the moonstone radiated.
“We have signature magic,” he said low, his eyes holding mine.
Huh? What does he mean we have signature magic?
I watched stupefied as his emerald eyes took on a mystic glow, probably a lot like mine did when I used magic. I could almost feel mine taking on the same iridescent hue. His fingers stroked the stones and like a switch, a surge of pleasure ran through me.
“You have the most beautiful eyes.” His voice had gone all velvety and smooth.
There was no doubt in my mind that my eyes were lit up like the Northern lights. Warning, screeched my internal alarm. This was stepping into a territory I wasn’t willing to go. Not now that I knew he was real and not while my feelings were jumbled with uncertainty.
I didn’t have the foggiest idea what was going on or happening other than there was something about his energy that mirrored mine. Before I did something stupid that I was going to utterly regret, I pulled back. The small distance was like a breath of fresh air.
“What was that?” I asked with more than a little accusation in my tone.
There was an air of disappointment reflecting in his eyes. Eyes that had lost their luster. With a heavy sigh he reclined back against the seat. “I don’t know exactly.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“It’s the truth. There is something about our magic. It’s like their companions. One identifies with the other.”
“But don’t all witches recognize each other?”
“They do, but this is different, on another level so to speak. Sure when we first met in your dreams, I knew that you were a witch. I was young and didn’t really understand, but as we got older I could tell that it was more than just us being witches.”
“And you never thought to tell me?” I couldn’t hide the irritation.
His emerald eyes softened. “Do you honestly think you would have believed me? A guy in your dreams trying to convince you that you are actually a witch...You could barely believe that I was real the other day.”
Fine. Sure, he had a point. That didn’t necessarily mean I was okay with it.
Irrational, I know. Maybe that should be my middle name.
Brianna Irrational Rafferty. That had a lovely ring to it.
“I never would have believed you,” I conceded. “In fact, I probably would have thought I was losing my freaking mind.” Some days I still do.
He leaned forward on the table. “I think we could help each other.”
“How so?”
“Well I could help you learn to use and control your magic. In theory, I think our energies are parallel. I would like to see what they can do together.” There was hope and curiosity in his face. He really wanted to do this.
I thought about what he offered. There was no way I could deny that I hadn’t felt something weird or more weird than usual. The few times I had done magic with Sophie or Gavin hadn’t come close to the surge of power I felt briefly with Lukas. Imagine if we put forth some effort.
It was both intriguing and seductive.
That scared me.
“Are you game?” he asked after a few prolonged moments of me with drawn brows just staring at him.
There was another long pause as I contemplated his offer. “Why not,” I heard myself respond. What did I possibly have to lose? Somewhere, the back of my mind nudged that I might be risking more than I was willing to pay. But how could I ignore the opportunity to gain such knowledge, to control this gift. It wasn’t like Lukas was a stranger. I would be safe with him.
Now all I had to do was tell Gavin. I couldn’t hide Lukas forever.
Chapter 5
SUNDAY I HAD TO WORK. I had done a damn good job of evading Gavin all day yesterday, but I knew the time had come.
With the impending holidays, Mystic Floral and Gifts was in full swing. Strands of twinkling lights were strung around the shop like tiny crystals. The whole place smelled like pine, candy cane, and mulberry spice. Poinsettias, garland, wreaths, and lilies decorated every corner of the shop. Confetti snow dusted the counters and displays.
It was like walking into Narnia.
Brewing a pot of coffee for the customers, I organized a plate of Christmas cookies. It might only be the middle of November, but Christmas in the shop started almost immediately after Halloween. There was, of course, a small section dedicated to autumn and Thanksgiving, but primarily Christmas had taken over and would until the end of the year.
By that time, I would be ready to pull my hair out. The holidays were joyous, but they could also be frazzling. Carols pumped
cheerily from the shop’s speakers, though I was feeling anything but cheery.
Actually, I thought I might hurl.
Plus the amount of coffee I had inhaled this morning wasn’t exactly helping my jumping nerves. My stomach was tied like a Chinese knot. I thought about my day with Lukas, all night. It plagued my mind.
The feeling was like being in a tangled web. It spun and spun out of my control. My mind was light-years away as I mechanically arranged the complimentary tray. Faintly I heard a familiar voice.
“Brianna.”
My name finally registered through the smog of my own thoughts. I don’t know how long she had been calling my name. Turning toward the sound of my aunt’s voice, I like a complete klutz, knocked a figurine off the counter beside me. In horror, I watched the shiny porcelain faerie tumble to the ground and smash to smithereens. The sound was like a crash, booming through the serene shop.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what is wrong with me today.” Lie, screamed my conscious.
She put a steady hand on my arm as I went to bend down and clean up my mess. “It’s okay, really. I got this. Why don’t you take a load off for a bit?”
Nodding, I took a seat on one of the stools.
She grabbed a broom and dust pan from the back, her eyes brimmed with concern when she returned. “You seem a little out of sorts. Do you have something on your mind?”
No matter how much I tried to disguise my emotions, no one knew me like my aunt. Everything inside me wanted to pour my heart out, all the dirty details. Finding out I was a witch. The haunting dreams. Lukas. Gavin. I could use some loving advice right now, someone to tell me how to handle this sticky situation, someone to help shoulder all the mounting stress.
How much could I really tell her without getting her involved in trouble?
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I admitted. I studied her as she effortlessly picked up the broken pieces. Too bad my problems weren’t able to be swept away so easily.
What was life without complications?
Peaceful.
Her light brown hair was secured in a low ponytail with a pen stuck in it. There was some ribbon pieces around her neck from a floral piece she had been assembling. “Want to talk about it?” she asked casually, giving me the option.
