by Lila Kane
My eyes fill with tears even though I don’t want Kane to see me at my weakest. But Logan…will I even remember him? If we start over, what does it look like on the other side?
“Decide now, Willow.”
I swallow emotions. “Promise you won’t hurt them. Swear it.”
“I swear. I will not hurt your friends.”
I dip my chin one long moment before bringing it back up again. I meet his eyes. “Okay.”
His gaze immediately darkens, pupils dilating. “Good choice, Willow. Now, I’m going to tell you a little story. And you’re going to listen to every word I have to say. You’re in Shadow Hill.”
I nod, unable to break his gaze.
“And there’s someone very dangerous here. Do you know who that is?”
“Who?” I whisper.
“His name is Logan. He’s my brother and he’s very, very dangerous. He wants to hurt you. So I’m going to need you to stay away from him. Got it?”
I nod like a robot. “Logan’s very dangerous. I’ve got it.”
He smiles. “Good. Now for the rest of the story…”
Chapter 14
My head is fuzzy when I wake the next morning. It hurts to sit up, like I fought a battle overnight. A battle I can’t remember.
“Good morning,” a voice says.
I turn my attention to the table by the window. Kane sits there, legs crossed, sipping coffee. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a navy T-shirt that fits him like a glove. I can’t help the rush of companionship I feel for him. Appreciation. He helped me when I got first got here. Made sure I didn’t get hurt. Said he’d work with me to figure out my powers‒which is why I came here in the first place.
That and my mom.
“How’d you sleep?” he asks.
I study the bed I’m in with a frown and press my hand to my head. “I had a strange dream.”
“Oh yeah? What about?”
I look back at him, my head angled. “Someone was chasing me. I think…”
“Go on.”
“I think it was your brother.”
He lifts his eyebrows. “Logan?”
I nod.
Kane stands, walking over to the bed and folding his arms. “He can’t hurt you, Willow. I promise. But unfortunately we’re stuck in the same town as him until we work through this curse.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Best to keep your distance, though, right?” Kane sits on the edge of the bed.
“Of course. Though I could probably take him.”
Kane laughs. “The longer we’re here, the stronger our powers get. I can only assume he’ll try to come after you. And he can be very persuasive. He’ll tell you things, Willow. Lies. You can’t believe him.”
I flop on my stomach, propping my chin on my hands. “I won’t believe him. You said he killed my father, right?”
He nods soberly.
“That asshole. If he‒”
“Come on,” he says, reaching out to touch my arm. “We’re not at war with him. I know it’s going to be hard, but let’s forget Logan. We need to work on the spell.”
I grudgingly let go, though I don’t want to. Logan deserves to hurt. To know what it’s like to have everything taken away from him. But Kane’s right, he’s dangerous. I should keep my distance.
“When’s the full moon?”
He angles his head in consideration. “Not for another few weeks, but I’m not sure if we’re going to need the full moon for what we’ve got to do.”
A few weeks? For some reason, I thought it was tomorrow night. Or maybe…I frown.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kane says. “I know one thing we are going to need.”
“What’s that?”
“Another witch.”
I sit up, interested.
He faces me. “We’ve got James. And you, of course, the Keeper of the Flame. We’ve got fire on our side. But in order to even out the group, we need one more. A strong witch.”
I think for a long moment and realization dawns on me. “My mom.”
He nods. “Yes.”
“But‒but, she’s in a coma.” I stand, start pacing. “The accident.”
The one Logan and his group caused. I clench my hands together, trying not to let my anger get the best of me.
Kane offers a gentle smile. “Yes, but I think you can help.”
“How?”
He stands as well and gestures to the table where he set his coffee. There’s a spread there I hadn’t noticed, with orange juice, two trays and a basket with croissants.
“Eat something,” he suggests, “and I’ll tell you my idea.”
When we arrive at the hospital, the sun is beating hard on the peaceful town of Shadow Hill. I’ve grown to like it here. The cooler weather at night. The small-town atmosphere. And Kane’s been so helpful. Teaching me more about myself and the history of where we are, so I can learn who I really am.
A witch. The Keeper of the Flame.
Kane steps out of the car and into the sunlight. James and Wes follow, waiting by their doors for instruction.
“You know, you never told me how it is that vampires can go out in sunlight,” I say, glancing at Kane.
He grins. “It’s a myth. We’re perfectly fine in sunlight.”
“But you’re not a full vampire yet.”
He tilts his head to the sky. “So far, no problems.”
“What else is a myth?”
“That we need to drink blood to survive. At least, I’m pretty sure about that one.”
“What do you need to survive?”
He crosses his arms. “It’s not that I don’t crave blood, it’s that I don’t think I need it. I’m just as satisfied with a cheeseburger and fries. Besides, the journals don’t mention anything about vampires needing blood to stay alive.”
“But you’re already alive,” I remind him. “You have vampire blood in you from your ancestors. What about made vampires? The ones who are turned?”
“Good question. We don’t know all that yet, do we?” He starts toward the hospital. “After all, there haven’t been any full vampires in Shadow Hill in generations. Once the spell is done, we’ll have a lot to learn.”
I nod. Yes, we will. We’ll have a lot to deal with, too. Logan. And Kane’s sister, Myra, who’s in town now. And there are others as well. A werewolf. A shapeshifter. I don’t think I’ve seen them before, have I?
“I’ll wait out here,” Kane says, stopping at the door to the hospital.
A few people walk around us, but otherwise it’s not busy.
“Why?”
He nods his head to the doors. “Amethyst‒in your mother’s room.”
Oh. That’s right. I put it in there to keep her safe. From Logan and Myra.
“I can bring it out,” I say. “Or get rid of it.”
“I’m sure that’s not necessary. We need to keep your mother safe. But we also need her awake. So, just go in there, talk to her, see if you can wake her up. You’ve got try to hard, Willow. This is important.”
I glance around the parking lot. What if I can’t wake her up? Is there something else I can do to help her since I’m a witch? I bite my lip. I can’t remember. Why is everything so off today?
“No worries,” Kane says quickly. “If she wakes up, let me know right away.”
Wes gives him a nod. James smiles at me. Our team. I’m glad they’re here.
“Be careful,” I tell Kane, eyeing the parking lot again.
“I will.”
James and I walk inside. The nurses at the station smile at me as we pass.
“Any change?” I ask.
“I’m sorry, no,” one of them says. “But it’s still good of you to visit‒we haven’t seen you in a while.”
I open my mouth to protest, but James takes my arm and steers me down the hallway. “We should probably hurry,” he says. “Just in case the others show up.”
He’s right. We don’t want to get into a fight at the hospita
l. But it doesn’t feel like that long since I was here. I thought it was only yesterday or the day before. I guess I haven’t been myself since all this started. Even Kane said I was acting different the last few days.
Stress. That’s all.
At the doorway to my mother’s room, I can feel the low hum of the amethyst. Good thing Kane stayed outside.
I blow out a breath. “I’m not sure how to do this.”
James nods at the bed, meeting my eyes with kind ones of his own. Understanding. “Just talk to her. Start there.”
I swallow my concern. I barely know my mom, but I know she’s important. And I have no family left in this world. I need her.
“Mom,” I whisper, leaning close.
She doesn’t move.
I try again. “Faye. Wake up.”
She still doesn’t move.
I sit on the edge of the bed and take her hand. “Please wake up. We need you. Kane says if you help us with the spell, we’ll get things back to how they’re supposed to be. We won’t have to worry about Logan anymore. We’ll be safe. Wake up.”
There’s a voice in the hall and I get to my feet.
James turns and immediately blocks the door.
“What the hell?” says the voice. She looks inside and sees me. She freezes. “Willow?”
It’s the werewolf, I know it. Cheyenne, I think.
“Oh my God, Willow.” She tries to push past James, but James doesn’t budge. “Get the hell out of my way. I swear‒”
“James, it’s fine. We should go.”
My heart races. How’d she get in here? Did she have to walk by Kane or was she already inside?
“Go?” Cheyenne pushes through, facing me with confusion and worry etched on her features. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere. Logan’s going crazy‒what’s going on?”
“She’s trying to trick you,” James says. He steps to my side and touches my arm. “Let’s go.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth,” Cheyenne growls.
“Hey,” I start, getting in her face. “Don’t talk to him like that. And get out of my mother’s room.”
Cheyenne’s mouth drops open. Yeah, I told her.
“Willow,” she whispers. “What’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me? You and your friends put my mother in this hospital bed‒”
“What are you talking about?”
“I want you to leave her alone. And leave me alone. Or else.”
I grab James’s arm and pull him to the hallway. When I glance back, Cheyenne’s watching us with wide eyes.
“I can’t believe she had the nerve to try to turn this back on us,” I hiss.
We burst through the front doors and Kane’s still standing there.
“What is it?” he asks.
“The werewolf was in there.”
Kane’s head snaps up. He stares at the doors.
“It’s fine,” I told him. “You were right, she tried to trick me just like you said Logan would. What is wrong with people?”
He clasps his hand around my arm. “Your mother?”
“She’s still asleep. I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to her, though. I could go back in.”
“Damn it. No.” Kane shakes his head. “We don’t want to stir things up, especially with the werewolf inside.”
“There are more of us,” I tell him, eyeing the door. “We can take her‒definitely get her to leave, at least.”
“No,” he says again, guiding me to the car. “We don’t need to start an altercation. Someone might get hurt.”
I shrug. “It’s going to happen if we keep running into each other. What happens if we see your brother? You’re just going to stand there?”
A muscle flexes in his jaw. He opens the back door of the car. “No.”
“You’re going to walk away? Not even‒”
“I can’t hurt him,” Kane murmurs, looking away.
Immediately, I stop my line of questioning. It’s not fair to ask him to bring any harm to his family, or to cause any strife. “I’m sorry. He’s your brother. He’s your family. Of course you don’t want to hurt him.”
Kane nods. “Something like that. Let’s go.”
I sigh and get in the car. Logan sounds like the worst of brothers, but I guess I can see where Kane is coming from. Family is still family.
“How did you learn all this?” I ask James, joining him at the table in the hotel room.
“I inherited it.”
We’ve been practicing our magic the whole afternoon, working with the elements under Kane’s watchful eye. He leans against the counter of the bar with a beer, looking relaxed.
“James is part of a line of witches almost as long as the Donnelly’s,” Kane says. “He’s one of the few, like you, who has access to his powers outside of Shadow Hill. But, of course, here they’re heightened. Just like yours.”
I hover my hand over the candles at the middle of the table and flames burst from the wicks. He smiles.
“Not fire, though,” James says with a frown. He’s young, closer to my age than Kane’s, though I’d doubt he’s even thirty. Soon, he’ll be immortal and age won’t matter.
“But you, Willow,” Kane explains, “have access to all the elements.”
“Because I’m the Keeper of the Flame?” I ask.
He nods. “Because you’re a Keeper of the Flame. Just like your ancestor, Selena. And you’re the one we need to break the curse.” He shifts and takes another swig of his beer. “James, however, has been practicing the Craft since he was a child. He knows what he’s doing. And here, in Shadow Hill, he has even more power.”
“What about werewolves? How are they going to change once the curse is broken?”
“They’ll be able to change at will, not just at the full moon and the nights leading up to it. And they’ll have more control. They’ll also have the properties that slow down their aging as well.”
I glance to the door of Wes’s room. “And shapeshifters?”
“More control also. Ability to shift into human form once‒”
“Wait, what?”
Kane smiles lazily. “Let me finish. They’ll be able to shift into human form once the spell is complete, and…” He shrugs. “Well, there are other factors.”
“You mean they can look like another human? Not just animals?”
“It’s crazy, right?” James asks, eyes alight with possibilities. “Of course, it’s not common. I’ve never seen it. In fact, I’ve never known a shapeshifter until Wes.”
“What other factors?” I ask.
“So eager to learn,” Kane says, still smiling. “Let’s take a break for now.”
I stand, stretching my legs. “I’m going to get out for a bit. Go for a walk.”
James’s gaze whips to Kane’s.
“What?” I ask. “Something wrong? It feels like I haven’t been out in forever. I need to stretch my legs.”
“Nothing’s wrong at all,” Kane says smoothly. “We’re all just a little worried for your safety after the werewolf in the hospital today.”
“Oh. Well, I won’t go far. I thought I’d check out the maze, maybe walk through the woods back there.”
“Sure.” Kane steps from the bar and gives James a nod. “Wes and Shane are patrolling, keeping an eye on things. Everything should be fine.”
“Want me to come?” James asks.
I consider this. It’s nice to know another witch now. But I’m used to being on my own. “No, thanks. I’ll stick close.”
I slip on a pair of shoes, and frown at them. They don’t look like something I’d normally choose. In fact, neither does my entire outfit. A dark, loose tank with straps across the back, and skinny jeans that tuck into dark boots with a soft heel.
James smiles at me when I stand, and I shove aside my thoughts. I’ve been through a lot. Things have changed since I came to Shadow Hill. I’ve changed.
When I get to the door, I turn back. “Maybe…” I glance at
Kane. “Is there something I can wear‒or bring with me? I think I used to have a necklace, but…” I purse my lips. “I don’t know where it went.”
Kane steps forward with an approving nod. “Good idea. Extra measures to keep you safe. After all, we can’t be together all the time. James?”
“Sure.” He gets up and disappears into his room.
“Nervous?” Kane asks.
I start to shake my head, and then sigh. “I don’t know. I feel like…”
“What?”
“They know the full moon is coming, right? Is that why we have to be so careful? What if…”
Kane sets his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t worry. They know how powerful you are‒they won’t hurt you.”
“Are you sure?”
He smiles, and it’s reassuring. “I’m sure.”
James emerges with a bracelet he latches on my wrist. “It used to belong to a good friend.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve put an extra protection spell on it, but later we can do one together and it’ll be stronger.”
I blow out a breath. I want to do this. I want to be independent. I came to Shadow Hill on my own, after all. But I didn’t expect to be caught up in a vampire war. I didn’t expect that my powers could and would get so much stronger.
“I won’t be long,” I tell Kane.
He nods and begins a conversation with James as I leave. I walk to the hotel entrance, smiling at the man at the front desk before exiting into the sunshine. The skies are still clear and the air is fresh. It feels good to be outside. And Kane is right, I don’t need to worry.
His words reassured me and now I’m happy just to have some time to myself.
I angle for the maze, sliding sunglasses over my eyes. My skin prickles and I glance over my shoulder. A few people exit the hotel, but I don’t see anyone else.
Maybe it’s James or Wes following me. Just to make sure everything is okay.
There’s a group heading into the maze and I follow them, curious. I’ve never been in here before. Or have I?
I pause at the first turn, looking up between the hedges. There’s a hawk high overhead, circling the property. Yeah, I’ve been in here before. But when?
