by Jody Morse
“So, are you guys official now?” Ambur asked.
“I don’t know what we are,” I admitted. “If I tell you guys a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?”
“Of course,” Draia said.
“You know your secrets are safe with us,” Ambur agreed.
“So, Kaden took me into the Enchanted Forest last night.”
“The Enchanted Forest?” Draia’s eyes widened. “You know that’s off-limits.”
“Yeah, well, we didn’t get caught. Obviously. And what he showed me there was… amazing.”
“I don’t like this,” Ambur said, shaking her head. “Aside from it being a rule, it’s supposed to be really dangerous.”
“Actually, Kaden has this theory that the Academy only wants us to think it’s dangerous. There’s this river there. It glows pink at night. He’s pretty sure it’s a portal, but he hasn’t figured out where it leads yet,” I explained. “It’s possible that the school just doesn’t want us all knowing about it. And we swam in it last night… practically naked.”
“I mean, I’m glad you guys had fun last night, but I’m just glad you’re okay,” Ambur commented.
“I would seriously rethink ever going back into those woods,” Draia said then.
I sighed. I should have known that my roommates wouldn’t understand this. I probably should have just kept it to myself.
Oh, well. If Kaden ever took me back there, I definitely wouldn’t tell them.
***
One o’clock rolled around and then two o’clock. There was still no sign of Kaden.
I texted him, but he didn’t respond. When I called, I got his voicemail right away, so apparently, his phone was off.
I tried not to let it get me down, but I couldn’t help it. If he wasn’t going to follow through with our plans, he should have actually cancelled on me, instead of ditching me. He had claimed to want to make up for the night before, but ditching me like this had only made things worse.
After I finished cleaning up my portion of our dorm room, Ambur, Draia, and I ended up staying in and watching a show called The Golden Ghouls, which was basically a paranormal remake of The Golden Girls.
By the time dinner rolled around, I gave up on the idea of hearing from Kaden altogether.
When we arrived in the Dining Hall, I didn’t see him anywhere.
Okay, so my anger and annoyance with him was beginning to subside. Now, I felt more nervous than anything.
What if something had happened to him?
He had said the Dark Coven was one of the most dangerous, deadliest covens in the paranormal world. What if he hadn’t been able to stop Connor from joining the coven and, instead, the coven had managed to stop Kaden and Kayla from ever trying to interfere again?
I tried to push that and other worst-case possible scenarios to the back of my mind, but they kept resurfacing the longer dinner went on and he didn’t show his face.
I was so nervous that I couldn’t even eat my pizza or my chocolate cheesecake, which was my absolute favorite dessert of all-time, because I felt like I was going to puke. And, unlike my roommates, I wasn’t still hungover from the night before.
As we headed out of the Dining Hall, I nearly collided with Kaden.
I both relieved—and annoyed—at the sight of him.
“Hey,” he said, his blue eyes staring into mine.
“Where were you? You promised we were going to do something today to make up for last night.” I tried not to glare at him, but I couldn’t help it. Now that I knew he was perfectly fine and the Dark Coven hadn’t killed him or anything, my blood was boiling at him ditching me.
“Can we go somewhere to talk?” Kaden glanced over at Ambur and Draia.
Honestly? I could see why he was intimidated by them. They were both staring him up and down, just as annoyed as I was that he had been a no-show.
“Fine,” I agreed, deciding that I must as well give him the benefit of the doubt. Turning to Ambur and Draia, I said, “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Yeah, see you,” Draia said, giving me a hug and then walking in the direction of the House of Mage.
“Later.” Ambur gave Kaden a warning glance and then followed after Draia.
I turned to Kaden. “I figured we could go talk in the courtyard. If you’re good with that,” he said. “We can go anywhere else you’d rather go, though.”
“The courtyard is fine,” I replied. It really didn’t matter where he tried to give me his bullshit excuses.
Not that I knew for sure that it was bullshit. There was a chance that something really had happened.
Ugh. Was I giving him the benefit of the doubt too much? I had never been one to let guys walk all over me, and I was afraid that was what was happening now. I had to remember that even though Kaden was a gorgeous paranormal being, at his core, he was still a guy.
But he was so dreamy.
As he walked alongside me, I tried not to stare at him too much. I didn’t want him to notice that I couldn’t stop staring at him, and it probably wasn’t healthy to be so infatuated by someone’s appearance. But I couldn’t help that he was so goddamn good-looking.
Kaden led me to the same bench we had sat on before. “This is beginning to feel like our bench.”
“Where were you?” I asked, cutting straight to the chase.
“Last night was a bit of a nightmare,” he began. “Things with my brother got… well, complicated.”
My eyebrows lifted questioningly. “Complicated how?”
“So, we were able to find my brother. My sister put a tracking spell on him, and we had to take a portal to get to him,” he explained. “He was headed to the Dark Coven, to join them, just as she suspected.” He paused for a moment. “Although we were able to locate him, we weren’t able to stop him. Because he used magic—dark magic—against us.”
“He used dark magic against his own brother and sister?” I supposed that told me everything I needed to know about Connor. He clearly wasn’t a good guy, just like Ambur had made me believe.
Kaden nodded. “He’s really determined to become a part of the Dark Coven. He’s probably going through the initiation right now. He made it very clear that nothing Kayla or I could do would stop him. His decision was firm.”
“I’m sorry. That must be so hard, having a brother who’s so determined to be a bad guy,” I said.
“That’s honestly the least of my worries right now,” he said with a sigh. “Connor told me some things—things I’m not at liberty to repeat just yet, but things that aren’t good. If what he told me is right, we’re all in a lot of danger.”
“What type of danger?” I asked.
“The Dark Coven is preparing to go to war against the Academy—against the House of Mage, in particular. They want to prevent new good magic users from entering the world, but there’s another reason, too.”
“What would that be?” I questioned.
His steel blue eyes locked on mine. “You.”
“Me?” A knot tightened in my stomach. I didn’t like the sounds of this.
“The Dark Coven knows that you could potentially be one of the most powerful witches of our time, Juliana. They want to stop you before you’re as powerful as you will be over time.”
“That’s great. The Dark Coven wants to take me out because I could be a powerful witch, but we don’t even know, for sure, that I’m a magic user.”
“You have an affinity for all four elements. You proved that last night when you saved my life.”
“Actually, not all four,” I replied, shaking my head. “I only proved I have three: fire, water, and wind. I haven’t controlled or manipulated the earth in any way yet.”
“I’m sure you have an affinity for earth, too,” he replied. “And either way, having an affinity for just one of the elements is a pretty strong indicator that you’re a magic user.”
“I guess. But it could also mean that I’m a shifter.” I paused. “There’s also a chance that I
could be more than one paranormal race.”
“Which would make you an even greater force to be reckoned with,” Kaden replied. “No matter what way you look at it, the Dark Coven feels threatened by you and for good reason.”
“Have you told Headmaster Crane about what the Dark Coven said?” I asked.
“No.”
“But if the Academy is at risk of being attacked, don’t you think he should know?”
His blue eyes met mine. “I have reason to believe that Headmaster Crane isn’t who we think he is.”
“Who else would he be?” I questioned with raised eyebrows.
“I still have some more detective work before I can give you that answer,” he replied. “But as of right now. I just want you to promise me that you won’t fully trust him.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. All of this was so much… too much. “No wonder you ditched me.”
“I want to make it up to you. Do you want to come back to my dorm room?” Kaden asked me, his steel blue eyes glimmering under the moonlight.
“Sure,” I agreed with a nod.
“Okay.” He hesitated. “But before I take you there, there is something you should probably know.”
“What is it?” I asked with wide eyes.
His gaze shifted away from me and down at the ground. “I don’t live in the House of Mage.”
“What do you mean? I thought all of the magic users live here.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I live in the House of Were.”
“So, you’re a werewolf?”
“No,” he replied.
“Another type of shifter then?”
“I’m not a shifter.”
I shook my head in confusion. “Then why are you living in the House of Were?”
“Because Headmaster Crane wasn’t sure where else to put me,” he replied quietly. “You’re not the only one around who’s different, Juliana.”
“What are you talking about, Kaden?”
“They don’t know what I am, either.” His blue eyes met mine.
“Well, what do they think you are?” I swallowed hard, almost afraid to know what his answer was going to be.
“They think I’m half-witch.” His blue eyes locked mine. It was as though he knew that what he was about to say next would change everything between us. “And half-warlock.”
Chapter 33
I just stared back at him, my heart pounding against my chest.
“Half-warlock,” I repeated quietly, allowing what he had just told me to set in. This guy, this guy who I felt so much for, was half-warlock. Or so they thought, anyway.
“My mother was a witch,” Kaden explained. “And my father was a warlock. From the moment my brother was born, it was very obvious that he had gotten the warlock gene. Everything about him has always been… dark. Evil.” He paused for a moment. “And my sister… She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She could only ever have been a witch.”
“And you?” I pressed. “Do you have a mean bone in your body?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to think I do, but I’ve done things…”
An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. “Done things like what?” When he didn’t answer me right away, I pressed, “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“No, of course not. And I want you to know that, no matter what, I would never hurt you.” He reached over and touched my hand, but I quickly pulled my hand away.
“I’m sorry, Kaden,” I replied, rising to my feet. “But I need to go.”
“Juliana, wait!” He called after me, but I couldn’t look at him right now—and not just because looking at him meant seeing someone else entirely now, but because I couldn’t let him see me or the tears that were streaming down my cheeks.
How could this have been happening? Everything between us had felt so… well, perfect. Last night when we were swimming, it had felt like something straight out of a movie or a romance novel.
I supposed that I should have known that it was too good to be true.
Then again, how could I judge him when I didn’t even know what I was? What if I turned out to be something just as bad, if not worse, than Kaden?
I glanced down at the time on my phone. It was already 9:58. Just two more minutes to 10 o’clock.
I glanced over at the bench where Kaden had been sitting. He was already gone.
In fact, most of the students had cleared out of the courtyard already. We were just an hour away from curfew, so everyone was heading back to their dorm rooms.
Shifting my gaze to the water fountain, I saw them. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew it was the letter sender.
The person was dressed in a black suit and a black top. They were standing at one corner of the fountain, and something about them just seemed so… sketch.
I regretted breaking my promise to Ambur, but I needed answers, and I needed them now.
I walked over to the person, holding my breath.
As I walked over to the person, I gasped. “You’re the one who knows the truth about what I am?”
“Yes.” Everly pushed her sunglasses down, her icy gray eyes locking on mine. “I do.”
Chapter 34
I just stared at her skeptically. “How would you know what I am? This is obviously some sort of sick joke.” Or it was real, and I was about to die, just like Ashleigh had. “If this is about you wanting me to leave Brett alone again, you should know I have no interest in him.”
Okay, that may have been a lie. I hated lying, but if a lie was going to save my life, then it was worth it.
“This isn’t about Brett.” She stared at me for a moment, and then her eyes darted around the hallway. “We can’t talk here. It’s not safe. Come to my room.”
“That sounds more like an order than an invitation,” I said pointedly.
She rolled her eyes at me and then led me into the House of Mage. I followed her up the stairs and to the end of the hallway. At least we were close enough to my dorm, so Ambur and Draia were right next door now if something should go wrong.
Pulling her key out, Everly unlocked the door and held it open for me. “Trust me. I don’t like this any more than you do, you know. But we need to talk.”
A mixture of emotions swarmed around inside of me. Part of me didn’t give a crap what she had to say. Another part of me was curious. And then there was another part, the part that thought this would be a good distraction from Kaden and what I had just learned. And finally, there was the part who just needed answers at this point.
So, I followed her into her room.
I glanced around the room until my eyes landed on her corner, which I found easily thanks to the sign that read Everly. It wasn’t exactly what I would have pictured. I mean, I wasn’t really sure what exactly I would have pictured, but her room was surprisingly… soft.
The walls in her corner were covered in a light pink wallpaper with gold accents. Her comforter was darker pink and satin with frilly throw pillows in various shades of pink and gold. Everything about it screamed princess, rather than a heartless witch.
Reaching into the drawer of her white nightstand, Everly pulled out a picture and handed it to me.
As my eyes fell on the photo, my breath caught in my throat. There were three women who I didn’t recognize and one who I did. The photo was black and white and she had to have been about my age at the time, but there was no mistaking it.
Grandma.
I glanced over at Everly, confused. “Where… where did you get a picture of my grandma?”
“My grandmother gave it to me.” Her eyes met mine. “Your grandmother was a Vixen.”
“She was?” I didn’t want to believe this could be true. The Vixen didn’t have good intentions, but it was hard for me to picture my grandma as anything but good. How could she have possibly been mixed up with the Academy’s evil sorority?
“Yes. And your great-great grandmother, along with my great-great grandmother, was one of th
e founding members,” Everly told me.
I glanced down at the photo again. My grandma was smiling, but there was a look in her eyes that I couldn’t quite identify. It was a dark look, one that I’d never really seen in her before.
Seeing this picture made me wonder how many other secrets Grandma had kept from me.
Tearing my eyes from the photo, I turned to Everly. “I’m confused. Why did you bring me into your room to show me a photo of my grandma?”
“Because the reason no one can figure out your paranormal race is because of the Vixen,” Everly explained.
“I don’t understand,” I replied, shaking my head.
Everly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something on it. Then she handed it to me.
I read what she had written. It looked like an equation of sorts.
(V)(ix)(en).
V=Vampire
Ix=pIXie.
En=dragEN
“That’s not even how you spell dragon,” I commented.
“Actually, that’s the fae spelling for dragon,” Everly explained when I glanced up at her, confused.
“I don’t understand. I’m all three of these things?” My stomach weakened at the thought of being a vampire. And it didn’t really make sense that I could have been those things; I didn’t crave blood, turn Tinkerbell-sized or breathe fire.
“No, not exactly. You may already know this, but the Vixen began as a coven, made up by our grandmothers. They created a potion, using blood of a vampire, a pixie, and a dragon. The potion, which all five of the witches had to drink, would mask the blood of one of the Chosen One.”
“The Chosen One?” I asked with eyebrows.
“Yes. That would be you.” She paused. “There was a prophecy about you. It was known that you would be the granddaughter of one of the Vixen, though it was unknown, at the time, whose granddaughter it would be.”
“What did the prophecy say?” I pressed.
“The prophecy said that there would come a time when there would be a Chosen One. She would be the most powerful paranormal being of all-time. And the Vixen potion would protect the Chosen One’s blood from being able to reveal what she was, for her own protection.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t understand. Why am I the ‘Chosen One’? What was I ‘chosen’ to do?”
