by Weil, J. L.
I might not being able to tell her about the spells, the magic, or the witchcraft, but boy troubles were common teenage problems. Right?
“Umm. Maybe.” I sighed. “There is this boy. A friend,” I added.
“I see. Is he really just a friend?” she questioned without judgment. This was why it was so easy to talk with her.
Was Lukas only a friend? “It’s complicated.”
She pursed her lips. “You’re afraid how Gavin will feel about this friendship?”
Ding. Ding. Ding. “Not only that, he doesn’t really know about him. I’m not sure he would understand.”
She was probably wondering how I had suddenly become so boy crazed. Honestly, I was too. “Well you won’t know until you tell him. I think that you need to be honest here, to both of them. The longer you prolong the truth, the harder it will be to confess. Trust me. Secrets are never good.”
And I did – trust her. I trusted my aunt more than anyone. She was not just my aunt. She was my friend, my guardian, my family. “You’re right. I’ve already decided to tell Gavin. It just has me completely freaked out.”
“Understandable.” She brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “Whatever happens Brianna, you can handle it.”
I hoped she was right, because the pit in my stomach wasn’t so certain. Her unabashed confidence in me was a boost to my bruised esteem. I could always count on my aunt to make any situation less complicated.
After work I knew that it was now or never. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon casting waves of purple and orange. The temperature had dropped making the evening refreshingly cool.
Pulling into my driveway, I took a deep breath and texted Gavin before I lost my nerve. Can you come over?
His response was quick and short. On my way.
Just like that.
No what’s up. No questions. He was just that forthcoming.
It was hard to imagine my life before Gavin, or my life without him. We might have only met four months ago, but I felt like I had been waiting for him my whole existence. I had never been boy obsessed before. One impulsive action led to my demise. Had I not skipped class that day, we might not be here. Together.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Surely I was going to have a heart condition after all the insanity I’ve been living with lately. Knowing that I had only a few minutes before his speedy arrival, I rushed into the house and bolted up to my room.
Biting my nails, I sat on the bed. And waited. What else could I do?
Lunar waddled under my feet, weaving in and out of my legs. He sat on the floor looking up at me with those baby eyes and let out the tiniest, pathetic meow. Leaning down, I picked up the little fur ball and snuggled him under my chin.
“Lunar, you’re such a little pest.” His presence was a small comfort. Oh the simple life. He just purred, loving any and all attention.
Tingles skirted on the back of my neck, and I knew he had arrived. Lunar’s ears perked up, and I lifted my eyes to meet his in the doorway. He engulfed the entrance. Gavin was many things.
Drool-worthy.
Dreaming.
Dangerously sexy.
A deadly combo. It was impossible to control the effect his presence had on my heart. Not to mention the dancing fireflies in my belly. Smirking at me, he sauntered into the room, and I stared memorizing the lines of his face. Every detail. His eyes were always the cincher for me, sealing the deal with just one glance.
“You couldn’t manage one day without seeing me?” His smile was filled with cockiness that for some ungodly reason I found attractive. He sat next to me on the bed, the mattress squeaking under his weight.
Gosh. Have an inflated ego much? I hated that I was going to burst his bubble. “Funny,” I replied snarky. I blamed it on nervous tension. Lunar scampered to Gavin and I folded my hands together. “Actually I need to tell you something.” How was I going to get the words out? Where did I even start?
He raised his silver studded brow. “Are you going to finally tell me what’s been bugging you?”
And to think I thought I was fooling anyone. Apparently not. I dropped my head into my hands. “God. I don’t know where to start.” My voice cracked, and a giant lump got stuck in my throat.
He heard the apprehension in my tone and tears suddenly welled in my eyes.
Emotional overload.
Reaching for me, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me to him. “Bri, hey it’s going to be okay.” His fingers stroked my hair.
And to think the last time we had been in my room, it had been an entirely different vibe. Steamy and hot. Now it was dreary and stifling.
He waited patiently, and I clung onto him like a lifeline, listening to his heart race. The zeal between was reassuring. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to continue what I started. “It’s about my dreams,” I mumbled against his shirt, not wanting to let go just yet. I inhaled his woodsy scent, wishing I could bottle it up.
Then suddenly I realized that a huge amount of my anxiety had disappeared. There was a stream of warmth and tingles coming from his body. Pulling back, I gazed into his sparkling sapphire eyes, concluding he was using magic on me. “Are you spelling me?” I asked.
His eyes glinted with mischief. “I just wanted to help you relax.”
I pulled my hand from his, and his eyes sharpened. “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you this sooner,” I said bulldozing full steam ahead. “I should have realized it was important.”
“Tell me what?” The glint left his eyes, and his expression turned stony.
Holy moly. This was so much harder than I envisioned. “I’ve dreamscaped before. A lot actually. I just didn’t know it.” Now I had his full attention.
“What do you mean a lot?”
I cringed and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Umm. I don’t know, since I can remember. I thought they were just dreams, nothing more. It wasn’t until the Morgana thing that I realized it was more. Well that and…”
“And what?” His tone indicated that he didn’t like where this was going. I couldn’t blame him.
Oh crap. Time to drop the bomb. I was sweating bullets. “The person I dreamscape… I saw them in real life.”
His dark brows drew together. “I don’t understand. You dreamscape the same person? A person you’ve never met?”
Swallowing the cannon size lump in my throat, I nodded.
He ran a hand through his already messy dark hair. “Wow. That is unusual. Did she recognize you?”
Shit.
The long pause and panic in my eyes must have said it all.
His shoulders slumped. “It’s a guy,” he muttered. The shade of blue in his irises darkened.
“He’s a witch.” My voice was bordering squeaky.
A vein in his temple ticked. “You’ve dreamed of the same guy most of your life, a witch nonetheless, and you are just now telling me this.” Hurt and jealousy laced his voice.
Each word stabbed me in the gut, over and over again. “I know. I’m sorry. It didn’t seem important at the time. I just thought it was a dream.” Words rushed from my mouth as I tried anything to rectify this horrid situation.
“I can’t believe this!” He stood walking to the center of the room, voice rising. “Do you have feelings for this guy?”
Uh-oh. The question of the hour. The one I was hoping to avoid.
Searching his eyes, I felt myself drowning in pools of hurt. I guess because I had to think about it, was enough in his eyes to say that I did. When in reality my feelings for Gavin were way stronger, but that wouldn’t cushion the blow. “It doesn’t change how I feel for you. It couldn’t.”
He wouldn’t even look at me. Turning his back to me, he put a hand on the wall. For a split second, I thought that fist was going to go straight through the wall.
Quietly I got up and stood behind him. Laying a hand on his arm, I called his name. “Gavin I –”
He jerked away. “Don’t,” he said in
a voice cold enough to freeze Hawaii.
My heart felt ripped to pieces – thousands of jagged, irreparable pieces. The hand he had against the wall flexed, and I watched stunned as it plummeted through the drywall spraying pieces in the air. Then without another word he walked out of the room.
It felt like a volcano had erupted inside me. Red, hot molten lava ran over my skin. I couldn’t breathe as the pain that had been in his eyes speared to my severed heart. Surely it was going to kill me.
Chapter 6
THIS WAS WORSE THAN I had ever envisioned.
The pain was unbearable.
As soon as I heard the front door slam shut, I broke apart. Sliding down the wall, I curled into a ball. It didn’t help that simultaneously a wicked storm burst outside. Thunder exploded, lightning crashed, and the wind roared against the rattling windowpanes in a threatening war. I knew that I was responsible for the storm, but it didn’t stop me from being able to control it.
Not when everything inside me felt fragmented.
I was sick and heartbroken.
My entire being wanted to run after him, beg him to hold me until the tears stopped, until the hurt stopped. But just as I knew it was too soon, it didn’t make me want it any less. He was more than just a guy I had fallen hard for. He was my protector, my guide through this whole magic mojo. Without him I felt lost and alone.
Hours had gone by when the tears mostly dried up and my chest stopped heaving. I picked myself up from the corner I was huddled in and plopped down on my bed, still fully dressed. Each breath ached inside. My head hit the pillow, and I knew the moment I closed my eyes, I was being sucked into a dream. A dream that wasn’t of my doing for once, but that didn’t make it any less real.
Or any less unwanted.
Tonight of all nights was not a night I wanted to travel into my dreams.
A part of me hoped that it was Lukas summoning in the dream, regardless that every bone in my body was telling me it wasn’t. The hairs on my neck stood out and the feeling of going under was different. I felt myself being pulled. This wasn’t Lukas’s doing. It wasn’t Gavin’s either.
It was her.
Morgana.
Sure as shit, when I peeled my eyes open there she stood. Beautiful. Prevailing. Intimidating.
What did she want with me? What could the most powerful witch want with me?
It just didn’t make any sense. How had I gone from quiet, plain, boring Brianna, to a witch who dreams of dead witches?
Well, maybe this time I could get some answers instead of fighting for my life. I really wasn’t up for going round two with Morgana Le Fey. She would have to show up when was I feeling like I’d be kicked in the gut and defeated. If I called Gavin in my dream, would he even come?
Her timing was no doubt deliberate.
Staring into her vibrant shade of violets was like looking into a mirror. It freaked me the heck out. Tearing my eyes from hers I looked around. The only words that came to mind were enchanted forest. Beams of colored fireflies zoomed in air that smelled like fresh cut grass and full bloomed roses. Exotic and tempting – sort of like Morgana. The trees were filled with glamour glowing fruits. Moss carpeted the ground, climbing up the trunks of trees. Any minute I expected to turn around and see a unicorn.
I felt like Snow White and Morgana was the evil queen trying to tempt me with her wily ways.
Standing there like a statue, I waited.
Dressed like a Grecian goddess, her flowing raven gown draped to the mossy bed. Nails the color of death twirled a flower as red as her cherry lips. Locks of dark red hair pooled over her exposed shoulders.
Paralyzed, I didn’t know if I should run or attempt to cast a spell. My spells usually worked best if I was mad and right now with my heart so dejected I couldn’t muster up any anger. Not even toward the woman who had tried to kill me.
I should have been shitting bricks right now. There wasn’t enough emotion left in me to feel anything but numbness. I was punishing myself for being such an imbecile and handling the Lukas situation poorly.
When she finally spoke, her voice rang with authority. She expected to be heard and not taken lightly, as if anyone would disregard her. “Looks like there is trouble in paradise.”
I flinched.
“I’m not here to hurt you. Come,” she waved her hand, expecting me fall in step with her.
Like I had a choice. Robotically I moved my feet one in front of the other. Together our legs kept perfect time.
Weird.
“Where are we going?” I feebly asked. Maybe this time she might actually tell me what the hell was going on instead of leading me blind.
“Nowhere in particular. Just to talk.” She angled her head towards me, scrutinizing me. “I thought it was past time I got to know my…let me see. I think if I am right, it is great-great-great-great granddaughter.” She ticked off each great on her hand.
Huh?
I tripped over my own feet as I felt the mossy ground fall out from under me. Holy Crapola.
Well this just took a turn in a direction that I was entirely unprepared for. Her granddaughter? How the hell was I supposed to feel about that? It didn’t seem real or plausible.
She had to be lying. It was impossible. Not me.
I’m just a small town girl.
A small town girl with extraordinary abilities, whispered a voice in my head. I ignored that pesky voice.
One of her lips curved. “I can see that I have shocked you. Are you really that surprised to be my only living descendant?”
Only living? At least that would explain why she was stalking my dreams as of late. I wasn’t buying it just yet. “D–did you say only living?”
Her cherry lips turned into a seductive grin. “The one and only dearie.” She was the kind of woman who thrived on drama and being the center of attention – the polar opposite of me.
How in tarnation can we be related, and why should I trust her?
Pausing from our walk, she faced me. “Bri, my dear.”
The sound of my shortened named caused my heart to twist. Only Gavin had ever called me such. She held out her palm and instructed, “Here give me your hand.” The look on my face must have shown my skepticism. She gave a dignified eye roll and reached for my hand.
Just like the last dream, I felt an instant connection, a string of our energies linking together. Harmoniously. Synchronized.
“Do you feel that?” she spoke softly.
Did I ever.
It was the greatest high – pleasure so surreal. A thousand times more potent than any spell.
The gleam in her eyes spoke volumes. She knew I felt it as strongly as she did. My eyes widened and I started to believe. Just maybe, I was what she claimed.
“Our energies are naturally drawn together. They identify the link – our shared blood.” I found myself caught in the enticement of her words. “Some bonds are love or friendship. Ours is family. Together our magic is limitless. Through generations it has thrived, flourished and then slowly it began to die. Until you.”
“How can this be?” I asked, sounding astonished.
“You know…the birds and the bees. Please tell me you know about–”
“Yes!” I cut her off before things got any more awkward. “I get the picture.” Fabulous. My grandma was not only an extremely powerful dead witch, she was also a smartass.
Did I call her Grandma or Granny? Neither suited her. She was far too stunning to be anyone’s Gran.
The corners of her eyes laughed at my unease. I shifted on my feet. “Is this your dream or mine?”
“Hmm. So I see you have learned a thing or two since our last… visit. Well, since I no longer walk earth, it’s yours dear.”
“I summoned you?” I asked, finding it hard to believe.
“Not exactly. The planes between worlds aren’t strong enough to keep me from pushing into dreams. It’s one of my specialties. Yours as well it seems.” There was pride in her voice.
&nbs
p; How much of her power had I inherited? “Will I be able to do everything you can?”
“That remains to be seen. In theory your bloodline should be diluted, but what I feel under the surface suggests that you have more power than you should.”
That was a frightening thought. “Why are you here? The last time we saw each other wasn’t exactly on friendly terms.”
Her expression flinched ever so slightly. “True. It definitely didn’t go as planned. I underestimated you. My intention was never to hurt you.”
I snorted. “Well you have a funny way of showing it.”
She reached above us, plucking what looked like forbidden fruit from a tree, golden and glowing. “On the contrary, I was hoping for some family bonding. I might have a slight anger problem, especially if things don’t go my way.” She twirled the mesmerizing fruit in her hand.
Wow, did that sound familiar and I doubted her idea of “family bonding” was the same as mine. “That’s your best defense? We could have been killed. Gavin could have been killed.”
“Hmm Gavin. Is that his name? Your boyfriend I presume?”
“Umm. Not exactly.”
She bit the round fruit. “Oooh this sounds juicy. Do tell.” Her smile was sinister.
Slouching on a nearby ornate bench, I sighed. I don’t know why I even contemplated confiding in her, maybe because she was dead. How much harm could it possibly cause? And if I was lucky, she might have a solution. “Gavin, the guy you tried to dispose of. We’re…close.”
She tossed the half-eaten fruit aside and sat beside me. “You have the hots for him. Yeah I got that part.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. This might not have been the best idea I’d ever had. “Well recently thanks to you I figured out about the dreamscape thingy. Turns out I’ve been doing the whole dream sharing for a long time. With another guy… Lukas.”
“Ooh, the plot thickens,” she cooed. “Let me guess. Lover boy isn’t overly thrilled that you have been merging dreams with another guy.”
