Luminescence Trilogy: Complete Collection

by J. L. Weil

  “Yes!” I cut her off before things got any more awkward. “I get the picture.” Fabulous. My grandma was not only an extremely powerful dead witch, but she was also a smartass.

  Did I call her Grandma or Granny? Neither suited her. She was far too stunning to be anyone’s Gran.

  The corners of her eyes laughed at my unease. I shifted on my feet. “Is this your dream or mine?”

  “Hmm. So I see you have learned a thing or two since our last…visit. Well, since I no longer walk earth, it’s yours, dear.”

  “I summoned you?” I asked, finding it hard to believe.

  “Not exactly. The planes between worlds aren’t strong enough to keep me from pushing into dreams. It’s one of my specialties. Yours as well, it seems.” There was pride in her voice.

  How much of her power had I inherited? “Will I be able to do everything you can?”

  “That remains to be seen. In theory, your bloodline should be diluted, but what I feel under the surface suggests that you have more power than you should.”

  That was a frightening thought. “Why are you here? The last time we saw each other wasn’t exactly on friendly terms.”

  Her expression flinched ever so slightly. “True. It definitely didn’t go as planned. I underestimated you. My intention was never to hurt you.”

  I snorted. “Well, you have a funny way of showing it.”

  She reached above us, plucking what looked like forbidden fruit from a tree, golden and glowing. “On the contrary, I was hoping for some family bonding. I might have a slight anger problem, especially if things don’t go my way.” She twirled the mesmerizing fruit in her hand.

  Wow, did that sound familiar, and I doubted her idea of family bonding was the same as mine. “That’s your best defense? We could have been killed. Gavin could have been killed.”

  “Gavin? Is that his name? Your boyfriend, I presume?”

  “Umm. Kinda. Maybe. It’s complicated.”

  She bit the round fruit. “Oooh, this sounds juicy. Do tell.” Her smile was sinister.

  I slouched on a nearby ornate bench and sighed. Why was I even considering confiding in her? However, she was dead. How much harm could it possibly cause? And if I was lucky, she might have a solution. “Gavin, the guy you tried to dispose of, we’re…close.”

  She tossed the half-eaten fruit aside and sat beside me. “You have the hots for him. Yeah, I got that part.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. This might not have been the best idea I’d ever had. “Thanks to you, I figured out about the dreamscape thing. Turns out, I’ve been doing the whole dream sharing for a long time. With another guy…Lukas.”

  “Ah, the plot thickens,” she cooed. “Let me guess. Loverboy isn’t overly thrilled that you have been merging dreams with another guy.”

  “Bingo. That and the fact I stumbled into the real Lukas,” I added.

  “Boys. They can be so irrational. Boy witches—worse. So do you having feelings for this other witch, Lukas?” She was totally loving my boy problems.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I never thought about him as anything other than the cute boy in my dreams. And now that he is real, I don’t know what to do about him, let alone how I feel.”

  “Being a witch has its advantages. There is a spell for everything. If you really want to know where your heart lies, it’s simple magic.”

  Her advice sucked. “Simple magic, huh? It just so happens that I am not that educated in simple magic.” I picked at the chipping paint on the bench arm.

  She tsked her tongue. “We’re going to have to change that.” The smile she aimed my way reminded me of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. Mischievous and full of plans.

  Every witch in my life wanted to be my teacher. For seventeen years, witches were something only in fantasy books for me. Then in a just a few short months, I found myself surrounded by the real deal.

  But could they all be trusted?

  Chapter 7

  I WOKE UP MONDAY MORNING before my alarm, with a mother of all headaches. The icing on the cake was the dark circles under my eyes. I swear it was if I’d been sucker-punched. This dreamscaping stuff sucked; it was as if I hadn’t been sleeping at all, my energy depleted instead of rested. I might as well have been up all night partying and waking up with one killer hangover.

  Not that I would actually know what a hangover felt like, but I figured this was pretty darn close.

  Slowly, I forced myself upright as I waited for my head to stop spinning. I was convinced it was going to split open. I needed drugs. Strong ones.

  I stumbled to the bathroom, black dots swirling behind my eyes. I braced my hands on the sink and took long deep breaths, praying the pain would subside for just a moment. Two aspirins later, I waited for the relief to kick in, but standing was most definitely not helping.

  There was only one thing to do: crawl back under the covers. I threw them over my head, hiding the sunlight that began to stream through the widows. The darkness didn’t seem to aggravate the pain as much, but it was only a matter of time before my alarm started buzzing in my ear.

  Or Lunar purring.

  No sooner had I pulled the covers over my head, did Lunar poke under them, snuggling against my neck. I groaned. His incessant purring was normally comforting. Today it was driving me absolutely nutty.

  “Lunar, hush,” I muttered.

  Luckily for me, he was a lazy kitty. Before long his purring stopped and he was fast asleep. I, on the other hand, was counting the beating throbs drumming at my temples.

  By the time my alarm finally rang, I was semi-functional again. The pills had worked a little magic of their own. There was still a dull ache, but nothing compared to earlier. With the pain mostly gone, the events of yesterday came rushing back, including the ache in my heart.

  How was I going to face Gavin?

  What did I say to him?

  I needed to talk to him, if only about my dream last night, assuming he still cared. It hadn’t been an ordinary dream, not even for my standards, but what she said…was it true?

  Gavin would know.

  Now all I had to do was figure out how I was going to get him to listen long enough for me to explain. I couldn’t blame him for being pissed. Hell, I was pissed at myself, but eventually he would forgive me.

  Right?

  Passing my reflection in my mirror, I gasped. Shit. I looked like death warmed over. What I needed to do was learn some beauty spells, something for washed-out coloring and the rings under my eyes. I was beyond helpless at this point. Sophie never looked like crap. I made a metal note to ask her to teach me and grabbed my bag off the floor.

  My gaze passed over the circular hole beside my door, and my heart cracked all over again like the plaster on the floor. Damn. I was going to have to do something about that after school, before my aunt saw it.

  I arrived at school knowing this was going to be a hellish day. I wasn’t sure I had it in me to see the condemnation in Gavin’s eyes, especially while not in my best form. Even on a good day, it would have been difficult.

  I slide behind my desk in first period, wishing I’d thought to wear sunglasses, something to hide my bloodshot eyes. Austin sat down at the desk to my right, looking swag and cheerful, everything I wasn’t. It made me grumpier than I already was. I hated him.

  Not really. Didn’t the world know I was dying inside?

  He gave me a once-over. Keeping his voice low he asked, “What were you and dreamy doing last night? You look like crap-balls.” Leave it to Austin to be brutally honest and point out the obvious. Not to mention, kick me when I was feeling down.

  “Not everyone can look like a diva all the time,” I snapped.

  “Ouch. Touchy and bitchy. Well aren’t you just a bowl of sunshine this morning. Did you forget your Wheaties?”

  I gave him a withering look, but he was right. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t need me taking it out on him either. “Sorry,” I sighed. “Gavin and I had a fight.” />
  “I see. The first official fight. Was it that bad?”

  “The pits,” I said, tapping my pencil on the desktop.

  He pushed his chic glasses back in place, edging to the end of his seat. “I am just having a hard time imagining lover boy mad at you.”

  I propped my chin on my hands. “Believe it.”

  His eyes zeroed in on my face. “I don’t like knowing that my friend cried herself to sleep last night without calling me.” His eyes were brimming with worry. It was nice having friends that cared.

  I started playing with my pencil just for something to do. “I was a sticky, hot mess. I just needed to be alone and wallow in my misery.”

  “Well, the heavens must have felt your sorrow. It poured all night. A big, scary-ass storm.”

  The pencil I’d been twirling fell out of my hand and shot across the aisle, smacking Dominic Jones in the back. Just peachy. Little did Austin know, that scary-ass storm had been me.

  An aggravated Dominic turned around and glared my way. “Sorry,” I mouthed.

  Austin stared at me with sympathy and looked to be contemplating whether I needed an intervention.

  By the time chem came around, I was fidgeting in my chair like a two-year-old pumped on sugar. Prior to third period I had been anxious to see Gavin. Time flew by. My stomach turned and I was plagued with questions.

  Was he still mad at me?

  Would he even talk to me?

  Look at me?

  None of it mattered; the seat beside me stayed empty like my heart. I felt hollow inside, knowing Gavin hadn’t shown up for class. I guess I had my answer.

  He was furious. He was hurt. Unable to resist, I snuck a peek at my cell phone. No messages. Rejection stung like a dagger.

  The remaining of the class was a blurry muddle. I comprehended nothing and time stopped. A part of me wished I’d stayed at home. The only reason I was here was the chance to try and make amends with Gavin.

  That was crushed to dust.

  By lunch, I wasn’t fit for company. Gavin had never bothered to come to school today. I wanted to hide away and lick my wounds, incapable of dealing with the crowded chaos of the lunchroom. Or the questions. Austin and Tori would be full of them, and regardless that they meant well, I couldn’t face it.

  So, I went to the one place I could be utterly alone. The library. At this time of day the circular room was vacant. Holly Ridge High’s library was small and used more for making out than reading.

  A short while later, Sophie found me hidden in a corner, surrounded by the wonderful smell of dusty books. It was a relaxing smell. The room was quiet and deserted, just the way I wanted it. I knew it was Sophie without ever looking up. The tingle of magical fringed down my spine.

  I was afraid to look at her—afraid she would be angry with me. There was only so much I could take.

  “Everyone is wondering where you are,” she said, her voice lyrical like a song. I couldn’t detect any criticism. Everyone meant Tori and Austin.

  I risked a glance up into her enchanting blue eyes. “Did Gavin tell you?”

  She shook her head looking puzzled. “Tell me what?”

  Awkward. Crap. Me and my big mouth.

  “What’s going on? Why are you in the library instead of sitting with us? And why is my brother skipping school? Something fishy is going on between you, and one of you better fess up.” She put her hands on her hips, waiting. Her floral skirt swished with her movements.

  Thank goodness there wasn’t anybody here to overhear what I had to say. They wouldn’t have believed it anyway. “Is he okay?”

  “Define okay. All I know is my brother is in a mood. I assumed the two of you had a disagreement or that my brother was just being a jerkwad. It really isn’t that uncommon you know.”

  Those troublesome tears welled in my eyes. I did that. I caused him pain. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I never meant to hurt him.”

  She sat next to me and wrapped her arms around me. “Hey. Don’t cry. My brother’s an ass. Whatever he’s done, he doesn’t deserve your tears.”

  That only made it worse. She had it all wrong. The roof of the library pattered with the heavy drops of rain. A strike of lightning lit the darkened sky, flashing across the floor. There I go again, losing my grip on magic—it was out of control. And a nuisance.

  She looked outside the library windows. “Wow. You’re like a walking weathervane.”

  I laughed on a sob.

  “You ready to tell me what’s got you so upset? I promise not to be biased.” She smiled gently at me, her dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail. “He might be my brother, but you’re my friend, too. And I hate that the two of you are having a tiff.”

  A tiff was putting it mildly.

  The guilt didn’t lesson once I told Sophie. I felt like I had betrayed one of my best friends, though I had to give her props. She handled it a thousand times better than Gavin, and she kept her promise. She didn’t condemn me on the spot and looked at it from a less emotionally involved perceptive.

  I needed that.

  “Wow. I wasn’t exactly prepared for that. There is more going on here. I can sense it. Did you wonder why he never told you what you were?” she asked about Lukas.

  Sniffling, I wiped my nose with the back of my sleeve. “He said that he didn’t think I would believe him. And he was probably right.”

  “But you believed Gavin,” she countered.

  “That’s true, but he wasn’t what I thought of as a figment of my dreams. I didn’t think Lukas was real,” I defended.

  “Do you trust him?” she asked.

  At one time I would have answered the question without hesitation, but I didn’t know then what trust really was. Since meeting Gavin, I could say I trusted Gavin implicitly. But you hadn’t trusted him to tell him about Lukas, nagged a voice in the back of my subconscious.

  My subconscious was a real downer lately.

  “I don’t know,” I finally admitted.

  Her feet swung under the table. “Do you trust my brother?”

  “Of course,” I answered immediately. Didn’t that speak volumes? “Sophie, can you just let him know that I’m sorry? More sorry than he will ever know.”

  “You know, he’s just jealous. Once he realizes that you are interested in only him, he’ll come around,” she assured.

  My eyes must have deceived me, as I didn’t jump to agree. Truthfully, I was an emotional wreck. I nodded meekly.

  She lightly nudged me. “Give him a little space. He’ll miss you in no time. I guarantee it. He won’t give up easily.” She was a better friend than I deserved.

  If the roles had been reversed, I would have probably lost my temper and struck something with a bolt of lightning. “I hope so,” I said, sounding not nearly as convinced she was.

  It turned out that Sophie might have underestimated his anger. I didn’t see Gavin once all week. His absence left a gaping hole in my heart. He filled such a huge part of my life that I never knew was empty.

  I missed him, desperately.

  And I wanted to tell him about Morgana possibly being my great (however many greats) grandma.

  Chapter 8

  THIS WAS MY WEEKEND OFF from the shop. It was also the first day I was going to practice magic with Lukas. That just sounded odd. Would I ever get used to him being real? Better yet, would I ever get used to using magic?

  It was still foreign to me, this whole wielding magic business. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive. The fact that we were meeting at my house didn’t help the spasmodic butterflies in my stomach.

  I missed the fireflies. They were so much more warm and exciting. Not this crazy, irrational fluttering in the pit of my belly. I could probably account for more than half of my anxiety due to the fact that I still hadn’t talked to Gavin. He was evading me like I was an officer with a warrant.

  Lunar and I both jumped at the sound of the doorbell. Exhaling the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding, I stood from
the couch, hugging Lunar in my arms. He was like a security blanket, giving me strength. You want this, I reminded myself. That I did. I definitely wanted to learn to control this gift, but I didn’t realize all the people who would be involved, or the hurt I would cause.

  Magic comes with a price. Well, so does withholding the truth. I always was a sucky liar.

  I was greeted by a smile that would put sunshine to shame. His dimples winked on either side of his cheeks, and his emerald eyes sparkled. He had a day’s stubble on his otherwise clean-shaven face. It made him look sexier, and that was the last thing I needed or expected.

  He had both hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. “Hey,” he said, rocking back on his heels.

  Oh, Lord. I was in trouble.

  His grin spoke volumes. Maybe I could steal some of his happiness. “Hey,” I replied, Lunar wiggling in my arms.

  “Who is this little guy?” He reached out to scratch the top of Lunar’s head.

  The kitten was having none of it. He hissed in my arms, simultaneously extending his claws on all four paws. The tiny, needle-sharp nails dug into my arm, and I squeaked in protest before quickly putting the little booger on the floor. He promptly ran from the room. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” I mumbled, staring in the direction he had taken off.

  I moved aside, letting Lukas in the house. He brushed past me, and I felt the surge of magic. Tendrils of energy gathered at my fingertips. Apparently, I was more ready to do magic than I thought. If there was one thing I was learning, it was that magic couldn’t be ignored.

  “Nice house,” he commented, not taking his eyes off me.

  With the tingles coursing through my veins, I suddenly didn’t feel like myself. “Did you want a tour?”

  A mischievous gleam came into his Irish eyes. “I’ve already seen your room.”

  My cheeks instantly flushed.

  Oookay, that wasn’t awkward much.

  “Right,” I replied, more than a little embarrassed. Clearing my throat through the tension, I asked, “So what are you majoring in?” When I got nervous, I rambled.