by R. L. Weeks
I missed it too. “Okay, so now that we’re done, are you ready to start?”
She grinned. “Hell yeah.”
I looked at the chalice nervously. Vanessa, being the superstar she was, found a spell in the book that Nicholas and Joshua had left behind for me to study—a spell that would prevent me from using magic. We were going to spell one of my rings with it. That way, I could put the ring on if I was afraid I was losing control and take it off if I wanted to use magic. It was a great idea. That was one good reason why telling Vanessa was important. I’d use that to justify it to Nicholas when he returned tonight.
I placed the silver ring at the bottom of the chalice and poured oil on top of it. I added a pinch of ginger, pine needles, and valerian root. Vanessa squashed a voodoo doll’s head inside one of the jars and decorated it with the various symbols in the book to ward off curses.
“The spell isn’t straightforward,” she explained. “You need to link this”—she showed me the head of the doll—“and the ring together. It works as a sort of protection spell against magic, except for your own magic.” She reread the text. “I hope it works.”
She was better than me at this. “How do I link them?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “With darker magic, it says to give an offering.”
“Like what?”
She grimaced. “Animal sacrifice. But I’m sure there are other ways around it.”
I twisted my mouth in disgust. “I hope so.”
I tried using my magic to link them, but it kept sizzling out. It was fighting against the spell. After ten minutes, I huffed and gave up. “It won’t work!” I groaned. “This is pointless. I’m a terrible witch.”
She laughed. “You’re new to this. That’s all. Perhaps you can ask Jerimiah to help you?”
“He won’t help me with a spell to stop my magic. That goes against the Black Rose Coven’s beliefs.”
She nodded slowly. “Good point. Don’t give up. I’ll keep looking.”
An idea popped into my head. “Wait, perhaps my magic won’t work because I can’t use it for a spell that will squash it. It’s not going to aid in stopping itself.” I cocked my head at Vanessa. “You could do it. I mean, the woman said you don’t have to be a witch to do earthly magic.”
She itched her arm. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried anything like this, and it probably wouldn’t work. Can’t you ask someone who actually has magic?”
“That’s what I’m trying to say. People who have magic might not be able to do it.” I raised an eyebrow. “You can! Please, Nessie.”
She rubbed her temples but relented. “Fine. Give me some space.” She muttered under her breath, “I feel ridiculous.”
Her hair was wild as she sweated trying to do the spell. After what felt like forever, she let out a long sigh. “I don’t know if it’s worked or not. I’m not a witch, so it’s more of a protection charm, but at least I don’t have to sacrifice anything.” She handed me the ring, which was slippery from the oil. Hesitantly, I placed it on my finger.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
I focused within and tried to conjure my magic. I felt it bubble to the surface, but it quickly dissipated. “It’s not strong, strong,” I said. “But it seems like it works for the most part. Well done!”
She beamed. “I can’t believe I did it.”
“Neither can I,” I confessed.
I put the jar with the doll’s head and strands of my hair inside of it in my nightstand drawer. I hid it behind torn paper out of my journal. “It should be safe there,” I explained. “Mom doesn’t go in my drawers.”
“I wish mine didn’t,” Vanessa retorted. “Anyway, isn’t Nicholas returning today?”
My stomach dropped. “Yes. I should go see him.”
“Let’s meet up again tomorrow!” She pulled me into a tight hug and whispered in my ear, “I love you, Kate. I’m glad we are in this together.”
“Love you too, girl.”
After Vanessa left, I walked back into my bedroom and over to my bed. I rolled my eyes as I lifted the pillow up. Under it was a worry doll. Vanessa must have snuck one under it. I knew she would. I remembered when she would ‘accidentally’ leave stones at my house. She wanted to help me open up my chakras or whatever. I shook my head, smiled, and plopped the pillow back down. “Oh Nessie.” I said aloud. I laid down on the bed and allowed my worries to circle through my mind. Worries about Nicholas, about my magic, and everything else. I secretly hoped the doll would work. Or perhaps I had to believe in it enough for it to work. Either way, it wasn’t a great discomfort having it there.
Chapter Thirteen
I knocked on Nicholas’s door and heard a noise come from inside. “Nicholas?” I hollered when there was no answer. Carefully, I turned the handle and the door creaked open. “Anyone here?”
There was noise coming from inside Nicholas’s bedroom. Instinctively, I ran to the door and pulled it open. I stumbled as I took in the bloody sight. Splattered everywhere were the insides of Nicholas. My heart dropped.
“Kate?”
I shook my head, and the blood was gone. “Nicholas.” My stomach churned. What in the hell was that? “Why didn’t you answer?”
“I was taking a nap. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Do you think we can have premonitions? Like flashes from the future?” I asked shakily.
He nodded. “Yeah, we can.”
I shuddered. “I just saw you covered in blood when I came in the room, then like a flash, it was gone.” I felt sick to my stomach. “Could someone be out to hurt you?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he told me, but I wasn’t convinced. “Are you here to talk?”
I forgot all about his texts about us chatting when he got back. “I don’t know what to say,” I confessed.
His expression was darker than usual. He stared at me with unsettling focus. “Then you should just go.”
“Wait.” I touched his arm. “I know I pressed pause on us, but…”
He didn’t look himself.
“What happened while you were seeing Joshua off?”
He looked at the floor. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I found out some pretty insane information. I heard Joshua talking on the phone to an elder of the Black Lily Coven.”
“What did you hear?”
He looked back up at me. His hair was poking off in all directions, and his breath smelled like alcohol. “We are the ones prophesized to kill the other.”
“Then we just won’t do it.” I gulped. “We can’t.”
“I would never hurt you!” he said with conviction and grabbed my arm. “But Joshua was arguing with them on the phone. The covens want the fight to happen, and they will stop at nothing to ensure it does. I don’t know what they’re planning, but it’s coming. The Black Rose Coven will do everything to recruit you…” He paused. “Like the Black Lily Coven is doing to me.”
Uneasiness washed over me. “They have been.”
“I came back straight after I overheard their conversation. That’s the real reason Joshua went back. He tried getting me to go with him.”
“Perhaps you should have gone then?” I asked, knowing it was worse if we were left together. “We can’t hurt one another if we’re apart.”
“So they could indoctrinate me? Our magic can take over, Kate. Control us from the inside. I don’t want to hurt you, but if I’m pulled into it any further, then they could make me.”
He looked so wounded. His gaze was filled with pain. I wanted to take it all away. I needed time alone, but I cared for Nicholas. I couldn’t pretend otherwise. Seeing him in pain hurt me. Twin souls indeed, I thought.
He sat at the end of his bed, looking defeated. Without thinking, I knelt in front of him and took him in my arms. He rested his head on my shoulder. I’d never seen him so torn. After a minute, I tried to pull away, but he held me tighter. His lips grazed against my neck, sending tingling waves down m
y throat and chest. I needed to leave. It was getting too intimate, but my body didn’t flinch.
“Don’t pull away,” he said with absolution. “I need you.”
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t deny that I needed him too. He kissed my neck, each one making his way down to my chest. He looked wild as he stood with me in his arms. He needed to take charge. I felt it through our bond. He was angry at me for pushing him away, and he hated that he needed me. I made him lose all control. It teetered on dangerous. He growled under his breath and kissed me. I bit down on his bottom lip, caught up in the moment, and the room trembled. I pulled off my ring, the one Vanessa had spelled for me, and flung it to the floor. I wanted to feel everything.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and slid his hand up the inside of my thigh. His eyes widened when he reached my panties. “You’re so wet,” he said, pleased.
My gaze was wild with desire. My lips parted. The room shook more, causing the lamp to fall from his nightstand and the TV edge closer to the front of the stand.
“Tell me what you want.” He ran his finger up my soaked panties. My body convulsed at his touch. I felt like I was on fire.
“You,” I told him breathlessly.
The TV slammed onto the floor. It was unlike anything I had felt before, even from the last time we had slept together.
His fingers slid against my clit, sending waves of pleasure through me. He thrust two fingers inside, and I rocked against his fingers. He looked in my eyes and bit his lip. “Fuck, Kate,” he said, looking tortured. Heat surged through my body, and he slowed and pulled his fingers out.
He moved on top of me and pushed his cock between my thighs, teasing me with just the tip. I spread myself, wanting him inside of me more than anything. He looked at me with hunger. When he touched my hand, our bond pulsated outward, vibrating everything in the room. I could see his mind clearer than ever. I saw how he felt about me with absolute clarity. He saw me as beautiful, wild, untamed. He was crazy about me. His gaze latched onto mine as he pushed himself inside me.
He thrust his hard cock in and out of me, not able to hold off any longer. I loved feeling him inside of me, out of control. My orgasm was building, the link between our minds stronger than ever. We didn’t need words. When he said the words in his head, I heard them clear as day. I love you, Kate. My beautiful Kate.
I closed my eyes as I tipped over the edge.
I pushed my hips upward, forcing him deeper inside. I moaned loudly as he groaned.
“Fuck!” he yelled. The mirror on the wall smashed outward as his hot cum filled me. His dick pulsated, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
I came with him, my thighs quivering.
He rested on top of me, rocking his hips one last time.
Afterward, we lay in silence as I took it all in. He’d told me he loved me. Did he know I could read his mind? Nervously, I nestled into him. “I love you too,” I said bravely.
A smile played on his lips as he looked at the ceiling. He wrapped his arm around me and stroked my hair.
I looked at the discarded condom. He had at least played it safe. I’d hate to get pregnant at my age. He smirked as he read my thoughts. It was as easy as breathing, lying there with him. I questioned him through our bond.
Does this mean we’re finally together then?
I sensed him searching his thoughts. He was worried about what he had overheard from Joshua. He was concerned about us and the prophecy.
I reached out in his mind to comfort him. I promise we will be okay. You mean everything to me.
A smile played on his lips. Nothing would make me happier than to be your boyfriend, Kate.
***
I was higher than the clouds when I walked to Vanessa’s house, replaying everything that had happened. Hearing those three words from Nicholas was stronger than any drug in the world. I could still taste him on my lips from our morning session. I smiled to myself. He loved me.
I couldn’t wait to relay everything to Vanessa. No doubt she would be pissed that I’d slept with him… twice. The second time was even better. My mom was right, I thought, thinking back to our “safe sex” talk. Doing it with someone you love was even better, someone who respected you.
I knocked on the door, feeling high on life. “Nessie!” I squeaked when she opened the door. I peered behind her. A boy with shocking green eyes and untamed dark brown hair was smoking a cigarette. The smoke pillared around his face, and that’s when I first caught his gaze.
She looked nervous. I went into fight mode. “Who’s this?”
He cocked his head and smirked.
Her shoulders slumped. “Sorry, Kate. He forced it out of me. I told him everything.”
I looked around desperately. “Where’s your mom and dad?”
She looked like she was about to burst into tears. “He made them fall asleep with some spell.” Her whole body shook. “He threatened to hurt them. I had no choice,” she cried.
I ground my teeth, pushed past Vanessa, and walked right up to the scumbag. “Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing with my best friend?”
He dropped his cigarette on her hardwood floor and stepped on it. “Name’s Alec,” he said nonchalantly. He had an air of smugness around him. “I’m the high priest of the Black Rose Coven.”
Vanessa shot me an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said and turned back toward Alec. “You have some fucking nerve coming here like this. My uncle said I could have time to figure out what I want.”
He lifted a groomed eyebrow. He obviously took good care of himself. He was dressed head to toe in designer clothes. “Your uncle wasn’t getting the job done, so he’s been demoted. Now I’m in charge.”
“And who decided that?” I asked, placing a hand on my hip.
“Alexandra is the elder. I’m her nephew.”
The lingering smoke from the cigarette made my throat dry. “There’s no way I’m going with you.”
He gripped my wrist and looked into my eyes like a venomous snake. “I’m not some high school boy you can boss around.” He growled. “I’m not fucking around, and unless you want your friend and her parents dead, you’ll come with me.”
Vanessa teared up. My heart raced at a million miles an hour. “Nessie, go to your parents,” I told her.
Alec halted her. “No telling anyone I was here. If you do, I’ll know, and I’ll come back and gut your mom and dad in front of you.”
Tears slipped down her rosy cheeks. “I won’t tell anyone.” She gave me another apologetic stare before running into the living room where her parents had been spelled to sleep.
He slipped his arm around me. I shuddered away from him. “Where are you taking me?”
He looked at my fingers and shook his head, tutting. “Now, now. A ring to stop your magic won’t do.” He pulled it off and flung it to the ground. “Now we can go.” He gripped me tighter as I struggled. “You can come with me nicely or I can drag you.”
I straightened and let the snake wrap his arm around me. We walked outside. I did my best not to cry. I didn’t want to bring attention to us. He would likely hurt anyone who got in the way.
“Don’t be upset,” he said as he led me to his Mercedes. “You’ll like where I’m taking you. If you behave and don’t try to run, then you’ll enjoy yourself.”
I highly doubted that. He opened the passenger-side door for me. I got in and reached for my phone. He got in on the other side and looked at me. I hid my phone next to me and called Nicholas. I propped the phone between myself and the car door, hoping Nicholas could hear everything I was saying.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, showing fear in my voice so Nicholas would know something was wrong. “Please just let me go.”
“Enough!” Alec bellowed. “Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you.”
I pushed it, hoping to give Nicholas some direction. “Please, just tell me where we’re going.”
“Headquart
ers” was all he said. “Don’t worry, it’s only an hour west from here.” He turned up the music and drove down the road.
After several minutes of driving, Alec lowered the music and turned toward me. “Hand over your phone.”
I furrowed my brows. “I… uh…”
“Now.” He held his hand out.
Begrudgingly, I dropped my phone into his hand and gave the douchebag a snide smile.
We arrived after a silent car ride. When we stepped out, I gasped.
The supernatural lived in incredible style. The house, three stories high, towered over the large grounds. White pillars held up the porch. The front door was a dark red, on it the symbol for the Black Rose Coven. Outside, women were dressed head to toe in stylish black-and-purple clothes. They were gorgeous with long slick hair and manicured hands. Alec pushed me forward when I slowed to get a better look at everything.
Inside, it was breathtaking. A huge chandelier tinkled above as music played from the violinist and piano. Red drapes hung from the walls, and the tables were made from black glass. Everything looked polished. The walls were made of stone, giving the perfect vibe between modern and old. Whoever had done the interior design in that house did a perfect job. I admired the magnificent staircase—the type you’d find in a palace—leading upstairs. The windows were blacked out, the only light coming from the candles and dim lights made to look like old torches that you’d find in a castle.
So that was Black Rose headquarters.
Shocked, I watched as two men and two women lie on a bed—California king with see-through drapes hanging around them—started having a foursome.
“We don’t do shame here,” Alec explained when I gawked at them.
I can tell, I thought snidely but kept my opinions to myself. I followed Alec upstairs and gasped as the horror that greeted us. Wendigos, kept in cages, lined the first room we walked past. My eyes widened as I took in the tall, yellow-eyed, gaunt creatures. They stared at us with an insatiable hunger, snarling. Strips of flesh hung from their fangs. I felt nauseated wondering who they had torn apart to still have fresh skin in their teeth.
