Six Times a Charm

by Deanna Chase

  “But do we have time to deal with her right now? Maybe you should just take her home.”

  “Talk to her again. Calmly.”

  “Right, because you did so well with that.”

  Cheney’s phone rang, interrupting his excuse. “It’s Corbin, I should take this.”

  I shrugged.

  “Yeah,” Cheney answered. “That will work, where?—Yeah, I’ll be there.” He listened for a moment longer before hanging up with an irritated look on his face.

  “Paolo agreed to meet with me, but Corbin requested you,” Cheney said, watching my reaction.

  “When?”

  “In a week. I want to settle things with my father before we meet with him. We don’t need them for that, and if I fail the meeting will be pointless.” He frowned. “I don’t like that they want you there. You’re not part of this bargain.”

  The thought of Corbin requesting that I was included gave me chills. Never in my life had I felt like so many people other than myself had control over my existence. “Obviously, but we’re a pair. If you want them to help us, you can’t hide me from them. Especially when they already know I exist. You have to trust them.”

  “That’s the problem,” he griped. “You had to flirt with the vampire?”

  “I got him to help us, didn’t I?”

  “Did you even consider the cost?”

  I shrugged. “So what if the vampire likes me? I don’t see the big deal.”

  “You don’t have enough people after you? You just had to add one more?” Cheney took a deep breath. “I just want to be a step in your decision making.”

  I wanted to argue, but he had a point. I didn’t believe the flirting bothered him as much as it reminded him of my former self. “You will be…You are. But I’m coming with you.”

  “You can come, but you have to stay with me the entire time and try not to draw attention to yourself.”

  “I want to see Sy tonight.”

  “And I take it you want to go alone?”

  I shrugged. I didn’t really care. Cheney looked thoughtful. “He’ll be more likely to help if I’m not there.”

  We strolled back to the house. It was hard not to bring up the subjects that weighed most heavily on my mind, but I felt for both of our sakes we needed a calm before the storm. The girls were still lounging around the house and Grandma was milling about the kitchen when we came back. I made a beeline for the living room, but Cheney caught my arm and gave a meaningful nod towards Gram. I went into the kitchen with a long-suffering look, and he went to the living room. Traitor.

  “Good morning,” I said as I walked to the refrigerator.

  “Selene.” Icicles were warmer than my grandmother.

  I opened a bottle of water and leaned against the counter. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Fair.” The air was heavy in the room. It felt like she was waiting for an apology, but I stayed silent. I was right, damn it.

  When I couldn’t take the silence anymore I said, “I’m going out this evening. If you need anything, Sebastian or one of the girls can help you.” I began to walk out of the room.

  “Selene,” Grandma said, stopping me. I kept my back to her. She sighed. “I need to work with your coven as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll make sure they’re ready. We can meet in the living room in an hour.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine.” I went into the living room annoyed that some things never change—my grandmother being a prime example. She could not admit she was wrong or, at the very least, hurtful to me. If she would just acknowledge it or admit I was not the evil monster she always made me feel like I was, we’d have a much different relationship. I couldn’t understand what she found so offensive about me. It wasn’t the elf part—she liked Cheney. It wasn’t the witch part—she was one. Maybe it was the combination or maybe she resented raising me. Whatever it was, we’d have to hash it out someday, but that day wasn’t going to be today.

  Chapter 34

  Cheney looked up from his phone as I came into the room. I shook my head and he frowned. The girls were talking about the night before and starting to show signs of life.

  “Edith wants to meet with us in an hour,” I told them, sitting down on the floor with my back against Cheney’s legs, needing the sense of relief I felt whenever we touched.

  “Would you like the chair?” he asked, stroking my hair.

  “No, I like the floor.”

  “Selene can’t sit still. She likes to stretch,” Devin told him with a smile.

  “What does she want to meet with us about?” Jessica asked.

  I shrugged. It was probably to tell all of my friends that I was evil and they should avoid me. If she’d say that to my husband, she couldn’t possibly have any qualms about trying to drive everyone out of my life.

  “Hopefully it doesn’t involve movement,” Katrina groaned, her face smashed against the throw pillow. “I think I left my liver in the club last night.”

  “There should be a spell to get rid of a hangover,” Jessica said miserably. “We could make a fortune.”

  “I bet we could write one,” Devin said thoughtfully. “Do you think your grandma would help us with that?”

  “I doubt it.” I leaned my head back so I could see Cheney, albeit upside down. “Would that tea work on them?”

  He thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Elves and humans react differently. It might work, but it will make them fall asleep. They won’t be able to do anything today.”

  “That won’t work.” I gave them an evil smile. “You’ll just have to suffer.”

  “It would be best if you left,” Grandma said from across the room, her eyes on Cheney and me.

  I bristled. She wasn’t going to kick me out of the house or my coven. I was about to say as much when Cheney spoke.

  “Are you giving me orders, Edith?” he asked coolly.

  “Selene needs to concentrate and connect with the elements. She’ll never do so with you here. You’re as much of a distraction for her as she is for you. There’s a reason why people don’t date within their coven.”

  “Yeah, we’re all girls,” Katrina said under her breath and Leslie giggled, earning them a disapproving look from Gram.

  “I’m not in the coven,” Cheney countered.

  “Exactly, and this is coven business—but of course, it’s your choice about how prepared you would like them to be.”

  Cheney looked back down at me. “I’ll be fine,” I whispered. He kissed my forehead then stood up.

  “If you upset her, we’ll do without you.” Grandma blanched slightly but made no comment—only nodded. Cheney walked out of the room.

  I cleared my throat. “I should introduce you to everyone. Grandma this is Devin, Jessica, Leslie, and Katrina.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Meriweather,” Devin said, standing to shake her hand.

  Grandma stiffly greeted everyone with a tight smile.

  “What did you want to meet with us about?” I asked, trying to keep a business-like tone.

  “I need to assess your power levels so I know what I’m working with.”

  “Our power levels?” Jessica asked.

  “I need to make sure my granddaughter hasn’t placed her trust and future into the hands of some well-meaning Wiccans with no discernible talent for the craft. You actually have to have some proclivity towards magic.”

  “What are you planning on doing to us?” Leslie asked, looking worried.

  “Test you.”

  “I don’t really like tests,” Katrina grumbled.

  “We’ll start with Selene,” she said, and the girls immediately perked up. I rarely displayed or spoke of my abilities with them.

  “What would you like me to do?”

  She ripped a sheet of paper off a notebook that was sitting on a table. “Make this disappear.”

  I frowned as I looked at her and the paper. “How?”

  “That’s the test.”

 
; I looked around the room for inspiration until something caught my eye. My mind lifted the paper from her bony fingers and placed it over the candle flame. Fire licked the edges and ash rained down on the table, as grey smoke filled the air. The paper was destroyed.

  Grandma nodded, not at all surprised. She looked to Devin next, holding up another sheet of paper.

  “I can’t do what she did,” Devin said, glancing at me with something like awe.

  “I don’t expect you to. Find your own way.”

  Devin snatched the paper out of Grandma’s hand and walked outside with it. She placed it on the ground, drawing a circle around herself. “Mother earth, giver of life, this paper you did birth, take it now from human strife.” As she repeated her spell, the ground absorbed the paper until there wasn’t a sign of it left. Devin said a silent prayer then broke the circle with a shrug. “That’s the best I can do. I have dreams about the future, that’s all.”

  Gram nodded and went back inside. She tore off another piece of paper, looking to Jessica. Jessica gave her a thoughtful look then took Gram’s hand that wasn’t holding the paper.

  Gram’s face turned toward Jessica with an unnatural focus. Suddenly she crumpled the paper in her hand and, when she opened it, the paper was gone. Jessica smiled and went back to her chair. Gram’s eyes followed her all the way to her seat.

  “Where did it go?” I asked.

  “Away,” Gram said with an irritated edge. She ripped a new page out and looked to Katrina.

  “But what did she do—”

  Gram cut me off by holding her hand up and pointed to Katrina.

  “I hate tests.” Katrina said again, looking around the room for anything that might help her in this task. “Just a second,” she said and she walked out the door. When she came back, a faint buzzing filled the room. At first I didn’t see them, but then I saw hundreds of tiny wood nymphs buzzing around the room. With a nod from Katrina, they descended on the piece of paper ripping miniscule pieces off until the entire sheet was gone.

  “How’d you do that?” Devin asked.

  “Didn’t you see them?” I asked.

  “See what?” Grandma said.

  “The wood nymphs.”

  They all looked at me puzzled, and I looked at Kat. She smiled. “I didn’t know you could see them too. I’ve always been able to. I just don’t talk about it because when you tell people you can see faeries, they tend to go for the straitjacket, if you know what I mean.”

  “Interesting,” Grandma said without any sarcasm. “And the last one.”

  Leslie tapped her foot and stared at the sheet of paper in Grandma’s hand. Finally she stood up and gave us a helpless gesture as she wadded up the paper and threw it in the trash can. “I’m an empath.”

  We laughed and Grandma surprisingly didn’t look annoyed. “How did you all meet?”

  “In college,” Jessica said.

  “It was like—” Devin continued.

  “Fate,” I supplied.

  “Did we pass?” Katrina asked.

  “With flying colors. I should’ve known Selene would never align herself with weak witches.”

  I had a feeling that wasn’t a compliment, but I couldn’t be certain. “I didn’t align myself with anyone. We’re friends. We all had a power that we hid. Something that made us feel different and unwanted,” I snapped at her.

  Grandma smiled, but it wasn’t happy. I kept my face calm and my breath even. She wouldn’t make me lose my temper.

  “Are we done here?” I asked.

  “No, now you all need to invoke the spirit.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. We all are going to invoke the spirit? Isn’t it just the coven leader normally?” Devin asked.

  “Not if you want the coven to be as strong as it can be. Invoking the spirit will increase all of your powers exponentially, and given what’s coming, you all need it. You have ability, you have powers, but you need to be better, clearer, and more focused. Either you can train for years and years, slowly increasing your power, or you can invoke. Didn’t Selene explain this to you?” She glared at me. “If you help her, you’re no longer just a Wiccan minding her own business. You’re declaring yourself to the world of the Abyss. Nothing will ever be the same for you. You must be able to protect yourself.”

  “Yeah, she explained that to us and tried her best to talk us out of helping. We still want to help. Your granddaughter is an incredibly kind and caring person and one of my best friends. I would do anything for her,” Leslie said, picking up on the undercurrents. “I think Devin was confused about whether it was okay for all of us to do it. Just looking for clarification really, isn’t that right, Dev?”

  “Yes, I was surprised. I didn’t realize we all could do it, but I guess it’s good since we don’t really have a leader.”

  “What exactly will invoking the spirit do to us?” Jessica asked seriously.

  “It could be different for each of you, so I can’t really say—but it will make you stronger, and that’s all that matters at the moment.”

  ***

  My entire body tingled with energy and I felt as if I could float away. The air caressed my skin, leaves and mossy wetness from the dew hours earlier coated the inside of my nose, a kaleidoscope of colors swirled on the back of my eyelids, and everything about me seemed weightless. I was more connected to the natural elements of earth than I’d ever been. I could feel them and had the impression they could feel me too. I looked around at my friends and everyone had a similar dazed expression after the ceremony. One thing was certain: we weren’t an easy bake coven any longer.

  Silent, and with wobbly legs, we marched single-file back into the house. There was too much to stimulate the senses outside. We returned to our original positions. I stretched out on the floor in relaxation pose and let myself grow accustomed to the hypersensitivity I was experiencing. The carpet at first felt rough and scratchy against my body, but after a few moments, I no longer noticed it touching me. I could smell remnants of Cheney on my skin, sandalwood and morning dew. I drew in a deep breath, holding on to the scent. The sound of everyone breathing and their heartbeats filled the room with a constant white noise. This was going to be distracting.

  “Selene, you’re floating again,” Jessica said.

  My eyes flew open and I hit the floor hard. “Shit, that hurt,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life consciously trying to keep my feet on the ground?”

  “You’re going to be a queen, sweetie. I think, regardless of whether or not you’re physically floating, the answer to that is yes,” Devin said with a hand over her eyes.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Your control will increase and the side effects will lessen. Give it a couple hours,” Grandma said. “What is everyone feeling?”

  “Like my head is a piñata at a birthday party,” Leslie said miserably.

  “Everything’s really bright right now and all of you are swimming in colors. I think I’m about to throw up,” Katrina said.

  “Those are auras. They’ll help you recognize different creatures in the Abyss. It’s a very effective tool,” Grandma told Kat.

  “My ears are ringing,” Jessica said, shaking her head like she was trying to get water out of them.

  “Like I was hit by a bus then backed over,” Devin added.

  None of them had anything I was experiencing. Yet all of their side effects went with their individuals gifts. Perhaps I’d gotten off lucky. None of my side effects were painful.

  “What about you, Selene?” Grandma asked when I didn’t immediately volunteer the information.

  “Well, you all can see the floating. On top of that I have heightened senses of smell, hearing, touch, and sight. I don’t know about taste, but I suspect it wasn’t left out.”

  “How heightened?” Grandma asked.

  “I can hear everyone’s hearts beating and every breath you take. I can smell each of you clearly and distinctly—as w
ell as Cheney from when he was here. The carpet feels like sandpaper against my skin. Everything is sharper than before.”

  “Those aren’t side effects,” Grandma said seriously, making me look at her.

  “What are they?”

  “Elven traits. I didn’t know what would happen when you invoked. Apparently it made those abilities keener than they had been. Who knows what you could do now?” She bit her lip. “Lord, have mercy on us all.”

  “What does a red aura mean?” Katrina asked, but we all knew the answer. I was pissed. off.

  “Gram, I love you, but if you keep this up, you’re going home. I’ve had enough. I’ve taken all I can and it’s about damn time you show me a little respect. I’m not evil, and if you don’t know that, you’re an idiot.” Angry energy built in me with each word that spilled from my mouth. “Please don’t make me cut you out of my life. Cheney and I have enough to deal with. We don’t need this from you. Try not to be a bitch.”

  Gram lifted from the ground and floundered uselessly in the air. The thought that I could do anything I wanted tempted me and seduced my rage. I could throw her out of the house, throw her against the wall, or set her back down, and she could do nothing to stop me. Maybe I would leave her suspended.

  Cheney walked into the room and assessed the situation calmly. The girls watched me with wide eyes, but none of them spoke, possibly out of fear I would do the same thing to them.

  “Sit me down immediately,” Grandma demanded in her most authoritative voice.

  “Make me.”

  “I’m your elder—”

  “Like hell you are.”

  Cheney took a seat in the chair behind me without speaking, obviously content to let this little fight play out.

  “Last chance, Edith. What’s it going to be? You can apologize, or Cheney will take you home, and I will remove you from my life.”

  She stared at me, scouring me for any signs of guilt or wavering. Finally she sighed. “Fine. I apologize. You do not appear to be evil.”

  I put her back on the floor even though it was a terrible apology. “For the record, if I was evil, I could’ve killed you any number of times just now.” I turned on my heel and strode out of the room. It had been way too much togetherness for one day. I needed space. I lay in the soft bed, relieved the sheets didn’t hurt my skin. The smell of Cheney and me permeated my senses. I felt cocooned and safe.