“Good. You have to be better by your birthday! Me and Meagan have plans for you.” Ollie waggled her eyebrows. “And at least Donovan’s expelled, so you won’t ever have to see him again.”
But Ollie spoke too soon. Ever pulled into the school parking lot, aiming for her usual spot in the far corner. There was a system to the senior lot — the jocks took up the first two rows, and the cheerleaders behind them. The band and choir kids had a square of spaces in the center, and the average no-club, no-clique kids formed a perimeter around them. Then at the very back of the lot were the Wiccans.
She had to drive past the BlackMags to get to her side, so she was used to seeing Cade’s muscle car next to Allie’s convertible, surrounded by a small group of kids Ever really didn’t know anything about. And this morning was no different, beyond the fact that Cade’s gaze locked on hers as she drove by, and Donovan was standing beside him.
“Shit!” Ever hit the gas, tearing her gaze from Cade and staring wide-eyed out the windshield. “Donovan.”
Ollie whipped around to stare behind them as Ever navigated the car into her spot. “What the heck is he doing here? Can’t he get in serious trouble being on school grounds after being expelled?”
“I think so.” Ever shoved the car into park a little harder than necessary. She shut off the engine, forcing a smile out the window as her crew came to meet her.
“Are you okay?” Ollie asked quietly before either of them touched the door handles to exit. “You’re tense all of a sudden.”
Ever glanced at her. “No. Not only is he here, but he’s standing with Cade.”
Ollie’s eyebrows arched. “And? He usually does. Cade’s their leader. What does that have to do with anything?”
Ever gave her a quick rundown of Cade’s visit to her house the day before.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ollie asked.
“I didn’t want everybody else to know.”
“Well, yeah. Because our groups do not friends make,” Ollie said, aghast. “He’s the enemy, Ever. Don’t forget that.”
“Why do we even have enemies, Olive? Hmm?” Ever couldn’t help the heat in her voice. “We’re witches of the light. We shouldn’t have enemies or wish ill upon anyone. We should — ”
“We should sing ‘Kumbaya’ around the campfire and pass the peace pipe,” Ollie cut in, with a sigh. “Ever, good and evil are not cut and dried. Some people are mostly good with a little bit of evil. Some people are mostly evil with a little bit of good. You can wish for a world where good is good and evil is evil, and never the two shall meet, but it’s never gonna happen. And if the rest of the coven sees you with Cade Bourdain, you’re gonna have a lot of explaining to do.”
* * *
WHEN EVER STROLLED up, Meagan was at her locker, her long, deft fingers working the combination lock. She smiled at Ever, tugging her satchel higher on her shoulder. “Hey, girlfriend. You look like someone pissed in your cereal.”
“Might as well have,” Ever said irritably. “Someone left a flaming bag of dog shit on my front porch.”
“Yikes.”
“Two guesses who.”
“I’m guessing your only current enemy,” Meagan said flippantly. “Greasy dark hair, nose like an isosceles triangle…”
“That’s not nice.”
“Sure. But it’s true.”
Ever ignored her, twisting the lock on her own locker and yanking the door open just a little too hard. She paused, her hand still resting on the cool metal handle as she closed her eyes and buried her head inside, breathing in and out, searching for balance. She could smell the sachet of sage and chamomile stashed in the bottom for just such a moment.
Donovan’s prank was childish, but the animosity towards her made her heart ache. She tried to live a life free of guilt and anger; to have such a negative emotion directed towards her was excruciating.
“He’s here,” Ever said quietly. “He was in the parking lot with the BlackMags this morning.”
Meagan had calculus tutoring sessions most mornings, so she missed the parking lot gossip. “Donovan?” She poked her head into the locker next to Ever. “But I thought he was expelled? Didn’t Cade say he kicked him out of the coven?”
“He did. But maybe he lied.” Just saying it out loud made Ever’s stomach roll. After he’d left yesterday, she’d been so sure he was a good guy. Maybe a little misguided, being the leader of the BlackMags, but… He was still the leader of the BlackMags. Ever extracted her head from the locker and sighed. “I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. You were cowed by his pretty face and flowing locks of hair.” Meagan winked, gently sliding a finger over the edge of the bandage on Ever’s forehead. Ever had noticed it was curling up. “Don’t sweat it, sister. Learn the lesson and move on, as Nah would say.”
“Right.”
“I’ll see you in third.” Meagan squeezed Ever’s shoulder. “Don’t stress over it, okay? He’s pond scum. Lower than pond scum. He’s fish waste.”
Ever laughed despite herself, watching as Meagan’s tall, lithe form disappeared into the hall melee. She leaned into the metal locker, using her hip to leverage her weight. Her head ached, a sharp reminder of what had happened the day before. Nah had offered to let her off the hook, but Ever — always the overachiever — had decided staying home would be the coward’s way out.
“Ever?”
The voice shook her from her thoughts. Ever opened her eyes, groggily turning to find Cade Bourdain standing beside her.
He looked fantastic today. His long sleeve cotton shirt hugged his trim frame, highlighting his wide shoulders and muscular biceps. Fitted blue jeans ended in Chuck Taylors. His shaggy hair was tugged into a small, messy ponytail at the back of his head, strands dangling over his forehead.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his sapphire eyes narrowed.
Ever couldn’t find the words to answer him. He was close. Too close. She could feel the heat of his body on her arm. And she was so mad at him.
“Ever?” One golden brow launched towards his hairline.
“Yeah,” Ever burst out, slamming her locker door and avoiding his gaze. “Good. Fine.”
Cade eyed her. “Explain to me why I don’t believe you.”
“Because I suck at lying?”
“Your eye is black.” He touched the hollow beneath her eye, his fingertip trailing fire in its wake. “From the hit?”
“Unfortunately.” She finally looked into his eyes. “Why was Donovan standing next to you this morning in the lot?”
Cade looked suitably chastised by the question. “Apparently his dad knows someone on the school board, and he was pardoned.”
“You told me you kicked him out of your coven.”
“I did!” Cade swiped a hand over his face. “I got outvoted.”
“You’re the leader. How can you get outvoted?”
“We’re a democracy, Ever. Not a dictatorship.”
“I’m starting to think you’re a militia,” Ever snapped, gripping her books to her chest so tight her fingers were going numb. “I thought you were different. Have a good day, Cade.”
She whirled on her heel and stalked off, not realizing her knees were shaking until she’d taken a few steps. One foot in front of the other, she told herself. Don’t let him see your pain. You barely know him. He’s nothing to you.
Behind her, Cade let out a long breath. His Chucks squeaked on the floor as he chased after her. “I’m so sorry, Ever. Can I make it up to you? Please?”
“How do you propose doing that?” she snapped, still walking.
“By taking you to dinner.” His strong fingers wrapped around her bicep, tugging her to a halt. “Just me and you.”
A booming yell came from down the hall. “Bourdain! Dude! You gotta see this!”
One of Cade’s covenmates, Ever thought, irritated at the interruption. She thought his name was Mike or Mitch or something. He wasn’t a bad sort, not like Allie and Donovan or their ilk. B
ut at that moment, the football player’s interruption was so unwelcome Ever considered throwing a lightning bolt his way. Just for fun.
There was also the little issue of how she’d thought Cade was a good sort, too. Yet he’d lied to her and let Donovan back in.
Cade rolled his eyes. “Yeah, hang on!” He turned his gaze back to Ever. “What do you say? Dinner?”
Everything in her wanted to scream YES. What was one dinner? He could take her to Callahan’s, the nice vegan place on the lake. It would be just two classmates having a meal together, nothing more. But Ever couldn’t lie to herself. She’d yearned for Cade Bourdain since the moment she’d first seen him, and when he showed up on her doorstep the day before, he’d wormed his way deeper into her heart.
A dinner date with him would seal the deal. Ever would be lost to him more pathetically than she already was.
Not a chance.
“That’s not a good idea,” Ever finally said. “Thank you, but no.”
“Why?” The look on his face was inscrutable.
She realized exactly how little she knew about him. Two days ago, he’d been simply a pretty face that made her heart skip a beat. It had been easy for her to dismiss her crush as nothing more than hormones and physical attraction . But then he’d come to her house to check on her. He’d spilled her tea and helped clean it up, his woodsy scent stronger when he stood so close. Suddenly, he had become more than a crush; he was a person, and he cared.
She’d thought he cared.
“We’re not friends, Cade. We can’t be.” She flicked her gaze to where his covenmates stood, dumbfounded as they watched the exchange. “We stand for different things. We would undermine our own leaderships by having dinner together.”
“Or we could forge a path to acceptance and peace.” He looked so honest, standing in front of her with a half-grin on his face and his fingers still on her arm. “Or something equally corny.”
Ever shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
“Okay, how’s this? I’ll make reservations at Callahan’s for tomorrow night. Six o’clock. If you come, great. If not, no hard feelings. Sound good?”
Without waiting for her response, Cade gave her a bright grin, and then walked back to his coven.
Chapter 10
CADE
SHE’D TURNED HIM down.
Cade tried to remember the last time a girl had turned him down and found he couldn’t pinpoint an exact time or place where such a thing had occurred. His winning streak went all the way back to elementary school when he’d asked Marcy Jackman to kiss him in the janitor’s closet. He’d always had a way with girls.
But obviously not with Ever.
He tried to focus on his coven and their morning antics, but it was impossible. The only thing he was capable of seeing — of remembering in Technicolor detail — was the hurt in Ever’s bi-colored eyes.
Donovan was in his usual seat in history class near the back. Before the incident with Ever, Cade had always sat beside him, and they buddied up to make fun of Mr. Manson for the hour. Now, Cade just gave him a dark look and took an empty seat in the front row, filled with a mixture of loathing towards Donovan and despair over Ever.
Mr. Manson turned from the blackboard, a small piece of chalk between his wrinkled fingers. “Today, we’ll be — ” He broke off as his rheumy gaze landed on Cade. “Mr. Bourdain. Did you get lost on the way to your seat?”
Irritated, Cade retorted, “I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t aware our seats were assigned.”
“Don’t cause me any trouble up here,” the old man said shakily, his voice holding a note of steel that belied his age, “and I won’t have to make them assigned.”
“Duly noted.”
For most of the class, Cade stared straight ahead, not bothering to take notes or even pay attention to Manson’s droning voice. Cade liked school most of the time because, as his dad always said, “Knowledge is power.” But the history taught in schools wasn’t true history. Cade could run an internet search on any subject and find all the untold darkness behind certain events in humanity’s past. Schools taught a fairytale version, and to Cade, that was like treating them as if they were babies.
After history was his period as an aide in the library. Cade left the classroom and made a beeline for his locker to deposit his books, but he didn’t make it far before he heard his name.
In the hustle of the hallway, he thought it was Mitch, and turned around. Instead, he found Donovan barreling towards him, parting the crowd as if he were the plague.
“Dude. What was that about?”
Cade squeezed his hands into fists. “What?”
“Sitting in the front row like a fucking retard.”
Disgusted, Cade turned his back on Donovan and headed for his locker. How had he ever been friends with this guy? He was an ass.
“If you have a problem with me, just say it,” Donovan yelled.
A hush fell over the hallway as their classmates realized a fight was brewing.
Cade stalked back to Donovan, getting in his face as he said quietly, “I’m not going to have it out with you in front of the entire fucking school. Meet me in the courtyard in fifteen, and I’ll tell you what my problem is.”
* * *
THE LIBRARIANS WERE a disorganized lot. There were six aides, so it was easy for Cade to sign in and then disappear.
The courtyard was nestled between the redbrick school building and a wall of old oak trees flanking the junior parking lot. It held a dozen stone picnic tables clustered on a patch of vividly green grass and was a favorite hangout when the weather was warm.
Donovan waited at one of the tables, a smoking cigarette dangling from his lips. He stood and sneered as Cade walked over. “You jealous I had the balls to do something you couldn’t do?”
Cade didn’t speed up or slow down. He kept his stride until he was within punching distance and followed through with his fist as if he were aiming to put his hand through Donovan’s face.
Donovan and his cigarette tumbled to the ground. There was a long moment as Donovan strung a slew of curses into the autumn air. He finally looked up at Cade, his hands over his nose. “What the fuck, man?”
“If you ever lay a finger on Ever again, I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” Cade said calmly. His fist hurt like Hades, but he wasn’t going to let Donovan know that. “None of her covenmates, either.”
“She’s the fucking enemy, man!”
Donovan looked ridiculous, still on his back in the grass with blood trickling from his nose. Cade’s lip curled. “I’m hearing a lot of that lately. I’m starting to think it’s only people like you who feel we need enemies. You are poison in my coven.”
“What the hell kind of leader are you?” Donovan spat, finally getting to his knees. “You believe in dark magick, but not violence? How the fuck does that even make sense?”
“It makes sense,” Cade said coldly. “It makes more sense than attacking a girl who’s never lifted a hand or said a cross word to you.”
He didn’t give Donovan a chance to respond. Cade squatted beside him, and their gazes locked. “I do not expect to see you in ritual again,” Cade intoned, reaching deep inside for his power source and unfurling a blood red tendril of power towards Donovan. “You will not come near me or my coven. You will not even see Ever or her coven. You will be alone. The gods will punish you as they see fit.”
Donovan’s eyes flashed red as Cade’s magick worked its will; then he slumped to the ground, out cold. He was breathing, though, so Cade left him to bask in the sunshine and miss fifth period.
* * *
CADE DIDN’T SEE Ever for the rest of the day. He wasn’t sure if she’d planned it that way or not; with their lockers so close to one another, they were usually only feet apart between classes. He felt her absence more strongly than he’d thought possible for a girl who’d only just spoken to him for the first time the day before.
He did catch one glimpse of her that aftern
oon before she got in her car and left school.
When Cade returned home at the end of the day, his hair still wet from swim practice, Rémy stood in the driveway beside a fair-skinned Gilles Robidoux. His father’s face lit with a smile beneath his curled mustache, as if he were happy to see Cade’s Shelby pull up the drive.
It was simply an illusion; Cade couldn’t recall a time in his life when Rémy had been happy to see him for no reason. His father always had an ulterior motive, and it was never a good one. Where Grace had decided mothering was about respect and encouragement, Rémy had mastered the art of duplicity and bribery.
It was bribery at play here. Rémy and Gilles sidled away from one another, giving Cade an unimpeded view of the sleek black Lexus sitting beside his father’s Hummer.
Cade got out of the car with a sense of dread. This gift wouldn’t come without consequences: payment in the form of something Rémy requested of him. He was appalled to think that Gilles’ presence meant the request would involve the fair-haired man.
“What do you think?” Rémy asked in smug French.
Cade’s answer was honest. “Elle est une belle voiture.”
“It is a beautiful car,” Rémy agreed, pride in his voice. “Just as you are a beautiful son. Come to my office. Gilles and I wish to speak with you.”
Cade accepted the car keys from his father with a heavy heart. He loved his Shelby, but the thing was old and had been giving him trouble for months. With the Lexus, he could have a reliable mode of transportation while he saved up to revamp the Shelby.
But as he followed Rémy into the house, the two older men chatting merrily, Cade couldn’t help but feel as if he’d sold his soul to a demon.
Cade took a seat in an ebony, wingback chair, his ass sinking into a cushion much more comfortable than those normally found on antique chairs. Magick, like everything his father did.
As Rémy and Gilles made drinks at the bar, Cade glanced around the room. Nothing ever changed here. His father was a creature of habit and routine. The walls were dark wood on the bottom and navy blue wallpaper on the top. The floors were wood as well: real hardwood, sprinkled with rugs that cost more than the Lexus in the driveway. His father’s desk took up a large space between two picture windows that overlooked the driveway, so he always knew who was coming and going from Bourdain Manor.
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