Touch of Fire (Into the Darkness Book 1)

by Jasmine B. Waters

“I’m great now that you’re here,” Steven said. He grinned. “I missed you. Where did you go, anyway?”

  “I stayed with a cousin,” I lied. “My, uh, my mom thought it would be good for me to get out town for a few days.”

  Steven laughed. “More like a few weeks,” he said. He stepped closer and reached for my hand. When our fingers touched, a shock crossed from his touch to mine. “You really know how to drive a guy wild,” he added. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  I blushed. This is new. Why is being like this? He’s normally so… standoffish!

  “Come on,” Steven said. He glanced mournfully into my eyes. “Don’t tell me—you didn’t miss me, too?”

  I bit my lip. “Of course I did,” I said quietly. “I really missed being home.”

  Steven fell silent for a minute. When he leaned in to kiss me, I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. His nose was cold against my cheek, but his lips were warm and dry and safe somehow, almost like I’d found a refuge from the storm raging in my mind.

  “Mn,” Steven purred into my mouth. He put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer. Just as I started to relax, the sound of a police siren made me leap backwards. Steven groaned as we both put our hands into the air.

  “It’s barely dark,” I grumbled under my breath. “When is this stupid curfew going to end?”

  The air was filled with blueberry and cherry lights, flashing on and off in a frantic pattern that made me want to vomit. As the car slowed to a stop, a portly cop got out and cocked his head to the side.

  “Elizabeth Hartsell?”

  “Yeah,” I said miserably. “I know. I broke curfew.”

  “Don’t you live right there?”

  I frowned. “Yeah,” I said. “Do you want me to get my mom?”

  “No. That’s fine, you go on inside.”

  I snuck a glance at Steven. His jaw hung open—he was clearly as surprised as I felt.

  “What about Steven?”

  “You leave Mr. D’Amico to me,” the cop said, speaking harshly to him for the first time.

  “He was just leaving,” I said quickly. “We weren’t doing anything wrong.”

  “Elizabeth, I told you to go in the house,” the cop said.

  I blinked. He’s not even looking at me. What the hell is going on?

  “Elizabeth, go,” Steven said in a low voice. He didn’t tear his eyes away from the uniformed officer. “I’ll deal with this, okay? Just go inside.”

  Reluctantly, I wrapped my arms around my torso and walked quickly into my house. The downstairs was dark and silent, and I snuck into the living room and peeped out the front blinds, waiting to see what would happen.

  I couldn’t hear the cop’s voice—or Steven’s—but judging from their body language, I knew something bad was about to happen. Sure enough, after a minute or two of arguing back and forth, the cop tied Steven’s hands with zip ties and herded him into the back of his car. As they pulled away, the sounds of the siren made me shiver.

  “Elizabeth?”

  I jumped a foot into the air, gasping and clutching my chest.

  “Oh, honey, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Mom said. She was frowning. “What are you doing all by yourself in the dark?”

  I bit my lip. Then I remembered what Monica had told me. Might as well tell her the truth. It’s not like she’s going to be mad.

  “I was out walking and I ran into Steven,” I said slowly. “A cop pulled up but he just told me to go inside, even though I broke curfew. But he took Steven,” I added. “His car is still out there.”

  Mom frowned. “Maybe the officer figured you’d learned your lesson?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I guess,” I mumbled. “I’m gonna go to bed.”

  “Okay, honey,” Mom chirped. I wondered if she knew it was only seven-thirty. “Sleep well. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

  I nodded and climbed the stairs. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, but I wanted to be away from everything that was going on. My life was turning into some kind of weird fantasy movie, and I couldn’t wait for the credits to start rolling.

  The next morning, I was shocked when Steven’s name flashed across my cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Elizabeth,” Steven said. He sounded warm and happy. “You want to take a walk?”

  I frowned. “What happened last night?”

  “Oh, yeah, that wasn’t so bad…” Steven trailed off. “I wasn’t held for very long. Andrea came downtown and they let me go.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course she did.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them—Steven would probably snap at me and tell me I didn’t know what I was talking about.

  “Yeah,” Steven agreed. “She can be a little much sometimes.”

  My jaw dropped in shock.

  “So, Elizabeth, can I see you? I really miss you,” Steven added.

  “Okay. Um, do you want to meet at my house?”

  “Sure. I’ll walk over and just take my car home with me.”

  When we hung up the phone, I raced into the bathroom and tried to make my hair look presentable. After a light coat of mascara and a swipe of neutral lipstick, I didn’t think I looked too bad. I can’t believe he’s so excited to see me. To be honest, I wasn’t as happy about Steven’s attention as I knew I should be. If anything, it just felt weird. Maybe I should go away more often.

  But thinking about going away just reminded me of the coven, and of Monica. I missed her so badly that it hurt.

  By the time Steven knocked on my front door, I was deeply in thought about my friend. Thinking about the details of the coven was hard—everything was a blur in my mind—but I felt more frustrated than ever. I didn’t understand why Henrik and Ligeia had agreed to initiate me if they wouldn’t even need my help.

  It just didn’t make sense.

  “Hey, earth to Elizabeth,” Steven said. He snapped his fingers in front of my face. “You okay? You’re really spacing out.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” I said. “I was just… thinking about my cousin, that’s all.”

  “I hope you didn’t meet any guys while you were gone,” Steven said.

  I stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Of course I’m not kidding,” Steven said. “I really like you, Elizabeth,” he said. He grabbed my hand and I blinked as his eyes filled with passion.

  “I like you, too,” I said quietly. I still did—but somehow, this change in Steven was alarming… even more alarming than the other stuff going on in my life. What the hell did he want from me, exactly?

  “This is nice,” Steven replied. He guided me into the woods, along a shady path. The day was mild for winter—some of the snow and ice was finally starting to melt—but I couldn’t help remembering the vivid green grass of the coven. It hadn’t occurred to me at the time, but suddenly I knew that everything had been magicked together. I shivered. And the initiation, I thought nervously. Was that magick, too?

  “Elizabeth, hey,” Steven said. He glared at me. “What’s with you? Your mind is all over the place today. I’ve been talking to you for like, five minutes and you’ve barely even nodded.”

  I frowned. “Sorry,” I said. “I guess I’m feeling a little distracted.”

  “No shit,” Steven muttered under his breath. He led me into a dark grove of trees and pulled me close, kissing me deeply. I kissed him back, but all the while my mind kept wandering. Henrik. Ligeia. The Coven. Monica. The other witches. Andrea.

  What did it all mean?

  When cold air hit my bare stomach, I yelped and opened my eyes. Steven had lifted my shirt and he stroked my belly, right where Ligeia had painted the pentagram.

  “You’re so hot,” Steven growled. He tried fumbling with the snap of my jeans but I pushed his hand away.

  “I don’t think we should,” I said, glancing around. The truth was, I’d never felt less turned
on in my whole life.

  “Why not?” Steven grinned. He took my hands and held them over my head, pressing me against a tree and kissing me deeply. After a few seconds, he pulled away and narrowed his eyes. “What’s your problem?” Steven asked. “What’s wrong?”

  I shrugged, feeling helpless. “I don’t know,” I said. “Look, I’m sorry—I just don’t feel like doing this right now.”

  Desperate lust flickered in Steven’s eyes. “Elizabeth, I need you,” he growled. “Come on, it’s been weeks!”

  I stared at him and yanked my hands free, putting them on my hips and tugging down my shirt.

  “It’s not my responsibility to get you off,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You’re not being very respectful.”

  “I love you, Elizabeth,” Steven said urgently. “I need you. Right now, come on. No one will know, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble. I’ll tell Andrea to help you, so don’t worry.”

  My jaw dropped. He’s seriously going to fuck me and then have his sister try to save me? When she’s clearly obsessed with him?

  “Elizabeth, I’m serious,” Steven said. He leaned in to kiss me again but I darted to the side and he wound up with a mouthful of my hair. “What’s your fucking problem?” Steven snapped.

  I pushed him away with more force than necessary. Steven staggered backwards and looked up at me with wide eyes. For a moment, I felt bad—he looked like a lost little puppy. But then he glared and the tiny amount of sympathy in my heart vanished.

  “You’re a tease,” Steven said coldly. “If you loved me, you’d sleep with me.”

  I shook my head. “Steven, I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “But right now, I don’t know what I want.”

  Turning on my heel, I broke into a run and started out of the forest. Behind me, I could hear Steven wailing and ranting in frustration, but I never turned around.

  Not once.

  Something really weird is going on. I stumbled through the woods in a blind panic. I didn’t know what was happening… but I feared the worst. Obviously, something had taken hold of Steven while I was away. The tables had finally turned—now he was the one desperately pursuing me. And even though I know I should’ve been happy, all I felt was fright.

  Chapter Three

  Monica

  I was spending so much time with Henrik that I hadn’t been to school in over three weeks.

  Not that it really mattered—Andrea’s crazy witch hunt had effectively shut Jaffrey down. The only kids who even went to school anymore were the small ones, in elementary school. And because Andrea was such a master fucking manipulator, no one even thought of it.

  If we get out of this, I’m going to have to repeat the tenth grade, I thought angrily. What a crock of shit.

  Henrik had left me with a grave warning. “Time is running out,” he’d said. “And you must act quickly if you want to win.”

  “You keep saying that,” I’d replied, obviously annoyed. “Come on, how much worse can things get?”

  Henrik’s next words chilled me to the bone. “You must follow her,” he’d said. “You must begin to make a plan to end her life.”

  So now, I was reduced to following Andrea D’Amico around like some kind of third-rate private investigator. It galled me—I didn’t even have a car, how the hell was I supposed to stalk someone successfully? Why couldn’t this have happened after I got my license, I lamented as I left Jamie and Brian’s house, just before sunrise. It would have been a lot more comfortable, at least.

  I’d barely had any time to myself in weeks. I hadn’t talked to David in days, and I felt guilty about ignoring Elizabeth… but it wasn’t like I could call her and talk magick. Everyone knew that the phone lines around town were still bugged, and I wasn’t about to risk ruining anything further, just for the sake of a friendship.

  Just then, I remembered something Ligeia had told me once. “Magick is cold,” she’d said. “Don’t expect it to keep you warm.”

  I shivered.

  By the time I got to the D’Amicos’ house, the sun was almost up. I snuck into the bushes and sat down with my knees to my chest and my arms wrapped around them. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe I’m staking her out like a freaking sniper.

  I didn’t have to wait long. After I’d been hiding for about twenty minutes, the front door opened. Andrea skipped out, looking happy and summery. There was a wide smile fixed on her face that made me shiver. Before all of this shit had started happening, Andrea had only smiled like that when she talked about church.

  And she’d never smiled like that at me.

  “Mother,” Andrea called.

  I ducked further down into the bush, covering my face with leaves.

  “Yes, darling?” Mrs. D’Amico came out of the house, her eyes glazed and shiny. “What can I do for you?”

  “Mother, I feel like going to the police station,” Andrea said. “Will you drive me downtown?”

  I shivered as Andrea’s grin grew a shade wider.

  “Anything you’d like,” Mrs. D’Amico said in a mechanical voice. “Anything for you, darling.”

  “Good,” Andrea said. Her smile was momentarily replaced by the biggest smirk I’d ever seen. “I want to have everyone start praying and repenting in jail. They won’t be allowed to go anymore, at least, not until they’ve properly shown forgiveness. Did you know that four more teenagers were apprehended last night?”

  “No, darling, I had no idea.” As she approached the driveway, Mrs. D’Amico’s eyes grew even glassier. “What a wonderful idea.”

  “I know,” Andrea said in a sing-song voice.

  As the two passed by the bushes, I shuddered. This is getting worse, I realized when Andrea and her mother climbed into a car and drove away. Henrik was right.

  Once the car had left, I darted into the woods and made straight for the coven. Henrik and Ligeia told me that I’d been getting much stronger lately. While I didn’t necessarily believe them, I did have a much easier time finding their secret magick place. This time, it only took me fifteen minutes.

  Henrik didn’t look surprised to see me. “Child,” he said. “You have news.”

  I told him what I’d heard and he sighed heavily, resting his chin on his fist. I wasn’t sure how old Henrik was—ancient, probably—but he did look as though he’d aged ten years in the past week or so. I knew this put an intense strain on him… and I almost felt guilty about it.

  “She’s controlling everyone,” I said, shaking my head and flopping down in the grass. “She’s nuts.”

  “Yes, child,” Henrik said. “And you know the solution, don’t you?”

  My stomach rumbled. “We have to kill her.”

  “Not just kill her, per se,” Henrik said slowly. “You must cut out her heart, and then the coven must burn it. That is the only way the spirit of Prudence will finally pass on. We must destroy her heart.”

  I shivered. “How am I supposed to do that?”

  Henrik shrugged. “You’re a smart child,” he said. “You’ll figure it out. Trust me.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t feel very smart right now,” I said. I shuddered again. The air of the magicked clearing was warm, but a chill passed through my body at the thought of committing such a terrible, violent act.

  “You’ll know when the time has come,” Henrik said. He sighed.

  “I don’t know that I can do this,” I said quickly. “Can’t anyone else? What if I pointed you right to her and then someone else from the coven took care of it?”

  Henrik shook his head. “It has to be you. She is your sworn enemy, and you’re the only one strong enough to resist her control.”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  Monica, you must not lose confidence in yourself,” Henrik continued. “I know that it sounds brutal—and believe me, it is. But this is no longer your choice. It’s your fate.”

  I sighed heavily, my shoulders saggin
g with the effort. “I know,” I said. “I just hate the idea of killing.”

  “You’ll feel differently once the task at hand has been completed,” Henrik said. “I promise, Monica.”

  “You’d better be right,” I mumbled. I got to my feet and brushed my hands off on my thighs, preparing to go back to Jaffrey.

  “And Monica?”

  “Yeah?” I turned around. “What?”

  “David can take care of himself.”

  “What?” I narrowed my eyes. “What does that even mean?”

  Henrik’s expression grew solemn. “He was arrested, just now,” he said. “For attempting to sneak into Jaffrey and contact you.”

  My heart sank and my stomach twisted into knots. All thoughts of apprehension vanished and I balled my hands into angry fists.

  “That bitch,” I spat through clenched teeth.

  “Yes,” Henrik said. He nodded. For the first time, he gave me an approving glance. “You know what you must do.”

  I’m coming for you, Prudence, I thought, picturing Andrea’s sickly sweet smile. And this time, you won’t be able to escape.

  ---

  As soon as I got back to Jaffrey, I knew that I had to work fast. I waited all day, hiding in a crouched position outside of the D’Amicos, for Andrea to return. Knowing that she was forcing David to beg forgiveness angered me more than almost anything that had happened so far. She’s a little self-righteous bitch, I thought from my hiding place. And I’m going to make sure that this stops.

  Soon.

  I waited for hours, pinching myself to stay awake. Finally, Andrea appeared in the driveway. Thankfully, she was alone. She skipped and sang under her breath—some kind of ancient-sounding nursery rhyme that sent me into a cold panic. Suddenly, I wondered if I’d be able to do it. When the time came, would I actually be able to take a life?

  Andrea skipped up the drive and onto the porch. I waited for a few seconds as I listened to the sound of her fumbling with her own keys to let herself inside. As soon as I heard the swing of the door, I leapt up and ran onto the porch.

  Andrea turned and gasped when she saw me. Her smile faded and she pressed her lips into an angry, thin line.