A History of Hexing

by Evie Wilde

  Ren looked at each of us then back to Braeden. “Of course. Whatever you need. I'll help you. I know where he is. I know how to take you there. Release me, and we’ll go right now. I give you my word.”

  “You mean like the word you gave to Sonny? To protect him?” Kyler’s eyes changed fiery-red. He was about to shift. “You led him astray. You made promises to him you couldn’t keep. You lied and deceived.”

  “You knew Challis?” Dash asked.

  Ren’s eyes widened. “She was with you?”

  Dash nodded. “You’ve harmed each of us in some way. Maybe not all of us directly, but you do have to pay for what you’ve done.”

  I noticed Ren trying to raise his hands, their glow slowly melting the ice. He had no intentions on helping anyone but himself. “So just like that, you’re willing to turn on Edius?” I questioned. He nodded. “You’re a slime ball. You’ll help whoever gives you an advantage. Right now, it’s us. When you’re free it will be Edius.” I glanced at Ruby, and she nodded. I kept my eyes on Ren and drew every ounce of energy in my soul to my hands. It was time to bring down hell on the man who’d brought hell down on the academy. “Each of you needs to draw upon your greatest power. Whatever it is.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw Kyler shift back into a dragon. He shot flames from his mouth and into the air. His roar shook the ground and made Ren cry out. My back cooled, and I knew Oliver was calling forth a winter storm of epic proportions. He loved to practice his magic, but loved putting it to good use even more.

  Dash’s hands glowed like never before. I looked at his face, and the intensity was actually frightening. The sound of howling wind seared my ears, Braeden choosing wind over light, his face steeled. Ruby moved next to me, and I turned to look at her palms, the darkness so deep, so real I thought I could see the end of time.

  “I’ve never used this hex before,” Ruby said.

  I nodded. “Between the six of us we should be able to end this now.”

  And then we came together at once, casting our greatest spells. Ruby’s hit first, smashing against Ren’s eyes, creating two dark, deep holes. Ren cried out. Not that he was blind, but he saw things no one should ever have to see. He screamed in terror and begged Ruby to take it away. Ruby later explained that what Ren saw was all the souls of those he had killed, racing toward him.

  Oliver’s winter storm whirled around Ren, aided by Braeden’s typhoon-like wind, freezing Ren in place, the glow in his hands gone. Icicles formed at his nostrils, and I feared he might break in half before we were finished.

  Dash drove his hands forward, the single fireball tearing Ren to pieces, ice-covered body parts soaring into the air.

  And then my turn came. The person who had trusted Ren the most. Who had let the last few years of her life be guided by him. The man who had sent me to the academy in the first place. From my fingers, like laser beams, I shot fire toward the frozen body parts, disintegrating every last piece of Guildmaster Ren.

  Kyler ended the show, showering the sky with such heat that I felt the hairs on my arm singe.

  The six of us stood silent, watching the ashes fall from the sky. Justice had been served as horrifically as Ren had served his evil. Karma was a bitch.

  “You okay?” Kyler asked after he shifted into his human form.

  “Yeah, I'm fine. It needed to happen.” Kyler understood our pain better than anyone. Braeden and I had just helped kill the man we thought of as a father. I felt a tear build in my left eye, and I quickly wiped it away, remembering what Ren had done to the guild, the academy, and all the people at either place. He’d sided with evil and, for now, evil had lost once again.

  “Now what?” Oliver asked. “We still have no clue on how to find Edius.”

  I couldn’t help but shrug. “We still had to stop Ren. If we’d let him live, he would have returned to Edius, and we would be in no better position. Evil begets evil, and we needed to stop him. Edius would have killed him if Ren had given us any information.”

  “So how do we find Edius now?” Braeden asked.

  I took a deep breath and sighed. “I don’t have a clue. I assume he will come after us as soon as he finds out Ren is dead. Once again, we defeated one of his minions. He’ll want revenge for this killing.”

  “Give me a minute?” Ruby asked. “I think I have something that will help.”

  Ruby hobbled away, and I realized she’d been injured in the battle. Her left pant leg was torn and blackened, as if burned. We watched her duck behind a large boulder and then reappear with a pack.

  “What the hell is that?” Dash asked when Ruby removed a large, ancient text from the pack. Her arms strained to hold it.

  “Wow!” Oliver reached out for the book, and Ruby allowed him to take it. He rubbed a hand over the cover. “Where the hell did you get this?” He looked up with surprise on his face. “These were said to have been destroyed a thousand years ago.” He rubbed the cover again, and for a moment I thought he might actually hug and kiss the book. We were going to have to get him out more often.

  “I stole it,” Ruby said proudly. I glanced at her leg. “Though it was a pain to carry.”

  “You okay?” I moved to a knee to look at her wound. The skin was black and blue. “You need to get this checked.”

  “You do it,” Dash said to me. “Heal her.”

  “It’s just a flesh wound.” Ruby pointed at the book. “When I escaped, I saw that sitting on a desk, so I scooped it up on my way out. It looked old, so I thought it might be able to help.”

  I looked back at Dash and then others. My energy still felt weak, but I held my hand close to the wound anyway. When I closed my eyes, hands began landing on my shoulders. I concentrated and let all the light from my heart flow into my hand. I opened my eyes and saw the light transfer from my hand to Ruby’s wound. The skin turned from black to its normal color in a matter of seconds.

  “It worked,” I said and stood. “Wait, where’d you escape from?”

  “Edius’ home.” Ruby rubbed her chin. “But it was more like a mansion or some sort of small castle.” She looked at the ground, thinking. “I jimmied the lock on the door to the cell I was trapped in. He had some kind of shield around the cell that wouldn’t let me use my magic, so I had to use some of my old Girl Scout tricks.”

  “Can you lead us back there?” Braeden asked. His eyes were wild with excitement, but I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. In fact, I thought maybe Edius had let Ruby escape.

  Ruby’s face seemed to darken. “I don’t think so. When I took the book, I headed up some stairs and into the foyer by the front door. The place was spooky. Gothic-spooky. Old paintings and statues around the room. A chandelier of candles hung overhead. Then I shot out the front door, surprised it had been that easy to escape.”

  “Did he see you?” Oliver asked.

  Ruby shook her head. “No. But as soon as I hit the last step I fell. All I remember is falling and falling, surrounded by blue and purple and pink neon. It was like a portal or wormhole or something. I landed softly back in the arena. I looked around for the portal, but it was gone.”

  Oliver thumbed through the book, gingerly turning each brittle page. “We need to study this.” He was practically salivating at the mouth. “I need to take a picture of every page.” He whipped out his small computer.

  “Yeah, we do,” Ruby agreed. “But we also need to get back to help Nicolette care for the students who are still sick. We can study the book then.” Oliver’s face turned to disappointment.

  We walked back to the main part of campus, to the courtyard where people were walking around, some talking, some actually reading from textbooks. Some of the servants had returned as well, working the grounds and returning the place to its pristine beauty.

  “We’ll catch up,” Braeden said.

  Dash looked at Braeden and then at me. I winked to make him feel better. “Leave some for the rest of us.” He chuckled and put his arm around Oliver’s shoulders as they walked awa
y.

  Braeden and I stopped and took a seat on a bench, watching the others head to the infirmary to help Nicolette.

  “We’re lucky to have them.”

  Braeden placed his hand on mine. “You doing okay? I know we had to do that. There really was no other choice.” He looked at the others as the entered the small clinic. “And yeah, we are lucky to have them.”

  I nodded. “I know. Just hate it had to come to that. I also hate that the body count around us is growing. How do we stop so much evil in the world?” I studied the ground for a moment. “Even after our parents were killed, I thought the world could still be a good place. Now I'm not so sure.”

  “I think all we can do is try. We could say there is no hope, but I really think we are the hope. The five of us. Six if we count Ruby.” Braeden patted my knee. “We have to stay strong and trust each other. Otherwise, evil wins.”

  “We do count Ruby.” I turned on the bench. “Did you hear what Sonny said about their hometown. He acted as if their people would be disappointed in Kyler for being part of what we have.” I yawned and realized I'd not had a good night’s sleep in a very long time. Until Edius was dealt with none of us would ever have a restful night.

  “We can’t worry about what others think. What becomes of our opinion about ourselves if we give too much credence to others’ opinions? It’s better that we form our own opinions.”

  “Thank you,” a young girl said to us and then continued on her way. Braeden and I stared at each other.

  “We’ve helped this place to heal.” Braeden put his hand against my face and turned me toward him. “You know that, right?”

  “I do,” I said and kissed him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Cassandra

  “You know where they’re taking you?” Ruby sat the brush on the vanity. “Might be the night.” She gently bit her lower lip and smiled, watching me accusatorily.

  I looked at Ruby through the mirror as she helped me with my hair. The guys and I were skipping the graduation ceremony, opting instead for whatever it was they had planned. They said to dress formally but nothing too expensive. I’d chosen a tight, short black dress that showed a lot of thigh and just enough cleavage to make them salivate. Although we had discussed the group thing, we never actually went through with it; though, the thought of eight hands ravaging my body certainly made me want it to happen. The anticipation of it happening was killing me. Maybe tonight was the night.

  “I haven’t the slightest idea.” I turned my head to the side to look at my hair. “You should have been a hairstylist. And no, I don’t think it’ll be the night.”

  “Would not have paid the bills. And think of all the fun I would be missing.” We both laughed, and Ruby stepped away to look at herself in the mirror. Her dress was nowhere near as tight as mine, because we were heading to two different places.

  “You excited about speaking at graduation?” I turned my head the other direction and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. I looked at the rest of me and found myself thankful we were finally getting the chance to go out on a date, getting rid of school-required clothing and wearing something nice for a change. I couldn’t wait to see what the guys were wearing.

  Ruby shook her head. “Freaking terrified. Especially since a lot of students there are older than me. What do I know that they don’t? I can actually imagine me getting booed off the stage.”

  “It’ll be fine,” I said. “Just remember, you’re a hero to those people. It doesn’t matter what you say, they will hang on every word you speak. They all know you’re one of the reasons they made it through the semester alive.”

  “Yeah, but your evening will be finer. And trust me, those guys will hang on every word you speak. They’ll be all over you.”

  “Wait, you know what they’re doing! You know where they’re taking me!”

  “I might have the inside scoop.” She smiled and went into the living room. “And no, I won’t tell you. They’d turn me into a frog or rat or something if I did.” She nervously glanced at her watch. “Nicolette will be here shortly. She still thinks we all need to go places in pairs. Guess I can’t argue against that. My gut tells me Edius is still in the planning stages of whatever he’s doing next.”

  Tonight, I had no desire in talking about Edius or Ren or anything else related to the chaos that happened during the semester. “Is Nicolette good with everything that’s happened?” I lifted my dress and secured my wand to the sleeve wrapped around my upper thigh.

  “She wishes we would include her more. Like the rest of us, she knows she’s not like the guys.”

  “But you trust her?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I do.” She eyed the wand before I covered it. “Expecting trouble?”

  “Never leave home without it. There’s no telling where Edius will show up next. Though I think you’re right. He’s planning something.” I opened the dorm room door and stepped out into the hallway. A couple of students I had become friends with passed by and commented on my dress. They were heading to graduation. It felt good to finally be accepted by the majority of students. I was no longer the walking disaster.

  “Have a great time and I hope it gets interesting.”

  “Me too,” I said and closed the door.

  I met the guys outside, and they escorted me to a car they had rented for the night. They were dressed in casual suits, no ties, and nice shoes. Each looked gorgeous, especially Dash who always said he’d never be caught dead in a suit. He would claim the absence of a tie meant he really wasn’t wearing a suit per se.

  Oliver opened the back door and helped me inside. He slid in next to me, and Kyler rounded the car and then sat on my other side. Dash sat in the driver seat while Braeden took the front passenger side. Everything had been planned perfectly.

  “Anyone going to tell me where we’re going?”

  Braeden looked back. “Now what fun would that be?”

  Dash looked at me in the rearview mirror. “We’re just sorry it has taken so long to get you away for a quiet evening. Always some shit happening at the academy.”

  Oliver put his hand on my knee. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I promise.” He gave me a subtle wink, and then Kyler’s hand landed on my other knee.

  “This is one of those things you just need to roll with. Relax and have fun.” He gave my knee a gentle squeeze. “And trust brainiac if you want, but these two in the front seat? No way!”

  I placed a hand on Oliver’s and then Kyler’s, noticing Dash still looking at me in the mirror as he drove. “I don’t know if I should feel terrified or overwhelmed with joy.”

  Braeden turned in his seat. “We never got to celebrate your birthday from months ago. We thought we would do that now.”

  “Okayyyyy,” I said. “We could have just done that in the dorm room. Why all the fuss?”

  Oliver leaned toward me and placed his lips next to my ear, his breath warm and ticklish. My heart sped, and I squeezed my legs together, actually wanting him and Kyler in the backseat. I didn’t want to wait to see what was happening at our destination. “There’s a surprise waiting for you there.” Oliver’s voice was deep and seductive. I licked my lips and waited for their next move.

  Kyler leaned into me, his lips hovering around my other ear. “Not yet, my love. We have plans for you.” He kissed my ear, and I let out a soft whimper that drew everyone’s attention.

  We arrived in town just after eight, and Dash pulled to the curb in front of The Oasis, a classy restaurant that I'd only heard of and never been to. “I think you’ll like what we have planned,” Dash said and got out. The others followed his lead. Oliver offered me his hand, and I took it as I stepped from the car. I had no complaints about any of the four, but the way they were being perfect gentlemen made me swoon. I considered telling Oliver how wet they were making me, but I decided it might send him over the edge, and we’d never make it to our table.

  I hooked one arm around Oliver’s and one arm around K
yler’s. Braeden and Dash opened the doors.

  “Reservation for Bancroft,” Dash said. He looked back at me and winked. “You ready for some fun?”

  “I’m ready for whatever you guys want.” I winked and then noticed Dash growing hard.

  The hostess looked at me and then the four guys. Based on the scowl she gave me, I considered explaining to her that no matter how handsome her boyfriend was, I had four who were just as handsome.

  “This way.” She led us through the restaurant and to a secluded area outside where our table sat surrounded by opened curtains. People watched us and whispered to one another. I was used to the whispers and the rumors and the innuendos. Most people wouldn’t understand our relationship. The way we completed each other. The way we worked together in all parts of our lives.

  Kyler pulled out a chair for me and scooted it forward as I sat. “Thank you.” I made eye contact with Kyler, and the look in his eyes was pure euphoria.

  The guys took their own seats, and I wondered if there was some strategy associated with the seating assignments.

  I looked around, and on a small table behind me were four gift-wrapped presents. They had gone all out to please me.

  “Those are for you.” Oliver smiled and filled my wine glass. “From each of us for your birthday.”

  “Mine’s the best, of course.” Dash smirked that bad-boy smirk I was used to. His was probably a gift I shouldn’t open in public.

  The candles on the table gently flickered from a breeze wafting across the table. The exotic plants around us smelled wild and wonderful. They'd definitely gone out of their way to make things romantic. I glanced at each of them, imagining them all around me, their hands searching and pleasing. I imagined them naked and lying around me. I thought about Dash moving over me while I lay atop Braeden.

  “Cass?” Kyler said, pulling me back to reality. “You okay?”

  “Never been better.” I cleared my throat and placed my napkin on my lap, the wetness between my legs warm and invigorating. I’d never wanted them as much as I did at that moment.