Luminescence Trilogy: Complete Collection

by J. L. Weil

Fierce determination set in his jaw. “That won’t be you. I won’t let it be.”

  I placed my hand on his chest. “I’m counting on it, but that doesn’t change that I might have some kind of link with Lukas.”

  Jealousy leapt into his eyes, lighting them like twin blue flames. “I don’t like it. Something feels wrong. I know it in my gut. You can’t trust what he says, Bri.”

  I envied that he was so confident about his instincts. Clarification. That is what I need. “And if I do have some predestined connection to Lukas, what does that mean for us?” The words felt like acid in my mouth. I hated that we were even having this discussion, and I realized that I didn’t want to be linked to Lukas. If I had to be fated to end up with someone, I wanted it to be Gavin.

  His hand touched my cheek. “It doesn’t have to change anything. The future is still yours to decide. Don’t let him get inside your head. You and I, we make sense. I won’t let you go, not without a fight.”

  That was what I was afraid of. And if I had to let him go, what then?

  I shuddered.

  Anguish flickered in his darkened eyes. “Unless, of course, you don’t feel—” he added.

  I silenced him with a kiss. “My love for you is not in question. I wish it was you,” I whispered. It was the honest-to-God truth. I loved Gavin. I was head-over-heels-crazy in love with him. No one else made me feel like he did. And if I was going to start trusting in myself, I needed to trust in my instincts, which were screaming for me to kiss him again. So I did.

  I might be linked to Lukas, but that didn’t mean my heart belonged him. It was still mine to give to whomever I chose. And I picked Gavin.

  Fate be damned.

  Chapter 11

  The big V-day had arrived.

  Joy.

  If Aunt Clara even suggested I wear red, I was going to quit, so when I strolled down the stairs dressed from head to toe in black, I waited. She glanced up from her cup of coffee and lifted her brow, but didn’t say a word.

  I grinned to myself and poured my own cup of caffeine and sugar. Taking the stool beside her, I let the brisk aroma rouse my senses.

  “Are you ready for chaos?” she asked, sipping from her white mug. Her caramel hair was in a messy bun similar to mine, but much more stylish.

  “Ask me after my third cup of coffee,” I grumbled.

  “Boycotting as usual?” she asked, finally commented on my funereal appearance. She knew me well.

  I cast a sideways glance. “I just don’t want to clash with the flowers.”

  She tried not to smile. “I thought since you had a boyfriend, you might have different feelings about heart-shaped candies and candlelit dinners.”

  I scrunched my nose. “So where is Chad taking you tonight?” I asked, changing the subject from me to her—a much safer topic.

  This time there was no disguising the smile that spread across her lips. “Bella Donna’s.”

  “Oooh. Chad the Stud Muffin is pulling out all the stops.” Bella’s was a fancy Italian restaurant right on the harbor. They had twinkling strands of lights, outdoor seating, and overpriced, but to-die-for, food. I couldn’t afford half a meal from that place. Someone was looking to get lucky.

  She tapped a nail against her mug, and I could see she had something on her mind beneath her excitement. “Are you sure you are okay with closing up by yourself? I can always have Chad change the reservation to later, or better yet, you could come with us?”

  I had to stifle a groan. As appealing as Bella Donna’s was, being a third wheel on my aunt’s date was pathetic beyond anything else I could imagine. “I will be fine. Promise.” I crossed my heart with my finger. “You deserve a night off. Bring me a doggie bag?”

  She smiled warmly. “Always.”

  Finishing our coffee, I grabbed a granola bar as Aunt Clara snatched the keys. Normally we drove separately, but today we rode together. Chad was picking her up from Mystic Floral for their romantic excursion. I tried to contain the need to gag.

  As expected, the shop was a madhouse. I didn’t get two seconds to myself once the doors opened, but it was good for business, or so I kept telling myself. I forced a bright smile for the next customer. My face muscles were in agony, and there was a good chance that I would have a permanent creepy smile like the Joker by the time this puking pink holiday was over.

  We had just made it through the lunch-hour rush when Aunt Clara’s cellphone vibrated. Her face lit up as she glanced at the number flashing on her phone: Chad. She always got that goofy look when he called.

  I rolled my eyes and started to restock the cases for the next rush. The entire shop smelled of roses and baby’s breath. Beats coming home reeking of greasy burgers and salty fries, I guess. In the background I heard her bubbly whispers, and it was a reassuring sound that let me know she was happy.

  I, on the other hand, was a bundle of turmoil ever since the other night, when I had come to the realization that no matter what kind of connection Lukas and I might have, it was Gavin that I was in love with. That wouldn’t change. Now I just had to find the words to tell that to Lukas. I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to hurt either of them, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that was exactly what I was going to end up doing: hurting people close to me.

  Shooing Aunt Clara out the door with a dewy-eyed Chad, I took a quick look around the shop and saw that I had a moment just to myself. I knew it wouldn’t last, so I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. I felt the gentle hum of magic swirling inside me for just a moment before the door chimed, and I kissed my solitude goodbye.

  I huffed, watching the gazillionth guy scramble last-minute to get his wife or girlfriend a gift. If the bells dinged one more time before we closed, I was going to rip them from the above threshold and toss them out the door.

  Shifting my weight restlessly, I watched the hands on the clock. When at last nine o’clock struck, I already had the drawer counted, the shelves cleaned, and the flowers restocked. I was out the door. With the keys jingling in my hand, I turned the lock and set the security system to “active.”

  As I walked around the building to the back parking lot, something cold and prickly opened up inside me. I peeked over my shoulder, unable to shake the chill on my spine.

  Someone was watching me; I was sure of it.

  Before I had a chance to process that I was in danger, it was already upon me. Out of the shadows, a figure immerged. Cloaked in black, with a hood shielding his face, the man stood between my car and me. Panic skyrocketed in my chest. The vibrations in the air were undeniable. He was a witch, and by the ominous sneer on his mouth, the only part of his face I could really see, he wasn’t here to buy flowers; he was here to kill me.

  For the love of God.

  I knew that my life was in danger, but it didn’t really hit me until I was staring it in the face. The mystery witch faced me, and a shudder rolled through me. I took a step backward, away from the parking lot. If I could just get back into the shop…

  A really stupid plan. He would catch me before I had the chance to put the key in the door, let alone unlock it. I was cornered, and the feeling sucked big time. My eyes darted around the area, looking for any means of escape. There were two lampposts buzzing above us, flicking light across the parking lot.

  I sensed a tremor of power, and the parking lot went black.

  Crap on a cracker.

  “I have to say, you don’t look like much of a threat.” The sound of his voice was strained and sinister. That seemed to be a running theme.

  Silence soaked up the night. I was at a loss for words as I tried to figure how I was going to get myself out of this sticky situation—alive, hopefully.

  “I’m not a threat,” I stated, my voice quivering. I prayed he was a reasonable witch, but I wasn’t holding my breath. If it weren’t for his glowing eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to track his movements, or so I thought; it blows to be wrong.

  Whipping a hand out to his side, sparks of magic danc
ed along his fingertips. Cool trick. Fear aside, I was kind of envious of how quickly he conjured his power. “There have been murmurings of your rise in command.” He cocked his head, the black hood falling low over his eyes. “Now that I see you, I think the forewarnings were exaggerated.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more. It was unnerving knowing that there were witches out there talking about me, organizing my demise.

  I attempted to sidestep around him, but he blocked my escape with his body. I guess the time for pleasantries had come to an end. A whitish-red light erupted from his fingers and shot straight toward me. The impact knocked me flat on my ass.

  Wrong move, dude.

  My fear swiftly turned to anger. I don’t do well with bullies. Bad things happen when I get mad. Blowing my hair out of my face, magic trembled in the air, and this time it was mine. It gathered inside me. Pushing to my feet, a single spear of lightning broke the darkness with a blinding white light.

  “You don’t want to mess with me,” I warned him, in a tone I barely recognized as mine. I knew that my eyes were radiant.

  A pair of boots came into my vision, and I lifted my head, prepared to protect myself. I stopped thinking and began running on pure adrenaline and reflex. Ignoring the throbbing from having been tossed across the parking lot, I centered myself, wishing I could fully see my assassin rather than a shadow with eerie eyes.

  He hovered over me. “Power like yours should not exist. It’s unnatural, and you have to be stopped.”

  I realized that he was out of his freaking gourd.

  No sooner had the thought occurred to me than he struck. A green ball of energy whizzed toward me, slamming into my chest. I hit the ground—again— the air flying from my lungs. Shit, that stung like a bitch.

  Stars exploded behind my eyes, and I drew in a breath, scrambling to get to my feet before he released another ball of neon ectoplasm at me. “Look, I just recently found out what I am, and I’m not out to take over the world.” I kept babbling, hoping that I could somehow reach him emotionally because I was afraid I would hurt him physically. “I swear. I’m just a high school senior getting ready for college.”

  Static charged in his hands, radiating in a blinding green light. “It is only a matter of time before the temptation becomes too much for you. There is no stopping it.”

  So much for trying to be sensible. He made my life sound so hopeless. This time, when he attacked me, I was ready. I dodged to the right, and I watched his attack whirl past me. “Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.

  Well, he might think there was no option beyond my demise, but I was going to do my damnedest to stop him. I wasn’t some weak girl, too scared to put up a fight. I was a godforsaken witch. While I was letting my magic build up inside of me, the wind around me picked up, blowing my hair out around my face. Energy crackled over my knuckles, mimicking the lightning in the sky, a daring show of heat and light.

  “You don’t know what my future will hold. What makes you any better, playing God with my life?” I contradicted. He must not have liked my tone, which I thought sounded very authoritative.

  “I like to think of this as protecting my family’s future.”

  Family. I had a family too—my aunt. Already, she had to deal with the loss and pain of losing my mom, her twin sister. I shuddered to think about what losing me would do to her. I was all the family she had left, and the last connection she had to her sister.

  Something inside me snapped.

  What about the family I would never have, if he succeeded?

  A rage I’d never felt before came blistering to the surface, setting every molecule in my body on fire. In the center of my chest, a heady surge of power arose. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I shouldn’t release the energy that was bursting to break free, but that voice of caution was overruled.

  My bluish-white strand of magic hit the mysterious man right in the heart. He stumbled, his hood falling away from his face. For the first time, I got a clear view of the man trying to kill me.

  He had skin paler than I’d imagined, like he didn’t see much sunlight and lived among the shadows. A mixture of green and brown blended together inside his wide eyes. Short brownish hair teased his temples. There was nothing special about this man, nothing that jumped out and screamed murderer.

  I stood above him, as he lay pinned to the ground by my spell, one that I had cast but had no clue what it was. Regardless, it was effective in paralyzing my attacker. Looking down into his eyes, I felt like a different person—detached, emotionally and physically, from my body. My other hand reached out, and this indisputable need inside me fought to be set free. It whispered in my head, begging me to release the power that was gathered at my fingertips. The voice lulled me in a sweet, tempting caress.

  There might have been a split second in which I knew what I was about to do— unleash that dark part of me that I had locked away and sworn never to use—but with my life being threatened, I was willing to pay the price that came with using it. Just as my hand trembled to release the power, I hesitated.

  Somewhere, through the haze of darkness, I heard a voice that was both familiar and warm. My fingers twitched, the magic trying to lure me, but the sound of Gavin’s voice broke its hold.

  He grounded me. I grasped that thought and, dropping my hand, the energy fizzled.

  “Gavin?” I murmured.

  Chapter 12

  He looked like he was fighting the urge to commit first-degree murder. In five ground-eating steps, he was at my side. I knew his next move was going to be epic.

  The attacker at my feet moved, crawling slowly away, assessing the unexpected newcomer. I, on the other hand, was relieved to see my boyfriend. The jerk didn’t get very far in his escape; Gavin’s foot connected with his gut, sending the guy back to the ground, groaning. “I might have stopped the lady from killing you, but you can bet your ass we’re not done here. Not by a long shot,” Gavin growled.

  The anonymous man winced. “You are a fool. She is wicked. You will be abetting the extinction of power.”

  Obviously, he didn’t get the message. There was a satisfactory thud when Gavin followed his first kick with a second. This guy was glutton for punishment. Curled up on the blacktop, he began to laugh—a sick and twisted laugh that made my skin crawl.

  Gavin’s eyes darkened.

  When I first saw him, I had assumed he was planning on blasting this guy to the next planet, but I realized that he wanted the satisfaction of hurting him with his bare hands. It must be a guy thing. He had come in, guns blazing.

  Gavin paused from thrashing the other man to catch a glimpse of me and make sure I was still standing, not passed out. At least that’s what I figured he was doing, when his eyes connected with mine. In that moment of distraction, a flash of light exploded in the night, and when the blinding glow faded, my mysterious assailant was gone.

  And the kicker was… that meant he would probably try again.

  Great. Something to look forward to.

  Gavin’s gaze scanned the tree line. “Looks like our friend didn’t want to stick around. How disappointing. The fun was just beginning.”

  I didn’t have the quite same reaction. Springing to my feet, I threw myself into his arms.

  “Hey, I’ve got you,” he murmured as I buried my face into his neck.

  I was encompassed by his warmth, and then I started to babble incoherently like an idiot. Random words describing what had happened just started spewing from my mouth: incomplete thoughts, run-on sentences, made-up words, the whole nine yards. It was bad.

  He listened to me, getting the gist of what I was trying to articulate. Putting me at arm’s length, he helped calm me down. I don’t know how it happened, but over the last few months, Gavin had become my anchor. He was able to pull me back from the darkness, but I had to wonder if there would be a point at which I would be too far gone for even him to reach me.

  I prayed that never happened.

  In the
afterglow of the events, guilt gnawed at me, bit by bit. “Did I—?” The possibility that I had done the unthinkable plagued me.

  Gavin shook his head, staring off into the darkness. “Not a drop.” Facing me, his eyes surveyed my face. “Are you okay? If he hurt you—”

  I swallowed. “I’m fine. Just a few scratches.” I thought it would be better if I left out the details about what happened before he gallantly arrived. The last thing I wanted was for him to off go on some kind of revenge mission.

  “That is one hell of a scratch,” he said, stepping forward, the pad of his thumb lightly tracing the side of my cheek. I flinched. Tomorrow that would be the mother of all bruises.

  Wrapping my arms around myself, I started to shake. “No. I’ll be okay. I need to get the car home.”

  The heat from his eyes was gone now. “Don’t worry about that now. I’ll arrange for Jared to get it. You are no condition to drive.”

  Maybe he was right. Fatigue hit me like a wrecking ball. With an arm around my waist, I let him lead me to his car; summoning and using so much magic had depleted me of energy. I slid into the leather seat, thinking about how close I had come to ripping the power right from that guy’s soul. It was my last thought before I crashed, exhaustion devouring me. Magic overload.

  My eyelids fluttered open.

  A heartbeat of time passed as I lay there, putting together the pieces of how I got here. Where exactly was here? The last thing I remembered was some douchebag ranting on about how I was evil and had to be stopped. Then Gavin showed up out of nowhere. Everything after that was fuzzy.

  I twisted on my side. My bedroom, with its soft lavender walls, came into focus. I was stretched out on the white sheets, the sweet scent of a wild berry candle and fresh flowers filling the room. Someone had lit the candle at my dresser, its flame casting a small glow in the dark room.

  Gavin.

  I thought his name before I saw his face. He moved silently through my room, prowling toward me. Tingles skirted across my skin, and the tattoo at the small of my back came alive. The mattress shifted under his weight as he settled down beside me. He propped himself up on his side, using his arm to hold up his head. “Hey,” he murmured, brushing a chunk of hair off my face.