Luminescence Trilogy: Complete Collection

by J. L. Weil

  I twirled my hair around my fingers nervously. I glanced over at him and shielded my eyes from the sun.

  Gavin elbowed me playfully. “What now, Bri?” he asked about the future.

  Did he really expect me to answer that big of a question right now? I didn’t know what I was doing this afternoon, let alone at the end of summer. I gave a small shrug. “I don’t know, college?” He was always altering my plans, but this time it had been in a good way.

  He smirked. “You just name the school…I’ll take care of the rest.”

  I snorted. By take care of, he meant magic. Spelling my way into college hadn’t exactly crossed my mind. But it wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever heard.

  Principal Les called my name over the microphone, and I froze. Gavin gave my butt a little pat, spurring me into motion. I glared over my shoulder at him, scowling. He flashed me a quick, saucy grin. The whole way to the front, I prayed I wouldn’t trip.

  When it was all over and the entire class had their diplomas, we threw those weird square caps in the air. My aunt was waiting for me in the crowd. She looked lovely in her simple summer dress, with a bouquet of flowers in her arms, of course.

  She handed me the colorful arrangement. “I wish your mom and dad could see you,” she sniffed, blotting a tissue under her eyes.

  Oh, Lord. Here come the waterworks. “Me, too,” I said, hugging her.

  She clung, and I let her. Tears burned the back of my throat. Man, I sort of wanted to start bawling. “Thank you for always being there for me,” I said.

  “Always and forever,” she whispered. “You were born from magic. Don’t forget your roots.”

  “I won’t,” I promised.

  As we separated, another pair of arms immediately bombarded me. “Congratulations,” Sophie said, hugging me. “I can’t believe I have another year,” she groaned.

  As always, Sophie came in like a whirlwind. “Don’t worry. It will fly by,” I assured her.

  Austin and Tori joined us. “We did it,” Austin sang, and I was smooched between my two best friends.

  If I did any more hugging, I might be sick. “High school was a lot harder than I anticipated,” I mumbled.

  The three of them laughed. “Maybe more so for some than others,” Sophie said, winking at me.

  That was when Aunt Clara pulled out the camera. She snapped pictures of Tori, Austin and I, some with Sophie, and finally, Gavin and me. She got all teary-eyed again. Just when I thought she was finished, she would take another and another. It was almost more than I could stand, but I let her fuss.

  I was surrounded by people I loved.

  Although the sun was shining in my eyes, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of sandy hair and emerald eyes. It brought on the memory of the first time I saw Lukas in the farmer’s market. Acute sadness and sharp regret soared inside me. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to get a better view.

  He wouldn’t possibly show his face at my graduation, right? He wouldn’t take the risk. Why would he? He wouldn’t be so stupid, unless he had a death wish.

  But it didn’t stop that seed of possibility from spreading… until it was all I could think about. Stretching on my toes, I looked through the crowds, trying to see if my eyes had tricked me.

  I found not a trace of Lukas in the sea of people, and I couldn’t decide if it was relief or disappointment I was feeling. Regardless, it didn’t last long, because a flutter of fireflies replaced all other feelings.

  Gavin had come up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  A small giggled bubbled out, but before he could question my sanity, I turned in his arms, facing him. Sometimes, like now, when I was staring up at his face, I regretted that it had taken me as long as it did to realize that he was the only one. I wish that I had been as confident in us as he had been. I felt like, for him, it had been instantaneous. “I love you,” tumbled from my mouth, coming straight from the bottom of my heart.

  His arms squeezed around me, tingling with magic. “I love you.” The words sounded devastatingly perfect coming from him

  My heart tripped. A burst of light encompassed every cell in my body. Delight fluttered through my belly. Our love did that. There was hope in our future. There was our acceptance of each other—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

  We kissed, and everything about him felt familiar. I know exactly how we fit together—perfectly, his arms around my waist, my hands tied at his neck, the pressure of his lips over mine. No doubts. Not about him. Not about me. And certainly not about us.

  The future?

  Well, that is another story. One that I can honestly say I am looking forward to.

  THE END

  Ready for the a bonus short novel of Gavin & Brianna’s story?

  Grab your next Gavin fix and read the bonus story Darkmist.

  Can’t wait to meet you back in Holly Ridge!

  Thank you for reading.

  xoxo

  Jennifer

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  Part IV

  Darkmist

  Chapter 1

  Thumbing through the pages of my astronomy textbook, I lifted my head. Only nine minutes had passed since I sat down, and all I could think was, why the hell had I taken astronomy?

  Maybe because the idea of taking a biology class made me want to hurl. I mean, I had to dissect a frog in high school. God only knew what they were going to make me dismember in college. Gross. Ick. That’s why I was sitting in room 103 of the Natural Science building at the University of North Carolina.

  The ten-minute hike across campus was convenient, as was living in the dorms, especially since I was a stickler for time management. No way was I getting stuck sitting in the front row.

  Wouldn’t it be easier to live here at home? Aunt Clara’s voice filtered into my thoughts.

  Accessibility hadn’t been the only reason I’d chosen to stay in the dorms. I’d wanted the full college experience, a fragment of freedom to discover myself. It had taken a bit of convincing for Aunt Clara to agree to the co-ed dorms, particularly because my edible boyfriend’s room was down the hall.

  Gavin Mason.

  He was not the kind of guy I ever pictured myself dating. Dark. Mysterious. Edgy. Dimples that made his blue eyes twinkle devilishly. And he was a witch…like me.

  I still wasn’t sure what he saw in me, but living under the same roof definitely had its perks. Gavin had taken a slightly different approach to college than I had. Where I was laser focused on my studies, he was motivated by the next party.

  Austin and Gavin had become frat brothers in the sense they’d found a shared love of Alpha Beta Delta or whatever weird Greek name their fraternity. It was kind of a surprise. I never would have pegged my boyfriend as a frat boy. He was more of a loner. And that made me think he was up to something. He always had an agenda.

  The question was, what?

  I extended my legs under the seat in front of mine and glanced at the clock above the door. Ugh. If this was how my day was going to go, then I was in trouble. My eyes wandered about the classroom, checking out the other dorks that were dumb enough to sign up for this course.

  There was a girl with cinnamon and spice hair a few seats diagonal from where I was. It wasn’t her fiery hair that captured my wandering gaze, but what she was doing with her pen. The two of us shoul
d have been taking notes on the lecture Professor Burns so snoringly delivered, yet…

  I had no excuse, but this girl, she was concentrating intently on the slim silver pen hovering in the air an inch or two from her face. Nothing was touching it. No fingers. No string. No trick. Except magic.

  I felt the tremble of power dance in the air, and she suddenly had my undivided attention. WTF. She was openly using magic in the middle of class. I was flabbergasted. My mouth fell open. Did she have no regard for the safeguard of the craft?

  I mean, I was still an apprentice in a manner of speaking, but even as a novice, I knew the rules. There was no doubt, this girl was a witch, but the difference between us was, I didn’t flaunt my gifts. I didn’t openly splash magic where others could see.

  But as my eyes swept over the room, I realized no one else noticed anything amiss. A cloaking charm? It was the only explanation my mind could come up with. I could see through the spell, given the extent of my powers.

  There was nothing ordinary about the magic I was born with. Nothing at all. My power was feared by most witches and coveted by the darker ones. I’d learned to accept who I was—the descendant of Morgana Le Fey—a clàr silte.

  It wasn’t as cool as it sounded.

  The CliffNotes version was, I sucked the magic from other witches. I was the Dementor of enchantresses. Of course, there were repercussions for such power. I couldn’t just go around slurping magic from every witch I encountered like they were ninety-nine cent cherry Slurpee’s. The price for using magic of that magnitude left blemishes on my soul—the sort of marks that turned your soul dark.

  And I’d rather punt-kick myself in the face than losing myself to dark magic. I didn’t like who I turned into, or the little voices in my head, baiting me to take more. One taste led to an insatiable appetite.

  To date, I’d only stripped one witch of his power. Lukas Devine. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since that day. It was probably for the best. Lukas had nefarious plans where I was concerned. It was still hard to believe I’d mistaken his feelings toward me as affection, when in fact he wanted my power and what I could do with it.

  Gavin, if given the chance, would love to go a round or two with Lukas, to screw up his pretty boy face, as he would say. I shuddered at the thought of them running into each other. Bloodbath.

  As I stared the redheaded witch, she must have sensed my eyes on her. Her head angled, meeting my disapproving gaze dead on, but she never dropped the spell. Actually, the minx smiled at me, and not in a friendly sort of way. It was menacing and made my skin prickle with unease. There was something off about her.

  I tapped my pencil on the blank paper in front of me and bit my lip.

  She lifted her brow when I continued to stare. It was a challenge. The pen floating parallel to her slender nose began to spin. Then with a flick of her marshmallow painted fingernail, she sent the pen sailing through the air, directly at Professor Burns.

  I froze.

  The length of the pen whizzed past his ear and the tip sunk into the corkboard bulletin behind him with a thump. I made a loud audible gasped.

  Holy shitsnacks.

  Professor Burns brushed at the side of his head, but other than that, he didn’t miss a beat in his lecture. However, my disruptive gasp of horror was a different story. Numerous heads turned my way, giving me the side-eye reserved for public spectacles.

  My face flamed an ugly shade of pink. Dipping down, I let my hair fall forward, curtaining my face as my gripped tightened on my pencil. If there was one thing I hated more than being embarrassed, it was bullies. Silently, cursing a string of swear words that would have made my aunt blush, I peeked up from under my lashes.

  The witch was laughing at me.

  Swirls of magic gathered at my fingertips. I wanted to show this witch what real magic was. These parlor tricks were high school compared to what I could do.

  But noooo. That’s not why I was here, I reminded myself. Sometimes it just plain sucked being the good girl.

  For the remaining of class, I avoided looking at her. I didn’t want to play her games.

  As soon as Professor Burns dismissed the class, I shot out of my seat like I was racing for the last cup of coffee. I made it to the double doors without tripping or mowing anyone down. Bursting out of the science building, I lifted my head up and breathed in the warm afternoon sun. There was a hint of sea in the air, but I didn’t stop to smell the roses. My legs kept moving. I wanted to put as much distance as I could between the mysterious witch and me. She struck a chord inside me. And not in a good way.

  “You’re a witch,” a dark seductive voice stated.

  I stopped in my tracks. The multi-hued ginger was sitting on a bench just outside the brick library, twirling a piece of her hair.

  How the hell had she gotten here before me? The library was adjacent to my dorm, a win-win in my book. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied. This girl was a stranger to me, and I surely didn’t owe her an explanation.

  “You saw me in there. I know you did.” She crossed her legs over an expensive pair of designer jeans. “I can feel your power, you know. It’s pointless to lie.”

  Most witches could sense another of their kind. “I saw you showing off with a juvenile spell.”

  The smirk on her lips tightened. “I’d be careful who you piss off, rookie.”

  “I’m not looking for trouble,” I said, before I said something she’d regret.

  Her cherry lips puckered. “That’s too bad. Trouble is way more fun. I’m Amara, by the way.”

  “Brianna,” I replied, shifting the strap of my bag higher up on my shoulder.

  She batted her heavily mascara-framed cat green eyes and stood up, pulling a slim card out from her back pocket. “Here. If you’re interested, there’s a party tonight at my sorority house. It’s not your typical sorority, and I think you’d fit right in. I’m the house advisor.”

  I took the business card, but I doubted this so-called sorority, was approved by the school board, or if it was, a dab of magic had been involved. Last I checked there wasn’t a major for witchcraft. “I’ll pass,” I answered, trying to keep the distain from my voice. “I have a full load this semester and hadn’t really thought about rushing.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself. If you change your mind, you know where to find me, Brianna. My number’s on the card.” Twitching her butt, she turned back toward me after only a step or two. She popped a pair of shades over her eyes. “Hope to see you tonight.”

  A cold chill passed over me as I watched her saunter down the sidewalk like she was on the red carpet.

  Geez.

  I flipped the card over in my hand. Kappa Zeta Gamma. If you can’t fly with the big girls, get off the broom.

  Catchy. And not too subtle.

  Under the tagline was her name. Amara Sanders. There was also the sorority logo. KZG. And no joke, there was a little wooden broom going through the monogram.

  Wow. And to think I thought I wasn’t going to make any friends. I hadn’t thought I would meet a witch, or that I would accuse of her misusing magic. What a way to make a first impression. New city. New school. And I managed to muck it up in less than thirty minutes. Could be a personal record.

  Chapter 2

  Dropping my enormous astronomy book on my desk, I flopped on my dorm bed, staring at the twinkle lights dangling across the ceiling. My roommate was an interior decorator major who was obsessed with Pinterest.

  Kylie was a petite brunette with skin that was golden year round and a sparkling personality. Her wardrobe reflected her flare for design, and would have made Tori green with envy.

  It was strange not having Tori here, but university wasn’t for her. She was furthering her education at Elite School of Beauty. I didn’t doubt I was going to end up being her guinea pig on her journey to become a beautician. I only hoped that I would have hair left by the time she graduated. My only comfort was that any damage she caused could be fixe
d with a little bit of magic.

  I missed her, especially after today.

  Twirling the card between my fingers, I did something I never thought I would do. I considered joining a sorority, or the very least, checking out the house. The way I saw it, I had two choices: I could go to this party tonight and maybe meet a few cool people, or I could climb into bed, turn off all the lights, and pull the covers over my head. I so wanted to indulge myself in a good pity party, but my curiosity got the best of me. I hadn’t busted my butt working all those summers at Mystic Floral, saving money for college, and taking on the additional expense of living on campus, just so I could shut myself up in my room. The whole experience, remember. And that included parties.

  I nibbled on my nail, contemplating.

  Forget it.

  If I had to think this hard, it wasn’t worth it. Maybe meeting other witches wasn’t a good idea. Who knows what might happen. Honestly, I had better things to do with my time than get wasted with a bunch of uppity sorority sisters.

  Like writing a paper for Composition I. Unwilling to give Amara and her sorority another thought, I pulled out my English textbook. My classes were finished for the day, but my run-in with Amara had interrupted my plans. I had intended to head over to the financial building after my astronomy class to fill out an application for a campus job. At eighteen credit hours, I had a full schedule, but if I was going to continue living on campus, I was going to need to money, and a job on campus seemed like the best route.

  I was going to have to make time tomorrow.

  Tonight, I was going to attack my homework with a vengeance. And I did for a few hours, before I felt the fireflies flutter in my belly. There was only one person who enticed those warm flurries. Gavin. A rush of excitement whirled inside me.

  My eyes lifted. He was leaning in the doorway, his startling blue eyes were vibrant and alive, a stark contrast against his midnight hair. The cool metal hoop at the center of his lip twitched as they curved. Gavin was gorgeous in a way that made me feel giddy and reckless.