Good night, friend.
Three words, but that last one broke his heart as much as it elated him. Friends. Could they be? With all their differences, was there a place in her life for him? And if so, could that place be something far beyond just “friends”?
He groaned, letting his head fall to his locker. It was so much more complicated now. How could he keep trying to build a relationship — a friendship even — with Ever, when Gilles and Rémy would be breathing down his neck about her?
There was no way in hell he trusted either of them enough to share anything about Ever.
“What’s up with the air of desolation, dude?” Mitch appeared at his elbow, twirling the combination on his locker.
Startled, Cade locked his phone and dropped it back in the pocket of his jeans. “Nothing. Just thinking.”
“Wanna come over and have a few beers before the party tomorrow?” Mitch asked, shoving his overly-large backpack into his locker. It took three tries, but by sheer brute strength, he made it fit.
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll text you.”
“Cool. See you.” Mitch waved a beefy hand and took off down the hall.
Cade lifted his own book bag off the hook inside his locker and settled it on his shoulder as he closed the door. He glanced at the space in front of Ever’s locker across the hall, saddened to find it still empty. He’d been late to school this morning, and she’d been conspicuously absent between every class. He almost always saw her at the end of the day, but it was almost two-thirty, and she was a no-show.
He gritted his jaw as he caught sight of Donovan walking down the hall as if he owned it. Cade couldn’t remember a time he’d ever hated someone so much.
But his muscles relaxed and his lips tilted up as Meagan Stauble strolled down the hallway, long arms swinging as she aimed for the exit. Cade saw the exact moment she decided to play chicken with Donovan — it was in the sudden set of her shoulders and the look of grim determination on her face.
Cade liked this girl. She cared about Ever as much as he did.
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.
Cade leaned against his locker, grinning. Donovan literally couldn’t see Meagan charging towards him. This was going to be spectacular.
Donovan kept moving at his usual fast pace, so Meagan sped up as well, her long legs pumping and her fists clenched at her side. When Donovan didn’t acknowledge her in any way, she bared her teeth.
The collision was one-sided; Donovan didn’t stand a chance. Meagan threw the entire force of her six-foot body into the blow, using her shoulder as a battering ram.
Donovan flew backwards, bouncing off another student before he slammed into the lockers face first.
Meagan didn’t even slow down; the heavy metal door had slammed shut behind her before he hit the floor.
Cade couldn’t help himself — he laughed out loud. Donovan didn’t see it coming, just like Ever. And now blood was running down his forehead.
You’re on your own, asshole. Cade turned his back on his former coven member and left.
* * *
THE HOURS BEFORE dinner passed with agonizing slowness.
Cade had showered, and was standing in his boxers before a pile of shirts and pants on his bed, when his mother knocked on the door.
“Sweetheart? Are you going out to eat with us?”
Cade glanced at his doorway as she peeked in. “I have plans.”
“Good,” she said, stepping into the room. She was in a robin’s egg-blue dress that fit her thin body, emphasizing what few curves she had. Her dark red hair was in a severe bun; Cade hated when she did that, because it was what his father wanted.
He raised an eyebrow. “Good?”
She bit her lip. “Your father is bringing Gilles.”
“You could fake sick.”
“You know that wouldn’t work.”
He knew that to be true. His father was eerily intuitive.
“Does he know you don’t like the guy?” Cade asked, picking up a blue plaid oxford. He hated dress shirts, but held it up to his chest and looked expectantly at his mother.
“There’s no use trying to tell your father anything. You know that.” Grace moved further into the room. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Picking a shirt.”
“Are you going to a job interview? I told you, I’d rather you finish school first — ”
Cade laughed. “No, Mom. Not a job interview.”
Grace picked up an orange polo shirt and shook it out. “Then what are you doing? You never wear these clothes.”
Flushing, Cade muttered, “I want to look nice.”
Grace studied him, then smiled. “You have a date.”
Crap. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Grace tossed the shirt down with a shake of her head and a smile that crinkled her eyes. “It’s so funny how you think I don’t know you. Who is she?” Her face darkened. “Is it Allie?”
“Nowhere close.”
Grace clapped her hands. “Oh, honey. I’m so glad.”
“Tell me how you really feel about my friends, Mom.” Cade rolled his eyes. “You don’t know her. I don’t think.”
But Dad would hound me like a dog, so I’m not sharing.
“You really like this girl, huh?” Grace tapped across the hardwood floor and opened his closet door wider.
Cade’s heart pounded. “Yeah. A lot.”
His mother’s voice sounded far away from inside the closet. “Have you known her a long time?”
“Not really. Just liked her from a distance, I guess.”
Grace poked her head back out. “Does she like you?”
“Gods, I hope so, because I can’t breathe when she’s near me.”
Tears pooled in his mother’s eyes, and she rushed to gather him in a hug, a shirt and jeans hanging from her arm. “Oh, baby. Your first love.”
Cade laughed, disentangling himself from her embrace. “Come on, Mom. It’s not that big of a deal.”
She held up a shirt — one of his favorite green henleys. “Just be you, Cade. Go as yourself. If she’s meant to be with you, then that’s what she wants.”
* * *
BY FIVE, CADE pulled into the lot at the grocery to buy Ever flowers.
He had been standing in front of the displays in the floral department for almost fifteen minutes before the florist took pity on him and stepped away from her arrangement in progress.
“May I help you?” she asked, swiping a lock of hair behind her ear.
Cade noticed the dark bags under her eyes. He smiled. “Thank you. You’re busy. I’ll be fine.”
“Is she someone special?”
Cade felt heat rise in his face. He nodded.
“Is she a romantic interest?”
“Um… she’s…”
The florist giggled. “You’re smitten. It’s obvious. I would just say roses, but I’m betting she’s not a rose girl.”
Shaking his head, Cade grinned. “No. She’s earthy. Drives a hybrid, worries about her carbon footprint.”
The florist snapped her fingers. “Then you don’t want cut flowers at all. You want a potted plant. Something that will last. Come with me.”
She led him around the counter and to the back display, four long shelves of pots sprouting all manner of leaves and flowers. Some were brilliant purple, others were white or yellow.
“Zinnias, daffodils, this entire area here. Take your pick.” The florist indicated the shelves.
Cade stared, at a loss. “Um.”
“How do you feel about this girl?”
He didn’t have to consider his answer. “I’ll never feel this way about anyone else.”
“Rosemary.” The florist reached for a small bush on the top shelf. She handed it to Cade with a grin. “It doesn’t flower, but it’s evergreen and smells amazing. Rosemary, that�
�s for remembrance.”
Cade raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Come on. Shakespeare?” The florist rolled her eyes. “What are they teaching in schools now? I bet your girlfriend knows the line.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Yet.” The florist winked. “Good luck, handsome.”
* * *
THE RESTAURANT WAS packed when he arrived, making him glad he’d called a few days in advance. The hostess showed him to a table in the back, overlooking Coalhaven Lake. Flower-shaped tealights floated in a glass vase of water, the crystal beneath sparkling. Cade took a seat with a good view of the door and waited.
As the digital clock on his cell phone switched to six p.m., Cade’s heart began to pound. He had no idea if she would come or not. Hell, if the situation were reversed, he wasn’t sure he’d even come.
We stand for different things. Ever’s matter-of-fact statement echoed in his mind. But Cade didn’t agree. They were both witches. They both worshipped the god and goddess, practiced magick, and believed anything was possible. The only difference was in how the treated their magick. Ever followed a strict set of rules that seemed outlandish to Cade; but Cade knew he had done things in ritual that Ever would never stand behind.
At a quarter past six, he saw a flash of blonde at the door, and he locked gazes with her extraordinary bi-colored eyes.
Chapter 13
EVER
THE PRANKS BETWEEN the BlackMags and the Fluffs had been going on for some time, so Ever didn’t think much of the Happy Bunny sticker incident. At least not until she was pulled out of AP English Friday morning by a note from the principal’s office.
Her entire coven waited in the lobby of the front office, scattered about the chairs and counters like fallen dominoes.
Meagan grinned as Ever took the seat between her and Ollie. “Fearless leader. Nice of you to join us.”
Ever rolled her eyes. “Let me take a wild guess as to what this is about.”
And she wasn’t wrong. The principal saw them all individually, burning through Meagan — who gave a ‘thumbs-up’ as she walked out; Ollie — who looked terrified and sweaty; then Tia and Tomas — who came out giggling, before he called Ever into his office. She glanced at the remaining members who all offered her supportive smiles.
Principal Joyner was a nice guy. Ever had always liked him, and she thought he did a great job keeping the school in order. He was young, which made him more empathetic, and even handsome in a book-nerd kind of way.
He pushed his glasses up his long nose and smiled as he spoke. “Ever. Nice to see you. I don’t believe I’ve had you in my office since your freshman year.”
Ever shook her head. “No, sir. I still appreciate what you did for me then.”
Principal Joyner waved a hand in the air. “It was my pleasure. Your Nah is a wonderful woman.” He leaned forward, his hands clasped on his desk as his face sobered. “Ever, I’ve called you in here because of an incident that took place in the school parking lot yesterday afternoon.”
“Oh?” Ever said, trying to keep her blood pressure from spiking.
“A student’s car was papered in stickers featuring a foul-mouthed pink rabbit.”
It took everything she had not to burst out laughing. She bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. “Okay.”
“Do you know who did this?”
She shook her head. “No, sir. I just happened to see it as I was leaving school.”
Principal Joyner stared at her, his face impassive. If he thought he could crack her with his intensity, he was sadly mistaken. Nah was the master of that technique, and Joyner couldn’t match up.
“Ever, you’re one of my best students,” Joyner said, his voice pitched to a soothing level.
She couldn’t argue there.
“You’re a good girl. And your friends are good kids. So we need to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand.”
Irritation hit Ever, and her vision turned red. “With all due respect, it got out of hand last week when Donovan Carrell sent me to the hospital.”
Principal Joyner looked taken aback. “Of course. You’re very right.”
“Of course I am,” Ever said, wondering who on earth this girl mocking her principal was. “I know nothing about the Happy Bunny stickers. Whoever did it kept it from me, and quite frankly, I’m glad they did so I don’t have to lie to you.”
Ever stood. “Are we done?”
Joyner nodded, his eyes wide. “You’re dismissed.”
She shoved open his office door and stalked past her coven, not acknowledging any of them.
A bleeding concussion that needed stitches versus Happy Bunny stickers on some jock jerk’s car. Where was Joyner’s sense of justice? He’d allowed Donovan to waltz back into school like nothing had happened, yet he pulled her entire coven into his office over stickers.
What was it with adults? Holy Freya, she was barely a kid herself anymore. She was damn near an adult — would join their ranks in two days, to be exact. But sometimes she thought by growing up, adults lost the ability to see things that were right in front of them.
* * *
EVER’S STOMACH WAS in knots, and her room looked like a Category 5 hurricane had run rampant through the area. She desperately needed to talk to someone, but she was still giving Meagan the cold shoulder, and Ollie wasn’t answering her texts.
So she picked up the phone and called Nah.
“I’m a little busy right now, love,” Nah answered, the scanner blasting in the background. “Big fire on Main Street. I’ll call you back.”
Ever stared at her phone screen as it flashed :05. She hadn’t even been able to say a word.
“What if I’d been dying?” Ever yelled at her phone, then threw it on the bed. It bounced twice, hopped off, and skidded across the floor.
I guess if I were dying, I’d have to call 9-1-1 to get a hold of Nah.
Over the low sound of internet radio playing on her laptop, her Skype bubbled.
Ever groaned. “Great.”
So much for avoiding Meagan.
Ever crossed to her bed and sat down, clicking the Skype icon to pull up the screen.
It was her mother.
She accepted the call, her heart fluttering.
Lily O’Connell’s face lit up the screen, her blue eyes worried. “Ever. What’s wrong?”
Ever rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Mom.”
“No, you’re not. You know better than to pretend with me. Tell me what’s going on.”
Ever stared at her mother’s face, mad at herself for being so excited to see her. Lily was an older, taller, thinner version of Ever, with matching flaxen hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Ever couldn’t remember seeing her mother so tanned before, or with such large dark circles under her eyes. She wore some kind of native, patchwork tank top.
“The better question is are you okay? Where are you?”
“Thailand. On an organic farm. And I’m fine. It was a long flight.”
Two months ago, she’d been sheep farming in the Alps. Before that, she’d been working on an archaeological dig in the Middle East. Ever could admit to wishing she got to do such interesting stuff — but her mom was like a plastic bag blowing where the wind took her.
It was going to catch up with her eventually. It looked like it already had.
“Ever, your heart chakra is on fire.” Lily leaned forward with a tiny smile. “Who is he? And why are you so conflicted?”
Ever turned to face the laptop, tugging her legs in like a pretzel. She stared down at her toes — painted red — wondering if she should spill about Cade. Her mom always knew things innately, even halfway across the world. And as absent as she was, she always knew what to say to calm Ever.
“His name is Cade Bourdain.”
Lily gasped, her hand flitting to cover her mouth.
“Do you know him?” Ever asked, confused.
“No. But I knew a Bourdain once. A bad man. I�
�m sure it’s a coincidence.”
“They’ve been in Coalhaven for a long time. Nah knows them.”
Lily gave her a wry smile. “When am I ever in Coalhaven, baby?”
True story. “He’s in my class. I’ve had a crush on him for… well… I guess since I started high school. Something happened this week, and we spoke for the first time.”
Ever laid out everything that had happened that week, including the bickering that had been escalating between the BlackMags and her own coven. She told her mother about Cade showing up at her house, and then asking her out.
“So I’m having dinner with him tonight,” she finished.
In the silence that followed, her mother appeared as if she were gathering her thoughts. Different emotions crossed her face: concern, fear, sadness. She finally spoke. “Baby, I know I haven’t told you much about your dad. And I’ve done that on purpose, to protect you from him. If you even knew his name, he would find you.” She shook her head, letting out a deep breath. “I want to believe your Cade is different. But I’ve been there. Your father believed in dark magick. I thought I could change his mind, teach him that life was better in the light…” She trailed off, then looked up and caught Ever’s gaze. “Be careful, Ever. Never trust anyone but yourself.”
Long after Ever said goodbye, she stared at her laptop, not really seeing it.
How could Cade be bad when he cared so much about her?
* * *
IT’S JUST DINNER. No promises, no commitment.
Ever stood in the cold evening light, her hands tucked into the pockets of her jean jacket. She took a breath to steel herself and entered the restaurant.
He was heartbreakingly beautiful tonight with his hair slicked away from his face as if he’d showered and carelessly swiped it back. His green henley hugged his broad shoulders, and he looked so very… Cade. The guy she’d crushed on for years. Goddess knew that shirt probably cost as much as her Nah’s electric bill.
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