I tried to picture it, tried to figure out what it was and why I was upset about it. But it was no use, like every other time I tried.
I cleared my throat. “My mother turned and put this key necklace around me.” I held the old, vintage key out for her to see.
“It’s pretty. I’ve been wondering about it since we met,” Tegan whispered.
“I wish I knew more about it. I only know it was my mother’s favorite. After she gave it to me, she cried and told me we had to say goodbye. I knew I’d never see her again. Then she told me to run. She said the Goddess would send help. So, I ran. Like she asked me to. I ran without stopping until my arm started burning.”
“Your Mark?”
I nodded and looked down at the IV Mark on my arm, recalling the moment it appeared in perfect clarity. “It was excruciating. I’d never experienced pain like that. I remember screaming and falling over, thinking I was dying. I mean, I was five. I hadn’t even started kindergarten yet. Out of nowhere, a man appeared. He ran over to me without hesitating, asking me to show him. When I held my arm out, he gasped and said ‘oh my Goddess,’ and I remembered my mom had promised the Goddess would send help. I couldn’t believe he knew what was happening. He held me and kept me calm while it burned.”
“Who was it?” Tegan asked.
“Kessler.”
“That’s how you met Kessler?”
“Yeah. I think my mother was right. The Goddess sent me strength. He was the biggest person I’d ever seen, but he had the friendliest smile. I remember really liking his smile, feeling comfortable with him right away. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if it hadn’t been Kessler.” My throat burned with emotions, the kind that surfaced whenever I talked about that day. The kind I avoided. But a small smile pulled at the corner of my mouth just thinking about Kessler. “Ya’ know, he lived in Eden back then, so he could be close to your father and you. I know you don’t remember—you were so young—but he has pictures of the two of you when you were a toddler.”
“I’d like to see those.” She pulled my hand into her lap, still clinging to it. “So, what, he’d just gone hiking one day and found you? Then what happened?”
“He asked me my name, but I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know your own name? How’d you figure it out?”
“I haven’t.” I laughed and shook my head. “I have no idea what my name was. I don’t even know my birthday. We celebrate it on August twelfth because that’s the day I was Marked. The day Kessler found me.”
“Hey, that’s coming up real soon.”
I looked down and found her smiling up at me. “Yes, it is.”
“We’ll have to do something special.” She leaned her head back against my shoulder, while keeping her eyes on me. “So, if Tennessee isn’t your real name, then how’d you get it?”
“Kessler let me choose. Right before my mother made me run away from her, she told me ‘the Tennessee wilds will protect you,’ so I used it for a name. Though, I still have no idea what she meant by it.”
“Well, I think it suits you.” She raised her hands and brought my fingers to her lips. “I’m sorry about what happened to you…your mother, your memories.”
“Thank you. Cassandra was trying to help me figure out who I was and where I came from.”
“I’ll help you. After we fix the problem in Salem, we’ll find your past.”
I hope you still feel this way when it’s all over. When you know I’ve lied to you, over and over. When you know the truth about it all.
I closed my eyes and bit my cheek to stop myself from saying the words I was thinking. My heart pounded in my chest like a marching band. “Thank you,” I whispered without opening my eyes. I was afraid she’d see too much.
After a few moments of silence, she took a big, deep breath. The kind you took when you’d been holding something in. She yanked my arm, pulling me halfway into her lap. She kissed my neck, just under my jaw. “Thank you for telling me this, though I’m sorry for making you talk about it.”
“I’m glad you did. It’s nice having someone to talk to about it with.” I opened my eyes and found I’d unknowingly leaned in to her.
My nose brushed against hers. Our gazes locked on each other’s. My pulse quickened. My breathing became unsteady. I was about to give in, to kiss her the way I wanted to, when glass shattered down the hall. A chorus of feminine laughter followed.
Saved by the bell. Time to change the scenery, dude. “How would you like to get our minds off all this?”
She grinned, and that mischievous side twinkled in her light eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
Chapter Nineteen
Tegan
“Okay, mystery man,” I said with a playful giggle as I walked down my driveway. “What did you have in mind?”
Tennessee leaned back on his heels with his hands shoved in his front pockets. He grinned. “Something you asked me the other day.”
He was the picture of ease and comfort in light wash, slim-fitting jeans hanging low on his hips. In the darkness of my room, I hadn’t realized his shirt was green. But out on my driveway, under the lamps and moonlight, it almost made both eyes look green. This was a whole new look for him, at least that I’d seen. Only his black, worn-out combat boots remained the same.
I smiled. “Honesty hour… That man-bun is doing weird things to me.”
He arched one eyebrow. “Good weird?”
I chuckled and nodded. “Very.” My cheeks filled with heat. What did I just admit?
“Well, then, I’ll have to keep that in mind.” He laughed. Then he did something I wasn’t expecting… He pulled his pendulum out of his pocket. “Want to try?”
I gasped and froze mid-step. I had asked to try using it. “Don’t tease me.”
He shook his head and looked down at the blue crystal, still laughing. Our conversation in my room had been deep, more so than I thought he’d ever let me get. The pain in his eyes had almost broken me, because it meant the hurt was even worse inside him. How much could one person take without losing themselves to misery? I didn’t know, but I made a promise to myself to do whatever I could to prevent him from suffering any more.
Seeing him smile and laugh made my own fears subside a little.
“Well, let’s try. I have to ask George first.” He held the pendulum up in the air and took a deep breath. “Hello, George. Would you mind giving us your time this evening?”
Purple mist billowed out of the stone, then swirled around.
Tennessee smiled. “Thanks for joining us. Do you know who Tegan is?”
The crystal swung toward me then back to Tennessee. By now, I’d learned this motion meant yes.
“Do you know that she’s the High Priestess?”
The crystal continued in the same direction, but wider and faster. YES.
“Do you know if she’ll be able to use you?”
I bit my lip and watched the stone. The crystal’s swing morphed into a clockwise circle.
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means ‘I don’t know,’ though I sometimes think it’s being sassy with me.” Tennessee winked at me, then returned his attention to the pendulum. “George, may Tegan try to use you?”
Instantly, the pendulum switched back to swinging to and from me and Tennessee.
I bounced on my toes and clapped my hands. YES. “I am so excited.”
“Here you go. You know how to use it, right?”
I nodded and took the thin chain from Tennessee’s fingers. Electricity shot up my arm when our skin touched, but I forced myself to ignore it. I finally had his pendulum, the one he’d found during a quest from the Goddess. The one no one else could use. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Stay cool. Stay cool.
“Hello, George.” Raw, untapped energy powered up my arm and raced through my body. The blue crystal hung straight down, completely unmoving. This wasn’t just some regular pendulum. This wasn’t some regular amulet. This
stone held the same level of magic as the Hierophant’s locket. Please work for me. I cleared my throat and focused my energy at the crystal. “Show me yes.”
The pendulum swung slowly at first, then after a second, it was as wide as when Tennessee used it. Yes.
“Are you offended by me using you?” I had no idea where the question came from.
No.
I sighed with relief. The last thing I wanted was to upset the Goddess. “Tennessee, what should I ask it?”
He stepped up beside me, his fresh rain scent overpowering my senses. “Ask him if anyone of The Coven are out of their homes.”
“George, are there any Cards who are not at home right now?”
Yes.
I frowned. “Besides Tennessee and myself?”
No.
I rolled my eyes. That was our fault with a poorly worded question.
“See, he’s sassy.” Tennessee shook his head. “Ask him if there’s anything it wants to show us.”
I nodded. “George, is there anything you want to show us?”
Yes.
“Do you want to show us right now?”
YES.
“Is someone in immediate danger?” Tennessee asked.
No.
“How do you get it to work like a compass? Where it guides you?” I asked Tennessee.
“I usually start by asking if I need to drive. That way I’m not walking for hours. Then I just tell it to show me, and it does all the work.”
“Okay. George, do we need to drive?”
No.
“Is it close by?”
Yes.
“Will we encounter any danger?”
I don’t know.
“It’s okay,” Tennessee said. He held his right palm out in the air. The air around his hand shimmered and swirled. A second later, his silver sword flew into his grip. He smiled. “I’m ready.”
“Do you have your dagger too?”
“Tucked into my boot as always.”
You and your sexy weapons. I can’t even. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Okay, George. Please show us.”
The crystal swung at an angle, urging us to follow its direction. I glanced over my shoulder at Tennessee. With his sword gripped in one hand, he waved me forward with the other. I took a deep breath. Okay. Let’s do this. I stepped into the grass in my front yard, then cut across my lawn and into my neighbor’s.
I followed the flow of the crystal across the street, through two people’s yards and onto the next road over. “Tenn, have you done this before?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said from closer behind me than I realized. “It knows what it’s doing.”
Just then, the pendulum switched and swung to the right so far it was almost parallel to the ground. “That means right, right?”
“Yup.”
I nodded and followed the stone down the street. The night was calm and almost eerie in its silence. There were no dogs barking or birds chirping. No sirens blaring. No trains thundering by. There weren’t even the subtle roars of cars driving around town. I had no idea what time it was, but my gut told me it was late. Up above, stars dusted the black sky. A crescent moon hung low with a yellow glow. A breeze swept down the street, and I sighed. Unlike back home, this air was warm and carried that salty ocean breeze I loved so much.
Tennessee walked behind me, close enough for me to know he was there but far enough to give my nerves a break. I understood what he meant about it being too hard to be near me sometimes.
About ten houses down, the pendulum had us turn left, then an immediate right on the next street over. I had absolutely no idea where it was taking us, and truthfully, I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings. I was too fascinated by the swaying crystal and the way it acted on its own.
Four houses later, we turned left at a slightly wider road. We walked to the second stop sign then turned right. The wind kicked up a few notches, whipping my hair back. Tennessee cursed under his breath. I wished I knew what we were looking for, but I was clueless. I didn’t even know how close we were.
Just when I thought we might be getting closer, the houses ended, and George led us into a park. I slowed my pace, wanting to stay near Tennessee. His hand landed on the base of my neck and squeezed. I sighed and let the warmth of his skin chase the lingering fear from my body. We walked under countless overgrown oak trees with dangling moss. Under the cloak of trees, it was almost pitch black. Part of me wanted to will myself to glow so I could see, but the other part of me wanted to remain unseen. I decided if Tennessee wasn’t lighting up, then I wouldn’t either. He knew what he was doing.
I was so lost in thought I hadn’t noticed the dirt had changed to water until I was standing on top of it. I frowned and looked down at my feet. The yellow crescent moon sparkled up at me from the glassy surface. I glanced up at the pendulum and found it swinging toward me. I’d walked too far. I spun around and spotted Tennessee standing on the shore, leaning on his sword like a cane. He laughed and shook his head.
I cursed and sprinted back to his side. “My bad.”
“Do I even want to know what you were thinking about?”
“Ummm…I’m not even sure I know.”
“You’re adorable.”
I looked down at my feet, knowing the heat in my cheeks was a blush.
A little shock zapped my fingers. I jumped and looked at my hand. The purple mist swirled around the pendulum, shimmering brighter than it had before. “George, I lost your path. Guide me?”
The crystal flew to my right, but the only thing over there was a pier. Behind me, the lake was flat and shimmering. I shrugged and followed George’s path until we were under the pier. The pendulum stopped mid swing, dropping back to a normal straight line.
“What…the…hell…” Tennessee muttered.
I frowned and dropped my arm. That was when I saw it. Red candles were lined up in a perfect circle, their little flames still flickering in the breeze off the lake. A pentagram was drawn in black in the dirt, almost like it was burned into place. Can you burn dirt? There was some kind of water or liquid pooled around the circle. In the center of the pentagram were five black candles, each holding what looked like black flames. Black flames are real?
Tennessee mumbled a string of violent curses.
I spun around to face him with my heart in my throat. Something about the air under the pier was thick and dense. It clung to my skin like humidity’s evil twin. “Tennessee, what’s going on?”
His dark eyebrows dropped low over his eyes. “Someone did a spell here.” He tightened his grip on his sword and turned in a slow circle. The muscles in his arm flexed, ready to destroy anything that jumped out at us. He wiggled the fingers on his left hand, and his black dagger flew to his open palm. Now he had two weapons.
Should I be more or less concerned?
I licked my dry lips and glanced over my shoulders, searching for threats of any kind. If a pigeon flew nearby, Tennessee would slice its head off without blinking. “The Coven did a spell without us? When?”
“No, not The Coven.” He turned back to me and narrowed his eyes at the ground. He pointed to the pentagram with his sword, and the candle flames reflected off his blade. “We don’t use black flame candles.”
My pulse quickened, but I tried to stay calm. “Then who was it?”
“I don’t know, and that isn’t comforting.”
No, it really isn’t. “Can you tell what kind of spell they performed?”
He cocked his head to the side and stepped up closer to the circle, eyeing it sharply. “No, but we’re going to do a ritual to tell us.”
Chapter Twenty
Tegan
“Don’t we need to call the others?”
Tennessee shook his head without taking his eyes off the circle behind me. “No. It’s almost one in the morning. Everyone is asleep. It would take too long for them to get here. Plus, these kinds of rituals can be tainted if you have too many people around.”
I nodded, though I had no idea how it all worked. “Not even Uncle Kessler and Coop?”
“We’re here now. Let’s just get it done.” He walked to the other side of the drawn circle, then met my eyes. “If we were any other Cards, then we’d need help in order to do the ritual, but you and I are not any Card. We have more magic than the others, incomparable magic.”
“The perks of being Emperor and High Priestess?”
“And the downside,” he grumbled. “Are you okay with us doing this? If not—”
“Of course,” I interrupted. “I trust you. We need to know what was done here.”
He stuck the tip of his sword in the dirt and began tracing a circle outside the existing one. Though it was more like gouging a valley with how deep he cut. “All right, I’ll handle the spell. You just stand right where you are. Don’t break the circle until I say so. I’ll walk you through the rest as we go.”
I hated being in the dark. I hated not knowing what I was doing. The High Priestess was supposed to be the gate keeper of secrets and knowledge, a powerful force not to be reckoned with. Not standing there looking pretty while everyone else did all the work. I wanted to be a part of it all.
“Don’t I need to learn how to do all this practical magic stuff?” I asked.
He shrugged and continued making his valley. When he walked behind me, he whispered, “But you’re a natural, Kitten.”
My face flushed with heat, and I was glad he was behind me. “Y’all keep saying I’m a natural, and I’m flattered, but I still don’t know how to do it.”
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